Category: News

Between customer and electric power companies the question arises whether everyone would be better off if more overhead lines were buried beneath the ground.  One utility CEO, Jim Lovinggood of the Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative, says the answer isn’t simple, and the costs are prohibitive in today’s economy.  Writing in this month’s South Carolina Living magazine, Lovinggood said, “Without question, […]

The chairman of Oconee Republicans, David McMahan, has issued a statement in response to reports the state police have been asked to investigate claims of domestic abuse against County Councilman Matthew Durham.  101.7/WGOG NEWS spoke last night with McMahan, who confirmed that he issued the following statement:  “We, the Oconee County Republican Party, are deeply saddened to learn of the […]

The police in Toccoa, Georgia say they have received word of the arrest in Hamilton County, Tennessee of their suspect in last week’s robbery at the Northeast Georgia Bank on the Big A Road.  The arrest of Sidney Alan McCollum took place Saturday night around 7:30.  A Chattanooga police officer spotted the suspect’s vehicle pulling into a restaurant and took […]

David Underwood, Walhalla city councilman, says he’d like Grant Keehn and Tyler Jordan to join him on the city’s governing board.  Keehn and Jordan are announced candidates for two of the three Walhalla council seats to be voted on during the November 2 city election.  Today is the day that candidates’ books open throughout the county’s municipalities for the November […]

Walhalla Water Department announces that a boil water notice that applied over the weekend to a large swath of its service territory in the vicinity of Halfway Branch was lifted yesterday, and no longer do customers there need to boil water before drinking or cooking.  According to Scott Parris, utilities director, following intense flushing of the distribution system, bacteriological samples […]

An early morning water main break on Avondale Drive has resulted in low system pressures or complete loss of water service for some customers. As a result, the City of Walhalla Water Department advises the customers in the areas listed below, located in Oconee County, to vigorously boil their water for at least one (1) full minute prior to drinking […]

In this afternoon’s state health agency accounting of new cases of COVID-19, here are highlights: New cases statewide:  3,585 (including 74 in Oconee County). Confirmed new SC deaths:  15 Of 32,161 test results received, the positivity decreased from yesterday’s report to 14.6%. These numbers reflect the data for the end of the day Wednesday. Overall cases and deaths were up […]

Oconee County is not yet a county with 80 thousand people, but it’s close. The Census Bureau’s count of Oconee County residents for 2020 was 78,607.  That’s an increase of some 4,300, or 5.8%, from the 2010 Census.  About 50 years ago the county’s population hovered in the range of 42 to 43 thousand, and it wasn’t long before then […]

A teenager at Tamassee went out her bedroom window yesterday on the Cherokee Lake Road, and she remains missing this morning.  The sheriff’s office has issued a missing person alert for Ashlyn Bailey Miller.  Sixteen-year old Ashlyn was wearing white shorts, green shirt, and tie-dye croc shoes.  She could be with a friend in a gold or tan Toyota Camry […]

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office has announced an update to the Intake process at the Oconee County Animal Shelter.  The new program will be called Managed Intake.   “The goal and the purpose of the Managed Intake process is to offer to owners of pets, who are thinking of surrendering their animals to Animal Control, other alternatives in the hopes […]