Author: Dick Mangrum

Within hours from the start of investigation, an Oconee deputy arrested a man accused of burglarizing a construction office at Hartwell Village.  The sheriff’s office announces the following charges against Blake Marvin Johnson, 35-year old Maw Bridge Road, Central resident:  first degree burglary, petty larceny, and possession of tools capable of being used in a crime.  Johnson’s arrest was reported […]

The number of Oconee students who’ve been temporarily shuttled from face-to-face to distance learning continues to grow.  The COVID-19 tracking page for the county public schools listed the following classes moved to distance learning: a K-5 Brown Elementary class; a K-4 Fair-Oak Elementary class; one special ed class at Walhalla High; one special ed class at Blue Ridge Elementary; and […]

South Carolina reports an additional 2,115 cases today of COVID-19.  The new number brings to 220,961 the state’s total since the count started.  And with four more deaths, the toll of South Carolina dead from the virus is 4,254 including an elderly Oconeean who died Saturday.  Here are the latest 24-hour new case numbers for the tri-counties:  41 in Oconee, […]

A 400-pound tree hangs over a downtown Seneca intersection, as the latest big splash city government makes into Yuletide decorations.  Bought from a Michigan manufacturer, this tree  above Ramcat Alley and E. Main Street is a reminder of old-time Seneca Christmas decorations.  Many years ago, Christmas trees used to hang over several downtown intersections.  According to Scott Moulder, the city […]

Oconee Sheriff’s Office believes as many as four arrested people play a part in the theft late last month of a 2009 Yamaha TW 200 dual sport dirt bike.  Two of the four were arrested early Monday morning after a deputy made a traffic stop on a box truck that had gone into the Friendship Boat Landing off the Coneross […]

Oconee School District, in its latest COVID-19 report, has sent home a K-5 class from Walhalla’s James Brown Elementary.  The kindergarten students affected have been given a return-to-school date of December 17.  A district official told 101.7/WGOG NEWS yesterday that the district is doing its best to maintain its face-to-face classroom settings the best it can before the public schools […]

A 39-year old man was arrested by the Seneca police and charged with distribution of methamphetamine first offense.  The Seneca police reported the arrest of Brian Keith Jones late at night Saturday behind the movie theatre on the 123 By-Pass.  Law enforcement records show two addresses for Jones:  Seneca and Spartanburg.  The arrest was made after a suspicious Seneca policeman […]

Over the weekend, Oconee sheriff’s officers arrested a 30-year old man in their investigation of a seven-year old assault and battery crime.  Arrested Sunday on the charge of assault and battery first degree:  Thomas Obrian Griffin, for whom two addresses were given, Seneca and Anderson.  A warrant alleges Griffin December 27, 2013 cut Wynton Botchway on the head and upper […]

  The financial reserves of the Oconee Joint Regional Sewer Authority are dwindling to a dire level, in the view of a financial service company retained to evaluate.  A presentation by Willdan Financial Services highlighted the December meeting of the JRSA policy board.  The inability of the sewer authority to square expenses with revenues appears to be worsened by return […]