Author: Dick Mangrum

Here are COVID-19 numbers covering the last three days of last week in South Carolina, as recorded by the state health agency: Thursday, October 28, there were 647 new cases statewide, including 16 in Oconee County.  Statewide, there were seven new deaths.  Of 45,191 test results received, the positivity was 4.9%.  For Friday, October 29, there were 483 new cases […]

All across South Carolina tomorrow, hundreds of DOT employees will make a frontal attack on the state’s litter problem.  By picking up roadside litter, the DOT workers will support Lt. Governor Evette’s “Grab A Bag SC” anti-litter effort.  Motorists tomorrow should use caution and look out for the DOT workers.

Two Oconee County high school bands competed in state final competition.  The West-Oak Warrior Band finished seventh place in the 2-A finals; the Pride of Walhalla Marching Band made an 8th place showing in the 3-A finals.

More than one thousand people went thru Walhalla’s police station Saturday and took advantage of Halloween treats that the police handed out.  The city’s fire fighters were busy also distributing candy at their Boo event at the fire station, although earlier today, an exact number of trick or treaters there was not available.

Municipal Election Day arrives tomorrow in Oconee County.  Which means there will be voting in each of the county’s five municipalities at the regular polling places between  7am and 7 pm.  In the county’s three largest cities–Seneca, Walhalla and Westminster–there’s competition on the ballots for seats on the city councils.

Everyone interested in Fair Play is invited for a drop-in style meeting, a week from today, to have a look at a professionally-done master plan for the unincorporated community at the southern end of Oconee.  The meeting will take place between 5 and 7 pm Monday, November 8 at the fire department, 502 E. Fair Play Blvd.  Up for discussion […]

A publicly un-identified deputy sheriff is out of a job in Stephens County, Georgia after the county sheriff determined he violated policies.  The sheriff’s office conducted an internal investigation after a letter to a newspaper described the deputy as having repeatedly cursed a bicycle rider who was a pulled over for riding his bike on the wrong side of the […]

According to the count by Johns Hopkins University, there have now been more than 5 million COVID deaths worldwide.  Of that number, South Carolina DHEC reports, 216 of those deaths were Oconee County residents.

Walhalla’s top weather numbers are in the records books for the month of October.  The autumnal month in the county seat saw a high temperature of 82 degrees on the first day of the month and low temperatures of 37 on both October 27 and 28.  Nearly six inches of rain fell in October.

A fire late yesterday morning in the Five Forks Community between Walhalla and Westminster displaced four people, and it’s a fire under investigation, according to the Walhalla Fire Department.  Walhalla fire fighters were among those responding to the mobile home fire on Brooksmore Road, Five Forks community.  They were alerted to the fire at 10:30 am.