Author: Dick Mangrum

Today there will be the release of new jobless numbers to reflect the latest picture of the extent to which the virus has wreaked havoc on the workforce. And Jamie Suber, chief of staff at the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, speaking yesterday to an Oconee County audience, intimated that it’s likely the numbers of new claims filed […]

Governor McMaster and DHEC officials unveiled a new strategy yesterday to test as much as two percent of the South Carolina population in May and June to give an indicator of the extent to which COVID-19 has spread statewide.  That equates to about 110,000 South Carolinians. One of the spots of emphasis will be the state’s 194 nursing home facilities.  […]

South Carolina DHEC announced 97 new virus cases, along with nine more deaths.  Yesterday’s announcement brings to 6,936 South Carolinians diagnosed with COVID-19.  The death toll statewide has reached 305.  The nine deaths were those of elderly in Allendale, Charleston, Florence, Lexington, Richland, Williamsburg, and York counties.  The number of new cases included four in Anderson County.  There were no […]

The government nuclear watchdog agency, NRC, has announced a meeting this month to discuss the 2019 safety performance of three plants, including Duke’s Oconee Nuclear Plant.  It’s be a virtual-style meeting, to be held Monday afternoon, May 18, featuring the Nuclear Regulatory Commission employees responsible for plant inspections.  During 2019, the NRC determined that Oconee Nuclear, along with Catawba and […]

A man who allegedly drove a Jeep to Delaware belonging to an Oconee County car dealership has been jailed in Walhalla. The crime is alleged to have occurred 20 years ago but the accused, Bryan Allan Lanier of Bluffton, now finds himself in jail and, according to a spokesman for the Oconee Sheriff’s Office, is a wanted man also in […]

A spokesman for “FEMA”—the Federal Emergency Management Agency—is inviting residents of Seneca and Oconee County to make application to the federal government for financial assistance needed to help rebound from the destructive tornado of April 13. But first, according to Darrell Habisch, tornado victims must first exhaust their insurance benefits—to avoid anyone receiving duplicate benefits. You can register for FEMA […]

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.