Author: Dick Mangrum

A new location for the office of Visit Oconee.  The new spot is Walhalla’s 224 E. Main Street, the building once occupied by the American Red Cross.  The announcement made by Ken Sloan, Visit Oconee, director.  The department which promotes Oconee as a place to visit and rec-reate previously set up shop in a house office which is shared with […]

Around 6 last night, an accident involving a car and a pickup truck resulted in no injuries, but Walhalla Fire Department reports a traffic backup resulted in the Seneca bound lanes.

The COVID-19 death confirmed Sunday by the state health agency brings Oconee’s running death toll from the virus to 247 residents.  ABC NEWS reports that 1,100 Americans are now dying every day.  Worsening the situation is the new variant Omicron, now confirmed in 21 states, Florida and Illinois among the latest.

Oconee County Council is of the mind that the county planning commission should not study and recommend impact fees to be paid by those who develop properties.  The five councilmen were unanimous in their vote, after hearing a home builder describe the disadvantages.  Although he voted with his colleagues, District Three’s Paul Cain made clear that while he opposes impact […]

The idea that two or three of Oconee’s five districts may have to trade voters to accede to balance the populations doesn’t sit well with the council; nevertheless, the council directed the county attorney to draft ordinances in time for its second January meeting.  District One’s John Elliott, council chairman, called again last night to switch 747 residents from his […]

State troopers worked what’s reported as a multi-vehicle crash early last night in eastern Oconee County, on 123 at Jacobs Road.  First reports indicated no one injured.

More than $1 million dollars in American Recovery Plan money allocated to Oconee County is on its way to hundreds of county workers who stayed on the job who, during the first year of the pandemic, “never skipped a beat” – in the words of one county councilman.  At the request of Amanda Brock, the administrator, county council last night […]

It’s another Hall of Fame for talk show host (and Oconee County resident) Jim Bohannon  who has been selected as the 2022 NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductee. The host of the Westwood One-syndicated “The Jim Bohannon Show” will be honored during the Achievement in Broadcasting event at NAB Show, held April 23–27, 2022 in Las Vegas. Bohannon was inducted into […]

After classes Thursday, a student-led volunteer group at Seneca High School holds an induction ceremony.  The ceremony is to welcome new members of the high school Interact Club.  Supported by local Rotarians, Interact aims to make the community and the world a better place.  They attempt by this by taking on local and, at times, internationally-based service projects.

Two men have been arrested and charged in Oconee County with stealing a Bobcat Loader and an Interstate Trailer, worth a combined $73 thousand. The sheriff’s office today announced the charges against James William Green, 25; and Matthew Kevin Bowen, 26.  Green and Bowen were arrested last week at separate locations. The thefts were reported November 30 at a West-Oak […]