Category: News

The Oconee Sheriff’s Office received notification that a 69-year old woman reported missing Monday has been located in a hospital in Louisiana. Deputies had been concerned for the safety of Lorraine Anne Leiss-Lee but learned that, some point, she was admitted to Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge. There, the nurse-in-charge confirmed that she was OK.

The chief economic development recruiter for Oconee County recognizes that a jobless rate above 6% is a sign that the county still has work to do. But Richard Blackwell says the county’s labor participation number of 30,053 is the highest since 2001 when, according to the Department of Employment and Workforce, the number was 30,168. And it prompts Blackwell to […]

At their first 2015 meeting, Oconee County’s 7-member planning commissioners organized and chose new officers. Gwen McPhail, an at-large member, was named chairwoman. The position of vice chairman went to the newly-appoint District Three member David Ownbey of Seneca. The commissioners broached the topic last night of priorities for 2015. Staff member Josh Stephens believes a review of the county […]

Oconee County ended 2014 with a slightly lower jobless rate for December. For the final month of the year, the state pegged the county’s unemployment rate at 6.2% of its workforce—meaning that, of an approximate workforce of 32,000, two thousand members of its workforce were looking for new work. The November 2014 rate was slightly higher, at 6.4%. Across South […]

 A Southern Wesleyan University sophomore from Anderson, Malek Martin, made a donation that helps others live. Martin gave blood to the Blood connection last week during the MLK Blood Drive on his school’s campus. The Blood Connection extended its hours for the drive—because of a current shortage of supplies. Sixty-six units were donated.

A wrestler from Westminster will compete in this season’s Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge which considers itself the toughest physical competition that airs on national television. Jake James will get his chance during the episode that premieres at 8 o’clock Sunday night, February 8 on CMT. James is 6’2’, 225 lbs and will compete in the challenge to determine the […]

Oconee Memorial Hospital and Tri-County Technical College have them. So, why not the Oconee County public libraries. Danny Day, library board chairman, announced last night that the library system will pursue the creation of a foundation, an arm to raise money from the private sector for the betterment of the public libraries. Day says a successful foundation that raises money […]

Trustees for Oconee public libraries received the following advice last night from County Councilman Paul Cain: “Don’t lose heart.” A visitor at the trustees’ meeting, Cain urged the board to not become discouraged by the defeat of last year’s referendum that would have built new libraries and renovated others. Cain said the result showed voters simply aren’t willing to pay […]

 A 69-year old Walhalla area woman remains missing this morning and is the subject of an alert to the public. 417 Snead Road, Walhalla is the last known address for Lorraine Anne Leiss-Lee, but Oconee deputies believe she has not been at that address for the last three weeks. Deputies say there have been no recent sightings. Out of concern […]

A judge said today he’ll be “hard-pressed” at the pre-trial level to throw out the claim filed by a Hilton Head Island woman against the Oconee County-based Community First Bank. Common Pleas Judge Lawton McIntosh made the comment to attorneys as a hearing came to a close at the Oconee Courthouse. However, McIntosh held off issuing his ruling. The judge […]