Author: Dick Mangrum

The League of Women Voters will be busy in early October, conducting three Clemson political forums in advance of the November General Election.  All will be carried by Zoom technology, and those interested should be alert for additional information as the dates for the forums draw near.  On the evening of October 1, the first forum will feature the three […]

The latest figures show Oconee County’s 57.9% response to the 2020 Census lags behind both the state and national averages.  Unless more than five or six out of every 10 county residents answers a small set of brief questions, a poor response could cost the county money when it comes to government services for the public.  One of the basic […]

Tamassee-Salem Elementary School has detected its first case of COVID-19.  It’s a student about whom the county district states has not been in school since the 28th of August.  Other confirmed cases of the virus afflict a Seneca Middle School student, a Walhalla High School employee, and a Seneca Middle School employee.  The Seneca Middle School worker has not been […]

Governor McMaster concedes he’s unhappy, and he thinks many others in South Carolina are unhappy about the preponderance of county public school districts that have not re-opened their classroom buildings.  He said yesterday that this is causing problems for parents.  During a news briefing, McMaster announced that, if the legislature agrees, he’s going to assign first priority to millions of […]

Sheriff Mike Crenshaw reminds Oconeeans that field workers representing the U-S Census continue their work in Oconee County, and he urges everyone who has not done so to cooperate in a simple and brief interview.  Field staff workers can be identified by their photo identification and by one or more of the following identifiers:  a laptop computer with a Census […]

Late yesterday afternoon at the state capital talk centered on an eventual vaccine to protect against COVID.  The setting was a news briefing led by Governor McMaster which included remarks by two top DHEC officials.  They referred to news accounts that have cast an optimistic outlook for anyone or all of three different vaccines.  But, in the meantime, they stress […]

Salem is a place to be this morning for a 9-11 remember event.  Town officials have organized a program on Main Street, and everyone is invited.

Today, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced 264 new confirmed cases and  24 additional confirmed deaths from COVID-19.   For a second straight day, Oconee County reported no new cases.  However, there was an additional documented death of an Oconee County resident who died on Tuesday. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 124,397, […]

One of the hardest hit parts of Oconee by the April EF3 tornado was the former textile mill village of Utica, which adjoins Seneca.  Oconee County is calling for volunteers to lend a hand this weekend for a four-hour cleanup project.  It will take place 8 am to noon on Saturday, and everyone is encouraged to meet at 7:30 Saturday […]

  Free COVID-19 tests are coming to southern Oconee County.  A mobile testing clinic will set up from 10 am to 3 pm Thursday, September 24 at the Fair-Oak Youth Center.  Making possible this testing event is the Healthy Me, Healthy SC team, a partnership of Clemson University and the Medical University of South Carolina.  This will be entirely drive-thru, […]