Author: Dick Mangrum

A 38-year old Clayton, Georgia man has been arrested and charged with murder. Sky 104 Radio quotes a Rabun County investigator as saying the man jailed, Travis Melvin Groom, is accused in the apparent shooting death of 21-year old Lakemont resident James Eugene Close Jr., The body was found around 5 a-m yesterday at a home on McCrackin Road.

What’s described as a “blow-out” has occurred in the Anderson Joint Regional Water System. According to the city of Clemson, there’s a possibility of low or no water pressure in Clemson, Clemson University, Pendleton, Sandy Springs, and other locations along the transmission line. Clemson has now opened its alternate source with the adjoining Town of Central, but everyone is asked […]

Dr. Mike Lucas is unsure whether the explanation for student absences is the flu, but it seems to be respiratory, flu-like in nature. It all started before Thanksgiving, when principals began to notice something that hit hard on the staff and substitute teachers. That trend continues. The normal student absentee rate in Oconee is three percent. Lucas says it’s now […]

City of Clemson is scouring the city and area for volunteers to help enhance its arts and culture. The city is accepting applications to serve on the new Clemson Arts and Culture Commission. The commissioners are to advise city council on a variety of arts and culture issues impacting the long- term quality of life in the community. Terms are […]

Stockholders in an Oconee bank are in line for a cash dividend. The directors of Blue Ridge Financial Corporation, holding company of Blue Ridge Bank, recently declared a cash dividend in the amount of $204,799.00, or 50 cents a share, payable to stockholders on record December 1, 2012. This brings total dividends paid to stockholders and the holding company since […]

It’s parade time tonight in Westminster. The city’s annual Christmas parade will take place at 6 o’clock.

Re-elected Congressman Jeff Duncan is reaching out to constituents in email remarks about the approaching “fiscal cliff” as well as the attack that killed Americans at the embassy in Libya. About what happened in Benghazi, the S.C. Third District Republican says, “I’ve demanded answers during committee hearings, raised national awareness on this issue, authored a bill to investigate…., and wrote […]

In the S.C. House of Representatives the next two years, Bill Whitmire of Walhalla will serve on two committees and Bill Sandifer of Seneca will serve on one. In the listing today of committee appointments for 2013-2014, Whitmire will remain on both the Rules and Ways and Means committees. Sandifer keeps his seat on the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee, […]

At Salem’s meet-and -greet event for the Christmas season, Russell Patterson took the oath to fill an unexpired term on the town council. Patterson won the town’s special election last month. He’s filling an unexpired term which runs until November of next year.

No other than an authority such as Joel Thrift is envisioning that this month’s rare meeting, between the Oconee County Council and the county’s state legislative delegation, is going to be interesting. Chairman Thrift made that comment last night, after District Five’s Reg Dexter gave his colleagues copies of an analysis of the costs counties that incur for state mandates. […]