Author: Dick Mangrum

A 31-year member of the Oconee Sheriff’s Office has been recognized by his counterparts in the tri-state area.  Lt. David Smith last week received the Phillip Peacock Tri-State President and the Corporate Investigator award during a meeting at Lake Toccoa, Georgia of fellow law enforcement officers from Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.  The origins of the organization date back […]

A 10th grader at Walhalla High School is the South Carolina winner in the VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship competition and will advance to national competition.  Olivia Lee competed with South Carolina students in grades 9-12 competition and won a $1 thousand scholarship.  The national winner can look forward to a scholarship worth $30 thousand.  She’s the daughter of Mark […]

Walhalla’s elected leaders gave their blessings last night to a project by Keep Oconee Beautiful to help re-enforce the message that litter is harmful to the environment and to all people. The mayor and council approved the idea presented by KOBA’s Danielle Pankuch that placing a mural and its anti-litter message at Sertoma Field might cause those who frequent the […]

A new health clinic operated by Clemson University’s Joseph L. Sullivan Center health facility should before long find a home in the old county health department building. The County Council on Tuesday approved spending up to $110,000 to refurbish and renovate the building at 200 Booker Drive in Walhalla, which will then be leased to the Sullivan Center. The clinic […]

A new position at the Oconee rock quarry will reward a former county inmate who intends to go straight to work after his jail sentence. The County Council on Tuesday voted to create a new position at the rock quarry that is expected to be filled by one of two graduates of the Life After Lockup outreach program at the […]

A Duke Energy worker who lives in Mountain Rest is entering the field of politics in Oconee County.  Matthew Durham this morning announced he’ll offer as a Republican candidate this year for County Council Seat 2–the seat that Wayne McCall has held for 12 years.  One of Durham’s platform planks is to conserve taxpayer’s money.  As he put it, “to […]

Rain continues to fall in the Golden Corner, but it was last week’s drenching that did a number at the construction site of Walhalla’s new water plant. Scott Parris, utilities superintendent, displayed photographic evidence of the collapse of a section of a retaining wall between the main water plant building and Lake Keowee. Parris discussed with the mayor and council […]

A final vote by County Council on a solar energy farm planned for Oconee’s Golden Corner Commerce Park off S.C. 59 near Fair Play must wait until next month. Council held a hearing Tuesday on an ordinance creating a fee-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement with the yet unnamed company, but delayed a final vote. The county attorney said the paperwork for the final […]

Walhalla’s outside auditor turned up shortcomings during his annual examination of the city’s financial records, but no criminality on the part of anyone. That was a point that the mayor stressed as he and the city council last night received the official audit covering the year 2018-19. And Mayor Danny Edwards’ observation was that what the auditor found lacking are […]

Oconee County administrator Amanda Brock is headed toward an extension of her initial 18-month contract. County Council last nite voted unanimously to authorize Chairman Julian Davis to enter in negotiations with Brock for a new master employment agreement. The vote came after an executive session during which terms of the new agreement were discussed. These specifics of the new agreement […]