Author: Dick Mangrum

As it’s likely to be elsewhere, the appetite of Oconee County voters to cast a ballot for November is strong…and getting stronger.  The office of county Registration and Elections remains busy processing applications to vote absentee.  There are many reasons available for voting early, and there’s no shortage of Oconeeans requesting absentee ballots.  Ryan Nowland, assistant elections director, estimates that […]

Oconee County government workers who qualify can look forward to $1,500 pay raises, based on Tuesday’s vote to add $2.4 million to the current budget.  Of the $2.4 million, County Administrator Amanda Brock says, $585 thousand will be divided among the employees whose evaluations show them deserving.  The pay raises approved for county workers last year were approved on the […]

  Oconee County Council is in the process of adding to its budget, but officials insist the addition of $2.4 million in expenses won’t force a tax increase to appear on the 2020 property tax bills.  John Elliott, chairman of the council budget committee, says the headline to the story should say no tax increase, and he’s backed up on […]

A Westminster councilman who changed his vote and helped lead his colleagues toward a state legal opinion to address conflict of interest questions in city government is making a request.  Brad Chastain says he wants the city council to review the letter that City Attorney Andrew Holliday will send to the Attorney General.  That letter is expected to address at […]

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 […]