By Ben Robinson, Courier Staff

PICKENS — The City of Plckens will miss former water superintendent and city councilman Joel Allgood, Mayor David Owens said.

Allgood, 83, died as a result of injuries suffered in a car wreck Sunday morning at the intersection of S.C. Highway 183 and Sunset Drive, according to Pickens County Coroner Kandy Kelley.

“He was a good man,” Owens said. Owens lived close to Allgood when he was growing up in Pickens. Later, when Owens ran for  city council, Allgood was a member of city council.

“There was not much he would not do,” Owens said. “People of Pickens knew they could count

By Greg Oliver, The Journal

Editor’s note: Former School District of Pickens County board chairman Ben Trotter, who announced his resignation last month, recently sat down for an in-depth interview with veteran reporter Greg Oliver of The Journal in Seneca. The entire text of the interview and an accompanying sidebar with responses from superintendent Kelly Pew are reprinted here with permission.

COUNTY — Ben Trotter’s resignation from the Pickens County School Board became effective Feb. 1, but he said his frustrations with school district operations and even the attitude of some board members continue.

During a recent interview with The Journal, the former board chairman discussed a variety of

By Greg Oliver, The Journal

COUNTY — Former Pickens County School Board Chairman Ben Trotter has had his say, and Pickens County School Superintendent Kelly Pew has responded.

Pew addressed several of the primary concerns expressed by Trotter — from teachers and administrators to observations and evaluations to the hiring of a culinary specialist and school facilities.

On the issue of communications between parents and community members and Trotter’s argument that board members are often contacted because district leadership is unavailable, Pew said the district’s practice is for concerned parties to contact a teacher or administrator “if

COUNTY — School District of Pickens County superintendent Kelly Pew and board chairman Alex Saitta issued a joint statement last week in an attempt to keep the public informed on efforts to comply with the recent AdvancED accreditation report, assuring local residents that the board is “committed to responding constructively” to the report’s concerns.

Although recommending accreditation for the district, the report also found concerns in the areas of board management and governance.

According to the statement, the board is working with Dr. Wayne “Dempsey” Worner, a former dean of the Virginia Tech school of education and a noted facilitator and consultant.

Worner has more than 50 years of experience as a teacher, coach, administrator,

COUNTY — The newly formed Manufacturers Caring for Pickens County (MCPC) Forum has announced the second in a series of social outreach grants to local charities and community service organizations.

The $1,000 grant will be shared by the Samaritan Health Clinic, Wounded Warrior Project, and Honoring Their Service, Inc.  All three organizations have demonstrated outstanding community efforts to benefit the residents of Pickens County.

“We are pleased to support Samaritan Health Clinic which provides an important service in our community by offering, among other things, free medical care to residents of Pickens County who are otherwise unable to pay or have limited incomes,” said Linda Bacigalupo, president and

EASLEY — An Easley man was killed after being struck by a car on Saluda Dam Road on Friday.

Calvin Edward King, 67, of 3639 Saluda Dam Road, was crossing the road when he was hit by an oncoming vehicle, according to Pickens County Coroner Kandy Kelley.

King was pronounced dead after being transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.