Author: Dick Mangrum

City of Seneca is willing to assist a pair of downtown businesses get off the ground and succeed. In a meeting this morning, the city’s Improvements Corporation approved applications for a new pizza restaurant at 403 E. Main Street and Phillip and Kandace Addington for their Salon K on Ramcat Alley. Details on what’s in those requests are being aired […]

Issues with the Oconee Rock Quarry near Walhalla get a full airing June 2 when Amanda Brock, the county administrator, pledges to come armed with facts and figures to refute claims that the quarry is not meeting production goals and is leaving customers dissatisfied.  Brock last night said her office will evaluate quarry operations, going back some years–especially since the […]

One Oconee County testing facility for the virus COVID-19 reports that, in about 45 tests given, there have been zero positives. It’s, of course, great news to the patients, though Vickie Thompson says the patients are told no tests are 100% accurate. Still, it’s a relief, especially to those who had been facing a drive to Greenville for testing there. […]

John Galbreath, the Walhalla recreation director, is targeting June 1 as the delayed date to start baseball and softball practices. That date is still uncertain, however. When asked if the municipal swimming pool will operate this summer, Galbreath said it’s likely that if recreation departments are allowed to offer baseball and softball, he believes swimming should also be permitted.

Re-development in the former textile village of Newry got a final green light during last night’s meeting of the Oconee County Council. The council passed final reading of a tax credit agreement with the May Corporation of Greenville. That group plans a $20 million investment to re-develop the mill property into housing.

Two Walhalla councilmen going forward pledge they will respect each other’s opinions, even though one of them is siding with the political opponent of the other. David Underwood challenged the validity of published comments attributed to colleague Josh Roberts and chided Roberts for questioning the legality of whether the city’s plan to award COVID-19 hazard pay was legal. Underwood coupled […]

Walhalla is cautiously moving to the re-opening of city services that have been closed by the spread of COVID-19. The plan could get set in motion this weekend by the re-opening of Stumphouse Mountain Park along with other city recreation venues such as tennis and pickle ball. Social distancing will likely be stressed. The mayor and council last night left […]

Fire to a home resulted last night  from a lightning strike to a home near Seneca, in the Woodland Acres subdivision.  Rural Fire Control logged last night’s lightning hit at 7:22 during the second spring storm in as many nights in the county.  No one reported hurt.

Popeyes, the restaurant chain that specializes in Louisiana-style chicken, appears to be on its way to locating a restaurant in Oconee County. Amanda Brock, county administrator, this afternoon confirmed that Popeyes applied for a county permit April 20 to locate in the fast-developing Hartwell Village shopping center.  Brock says the permit application is being reviewed, but has yet to be […]

In consideration for the virus pandemic for which there is not yet a vaccine, a two-county water supplier will hold the line on its retail charges for 2020. General manager Terry Pruitt made the announcement this afternoon on behalf of the board of the Pioneer Rural Water District at Oakway. From a one-year old water treatment plant along highway 59, […]