Author: Dick Mangrum

The first month of 2021 was kind to Oconee Humane Society officials and to the pets housed in the county shelter.  For the first time, the shelter on the Sandifer Boulevard achieved the status as a no-kill shelter for one month.  National animal groups define no-kill as not euthanizing adoptable animals for overcrowding and reaching a 90% “save rate”, for […]

An Upstate South Carolina woman, at 111 years old, has been proclaimed as the oldest South Carolinian to have received the COVID-19 vaccine.  Maria Aulenbacher and her 70-plus daughter and son-in-law all got their vaccines together at Prisma Health.  For Maria Aulenbacher, this is her second pandemic.  She survived the 1919 Spanish flu.  Dr. Saccocio, Prisma Health’s chief medical officer, […]

South Carolina COVID tests now exceed five million, and DHEC says it shows that state residents are continuing to do their part and follow the recommended actions for protecting public health during the pandemic.  South Carolina test numbers are reported to be increasing significantly and include nearly 59% more people tested for the first time since November and 73% more […]

A change is ahead in downtown Walhalla designed to make life safer for vehicle traffic on a one-block stretch of S. Catherine Street.  Brent Taylor, city administrator, announced last night the DOT has permitted converting S. Catherine, between Main and S. Broad, from a two-way street to one-way.  But the change won’t be anywhere near immediate.  Taylor explained to the […]

A controversial resolution proposed by Oconee County Council’s newest member, Matthew Durham, failed last night in a council vote of 2-3.  Opponents on council say the measure is “divisive.”  It contained language that would have announced the designation on signs on highways entering the county.  Most who spoke during the council’s comment session opposed the resolution.  Their arguments include basic […]

Deaths, cases, and test positives all dropped during the latest 24-hour accounting from the South Carolina health agency.  Total cases dropped below two thousand to 1,554.  Twenty-four of the cases are Oconeeans. Thirty-two deaths reported statewide, none locally. Of a whopping 25,112 test results received statewide, the positivity fell below 10%, down to 8.8%.  It had been 21.6% on Monday’s […]

On a cold Oconee County night, a camper fire near Seneca.  According to Rural Fire, no one was hurt.  The fire broke out in a camper on the Snow Creek Road.  Rural fire fighters were alerted just before 10:30 pm.

The pandemic has actually worked in favor of Oconee efforts to entice tourists to enjoy the county’s various outdoor attractions.  Ken Sloan, director of Visit Oconee, explains that while the airlines and major U-S destinations have lost vacationers, Oconee County has taken advantage of being a three-hour drive from both Atlanta and Charlotte.  “It’s a three-hour drive to get out […]

The first day of February appears to have been a typical day of late for new COVID-19 cases, as reported by the Oconee public schools.  The district’s virus tracking page registered 13 new cases — three employees and 10 students.  Three more of the district’s early age classes were sent home and given February 9 return dates.