Author: Dick Mangrum

A West Oak High student, DJ Holland, was among 57 South Carolina students representing electric cooperatives who spent six days in the nation’s capital area.  An article in the SC Living magazine tells of the experience of DJ and his fellow students visiting historic and educational sites, including the U-S Holocaust Memorial Museum.  And the students got to hear 87-year-old […]

An overturned car found down an embankment near Seneca – sheriff’s officers say – turned out to be the vehicle pursued last Friday morning.  Located nearby the driver, David Wayne Howard, 42, of the Brock Road, Westminster, was arrested on multiple charges:  trafficking     in methamphetamine; possession of a controlled substance; failure to stop for a blue light; driving under suspension; […]

Oconee defense lawyers are challenging the temporary injunction ordered by a circuit judge in South Carolina Public Interest Foundation and others versus Oconee County.  It’s a court fight led by Greenville attorney James Carpenter’s Public Interest Foundation on behalf of 12 Oconee County residents in which the plaintiffs object to spending the proceeds from a $25 million dollar bond issue […]

A planning grant has come through, and it’s going to mean $1.7 million to pay for the early phases of project development for six bridges on I-85 between South Carolina and Georgia.  According to the U-S Department of Transportation announcement, the grant goes to the South Carolina DOT through the competitive Bridge Investment Program of the Federal Highway Administration, created […]

The body of a 45-year-old Athens, Georgia resident was pulled from Lake Hartwell Saturday night near the Elrod Ferry Recreation Area.  The Hart County Sheriff’s Office quoted witnesses as saying that Levi Magana Nino was on a float in the water, fell off, went under, never to resurface.  Volunteer fire fighters, with the help of a Jet skier, found Nino […]

At their meeting tonight, Oconee school trustees receive an update on the modified school calendar for next year — the 2025-26 school year.  Next year’s school opening date, Tuesday, August 5 is five days later than this year’s August 1 opening.

At their meeting tomorrow, Westminster elected leaders take up first reading of an ordinance to enter into a contract with the Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative.  Part of the background information on the agenda reads:  “This agreement allows the City to utilize BREC’s expertise and leverage its capabilities to operate, maintain, and manage the City’s electric system.  The contract includes provisions […]

While one candidate for District Two, Oconee School Board embraces the label of commonsense conservative, a second candidate says she’s a staunch conservative. Vicky  Smith wants education reform. Her candidacy statement reads:  “With a strong belief in putting the needs of students and taxpayers first, Smith is committed to challenging the status quo and bringing much-needed accountability to the district’s […]