Daily Archives: 09/04/2018
Easley man drowns in Lake Keowee
SALEM — A 47-year-old Easley man died Monday night after he did not resurface while swimming on the north end of Lake Keowee near Fall Creek Landing.
Jody Levi Black was pronounced dead at 7:14 p.m. in the emergency department of Oconee Memorial Hospital, according to a statement released by Oconee County coroner Karl Addis. Addis ruled the death an accidental drowning.
Oconee County Emergency Services deputy chief Clint Livingston said a call came in at 5:43 p.m. about a possible drowning at a waterfall two coves away from Fall Creek Landing. Oconee County fire chief Charlie King said crews arrived at the “Party Cove” waterfall and began searching the area. The victim was recovered within 40 minutes,
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BHSPC director Hiott retiring
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Bob Hiott, the executive director of Behavioral Health Services of Pickens County, is retiring after 32 years with the agency.
His retirement will take effect on Friday.
“I’m nearing 70 years old,” Hiott said. “After 32 years of public service, I think for me and the agency this is a good time. We have a great succession plan.”
Angela Farmer has been selected as the agency’s new executive director.
“I think she’s more prepared to lead the agency in the modern times than I am,” Hiott said.
When Hiott arrived at BHSPC, the agency had 11 employees.
“I think I was the 11th,” he said. “Now we have 42 full-time employees and several part-time employees.
Back then, the agency was located at “the bottom of one building,” Hiott said.
Now, Behavioral Health Services of Pickens County occupies three buildings on East Main Street in Pickens, with its Prevention and Research and Medical Services divisions having their own offices.
“A lot of what we do has changed,” Hiott said. “Back then, it was strictly substance use and only outpatient treatment. Now we have many programs. We do quite a few mental health-type services.”
The agency created its first intensive outpatient treatment program in the early 1990s.
“Now we have three — one specifically for women,” Hiott said. “That was a big thing. Eight years ago, we were able to start a
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Couple plans bed and breakfast in Pickens’ Colonial House
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — A Pickens couple is planning to create a bed and breakfast in a home that dates back to 1903.
Breann Griffin-Nicholson said she and her husband, Drew, purchased the Colonial House in Pickens last month.
The couple is living on the third floor while they work on the home.
“It was in pretty good condition,” Griffin-Nicholson said. “It just needed some cleaning up and care. We went through and have started to fix it all up. We want to keep as much to its original glory as we can.”
There are five rooms with separate private bathrooms on the second floor. The
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Middle-schooler diagnosed with viral meningitis
By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal
goliver@upstatetoday.com
PICKENS — A Dacusville Middle School student was recently diagnosed with viral meningitis, and School District of Pickens County officials are encouraging parents throughout the district to watch out for warning signs to help prevent the illness from striking their children.
“We would just ask parents everywhere to be aware of the symptoms and to see a doctor if a child displays those symptoms,” district spokesman John Eby said.
Dacusville Middle principal Wanda Tharpe sent a letter home to parents last week confirming the viral meningitis diagnosis and added there is nothing to indicate anyone who may have been in contact with the student at school should receive any
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County closer to unified fire district
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — As they move toward creating a more unified fire service, Pickens County Council members agreed that any plan needs to contain four things.
“ISO (ratings) stayed the same or got better,” council chairman Roy Costner said. “The people stayed the same — no one lost their job. The service stayed the same or better and the costs were manageable or down.”
Council discussed the issue during their committee of the whole meeting last week.
A more unified fire service has long been a goal of county council, including previous councils, Costner said.
“We’ve got an opportunity to do more and the taxpayer not spend as much,” Costner
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Antiques take center stage at annual Dacusville Farm Show
By Pamela Dodson
Staff Reporter
pdodson@thepccourier.com
DACUSVILLE — Residents turned out by the thousands this Labor Day weekend at the Dacusville Farm Show, braving the summer heat to browse the many rows of farm equipment and a variety of crafts.
The event has become a Pickens County tradition for those who love old tractors and 
many other antiques that can always be found at the show.
The sixth annual Dacusville Farm Show was held Saturday and Sunday at Tom Turner’s 55-acre farm off Earls Bridge Road.
The event brought out the young and old to experience a piece of Americana that just can’t be found elsewhere in the Upstate.
Previous years have brought more than 3,000 people to the Dacusville area, and this
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Lady Blue Flame volleyball moves to 5-0
PICKENS — The Pickens High School varsity volleyball team opened regular-season play Aug. 21 with a tri-match at Woodmont.
The Flame faced rival Eastside in the first match. Both teams played well and were determined to win as the scores indicatde. The Flame came out on top 28-26, 28-26. It was that kind of game — down to the wire.
Lexi Wierzbicki led in kills with seven. Sydney Bolding and Kaylee Gillespie served 100 percent against the Eagles. The Lady Flame blocked well and had some key digs against the big Eastside hitters. Wierzbicki led in digs with 17. Gillespie recorded 10 assists, while freshman Bailee Earnhardt followed closely behind with nine.
Pickens met a strong Woodmont team in the second match. Woodmont played
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Petition candidate Marchant on ballot for solicitor
GREENVILLE — Upstate attorney and Greenville native Lucas C. Marchant recently announced his official candidacy and place on the ballot in November’s general election as a petition candidate for 13th Circuit solicitor, the chief prosecutor for 
Greenville and Pickens counties.
This marks the first time in 28 years that voters will have a choice on the ballot for solicitor.
Marchant secured his position by not only meeting but also exceeding the requisite amount of signatures to move forward in his bid to get on the ballot. He received 12,811 petition signatures from citizens of Greenville and Pickens County in a matter of seven weeks. The commission has now verified and certified those signatures, resulting in Lucas C. Marchant being listed as a choice in November.
“Choice is what makes democracy great, and a choice is what the citizens of Greenville and Pickens need and deserve,” Marchant said. “You deserve a candidate that is solely focused on you, your interests and protections. You are deserving of someone who will listen to your needs and
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Facebook just isn’t my thing
I have nothing against Facebook. But even though I have an account, I’ve never posted anything on it. No political comments, no pictures of my adorable dogs (and they are adorable), no favorite recipes and no observations on life. You won’t find a picture 
there of me or any of my relatives or friends.
But I do go on Facebook to see what my friends and family post. That way I can get a general idea of what’s going on in their lives, but not waste their time with information about my pretty ordinary life.
After all, who wants to see a picture of my house or hear a long, boring story about how I lost my glasses and then found them?
There’s just not a lot of potential to make it an exciting read.
For example, of interest to us but no one else is the fact that all our dogs have fleas.
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Morning after Labor Day
Guest Editorial
It’s 6 o’clock the morning after Labor Day. Your alarm goes off. You bang around your night stand until you find it and shut it off. As you wake up, are you excited about going back to work? Or is that “Not again!” knot bulging in your stomach?
If you’re thinking, “Not again!” you’re not alone, though Americans’ satisfaction with 
their work has improved in recent years.
In 2017, for the first time in more than a decade, a majority of U.S. workers were satisfied with their jobs.
According to data from the Conference Board, job satisfaction reached 50.8 percent, up from 49.6 percent in 2016 and above the 50 percent threshold for the first time since 2005.
Still, job satisfaction is far below the 61.1 percent who liked their jobs in 1987 and the 58.6 percent who said they did in 1995.
Life coach, best-selling author and professional speaker Dr. Joey Faucette, who has coached thousands of business people, suggests asking yourself the following questions
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