Category: News

The judge in Oconee General Sessions Court has applied the maximum sentence possible to a 40-year old Salem man, convicted yesterday of distribution of methamphetamine third offense. Judge Macaulay this morning announced a sentence of 30 years, suspended to 25 years in prison for Kenneth Wayne Whitworth. The judge took into account a past of criminal convictions dating back to […]

A long-standing member of Oconee’s industrial community believes that while the county is being progressive in developing industrial parks to attract employers, the quest for new jobs and a stronger economic base can’t be realized without properly-trained employees. And, as a supporter of South Carolina Work Ready Communities, Peter LeRoy, helps to raise awareness and build support for counties’ efforts […]

Oconee Planning Commission announces a special meeting tomorrow to consider a proposed sign inside the Fair Play Village sub-district. The special meeting takes place at 4 o’clock in County Council Chambers in Walhalla, and the public is invited.

The first Seneca banner to declare a wide thoroughfare in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is to be raised during the noon hour, in a ceremony at South Sixth and Oak. Ed Halbig, director of city planning and community development, says the city is glad to be able to raise what’s to be the first of two dozen […]

South Carolina lawmakers are supporting legislation to raise funds to pay for work on the state’s roads and bridges. Rep. Phyllis Henderson of Greer is a co-sponsor of one bill that would dedicate the funds that currently come to the state from sales tax on automobiles for road and bridge maintenance. Yesterday that bill received an affirmative 106-5 vote in […]

Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative members of District One, Oconee County, are invited to a meeting this month to help choose a candidate to represent District One on the utility retailer’s board of directors. The seat available is the one now held by Joel Davis, who is offering for re-election. The meeting will take place at 10 a-m Wednesday, March 20 […]

The office of Circuit Solicitor has announced that Kenneth Wayne Whitworth has been placed in custody. The Salem man is to be brought to Oconee General Sessions Court this morning for the announcement of his sentence. A jury convicted Whitworth yesterday of distribution of methamphetamine third offense. Because he did not attend the two-day trial, Whitworth’s sentence was kept sealed […]

The legal entanglements between former Oconee Sheriff’s candidate James Bartee and his accuser, Nicholas Blackwell, intensified this month with Blackwell’s filing of a civil counterclaim against Bartee . . . and Bartee’s official reply to the counterclaim. The latest filings in the Common Pleas Court arise from a January lawsuit by Bartee, alleging Blackwell set him up, leading to Bartee’s […]

A 54-year man has been sent to prison for four years for a case that the prosecutor called a serious beating. Charles Allen Vinson walked into the Oconee courtroom this afternoon charged with criminal domestic violence high and aggravated nature. The judge accepted a negotiated plea that allowed Vinson to plead to assault and battery first degree. Assistant solicitor Blair […]

An Oconee jury convicted a 40-year old Salem man today on the charge of distribution of methamphetamine third offense. Because Kenneth Wayne Whitworth did not attend the trial, the sentence written down by Judge Alex Macaulay will remain sealed until Whitworth is located and read the sentence. Assistant Solicitor Lindsey Simmons, whose prosecution won the verdict, said she considered an […]