Category: News

Oconee Joint Regional Sewer Authority estimates that, during Helene, 5.2 million gallons of untreated wastewater was spilled from its facilities.  The public should continue to be cautious in and around creeks, lakes, and other waterbodies within and adjacent to Oconee because of higher levels of bacteria and other environmental hazards.  JRSA says it has remained in contact with the state […]

Crews for Blue Ridge Electric re-connected around 6,500 customers yesterday, leaving 17,608 customers — about one out of four — still without service.  Remaining without power by county 5,561 in Oconee, 7,224 in Pickens, and 1,674 in Anderson.  Field assessments calculated by last night confirmed 710 broken poles throughout the five-county service area.  On average, according to the cooperative, it […]

Federal and state elected officials have visited with Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative workers in the field and operations center to assess the damage brought by Tropical Storm Helene.   U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, U.S. Rep. William Timmons (SC-04) and Sheri Biggs (SC-03 Republican nominee) visited pockets of our five-county service area today and Tuesday.   “Our cooperative is grateful to […]

The body of a 20-year-old Pendleton woman, Jessica R. Barnes, was found Friday in Pickens County, and the Anderson County coroner says Barnes is a homicide victim.  Coroner Greg Shore says death was the result of asphyxiation by strangulation and the case has been ruled a homicide. Investigating are the Pendleton police, SLED, and the coroner’s offices in both Pickens […]

101.7/WGOG has received confirmation that Friday night’s scheduled Crescent at Walhalla football game has been cancelled.  A source tells us the game has been called off — the result of the inability of the Crescent Tigers to make the travel necessary for their road game.

Starting at 1 o’clock this afternoon, the city of Walhalla and the Oconee Food Council are sponsoring free hot meals for people without electricity.  This meal — we think it is a serving of spaghetti — takes place at the Depot on S. College Street and will be offered until they run out.  Yesterday, the first day of the free […]

Prior to meeting with President Biden this afternoon in Greenville, Senator Lindsey Graham is paying call to Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative headquarters — likely to convey words of gratitude to cooperative call center workers and others who’ve been on the job since Helene arrived.  And the six-hundred personnel, mostly linemen, who’ve been working are being augmented today a group of […]

The emergency department at Prisma’s Oconee Memorial Hospital has doubled in size.  The new, 23,000-square-foot facility opened yesterday.  It includes 22 private treatment rooms, with an enhanced triage system and the capability to treat patients with less serious illnesses who require less complex care. The $15 million dollar expansion was bolstered by more than $1 million in community donations.  The […]

A spokeswoman for Oconee Solid Waste says, “We are not able to open all centers due to staffing availability. The following centers will be open Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024, from 8 am – 4 pm:   Center #1 Strawberry Center #5 Richland Center #10 Ebenezer   Please follow “Oconee County Solid Waste & Recycling” on Facebook for up-to-date information including […]

  Oconee County entered discussion on what’s to be done to facilitate a special tax district – in the event voters next month approve the creation of a taxing authority to benefit the Corinth-Shiloh Fire District.  And the council heard from David Root, county attorney, on the creating of a policy board to handle fire district – whether the board […]