Author: Dick Mangrum

Things appeared quiet this morning in the area of Walhalla’s memorial to deceased Civil War soldiers.  However, the city last night enacted a 9 pm to 6 am curfew as a way to calm down an apparent escalation of words between protesters and counter protesters.  Brent Taylor, city administrator, explained why the city went to a curfew.  “It had to […]

The arrangement between Dr. Michael Thosland, superintendent for Oconee public schools, and his employer, the county board of trustees, is being extended five years.  Here’s an announcement from the school district:  “During Executive Session at a board meeting Monday, June 15, 2020, members of the school board voted to extend the contract of Dr. Michael Thorsland through June 30, 2025. […]

South Carolina Thrive’s COVID-19 Rental Assistance Program, which was designed to provide emergency rental assistance to South Carolinians facing financial hardships because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, still has funding available and is accepting applications. Launched in late May in cooperation with the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority (SC Housing), the program aims to lessen the economic […]

County administrative staff recommends the county put aside up to $150 thousand to buy 11.23 acres adjacent to the Oconee Regional Airport.  The recommendation is on the meeting agenda tomorrow for the county council.  The property deal is intended for future expansion of the airport apron and new airplane hangars.  The county aeronautics commission chairman, Randy Renz, believes that after […]

Law enforcement, community leaders and other Oconeeans are invited to a rally and unity walk tomorrow evening at Seneca.  Sheriff Crenshaw and other law enforcement officers will speak at the Norton-Thompson Park.  it’s a 2-hour event, to run 6 to 8 pm.  After the talking, those who would like to participate will be asked to take a unity walk around […]

799 new cases.  An ignominious, one-day record high for South Carolina.  DHEC reported one additional death—that of a middle aged person from Jasper County.  Dr. Linda Bell, the state’s epidemiologist, is worried that too many South Carolinians are ignoring the simple precautions against the spread of what is now a spiking case South Carolina case rate that has others worried […]

The police say a woman from Seneca was hospitalized and taken into custody in a a far eastern central Georgia county in a case that developed into an alleged kidnapping of two boys.  Chief John Covington of the Seneca police says after a chase, Screvin County, Georgia authorities took Alexus Skinner to a hospital out of precaution.  Covington says she […]

Walhalla and Westminster saw a weekend of protests.  Walhalla’s ran three straight days and ended last evening as a storm approached which may have tamped down the rhetoric between the protesters and those who resisted.  While the protests appeared fairly civil there were, at times strong, words exchanged on the subject of racism.  Walhalla’s started Friday evening when a Black […]

After one hour, Walhalla’s third protest in as many days wound down when the sky darkened, thunder sounded, and raindrops began to fall.  But both Black Lives Matter supporters as well as opponents got in their say–much of it in chants by about 35-45 marchers and responses those chants elicited by a pro-Confederacy group.  In all, the numbers may have […]

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Friday announced 770 new cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 and 5 additional deaths. This brings the total number of people confirmed to have COVID-19 in South Carolina to 17,170 and those who have died to 593. All five deaths occurred in elderly individuals from Aiken (1), Charleston (1), Lexington (1), […]