Author: Dick Mangrum

The South Carolina Department of Corrections has under review a recently-completed staff study to cover the new Oconee County Jail, which expects to open its cell doors some time this summer. And Sheriff Mike Crenshaw is counting on having the required numbers to present this month to Oconee County Council. Crenshaw is looking to the DOC for exact numbers on […]

A band whose music roots date back to the psychedelic era of the 1960s has been announced as the headline act for Seneca Fest Memorial Day weekend. Riley Johnson, events coordinator for the city, has announced the booking of Jefferson Starship, an outgrowth of Jefferson Airplane. The Jefferson Starship is to take to the stage in downtown Seneca around 8:30 […]

Oconee County prison labor is being used to repair damage to the Walhalla Swimming Pool. And Russell Price expects a work crew from the jail to be back at the pool this afternoon, making repairs to the damaged men’s bathroom. Price, executive director of the Home Builders Association of Oconee, says he has no doubts that the repairs will be […]

Does your child turn five years old on or before September 1, 2015? If you are an Oconee parent or guardian of such a child, you have an invitation from the county school district to come to one of the elementary schools this month or next to learn about the public school experience. The district’s Jump into Kindergarten program for […]

On this rainy morning, the Army Corps of Engineers calls the recovery from drought complete. The Hartwell Reservoir rose more than two feet above the Drought Level 1 trigger at 3 o’clock yesterday morning, and that prompted a switch to normal operations. The flow restriction at the Thurmond Dam is now removed. Mild weather means the demand for peak energy […]

A training schedule is in place for Walhalla’s newest police officers. Chief Ronald Wilbanks announced this week that Zach Covington, who joined the force two months ago, will leave Sunday for a 12-week course at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia. A second addition to the police force is former North Carolina policeman Sean Brinson. Because Brinson was […]

Here’s a reminder. Daylight Saving Time kicks in this weekend. Remember to set your clocks forward one hour. If you set those clocks ahead an hour before going to bed Saturday night, you’ll be on the right time when you wake up Sunday morning.  The time change is always a good time to check the batteries in your smoke detectors. […]

Police rushed to a home near Walhalla at 11 this morning after getting a report that someone had been assaulted with a baseball bat. The injured person, identified as a male, was being examined by EMS workers from Oconee hospital at a trailer home on E. South Boundary near Spring Street. And a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office said the […]

Oconee County has been chosen to receive more than $30 thousand dollars in federal funds for emergency food and shelter purposes. The money comes from the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program of “FEMA”—the Federal Emergency and Management Agency. A local board will now decide how the money will be distributed among food and shelter programs run by local […]

The sewer portion of the new Walhalla High School has been finished. Scott Parris, city utilities director, announced last night that DHEC has issued a permit and toilets at the new school may now be flushed. The new Walhalla High remains on schedule to open for class when the next school year starts in Oconee County—Tuesday, August 18.