Author: Dick Mangrum

Lakes and mountains provide natural beauty in Oconee County. Unfortunately, some of the county’s beauty is marred by litter. To further public awareness of the problem, the Sheriff’s Office has released litter pickup totals for the first two months of 2018. Five thousand pounds were scooped up. Four thousand pounds of that total were picked up by Detention Center inmates. […]

Depositions are being taken today in Anderson in the civil lawsuit filed by a former Oconee County department head. And 101.7/WGOG NEWS has learned that one of those being deposed is Scott Moulder, the county administrator. The case pits David Stokes against Oconee County and two of its council members and alleges slander and wrongful termination from his job last […]

The preferred candidate for the Walhalla-Westminster code and zoning administrator has backed out of consideration. And now, says the Walhalla city administrator, they may have to re-open the search for applications. According to Brent Taylor, Walhalla administrator, the hang-up had to do with a loss of benefits to the preferred candidate had he retired from his job to accept the […]

South Carolina DOT has announced lane closures next week on I-85 in Oconee County. The lane closures will take place between Monday, March 12 and Thursday, March 22 and affect the first mile of travel inside South Carolina from Georgia to install traffic recorder equipment. In one instance, between March 15 and 16, the northbound entrance ramp lane will be […]

What can school uniforms do for the quality of education and for the safety of the students? The questions were debated last night by delegates to this year’s convention of Oconee Democrats. In the end, however, the Democrats put aside a resolution that would have had them supporting student uniforms. They questioned whether students’ wearing uniforms would reduce bullying and […]

Education issues were on the minds of Oconee County Democratic Party delegates and the statewide candidates they heard from during their convention last night in Seneca. Two Democratic hopefuls for governor, James Smith and Marguerite Willis, say they are opposed to arming teachers as a way to help stop school shootings, and Willis was applauded for saying it. Receiving a […]

If an agreement is reached to de-nuclearize the Korean peninsula, Senator Lindsey Graham says the credit will go to President Trump for what Graham says is Trump’s strong stand.” In a statement from Washington, Graham said, “President Trump has been steadfast in his commitment to deny the North Korean regime the ability to strike the U-S with a nuclear weapon.” […]

In answer to a customer’s question, the general manager for Pioneer Rural Water said last night that, so far, it’s an unknown what effect a new wholesale agreement with Seneca will have on Pioneer’s retail rates. Terry Pruitt, the Pioneer general manager, said the reason is that the district is still waiting for a new contract from Seneca. March 26 […]

A package of incentives from Oconee County Council to the Lakeside Lodge developers is aimed at saving seven acres at Hartwell Village from annexing to Clemson. County Council returned from a closed-door session and approved the incentives, which were not detailed in the motion made by District Four’s Julian Davis and passed without objection. It appears that Oconee has bought […]

The cry heard during last night’s convention of Oconee Democrats was that 2018 is going to be the Democrats year. A couple of out of county speakers commented on the crowd that filled the main meeting room of Seneca’s Gignilliat Community Center. According to the registration desk, there were about 100 people in the audience. The county Democrats’ re-elected chairwoman, […]