Author: Dick Mangrum

Oconee sheriff’s officers have charged a 17-year old man with simple larceny and burglary second degree in their investigation of a crime one week ago on Kimberly Lane, Tamassee. A man came home to find a window open in his mobile home and evidence that someone had tampered with a sliding door. He discovered missing a 22 Ruger LR/Mag pistol, […]

The project seen as a “game-changer” for southern Oconee County has prompted meeting between county officials and the Sanctuary Pointe developers. At this morning’s meeting of the county Economic Development Commission, County Administrator Scott Moulder announced a series of ongoing meetings with those who intend to develop the Lake Hartwell peninsula at I-85 into a destination resort. Moulder spoke just […]

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved Duke Energy’s plan to manage the Lake Jocassee shoreline. Twenty-four pages long, an order to modify and approve was accepted by the FERC February 4. A spokeswoman for Duke, Lisa Hoffman, predicts little change to the way the expansive body of water above Lake Keowee will be managed in the future. The plan […]

For a second year, Congressman Jeff Duncan says he’ll return part of his office budget to the federal government. The hope of the Third District Republican is that the money, about $200 thousand, will be applied to pay down the national debt. The $200 thousand equates to about 15% of Duncan’s overall office budget. The figure is on top of […]

A speaker from Columbia asked the Seneca Rotary Club today to keep in mind the important economic benefits that the local and state home building industry makes to the economy. Mark Nix, executive director of the state Home Builders Association, represents three thousand builders working to make a living, in spite of what he called government-required fees and regulations that […]

A civil lawsuit alleging a slip and fall incident in the Oconee Jail has been filed in the Common Pleas Court. Filed yesterday, the lawsuit names Undre Randolph the plaintiff and Oconee Detention Center the defendant. It alleges that on July 14, 2011 Randolph, whom the lawsuit described as a “temporary resident” of the detention center, slipped, tripped and fell […]

An Army paratrooper who graduated three years ago from West-Oak High School has returned to the U-S after an overseas deployment as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Army Spec. Damian DesMarais (Day-muh-ray) is an infantryman assigned to the 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. He’s the son of Christoper DesMarais of Fair Play.

The value of play every day will be stressed next week during a national conference that’ll take place at Clemson University’s Madren Center. More than 200 experts in the fields of medicine, parks and recreation, health science, and education will address the benefits of play during lectures and panel discussions starting Sunday and continuing through Wednesday. The presenters will share […]

Next time you have a house or some land to sell, consider the licensed agents who belong to the Western Upstate Association of Realtors. That’s a message imparted by Peggy Hill at today’s meeting of the Oconee Alliance, a public-private group working to better Oconee County. Hill serves as president/chief executive officer of the association, and she recited statistics about […]

An official of the government’s nuclear watchdog agency has told a Pickens County couple that, as long as the level of Lake Keowee is kept 791 feet above mean sea level, Oconee’s three nuclear reactors can continue to operate safely. Robert Pascarelli of the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation said, “If Lake Keowee goes below that level, and it […]