Author: Dick Mangrum

Some 40 customers of Westminster electric power service are affected by an outage this morning–caused when a limb fell on some copper wiring.  Those who live on Augusta Street, Jack Street, and Retreat Street saw their lights go dark around 7 o’clock.  But Westminster’s Marty Reid says crews are at work, and the service should be restored soon.

The chairman of Walhalla’s utilities committee has issued a call for water customers to fill the city council chambers on Tuesday evening and be heard on whether they believe a $65 dollar re-connection fee is too steep. Councilman David Underwood, fresh from his top-of-the-ticket re-election, wants water customers—those who live inside the city and those who live outside—to turn out […]

The weekend weather will gradually improve, and that’s going to fit nicely with a group of female outdoor adventurers who are assembling in the area for active outdoor recreation. Palmetto Conservation has organized the weekend to empower and inspire women to head into the great outdoors and enjoy trails and parks.  Trails and parks such as those at the state’s […]

Walhalla and county fire personnel used a small rope system to help rescue a stranded person yesterday afternoon at the Stumphouse Mountain Park.  The individual had strayed from the trail and became stranded on the ledge above the falls. It’s an incident that causes Brandon Burton, the fire chief, to point out that outdoor enthusiasts should always keep in mind […]

The death yesterday morning in a long-term re-hab center in Spartanburg of a gunshot victim from Seneca is classified as a case of homicide. And it leaves Oconee County authorities to plead to the public for information to help solve what happened last summer to Timothy Wade Phillips. One arrest has already been made in the case. Deputies July 10 […]

Seventeen-year-old Jesse Osborne was sentenced Thursday to life in prison on two charges of murder, plus an additional 30 years for two counts of attempted murder in connection with the 2016 murder of his father and shootings at the Townville Elementary School that left six-year-old first-grader Jacob Hall dead and a teacher and another student wounded. The sentences will be […]

A hunter from Liberty was wounded by gunfire, as his group deer-hunted this morning in Oconee County. The wounding of the hunter, not identified by name, is being investigated by the DNR, and one of its officers indicates there’s the possibility charges will be filed. The hunting mishap is believed to have occurred this morning in an area in the […]

The grandfather testified today that Jesse Osborne became increasingly withdrawn after his earlier expulsion from an Oconee County school, but the abuse the boy faced was ongoing up until the time the then 14-year-old Jesse killed his father. Tommy Osborne was the leadoff witness on the third day of Jesse Osborne’s sentencing hearing. Tommy Osborne testified that his son Jeff […]

For the residents of a Westminster home, their fire-damaged home is considered unlivable–the result of a fire yesterday.  At the time, those who lived at the 204 Butler Street doublewide mobile home were away, according to Fire Chief Michael Smith. Fire damage was confined to the attic and ceiling and, according to Smith, originated near the chimney.