Author: Dick Mangrum

A helicopter hovering above the West Union to Poplar Springs skyline this morning was the focus of a number of comments and questions received late this morning by 101.7/WGOG NEWS.  At times, the chopper flew low, as if it might land.  “It’s not a law enforcement operation,” says Mike Crenshaw.  The Oconee sheriff said, “I am not aware of anything.”  […]

New COVID-19 South Carolina case numbers announced today by DHEC:  518 new cases statewide, including 11 in Oconee. New South Carolina deaths from the virus:  13.  Of 15,887 test results, the positivity was 4.4%.These numbers were reported by 11:59 Saturday night.

An associate professor of civil engineering at Clemson University, Ashok Mishra, is helping the world predict how the changing climate will affect global water supplies.  Mishra sees Earth Day as a reminder that the globe should prepare for weather changes already underway. Extreme weather, of late, includes the historic flooding of 2015 and 2018 in South Carolina and last year’s […]

The West-Oak High baseball team played a game Saturday afternoon in Truist Park, the home field of the Atlanta Braves.  And the Warriors won the game, 9-7, over Elbert County, Georgia.  The teams from the two schools played one of the games during a day of high school baseball on the Braves field.  The park was available as the major […]

Former President Trump says President Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan is “wonderful” and “positive”.  But Senator Lindsey Graham disagrees with both of them.  In a statement yesterday, Graham said, “I could not disagree more with former President Trump regarding his support for President Biden’s withdrawal of all forces from Afghanistan against sound military advice.  With all due respect to […]

The CDC says one-half of all adult Americans have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and nearly one-third are fully vaccinated.  In Oconee County the issue is whether it’s now time to repeal the ordinance requiring the wearing of face coverings in county government offices and facilities.  The county council is scheduled to take up repeal of the ordinance […]

Certain utility matters facing two Oconee County municipalities are scheduled to be discussed tomorrow behind closed doors when the city councils of Walhalla and Westminster hold their separate meetings. In Walhalla, “water treatment contract” is to be taken up in executive session by the city council.  In Westminster, the utility matter is described as “SCDHEC Consent order for sewer collection […]

South Carolina DHEC reported 577 new cases of COVID-19, including 13 in Oconee County.  The state health agency report issued yesterday included 14 South Carolina deaths.  Based on 17 thousand test results, the positivity was 4.5%.  The numbers were effective for the 24-count period that ended 11:59 Friday night.  In the report issued Saturday, there were 616 new South Carolina […]

Black smoke filled the sky above an area east of Seneca.  Early afternoon yesterday fire fighters attended to a fire that burned trash along with a storage building near the Shiloh Road.

South Carolina (and Oconee) COVID-19 numbers reported today, reflect a one-day count period that ended at 11:59 Wednesday night.  New South Carolina cases:  847; new Oconee cases:  16. Statewide, there were two more deaths.  Of 25,005 test results, the positivity:  4.4%.