Monthly Archives: May 2018
Lawmakers look ahead to last days of session
By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal
goliver@upstatetoday.com
CENTRAL — Members of the Pickens County Legislative Delegation told Pickens United during a meeting Monday that there are issues that need to be resolved in the state legislature during the remaining few days of the 2018 session.
“The General Assembly is in the last two weeks of the session, and there is a lot to get done,” said State Sen. Thomas Alexander, who represents a portion of Pickens County in addition to Oconee County.
One of the remaining issues the delegation wants to see resolved is the
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Public defender asking county for more lawyers
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — The 13th Circuit Public Defender’s Office has asked for Pickens County’s help in adding staff.
Christopher Scalzo, who became public defender on Feb. 1, made his request for four positions to council during its April 23 budget work session.
“We’re on track to carry over about 1,400 clients,” Scalzo said.
Each client carries an average of two or three charges, Scalzo said. Since 2013, the number of clients his office is assigned has increased by about 10 percent each year.
“This year, we should be around 1,100
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King breaks more records
LIBERTY — Liberty High School senior Keyshawn King continues to break records in his final high school track season.
At the Pickens County track meet on March 29, King broke the county triple jump record of 46’5″ with a jump of 51’0″. He also broke the Liberty High School facility record, which he set earlier this season. During the meet, he also participated in the long jump, where he tied the long jump record, which stands at 22’3″. He was also selected to
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Mile Creek moves service to Tuesdays
SIX MILE — Mile Creek Baptist Church has moved its Wednesday night services to Tuesday nights at 7 p.m.
The speaker for May 8 will be Cody Zorn, while May 15 will feature Jonathan McNeese. Chris Haizlip is slated for May 22, and on May 29, Joe Arthur will deliver the message.
Pastor Kevin Kuykendall and the congregation of Mile Creek Baptist Church invite all to attend.
KeyMark moves into new headquarters in Liberty
LIBERTY — KeyMark, Inc., a leading provider of business process automation solutions, officially moved into its new headquarters last 
month.
Located in the Pickens County Commerce Park at 105 Tech Lane, the move completed a $6 million investment in the company’s growth and commitment to the community.
The new 23,000-square-foot headquarters will allow KeyMark to potentially double its employee base, with hiring plans for positions
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Appalachian music lessons slated to start this month
COUNTY — Local residents can learn to play the banjo, fiddle, guitar or mandolin, as enrollment is now underway for next evening music program.
The six-week session will begin the week of May 21 on various evenings at various locations (listed below). The program is open to students from third grade through adults of all ages and is designed to teach students to play Appalachian music. Beginners are welcome.
The cost is $60 for the six-week session, and rental instruments are
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Summer camp registration now open at Pickens Rec
PICKENS — Pickens Recreation Summer Day Camp 2018 is now being planned.
The camp will be eight one-week sessions starting in June. Weeks will be June 4-8, 11-15, 18-22 and 25-29, July 9-13, 16-20 and 23-27, July 30-Aug. 3 and Aug. 6-10. There will be no day camp from July 2-6.
Day camp will be held at the Pickens Recreation Center at 545 Sangamo Road in Pickens.
Camps will be for ages 6-12 (completed 5K kindergarten through rising
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Courier Letters to the Editor
Giving away more money to Easley
Dear Editor,
The school board has raised property taxes three times in a row. The county council is discussing two tax increases, one of 3.3 mills and another of 1.3 mills.
Annual revenue of the school district and county government is the highest it has been, a record. Yet both the school board and county council are outspending this new revenue, so they have to raise property tax rates to balance their books.
After reading the Pickens County Courier article about the renewal of the Easley TIF, naturally I asked why is the board and council giving away more money to the city of Easley?
The city of Easley is planning to spend $1.5 million on six city projects. These projects include things like landscaping for Market Square, upgrading signage for the downtown farmers market, new trash
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The inherent risk of sport specialization
One of the responsibilities that parents take most seriously is protecting their children from injury, whether it is buckling seatbelts 
in a car or wearing a helmet while riding a bike. And when their kids become teenagers and want to participate in sports or other activities, parents do everything they can to keep their sons and daughters from getting hurt.
But not all injuries are caused by a twist, fall, collision or accident. Many are caused when young athletes repeat the same athletic activity
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Know the signs of senior abuse
Sometimes it takes watchful eyes to keep seniors safe. Whether it’s physical, emotional or financial abuse, or any other kind, those who 
come in contact with seniors can look for signs that all is not well.
In banking, if you spot a senior who seems distressed and who repeatedly takes large sums of money out of an account (or changes his or her routine), that senior might be a victim of abuse or a scam. (Seniors, don’t use the drive-up teller window. Go inside so staff can get to know you. Sign a new signature
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