Category: News

Going into the final day for in-person absentee voting, a total of 18, 633 Oconeeans had voted.  And that number likely increases today, as the lines outside the county election headquarters have been consistently long.  The last day for mail voting and the drop-in ballot box will be 7 o’clock tomorrow night.  Traditional voting, at regular precincts, is reserved for […]

October brought its usual amount of bright and sunny autumn days.  However, there was havoc created by a couple of systems that moved from the southeast.  In October, 9″ of rain were measured at the Official U-S Weather Station at Walhalla.  Weather watcher Barbara Wilson said most of the rain was caused by Hurricane Delta and Tropical Storm Zeta.  October’s […]

A new piece of federal legislation, co-sponsored by Senator Tim Scott, addresses rural, minority-owned businesses by offering education, training and technical assistance.  It’s called the Reaching America’s Rural Minority Business Act.  If approved, the Commerce Department would be authorized to establish up to 10 business centers at historically black colleges and universities to serve rural and under-served communities.

South Carolina cases of COVID-19 rose by more than 2,000 on the reports from the state Saturday and Sunday.  On Saturday, 831 new cases were added; Sunday’s new case numbers were 1,319.  There were 37 deaths reported over the two days.  Oconee numbers were 15 new cases on Saturday and 28 new cases yesterday.  There were no new deaths reported […]

By 8:15 last night, all known storm-related outages on the Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative system had been addressed and service restored to each customer.  There was joy Saturday night and Sunday morning in at least one Lake Keowee subdivision near SC 188, as repair crews were able to turn the lights back on for those residents.

A 31-year old Seneca man was the victim yesterday of what authorities say was a case of homicide in Pickens County.  Coroner Kandy Kelley says the victim was Laing Court, Seneca resident Dustin Lee Smith and the location of the incident was 225 Ponderosa Drive, Six Mile.  Smith was pronounced dead at the scene.  An autopsy has been scheduled at […]

Walhalla water customers may return to their use of water as normal.  A check by the water department Saturday morning of the system levels showed that normal use may resume.  Water levels dropped Friday after tropical storm Zeta knocked out electric power service to the treatment plant.  Scott Parris, utilities superintendent, says the treatment plant is being powered by a […]

A man and his wife died after being shot Thursday night at their home near Westminster.  Authorities call the deaths an apparent case of homicide and suicide.  Coroner Karl Addis identified the deceased as Paula Marcengill, 52 years old, and Kent Marcengill, 53.  Addis says Mrs. Marcengill died in the emergency room at Greenville Memorial Hospital.  He attributes her death […]

On today’s report from the state health agency, 680 new confirmed cases have been added to the statewide totals since March.  DHEC reports 13 new Oconee County cases. The new statewide case total is 167,057.  On today’s report, deaths across South Carolina increased by seven.  The toll of dead is now 3,653.  Test results received by DHEC yesterday were 4,743 […]

Sunday is National Family Literacy Day, and Oconee County Council and the Seneca City Council are among the government bodies that are drawing attention to the 26th anniversary of the event.  Established by the U-S Congress in 1994, the day highlights the importance of reading and learning for the entire family and stresses that parents have an impact on what […]