Monthly Archives: April 2015
All aboard for fun
Rocky Nimmons/Courier
The annual Central Railroad Festival drew large crowds Saturday despite dreary morning weather. The festival offered music, food and entertainment for all ages and celebrated the town’s railroad heritage.
Easley burglary suspect extradited from Tennessee
PICKENS — Pickens County Sheriff’s Office deputies extradited a man suspected in an Easley burglary from Tennessee last week.
According to chief deputy Creed Hashe, Randy James Bowman, 27, of Greenville, is charged with first-degree burglary, grand larceny and financial identity fraud in relation to a September incident that happened at a home on Mandy Trail in Easley.
Bowman was recently arrested by the Kingsport Police Department in Sullivan County, Tenn., on unrelated charges,
Public keeps prayer issue alive
By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter
brobinson@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — During the public input session of Monday night’s meeting of the Pickens County School Board, several local residents brought up the issue of prayer before meetings, which had been addressed at the last school board meeting.
A board vote last month on a revised prayer policy ended in a 3-3 tie, meaning the issue failed.
The Rev. Tony Qualkinbush, a former school board candidate, used his time during public session to pray.
Qualkinbush prayed that the meeting would unite and not divide Pickens County “with an unwavering focus on
A Lasting Legacy
Courtesy Photo
David Hiott, center, watches a new issue of the Pickens Sentinel come off the printing press with his mother, Eunice, and brother, Gary, more than 50 years ago. The Hiott family, which owned the newspaper for more than half a century, made a lasting impact on the news industry in Pickens County that continues to this today.
Former local newspaper owner Hiott dies
David W. Hiott
Pickens — Pickens is mourning the loss of longtime community leader and former local newspaper owner David Hiott, who died Monday at age 89.
A 1942 graduate of Pickens High School, Hiott served in the U.S. Navy before going to printing school in Nashville, Tenn., where he took a linotype course.
He later returned to Pickens to work at the Pickens Sentinel, which his father, Gary, had purchased in 1927.
When the printing process later turned from cold type to offset printing, Hiott went to New York to study offset lithography.
Along with his mother, Eunice, Hiott and his brother, Gary, published the Sentinel
Blue Ridge issues capital-credit refund
UPSTATE — Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative on April 14 put checks into the mail totaling $1 million to those who received power from the utility in 1986 or 1987 or both.
The capital-credit payments represent a portion of the margins earned in each of those years. Every individual check amount constitutes a member’s pro-rata share of the net earnings during the years covered by the refund.
The cooperative has returned patronage capital to its members in each of the last 33 years. A total of more than $23.2 million has been paid back since the organization’s inception.
Blue Ridge President and CEO Charles Dalton said returning capital credits has a salutary effect.
“During the economic downturn that has gripped our area since 2008, we’ve
Local students earn honors at international competition
Left: Forest Acres team members are pictured with representatives from the Society of Automotive Engineers. The students, from left, are Olivia Bates, Gabrielle Warren, Miles Martin and Julia Martin. Right: Chastain Road team members, from left, Caidence Lollis, Gabbie Juan, Hannah Lauber and Halle Johnson.
COUNTY — Two teams of Pickens County students competed in the International JetToy Competition in Detroit on April 22, claiming honors in several categories.
The teams were judged in four categories — weight, distance, accuracy and time. The “Yates’ Greats” team from Chastain Road Elementary placed third in both distance and time. The team’s members are Caidence Lollis, Gabbie Juan, Hannah Lauber and Halle Johnson. The “Hashtag Pandas” team from Forest Acres Elementary placed third in the weight category, and the team’s members are Olivia Bates, Gabrielle Warren, Miles Martin,
Cannon Memorial Auxiliary offering Harden Scholarship
PICKENS — Cannon Memorial is offering its annual scholarship to a graduating high school senior and/or a member of the community already in the medical profession or continuing their education in the medical field.
The recipients will have their scholarship money paid directly to the school of their choice.
To be eligible to apply for the Harden Scholarship, applicants must be a student of Pickens High School, student of Liberty High School, student of Prince Avenue Preparatory, student of Lakeview Christian School, student of Soaring Eagles Christian Academy, an employee or active volunteer at Cannon Memorial Hospital, their spouse or child age 25
Enjoying the nuts on the family tree
This year our family reunion was at Stratford Hall in Virginia. My poor brother was charged with driving me and our cousins, Becky and Liz, to the event. On Thursday, I drove up to Winston Salem, where Liz lives, and Matt met us 
there, driving from Angier, N.C. We were royally fed and entertained, talking around the table and catching up.
Friday morning, we loaded up and drove up to Richmond to pick up Becky, who’d flown in from Miami. We knew about Becky’s legendary suitcase and were all a little concerned about getting it into the trunk as, believe me, we were already pretty fully packed.
But we managed by unpacking the truck and rearranging everything several times. At least Matt did. We stood on the curb and watched with interest,
The imaginary wiffle ball world
Last week I was supposed to put something in the Courier to remind people (read: “Let them know”) about the barbecue for the Kentucky Missions Team set for noon this Saturday. The cost of a one-week trip into Middlesboro, 
Ky., to work at small mountain churches keeps going up, so to make sure it does not lose money this year and to allow the teenagers going on the trip to be able to afford it, this year we are having a barbecue dinner to raise money.
Well, last week was a bad week, with the Azalea Fest and several other “hard news” stories fighting for space, I didn’t feel I could justify cutting something just to fit an announcement into the paper. This week looks tight, too, so I figured the best way to fit such an announcement in would be to put
Courier Letters to the Editor
Bowers did right thing
Dear Editor,
As a legitimate delegate to the Pickens County Republican Party convention, I saw firsthand what went on and who the players were at the GOP convention. The group who caused the problems are the same people who show up regularly at Pickens County School Board meetings and criticize Phillip Bowers and other conservatives on the board for their recent votes to restore prayer and stop tax increases.
This whole issue is about pouring more money into education and slurring Bowers and other conservatives in the GOP who want to restore traditional community values and spend taxes wisely. I know this because among the delegates
