Author: Dick Mangrum

The question that continues to come to the Oconee Chamber of Commerce: “What is considered to be a non essential business?” The chamber conveys the lists as prepared by the state. Non-Essential Business Listing The SC Emergency Management Division and the SC Department of Commerce have developed a list of industries deemed “non-essential” that will be closed temporarily effective at […]

A 101.7/WGOG listener questions if this is the right time for Duke Energy to bring in hundreds of workers from the outside for reactor re-fueling. But Mikayla Kreuzberger at the World of Energy says, “Re-fueling our reactor is critical so that we can continue to provide essential electricity to our customers and our communities. Just like you put gas in […]

A pandemic may seem the wrong time to test a set of outdoor warning sirens, but a regularly scheduled test of the Duke Energy sirens that surround the Oconee Nuclear Plant will go on as scheduled around 11:50 tomorrow morning.  Those sirens serve as an important warning signal in the event something goes wrong at the plant and a Duke […]

Two days after the crimes, a 26-year old Oconeean was arrested and charged with burglarizing a gun shop not far from his home. The Sheriff’s Office report identifies the man arrested as Michael David McCann on charges of second degree burglary, grand larceny, malicious injury to property, and wearing a mask during a crime. Besides the loss of firearms, the […]

The South Carolina Forestry Commission has declared a State Forester’s Burning Ban for all counties, effective at 6 a.m. Tuesday, April 7. A State Forester’s Burning Ban prohibits outdoor burning anywhere outside of city/town limits in South Carolina, including: • yard debris burns; • forestry, wildlife or agricultural burns (also known as prescribed, or controlled, burns); and • campfires and […]

If you run a Walhalla business and employ fewer than 25 people, chances are you could qualify for financial help from your city government.  In a meeting today, the city council might vote to create a COVID-19 business retention grant program.  The Downtown Development Corporation would administer the program and its board would consider the applications.  The promise put forth […]

Without regular school classes at least until May, the Oconee Sheriff’s Office has been able to put additional resources on the streets to protect against the possibility that criminals will target businesses. Sheriff Crenshaw announced yesterday that his patrol staff has been beefed up by 17 officers who’ve temporarily abandoned their duties as school resource officers. And, so far, for […]

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) today announced 183 new cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, including four additional deaths. This brings the total number of people confirmed to have COVID-19 in South Carolina to 2,232, and those who have died to 48. Oconee’s numbers remain eight confirmed cases, no deaths. The additional deaths occurred in […]

Governor Henry McMaster issued Executive Order 2020-21, which includes a mandatory “Home or Work” order and mandates capacity limitations to retail businesses still operating. “As we have said before – when the science, data, facts and experts determine it’s time to take action, it would be taken. It’s time,” said Gov. Henry McMaster. “Taking this measure now will hopefully slow […]