Author: Dick Mangrum

Oconee County Council will send $210 thousand to the town of Salem, money that had been earmarked three years ago, to help the town extend waterlines on highway 11.  Water service is a money maker for the small town, and this project is expected to raise its service capacity by more than 200%.  The money will complement $215 thousand of […]

Chairman John Elliott of Oconee County Council says a week doesn’t go by without someone asking him when the county will once again take plastics to be recycled.  The county’s convenience centers stopped taking plastic to be recycled once the world pandemic was declared, and the decision remains unpopular to county residents who believe that mixing plastics with general trash […]

The tax that Keowee Key residents and others who live in nearby lake developments pay for fire protection is headed higher.  County Council last night gave first reading to an ordinance that raises the millage in the Keowee Fire District from 14.5 mills to 17.5 mills.  Chief Brandon Shirley told the council that the tax increase had been discussed and […]

The crowd that gathered to make its way into Oconee County Council chambers was an indication that the council was about to hear a direct message from some of its citizenry.  And, during the comment session, speaker-after-speaker addressed property rights.  In the end, the council members made clear there’s nothing wrong with their hearing.  One controversial proposed ordinance restricting signs […]

The idea of a Dollar General store doesn’t sit well with several Walhallans who made their feelings known last night to the mayor and city council.  In recent years, the city’s downtown has gained a number of independent stores, and that’s a trend some Walhalla believers hold in their vision to give further re-birth to the core commercial district.  Brent […]

In remarks to a committee of the Oconee County Council, Sheriff Mike Crenshaw may have succeeded to create a consensus that his department needs as many as four or five new officers each year.  Even with an excess of 100 officers now, the sheriff’s office workforce gets stretched in a county where home construction is on the rise and the […]

For the newest 24-hour count, total COVID-19 cases in South Carolina fell below 1,000–to 868.  Of those 868, there were 16 Oconee County cases.  Statewide the new one-day death number was 16.  Of 21,315 test results results received, South Carolina positivity dropped to 5.9%.  Overall, according to the COVID Tracking Project, Monday’s case count was the lowest since October 18 […]

The speed limit drop from 45 mph to 25 mph on sections of Walhalla’s N. Catherine Street and Coffee Road during school traffic periods are taken seriously by the city police.  The times of 7:30 – 8:30 am and 2:30 – 4 pm are the times when children are on the move, and it’s important for drivers to ease off […]

Originally made under the name “Elbow Grease”, then re-named an “Innocent Kiss”, only to return to its original title, one of the last movies with Burt Reynolds is returning to the big screen…and will be shown starting Friday at Seneca’s movie theatre, among other South Carolina locations. Promoters of the comedy-romance that centers on a Southern family are making a […]

The extent to which a Walhallan may keep livestock on his property turned into a complex issue last night for the city’s planning commision.  The commission took up the city council’s request to decide whether a city law, last amended in 1990, should be changed to allow someone to keep and maintain animals such as swine on their properties.  In […]