Author: Dick Mangrum

A signature drive opposing Duke Energy’s plan to lower the level of Lake Keowee by five feet was explained last night to Oconee County Council. Speaking were two lake residents from Pickens County, Doug Barker and Newton Brightwell. They said they’ve gathered 900 signatures, 100 of them yesterday. Barker and Brightwell hope the council will question Duke officials during a […]

A contractor from Roebuck, S.C. is in line to build the new Anderson-Oconee Behavioral Health Building in Seneca, estimated at $1.6 million. The county is to own the building at E.N. 1st and Holleman streets. Last night county councilmen had questions about the project for both County Administrator Scott Moulder and Procurement Director Robyn Courtright. Sixteen design/build proposals were received […]

A potential economic development project, about which Oconee County Council previously knew nothing, was the reason for last night’s executive session. The project has been code-named “Project Creekside.” Other projects, for which jobs will be created, were acted upon during council’s first Tuesday night meeting. They included a fee-in-lieu of tax agreement for aerospace component maker A.I.D. company which bought […]

A widower left a Pickens courtroom a free man. Yesterday’s jury verdict in the case of Don Kinsela, accused of killing his wife, was not guilty. Cheryl Kinsela died in the summer of 2010 in a fire at the couple’s home.

Oconee County Council will hold off action on a new jail until the Sheriff-elect gets his feet firmly on the ground. Whether the county should wait until a new Sheriff goes into office January 1 became an issue during this year’s campaign. And last night, County Administrator Scott Moulder announced that Mike Crenshaw, the election winner, wants time to become […]

The police in Seneca say they have started to make arrests in their investigation of a one-month old night time assault that occurred in the street at Jones Avenue and East Main Street. One arrest took place yesterday, and Chief John Covington says a second suspect was arrested this morning. The victim in the case told the police that an […]

A court officer tells 96.3/WGOG NEWS that the State’s case against Don Kinsela has gone to the jury room at Pickens County General Sessions Court. Kinsela is accused of setting a storage building afire in 2010. In that building, Kinsela’s wife, Cheryl, died of smoke inhalation.

A boat stolen this week in Oconee County was found by its owners in Lake Hartwell, not far from Georgia. But missing from the pontoon were  its key, a storage box, a fish finder, four speakers, life jackets, and a box of tools. The Oconee County Sheriff’s Department began investigating once the Foxwood Hills couple located their boat in a […]

Oconee County wants to hear what you say about future growth. As part of the project to compile a new, five-year economic development strategy that’ll help guide growth, your thoughts are welcome. The county Economic Development Commission is making a survey available, to be accessed by going to the homepage of the commission’s website at www.oconeeSCedc.com. There, you’ll find the […]

Bob Faires sounds like a broken record. A year ago the Seneca utilities director spoke to 96.3/WGOG NEWS about the area’s stage two severe drought. And 2012 has done little to alleviate the dry conditions. By far, Faires is not alone in his worries for the water supply. Duke Energy’s George Galleher is saying that his company’s consulting meteorologists see […]