Category: News

South Carolina’s latest percentage of eligible state residents (those 5 years of age and older) who’ve taken COVID-19 vaccine is 53.1%.  And the state health director, Dr. Traxler of DHEC, conceded yesterday that there has been “a slow decline” in the numbers of South Carolinians taking the vaccine.  Once again, she encourages those who haven’t taken the vaccine, designed to […]

New numbers from the state health agency suggest that one out of three South Carolinians who are being tested are COVID-19 positive.  DHEC’s Monday numbers show a new percent positivity of 33.9.  For that 24-hour period, three thousand state residents were confirmed to have the virus—49 of them in Oconee County.

A 4 o’clock hour camper fire this morning near Seneca.  The fire destroyed a camper on Hoyt Street in the Utica vicinity. According to Chief Caudill of the Seneca Fire Department, reports indicated two people may have been in the camper, but no one was found.  There’s belief that a space heater may have started the fire.  

The victim of last night’s fatal accident in rural northern Oconee was a 91-year old Sapphire, North Carolina resident, who formerly lived in Walhalla.  Coroner Addis identified the deceased today as Charles Owens, an un-restrained driver of a 2000 Dodge pickup.  That pickup was knocked off the Whitewater Falls Road just before 7:30 last night and hit a tree.  Owens […]

A 71-year old Seneca man died this morning at the regional burn center at Augusta, Georgia.  Oconee Coroner Addis says the death of James Warren occurred three and a half weeks after a camper fire.  The January 8 camper fire was reported to Oconee 9-1-1 at 3:52 in the morning.  Warren was flown to the Joseph Still Burn Center.  His […]

The state police announced a new arrest this morning in the case of an Oconee man who is accused of firing shots at a county deputy last weekend at Mountain Rest.  The newest arrest is that of a woman who “SLED” alleges harbored Zachary Edwin Fiskeaux while he was sought and before being captured in Pickens County.  According to the […]

The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office has released information regarding a recent chase and wreck that occurred Tuesday in Stephens County. The chase ended when the suspect wrecked his car on Fernside Drive. Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley says on February 1, at approximately 2:30 p.m. deputies from his office were notified of a vehicle pursuit coming into Stephens County from […]

Those utility rate increases that are going to cause Walhalla customers to dig deeper were a big topic during a city hall meeting that stretched to two and one-half hours.  And there were some in the audience who wanted to hear what the mayor and the council would say.  The consensus from the meeting room table, however, was that as […]

Average to above-average rainfall in December and January has led to the declaration that all South Carolina counties are drought-free.  The state’s drought response committee yesterday removed the incipient drought designation of 34 counties, which had been a concern for wildfires.  But, according to the state forestry commission, the wildfire threat has diminished over the past 30 days.  Hope Mizzell, […]

The idea of Oconee County connecting to a regional recreation greenway became another issue that divides the county’s fathers.  Funds to survey for the project were approved in a 3 to 2 county council vote last night, with Elliott, Cain, and Davis in favor and Hart and Durham opposed.  A greenway that could extend from the Clemson area to about […]