Author: Dick Mangrum

By the numbers, Oconee County is one of the safer counties in the upstate, Sheriff Mike Crenshaw said Tuesday. Its crime rates in all areas are trending downward, Crenshaw said, and the current rates compare to Abbeville County, south of Anderson County, which has roughly one-third the population of Oconee County. “That’s something we can all be proud of,” Crenshaw […]

Another county-operated free health clinic would be expensive and duplicate already existing services County Council members argued Tuesday. A proposal to the Oconee County Council’s Law Enforcement, Public Safety, Health and Welfare Committee on Tuesday by committee chairman District 2 Councilmember Wayne McCall that the county install a grant-funded free health clinic in the now empty county health department building […]

A committee of the Walhalla City Council will recommend the hiring of an additional full-time meter reader to help over-burdened staff churn out water bills quicker. And that, believes Mayor Danny Edwards, will help get bills into the hands of customers sooner before late penalties apply. But that’s not the entire solution, as explained during city’s utilities committee meeting. Scott […]

Could the waste in Oconee’s construction and demolition landfill be used to generate power, potentially producing a revenue stream and prolonging its landfill life? One Oconeean thinks so and the County Council is interested. Matt Durham, of Mountain Rest, floated the idea yesterday to the Law Enforcement, Public Safety, Health and Welfare Committee, that much of the landfill’s waste intake […]

With the approach of Hurricane Dorian, the South Carolina Forestry Commission will issue a State Forester’s Burning Ban for all counties, effective at 7 o’clock this morning. A State Forester’s Burning Ban prohibits all outdoor burning, including yard debris burning, campfires and burning for forestry, wildlife or agricultural purposes in unincorporated areas. While open-fire cooking is not included in the […]

Plans to expand the Oconee County Airport and reroute a nearby road will go forward, but members of the Mt. Nebo Baptist Church were assured Tuesday that neither these plans nor foreseeable future plans will affect the 131-year-old church. The County Council approved by a vote of 3-1 to award J. Davis Construction the $2.1 million contract to prepare the […]

Save the Children named South Carolina State Representative William R. “Bill” Whitmire a 2019 Champion for Children as part of its South Carolina State Summit on August 26, 2019. This honor recognizes lawmakers who have shown a commitment to improving the lives of children in the Palmetto State. Rep. Whitmire has served in the South Carolina House of Representatives since […]

The first of two, 150-ton transformers will be transported on Thursday to the Jocassee Hydro Station. The transformers will be hauled by truck from West Union to Jocassee in The second transformer is currently scheduled to be moved next week. During the heavy equipment moves, traffic on Highway 11 and Jocassee Lake Road through Devils Fork State Park will face […]

Law enforcement authorities believe a 26-year old man from Oconee’s Keowee Community broke thru a fence at the public schools’ vehicle maintenance facility and stole a Suburban. The Sheriff’s Office reported the arrest Labor Day morning when the Suburban driver could not produce a driver’s license. The charges against Anthony Michael Griffin are grand larceny and malicious injury to personal […]