Author: Dick Mangrum

An increase of three percent in New York state’s test positivity, in recent weeks, is a concern for that state’s governor.  The only general physician in the small South Carolina city of Westminster says Oconee’s test positivity has been running 18%, and Dr. Billy Campbell says he wants that percentage to be reduced below 5%.  In today’s South Carolina DHEC […]

After the Walhalla police finished a traffic stop, the driver was charged with “sale or delivery of handgun to and possession of by certain persons unlawful stolen handguns.”  The police identified the arrested driver as 37-year old Seneca resident John Arcuri.  “During the course of investigation,” says Chief Brinson, “officers located a stolen handgun in the vehicle.  Additionally, Mr. Arcuri […]

A second re-count of the votes cast in Stephens County, Georgia has ended with no change from the first re-count.  Toccoa’s WNEG quotes the county registrar, Eureka Gober, as saying the entire two-day process ran smoothly and was error-free.

Six additional Oconee County cases of COVID-19 have been placed on the district’s tracking page.  All six cases have a registered date of yesterday, December 1.  Two of the students attend Walhalla Middle School.  The other student cases are one each from Fair-Oak Elementary, Westminster Elementary, and Seneca’s Blue Ridge Elementary.  One additional Walhalla Elementary employee has been determined to […]

If you wear a mask to protect against COVID-19, you need to wear that mask properly and be sure you don’t take off the mask, touch your face, and then put the mask back on.  That’s the gist of a conversation that one Oconee County councilman had last night with the county administrator.  District Two’s Wayne McCall spoke with Amanda […]

All five Oconee County school trustees are scheduled to gather at district headquarters  tomorrow to take part in a legislative and advocacy virtual conference.  According to the announcement, the meeting will not be open to the public and no decisions are to be made tomorrow.

The driver of a Ford Ranger was sent to the Oconee hospital this morning with what are called non-life threatening injuries in the crash of his vehicle near West Union.  A public safety responder says the accident on Burns Mill Road near West Union involved a donkey, and the animal did not survive.  The highway patrol reported the accident at […]

Before lakes Keowee and Jocassee, outdoor fun in Oconee often centered on Lake Hartwell and, in particular, a popular day use and boat landing spot in southern Oconee.  To this day, the Friendship recreation area near SC 24 attracts big crowds on hot summer days.  Phil Shirley wants to keep it that way.  As someone who grew up in nearby […]

A secluded Lake Hartwell boat landing could become an added jewel to Oconee County’s managed recreation facilities.  Phil Shirley, director of Oconee PRT, gave a county council committee details for a two-phase, $2 million dollars of improvements to the Seneca Creek Landing.  From the U-S Army Corps of Engineers, the county maintains the location under the terms of a multi-year […]

The director of Oconee’s roads and bridges department, Kyle Reid, estimates it’s possible that between $2 and $3 million dollars will be available to spend on the county’s next roads program.  Reid yesterday said he has a tentative list of roads to pave and, once it is ready, he’ll forward that list to the county fathers for approval.  The 2021 […]