Author: Dick Mangrum

Results announced by Ryan Nowland of the elections office give Gwen Owens the victory in her bid to fill the seat that her late husband, Dennis, held on the Walhalla City Council.  The tally had Owens at 87 votes; her challenger, Christy Marlow, 45 votes.  Ten write-in votes were counted.  Of those ten, Jessie Bunning received six.  The outcome remains […]

The two-box count tonight in Walhalla gave Gwen Owens 72 votes and Christy Marlow 39.  Still to be factored are a handful of absentee and challenged ballots, but their numbers to not appear enough to possibly change the order of finish.  Results remain unofficial until Thursday when they are to be certified by the board of canvassers.

Julian Davis remains opposed to the idea of building Oconee County’s second roundabout in his home community of Oakway.  The county councilman says he’s not the only one registering opposition to turning SC 24 at 182 and Oak Creek Road into a circular intersection or junction in which traffic flows in one direction around a central island.  In that scenario, […]

  Highway work is the reason that Oconee County’s C-and-D Landfill will remain closed until 11 o’clock tomorrow morning.  The reason: a contractor has begun the re-paving of a section of the Wells Highway, from S. Oak Street to the Friendship Road. Swain Still, solid waste director, says because of the repaving project, traffic headed to the landfill should brace […]

Prisma Health has paused its use of Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine due to today’s recommendation from Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The federal agencies recommended the pause out of abundance of caution related to extremely rare adverse reactions. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC) also has […]

South Carolina DHEC counts 447 new cases of COVID-19 in the state.  Six of those cases are Oconee County residents.  Statewide there were 12 new deaths.  Of 11,206 test results, the latest positivity was 5%.  These numbers reflect data collected by the state health agency effective 11:59 pm Sunday, April 11.

A graduate of both West-0ak High School and Tri-County Technical Colllege, Hannah Smith, won a healthcare award in her capacity as a nurse at the MUSC Health Transplant and Telehealth Center in Greenville.  The award is called the “Transplant, Nephrology and Hepatology ICCE Outpatient Care Team Member of the Year Award for 2020.”  With that award came a certificate,  flowers […]

Here’s a new announcement from the state health agency” “The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) released the following statement concerning this morning’s federal announcement about the Janssen vaccine, also referred to as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine: South Carolina public health officials received word this morning, like many throughout the nation and the state, that the […]

The use of alcohol and marijuana make for some of the most dangerous driving on the roadways.  Data announced by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety show drivers who use alcohol and marijuana are more likely to speed, text, intentionally run red lights, and drive aggressively than those who don’t.  Notwithstanding whether marijuana is legal or prescribed, AAA’s Tiffany Wright […]

With national funding, Clemson University has accepted the task of a quest for scientific advancement in human genetics.  A grant of $10.6 million from the the National Institutes of Health will establish the Center of Bio-medical Research Excellence in collaboration with the Greenwood Genetic Center.  Genetic networks define an individual’s characteristics, which along with life-style habits and environmental factors, determine […]