Author: Dick Mangrum

By yesterday, the fourth day of the school year, two cases of COVID-19 were reported within Oconee public schools–one a student at Seneca High; the other, an employee at Walhalla’s James Brown Elementary.  A case previously listed Monday was removed after determination that the individual did not enter a school building or facility.

The 19,000 limit that the Clemson football Tigers are putting on fans for this year’s home slate at Memorial Stadium means they won’t be pumping as much fuel as normal at the nearby Oconee Regional Airport.  During a normal college football season, the small airport sees its busiest days of the year.  Often times the airport runs out of spaces […]

A five-day period early next month will mark the 59th South Carolina Apple Festival, based in Westminster and in the apple-growing region of Oconee County.  COVID-19, however, has changed how the festival will celebrate the apple crop.  Unlike festivals in the past, September 8-12 will not welcome large crowds for browsing the booths on Main  Street downtown.  Instead, Jane Suttles […]

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) today announced 424 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 and 42 additional confirmed deaths. For a rare 24-hour period, Oconee recorded no new cases.  Also, no new deaths from the county. This brings the total number of South Caroliina confirmed cases to 113,107and confirmed deaths to 2,494. As of yesterday, […]

The Oconee Joint Regional Sewer Authority (OJRSA) has been without phone, email, and internet service since Wednesday due to an SCDOT mowing contractor hitting a fiber optic line that serves the facility. AT&T is currently assessing the situation and will repair the line as soon as possible. Sewer customers are being asked to contact their wastewater provider as listed on […]

A 15-year old boy went missing at midafternoon yesterday, but a large Salem and Keowee Key area search effort found the boy and re-united him with his mother.  The boy was last seen in the area of Subway restaurant on the Stamp Creek Road.  Keowee Fire Department was among the responders who joined sheriff’s officers and right away, according to […]

“We are happy to report the sharp decrease in initial claims filed last week.”  That is from a statement today from Dan Ellzey, director of the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.  The total statewide number of first-time claims for the week ended August 22 was 5,524.  That’s the lowest number for a week since the pandemic started in […]

Oconee School District has posted two cases of COVID-19 so far in the first four days of the academic year.  And there’s a simple way for parents, guardians, and members of the general public to track the severity of the virus in the county’s public schools.  To start, go to the district website www.sdoc.org and follow the appropriate links.  One […]

A car-motorcycle accident during the noon hour yesterday near Walhalla resulted in the motorcyclist receiving a medical helicopter flight.  Walhalla Fire Department joined volunteers from Picket Post-Camp Oak at the scene of the accident at north highway 11 at Christopher’s Road.