Pickens council approves $3.8 million deal with Greenville Water
By Marquis Mittelstet Special to the Courier news@thepccourier.com PICKENS — Nearly six months after withdrawing from the Pickens Regional Joint More »
YMCA provides Bibles for children’s holiday camp
By Jason Evans Staff Reporter jevans@thepccourier.com EASLEY — An effort to place Bibles in young hands has proved more successful More »
Pickens County Council welcomes new members
By Evan Smoak Courtesy The Journal evan@upstatetoday.com COUNTY — Pickens County Council welcomed two new members to its governing body More »
Clemson Music Fest coming in April
By Philip Sikes Special to the Courier news@thepccourier.com CLEMSON — Clemson University and Southern Entertainment, with support from the City More »
Blue Ridge announces retirements
PICKENS — Three employees with a combined 118 years of service retired at the end of 2024 after a lifetime More »
Pickens council approves $3.8 million deal with Greenville Water
By Marquis Mittelstet
Special to the Courier
news@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Nearly six months after withdrawing from the Pickens Regional Joint Water System (PRJWS), Pickens City 
Council voted on a long-term Capacity buy-in and supply agreement with Greenville Water on Monday.
Council voted to approve the agreement by a 5-1 margin with councilman Floyd Rogers as the lone dissenting vote.
According to Pickens City Administrator Tim O’Briant the agreement replaces the
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Winter Wonderland
Pickens County saw its first major winter storm in nearly three years last week giving residents a chance to have some fun in the elements before it began to melt away. Pictured above is Opie Gilstrap enjoying a sled ride during the winter weather event.
Blankenship talks about goals as sheriff
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — At the Dec. 30 meeting of Pickens United, Tommy Blankenship was still sheriff-elect.
He has now begun his term as sheriff.
Beginning his portion of the meeting, Blankenship thanked outgoing Sheriff Rick Clark “first and foremost for his service to the citizens of Pickens County, to his leadership we’ve had at the agency.”
“But most of all, after attending sheriff’s school in Columbia the week before Thanksgiving, I got a little insight to what it’s like to come into a hostile environment,” he said. “There are other new sheriffs that are nowhere near as welcomed at their agency as I am, nor have they been afforded the things that Sheriff Clark has given me, with the latitude to start taking over, to start working on the budget requests, the capitol
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Area legislators discuss priorities
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Members of the Pickens County Legislative Delegation recently shared with constituents some of their priorities ahead of the first 2025 legislative session.
Delegation members discussed the upcoming session at the Dec. 30 meeting of Pickens United.
Both the South Carolina House and South Carolina Senate were slated to begin their session at noon Tuesday, Jan. 14.
“Watch your wallets from that point on, at least for the next five months,” Sen. Rex Rice said,
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YMCA provides Bibles for children’s holiday camp
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — An effort to place Bibles in young hands has proved more successful than YMCA staff originally hoped.
YMCA of Easley, Pickens and Powdersville president and CEO Sid Collins spoke about the effort during the Dec. 30 Pickens United meeting.
Attendees could see the results — the meeting room held stacks of Bibles.
“About a month ago, I emailed out to some of our YMCA family,
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Liberty’s Sutherland to lead 2025 SC Shrine Team
LIBERTY — Liberty High School head football coach Paul Sutherland has been named the head coach of the South 
Carolina team for the 2025 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, according to an announcement last week by the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association.
The Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, established in 1937, is the nation’s oldest high school football all-star game, pitting top players from South Carolina against their
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Southeastern Championship Bullriding at T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena
Despite a Friday cancellation due to winter storms in the area, Southeastern Championship Bullriding returned to the area last weekend at Clemson University’s T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena. Saturday. The T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena will be hosting the Clemson Monster Truck Wars on Saturday of this week.
Pickens County Council welcomes new members
By Evan Smoak
Courtesy The Journal
evan@upstatetoday.com
COUNTY — Pickens County Council welcomed two new members to its governing body last week.
Dale Holloway and Scott Lang joined returning members Chris Bowers and Alex Saitta for a swearing-in ceremony prior to the first meeting of 2025.
Holloway succeeds Henry Wilson as the District 6 representative.
Holloway told The Journal on Tuesday that he was excited to begin his tenure.
“I’m looking forward to a new chapter, kind of a new experience on this level,” Holloway said. “I’ve already spoken
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Clemson Music Fest coming in April
By Philip Sikes
Special to the Courier
news@thepccourier.com
CLEMSON — Clemson University and Southern Entertainment, with support from the City of Clemson, is set to host the second-annual Clemson Music Fest (CMF). The two-day festival is scheduled to take place on April 11-12 at the Upper
Intramural Field and looks to build on the energy and excitement of last year’s inaugural event — quickly becoming one of the premier music festivals in the region.
Jessie Murph, The All-American Rejects and BigXthaPlug headline a diverse group of artists that will be performing at Clemson Music Fest. Murph will be one of the lead acts at both
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His love is waiting for our love
No matter what the negative naysayers declare about the absence of the love of God, do not allow these dark imaginations to be absorbed into your conscience.
Let us accept the fact that after God created the heavens and the earth and everything in it, the Almighty keeps repeating, “And God saw that it was good.” He passionately loved everything He made and still does. Take a moment and read the first chapter of Genesis for yourself. Allow these words to saturate your soul, as you realize He is also talking about you. He created you as one of His finest masterpieces, and for you to not embrace how special and adored you are, means you are refusing to accept spiritual reality.
I want to encourage you today and remind you how highly God thinks of you. Since He is infinite and knows everything that has happened and will happen,
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