Daily Archives: 07/24/2018
Teen charged in double shooting
CENTRAL — A Seneca 17-year-old faces two counts of attempted murder after a shooting that injured two other teens in Central over the weekend.
Kevin Bernard Holden Jr. is also charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Central Police chief Khristy Justice said in a news release that officers were dispatched to a home on Amanda Drive during the early-morning hours of Sunday about a shooting.
Officers found a victim with a gunshot wound to the neck and called EMS to take the teen to a local hospital, Justice said. She said a short time later, another victim was taken to the hospital for a
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Calling it a career
‘Main Street barber’ set
to retire after 70 years
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS —
In a recent conversation, the head of the state barber board told Don Gravely, “You’ve been at this a long time.”
That’s an understatement.
“I’ve been barbering 70 years all together,” Gravely said. “About all of it’s been
Rocky Nimmons/Courier
Don Gravely points to a vintage price list that has been hanging in his barbershop on Main Street in Pickens for decades. Gravely will close his shop on Aug. 1.
where it is now.”
After more than half a century in business, Gravely is closing the doors on his barber shop at 203 E. Main Street in Pickens on Aug. 1.
He began working in that same location around age 14 or 15, shining shoes, the 87-yearold Gravely said.
“I was shine boy in the shop I ended up in,” he said.
After graduating from Pickens High School, Gravely went to the Greenville Barber College in 1947, then worked two years at the Ottaray Hotel
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Police: Man impersonated police officer
PICKENS — The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 21-year-old 
Pickens man Sunday after deputies said he impersonated a police officer and made a traffic stop on a motorcycle.
Chief deputy Creed Hashe said Monday afternoon that Mark Michael Church Landmeier was arrested late Sunday afternoon. Landmeier was being held on a combined $5,000 surety bond Tuesday at the Pickens County Detention Center on charges of impersonating a law enforcement officer and unlawful carrying of a pistol.
Arrest warrants say Landmeier was seen attempting to perform a traffic stop
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eriff’s Office at (864) 898-5500.
‘Pickens County’s Got Talent’ returning for sesquicentennial bash
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Pickens County’s 150th anniversary will give local talent a chance to show off.
County officials have announced that “Pickens County’s Got Talent” is returning after a hiatus of five years as part of the county’s sesquicentennial celebration.
The talent show will take place Saturday, Oct. 6, at the J.B. “Red” Owens Recreation Complex in Easley.
“We are looking for any kind of talent from Pickens County to create a show that will outperform anything you have seen in the last 150 years,” county
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Clemson tuition creeping higher
CLEMSON — During its quarterly meeting Friday, the Clemson University Board of Trustees approved a 1.75 percent tuition increase for in-state 
students.
Under the rates approved by the board, the posted tuition for South Carolina resident undergraduates will increase $129 per semester, according to a university news release.
Non-resident students will see a 3 percent tuition increase — translating to $535 per semester — the release said.
Tuition for 2018-19 will be $7,485 a semester for in-state undergraduates and $18,362 for non-resident students.
The tuition increase is below the current rate of inflation, the release said.
“Clemson University’s mission is, first and foremost, to be of service to the sons and daughters of South Carolina, and our trustees have once again demonstrated great leadership with this tuition decision,” Clemson president Jim Clements said in the release.
The board also approved increases in housing rates for first-year students
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Upstate Forever adds 350 more acres in county to protected list
COUNTY — More than 350 acres of land in northern Pickens County has been added to the list of properties protected by Upstate Forever.
The conservation organization announced Tuesday that it is now protecting the 353-acre Grassy Knob tract, along with the 135-acre Gilkey Creek tract in Cherokee County, through wetland and stream mitigation partnerships.
Working closely with the S.C. Department of Transportation, Upstate Forever identified strategic projects that would satisfy the mitigation requirements for the impacts to waterways by local highway improvements, helping keep the much-needed infrastructure projects on time and on budget while protecting local headwater streams and critical habitat areas, the release said.
According to the S.C. Conservation Bank website, the Grassy Knob tract in Pickens County is the first mountain in the southern viewshed when standing
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PHS alumni volleyball match set for August 3
PICKENS — It’s time once again for the annual Pickens High School alumni volleyball match, which signals the start of volleyball season at PHS.
The match is planned for Friday, Aug. 3, from 6-8 p.m. Admission is free for the alumni scrimmage.
All former PHS players are encouraged to put on their “spandex,” lace up their shoes and show up to scrimmage the PHS 2018 Lady Blue Flame. Those who
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Sportsmanship Award
At the Dixie Youth State AA Machine Pitch tournament in Clemson, the 
Pickens Recreation Machine Pitch All-Star team earned the prestigious tournament Sportsmanship Award. The team got a shot with the Jaycee Park sign when they got home with the trophy. Pictured, kneeling, are Nate Taylor, Luke Hunter, Lewis Martin, Ross Corn, Caleb DeRossett, Jayden Ferguson, Matthew Cantrell, Traeson Turner and Dillon Reed. Standing are Manager Tripp Martin, Issac Arnold, Coach J.D. Griffith, Nolan Hardin and Coach Matthew Cantrell. Not available for picture were Maddex Freeman and coach Jon Hardin.
St. Matthias Lutheran Church preschool moves
EASLEY — The preschool program at St. Matthias Lutheran Church (SMLC) has moved.
It was a short move, less than a football field long, but it will reap big benefits for the school.
Planned for a long time, the move from the education wing of the church to the stand alone building, called the Luther Center, will more than double the
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Play a huge success
The play “Call Me Grandma,” written by Carol Baker, directed by Ethan 
Cashwell and narrated by Mike Waldrop, was presented at the Hagood Community Center last Saturday evening. The play was a huge success, and all the seats in the auditorium were filled. The cast, pictured from left, included Mike Hayes, Dale Harward, Roger Breazeale, Waldrop, Bucky Hendricks, Suzanne Fortune, Sarah Allison and Lib Cowan. In the front row are Alton Banks, Erin Hendricks and Bella Hendricks.
