Category: News

  Flood damage to the Westminster Masonic Hall has forced the Masons to re-locate their annual sale of tomato and flower plants.  The sale is now underway at the front of the Oconee Habitat for Humanity store in the Bountyland Community.  There, you can buy ready-for-the-ground tomato and flower plants.  What you pay goes to the Habitat’s mission to put […]

A 40-year old Oconee man has been jailed in the investigation of his wife’s homicide.  The Sheriff’s Office late last night identified the accused as Lee Mikeal Cawthon of the Welcome Church Road near Westminster, jailed after investigators interviewed him about his missing wife, Rebecca A. Murray Cawthon.  She had been missing since the middle of last month.  Coroner Karl […]

  This week’s announcement by the new Agriculture Secretary, Sonny Perdue, has been greeted with approval of Oconee School District officials.  Dr. Michael Thorsland, Superintendent, said, “I was excited to hear that news.”  And Scott Hood of Sodexo, the county district’s food provider, said relaxing the rules to reduce salt and include more grain in the foods will strike a […]

Final approval has been given for construction of a new home for Clemson University’sCollege of Business. After the approval by the State Fiscal Accountability Authority on Tuesday, work on one of the biggest academic building projects in school history, 170,000 square feet, is expected to begin this fall and be ready in early 2020.  The $87 million building across from […]

After an executive session, Oconee County Council took the first vote for a lease of county property to local agricultural interests who want a permanent location for a market center and agriculture heritage fair.  The location is a 58-acre county-owned tract on the Sandifer Boulevard.  According to Edda Cammick, the agreement still needs tweaking.  Last night’s approval was a first […]

The leader of the Stillwater Homeowners Association, Bob Medlin, says he and his neighbors are not against progress and understand that Clemson University is undergoing growing pains, but they are worried about a planned new home development—to which there is limited road access.  Medlin last night sought to bring to the attention of Oconee County leaders that the student housing […]

The creation of a fourth Oconee County park was re-opened during last night’s county council meeting.  Ben Turetsky of Friends of Lake Keowee suggested county leaders consider working out a lease with Duke Energy to create Fall Creek park.  District Two’s Wayne McCall picked up on the idea and tried to cajole Scott Moulder, the county administrator, to get it […]

  History buff Nick Gambrell is announcing an effort to create an old-time farmstead at Oakway to illustrate what life was like nearly 100 years ago in the foothills of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.  To be located behind the former Oakway School, the Foothills Farmstead would encompass about 15 acres of open farmland that now belongs to Oconee County. The […]

A change proposed to Oconee County zoning rules failed during a 3 to 2 vote during last night’s County Council meeting.  Wayne McCall and Glenn Hart supported a roll-back that would have allowed property owners who had been included in a previous zoning change to request their property be re-classified control-free zoning.  Opposed were Edda Cammick, Paul Cain, and Julian […]

A 66-year old woman in Townville has been arrested and charged with possession of a firearm by a person convicted of violent felony.  The arrest of Gwenlyn Smith Baker took place Monday afternoon as a deputy sheriff went to a Timberlake One Circle home to investigate the report of a disturbance. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the deputy saw Baker […]