Category: News

Walhalla’s Vanessa Penton will direct the new Oconee County Chamber of Commerce. Announcement of the selection of Penton’s appointment as the executive director was made by Sam Dickson, chairman of the new organization.  The chambers of commerce in Seneca, Walhalla, and Westminster are now under one umbrella organization.  Penton has served as the Walhalla chamber executive director since 2012.

  The Oconee County sheriff is pursuing the idea of armed school personnel and trained to protect the lives of students and others in the event of a dangerous school situation.  Sheriff Mike Crenshaw broached the idea last night to members of the county council and plans to report back once he ascertains the legality of arming school personnel.  Crenshaw […]

  A national bank, headquartered near Denver, Colorado, has been selected as the interim lender to finance the construction of the Lake Hartwell Water Treatment Plant.  The board of directors of Pioneer Rural Water District this afternoon approved CoBank as the lending institution for the $17 million project.  Design South’s Chuck Joye called the loan interest rate of 1.75% “very […]

An interruption in fuel supply could have ramifications for local government, such as that which affects the running of school buses and the county’s fleet of service vehicles.  But at least one Oconee County department is in good shape.  The county airport near Clemson received a load of aviation fuel last week which should be enough to handle all air […]

Gas prices are expected to increase after Colonial Pipeline shut down Lines 1 and 2 in response to last evening’s gasoline explosion in Shelby County, Alabama. The shutdown could have a major impact on supplies throughout the Carolinas, according to AAA. “If September’s shutdown was any indicator of what we should expect, prices are definitely going to spike at the […]

Clemson University has been granted a blanket license by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly unmanned aerial vehicles through out the U-S and to register more Clemson employees as UAV pilots.  Now, research engineer Joe Mari Maja can fly a “small UAV” weighing less than 55 pounds anywhere in the U-S.  Maja uses UAVs to monitor crop health and gather […]

A Walhalla trick or treat event drew 1,750 kids to a Halloween Boo event, sponsored last night by the police and fire departments.  Ronald Wilbanks, police chief, said much of the candy handed out was donated and paid for, in part, by city paycheck donations by the mayor and council.

One lane of southbound I-85 in northeast Georgia has re-opened to traffic.  An 18-wheeler is said to have rear-ended just inside the Georgia line before exit 177.  The back half of that trailer is described as smashed.  The driver, trapped temporarily, required extrication from the wreckage.  It’s not clear just yet what caused the accident.

A man judged not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting deaths of his mother and stepfather in Oconee County seeks a new hearing to determine whether he requires additional hospitalization.  Papers were filed last week in the Oconee Common Pleas Court for Jason Mark Carter.  Debbie and Kevin Perkins were shot dead in 2006 in their home near […]