Author: Dick Mangrum

A judge decided today there’ll be no bond for a young man awaiting a June 19 trial on charges of murder in a shooting death in Utica near Seneca.  Judge McIntosh rejected the defense request for a bond this morning after hearing from the prosecutor and the mother of the victim.  Pendleton resident Braxton Earl is charged with murder in […]

The animal welfare group Best Friends Animal Society gives South Carolina an 86% save rate for shelter cats and dogs, and now rates 49% of shelters across the state as no-kill.  One of those is the Oconee Animal Shelter on the Sandifer Boulevard.  In interview with 101.7/WGOG NEWS, Angel Newman of the Oconee Humane Society talks about the relationship that […]

A term used during this week’s meeting of Oconee County Council:  root cause analysis.  Chairman Matthew Durham used the term to help figure out why there have been repeated failures to the rock-crushing equipment at the county quarry.  Rock sold to truck haulers is a money-making enterprise for county government.  But Durham and others have raised concern that the Five […]

Walhalla’s new budget will allow for two additions to the city recreation department.  The city, in tandem with the high school, will add volleyball as a recreation activity starting this fall.  In the early planning stages is the addition of flag football next spring.

A star basketball player during her youth will lead the city of Walhalla recreation department.  Breanna Richardson, with a BS in sports management and an MBA from Southern Wesleyan, is interim recreation director, starting July 1.  Two rec department veterans – Director John Galbreath and assistant Dennis Pearson – are transferring to administrative positions and will make up the city’s […]

City of Clemson is alerting the public to a community meeting tonight to impart information on the upcoming changes to Cherry Road and Old Stone Church Road.  The time and location for this evening’s intersection improvement project community meeting is 6 o’clock in city hall council chambers.

Gov. Henry McMaster and the S.C. Department of Commerce today announced that Itron, a global industrial Internet of Things (IoT) leader that innovates the way utilities and cities manage energy and water, plans to expand its Oconee County operations. The company is planning a capital expenditure of $28.5 million over three years that will create nearly 100 new jobs in […]

Two Oconee workers at the state’s DOT maintenance office competed in this year’s Equipment Operators’ RoadEO State Finals May 24.  Having won competitions at their respective districts, Chuck Sasscer and Whitney Hayes were among 81 participants on this year’s roster.  Sasscer competed in single axle; Hayes, in motor grader. According to DOT, the RoadEO is a great opportunity for operators […]

A wire service photograph depicts Oconee’s state senator, Senate President Thomas Alexander, with a dour face as he and other top state leaders emerge from a budget conference committee meeting this week in Columbia.  Last week, while home, 101.7/WGOG NEWS asked Alexander to project how much it’ll take to operate a new year of state government starting July 1.  His […]