Author: Dick Mangrum

The number of South Carolina cases continued their slide.  But deaths jumped from five yesterday to 29 today. The latest South Carolina Department of Health report confirms 250 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 and 29 additional confirmed deaths.  Oconee County came up zero in both categories—no new deaths, no new cases. This brings the total number of confirmed cases […]

Senator Lindsey Graham announces the release of 11 years of his South Carolina and federal income tax returns.  The announcement from Graham’s campaign office shows the main source of the senator’s returns is his congressional salary ($174 thousand) which has not changed in 11 years. According to his campaign, Graham has never voted for a pay increase while serving in […]

Officers from a law enforcement arm of the federal government are said to have surrounded a wanted man last evening near Seneca, and today the U-S Marshall’s Service has confirmed the arrest of a 42-year old man.  A senior inspector for the Marshall’s Service, Robert Marcum, says Joshua Donald was placed in custody shortly after 5 pm yesterday at Beacon […]

Two more Oconee students appear today on the county district’s list of COVID-19 cases.  They are Seneca and Walhalla high school students.  Since the schools re-opened classrooms August 24, the district has learned that 11 students have tested positive.  In all about three-quarters of the district’s student population have elected to take face-to-face instruction; while the remainder is taking their […]

Chairman Julian Davis of Oconee County Council promises an open discussion next week on county expenses for advertising.  Between now and the regular third Tuesday meeting on the 15th, Davis requests his colleagues to give thought and talk with others about how the county should structure its advertising contracts. The chairman spoke last night during a special council meeting called […]

Developing a new recreation complex in Westminster, at the least, could be delayed for years, and the reason is priorities that supersede the city’s need to expand its recreation offerings.  Those priorities are the likelihood that the city will need to come up with millions of dollars for water and electric service upgrades.  Questions arose during last night’s council meeting […]

Whether it’s COVID-19, whether it’s an EF3 tornado, or whether it’s a mysterious fire that decimated its fleet of garbage trucks, Seneca has found itself in one predicament after another this year.  Last night Scott Moulder, city administrator, said the city has a plan to continue its residential and commercial garbage pickups while at the same time acquiring replacement trucks.

  New votes by two Westminster city councilmen last night reversed last month’s decision to tighten the city’s policy on nepotism.  Councilman Brad Chastain, saying he had difficulty on the phone understanding what was said during the August 25 meeting, requested further discussion of an amendment that could jeopardize the council term of his colleague Reid Adams or the continued […]