Author: Dick Mangrum

Nancy Morgan finds herself back as chair lady of the Walhalla Board of Zoning Appeals. It’s a responsibility she filled previously in her years of service. The board, recently infused by new membership, held office elections last night at City Hall. Morgan succeeds Francis Guldner as chair. Kathy Rogers fills vice-chair—the position Morgan held. Morgan gave her colleagues, especially the […]

Oconee County resident John Fields practices law. He has served as a Seneca councilman and mayor. This morning Fields will lend himself to acting. Sources involved with the “Elbow Grease” movie now shooting in Seneca and parts of Oconee say arrangements have been made for Fields to act as the barber for a scene to be shot some time after […]

A meth operation has been uncovered in a subdivision near Seneca, while county officers went there as part of an eviction at 615 W. Springwood Drive in Oconee Estates. The officers reported a strange odor and called their narcotics unit. Sheriff’s spokesman Jimmy Watt said Roger Caness Martin, Jr., 35 years old, turned himself over to narcotics agents Tuesday and […]

Those visiting the Walhalla branch of the Oconee Library next week are being asked to exercise both caution and patience, as a private contractor re-surfaces the parking lot. Officials say the library will stay open during the project, but those driving there will likely have to find alternate parking on the street. The parking lot will be closed starting at […]

Trial is scheduled next week in the Oconee General Sessions Court for a man arrested in the investigation of a home burglary nearly one and a half years ago. According to the court docket, the defendant awaiting trial is Timothy Ray Wirtz. He was arrested in February 2012 and charged with armed robbery, grand larceny, kidnapping, burglary first degree, and […]

A Walhalla public school is back to normal operations after the lifting of a lockdown as federal authorities tracked a wanted suspect nearby. Sheriff Mike Crenshaw said federal marshals placed Shannon Necoma Smith in custody across Coffee Road from the James Brown Elementary School. According to Crenshaw, the 58-year old Smith is wanted by federal authorities on Anderson County charges […]

Apparently there’s a lesson to be taken from last night’s home fire in Walhalla, which could have been much worse. The fire at 103 S. Cedar Street was confined to the kitchen where, according to the fire department, something on the stove was left un-attended. Captain Mark Hollifield said neighbors who spotted something wrong got into the home and, for […]

A late afternoon City Hall hearing at Walhalla will decide whether a homeowner may provide child care on Blueberry Court near Meadowlark Drive. James Ashton, the city zoning administrator, says the issue is whether Kim Jackson can keep three children in the home without the applicable state license. “The State will have to decide whether or not she can actually […]

As a movie crew films in various Oconee County locations, the question we keep hearing is, “Have you seen Burt?” A source in touch with the “Elbow Grease” project says Burt Reynolds will be in Oconee County next week, perhaps as early as Monday or Tuesday. But our source stressed, “I will let you know.” Today the makers of the […]

An engineer/design company at work on Walhalla’s Streetscape project trotted out four concepts last night and stressed it’s too early in the process to know exactly what to recommend to the mayor and city council. Representatives of the Seamon Whiteside Company said they were pleased by the public’s reaction to the project during a five-hour workshop yesterday followed by a […]