Daily Archives: 09/10/2019
Hiott, Rice sign letter warning president about ‘red flag’ laws
By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal
goliver@upstatetoday.com
CLEMSON — Two Pickens County legislators are among more than 30 South Carolina lawmakers who recently signed a letter addressed to President Donald Trump expressing concerns over “red flag” laws enacted in response to recent mass shootings.
The letter, which included the signatures of state Rep. Davey Hiott of Pickens and state Sen. Rex Rice of Easley, stated that they are “extremely concerned that Congress is not addressing the real issue of ‘gun free zones’ instead of focusing on ‘red flag laws.’” The more than 30 legislators who signed the letter said they believe such laws “will be
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First Southern Jeep Festival planned
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — A new festival will kick off later this month at the Greenville Pickens Motorsports Complex.
The Southern Jeep Festival will be held from Sept. 27-29.
Festival co-founder Tracy Gaylor said the complex is actually two venues, the Greenville Pickens Speedway and a “new off-road park that we opened up behind the Greenville Pickens Speedway.”
“You can reach the off-road park through the same parking lot,” she said.
The 280-acre park welcomes Jeeps, side by sides and ATVs.
“One thing we want to stress is this is a family-friendly festival,” Gaylor said. “It’s not just for off-road enthusiasts. It’s for families.”
The festival will host a wide variety of vendors, she said.
“We’ll have all types,” Gaylor said. “Craft vendors, home decor vendors, food vendors, tire vendors, automotive — youYou must be logged in to view this content.
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Judge: System’s goal is reunification
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — Local family court judge Karen Roper has always had a passion for the child welfare system.
“Going into law school, I knew that I wanted to do something in this system,” she said.
Roper spoke at a recent Pickens United meeting that focused on the Department of Social Services and foster care.
“I essentially have DSS in front of me at least one time a week,” Roper said. “In Pickens County, Wednesday afternoons are generally our DSS docket time.”
Family court needs include more docket time to deal with all the cases and giving caseworkers what they need so they stay with the agency and avoid turnover, she said.
“Giving DSS what they need to keep workers is essential,” Roper said.
A “big word” in the child welfare system is permanency, she said.
“That’s what we’re trying to find, whether that permanency is going back home, going to a grandma or another fit relative or family friend that will take on permanent custody or termination of parental rights and freeing
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4-year-old drowns in Hartwell
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
CLEMSON — Several agencies are investigating the drowning death of a 4-year-old child after he was found in Lake Hartwell on Saturday.
Pickens County Coroner Kandy Kelley said Kevin Lopez, of Randolph Street in Greenville, was found in the water at
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Demand high for airport hangars
PICKENS — The new hangars at the Pickens County Airport are proving popular with aviators.
“They’re all filled,” airport manager Carlos Salinas said.
Salinas gave an update to Pickens County Council members during their meeting Monday.
Officials received the go-ahead on the hangars project about two years ago, he said. There are four corporate hangars
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Are we all alone?
File this one under the category of columns you never expected to read in a weekly community newspaper.
You know I love writing about the people and places of Pickens County.
Table Rock Mountain is one of the biggest things in the universe to me.
But an ant can’t tell how big Table Rock Mountain is, even if he can climb it.
Likewise, I can’t tell how big the universe is, without scientists figuring it out and telling me.
When I was a kid, I liked to lay on my back outside and look up at the sky and try to figure out how space can go on forever. It has to go on forever, I reasoned, because if you got to any point you thought was the end of it, there would have to be more space on the other side. But it seemed impossible.
It was the same thing with time. How is it possible for time to go on
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Lady Blue Flame top Devils, Eastside to stay undefeated
PICKENS — The Pickens High School Lady Blue Flame won two away matches last week against longtime nemesis Eastside and Pickens County foe Liberty to remain undefeated in the regular season with a 5-0 record.
The Lady Blue Flame downed Liberty in three sets in a match played at Liberty on Sept. 3, winning 25-8, 25-8, 25-16.
Senior right-side hitter Olivia Dow led Pickens in kills with 11, followed by sophomore middle hitter Caroline Lucas with nine. Five players each had one block: Dow, sophomore outside hitter Alaina Craigo, freshman setter Lauren Dow, freshman middle hitter Faith Clarkson and sophomore middle hitter Calie Covey. Senior setter Kaylee
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Courier Obituaries 9-11-19
PHILLIPPE A. COURNOYER
PICKENS — Phillippe A. Cournoyer, 77, of Pickens, born in Webster, Mass., May 29, 1942, went to be with his Lord 
on Sept. 8, 2019.
He leaves behind his loving wife of 54 years, Diane, and his beloved family, including his son Stephen, daughter-in-law Jennifer, and grandchildren Levi, Maggie and Lucille. He leaves behind two brothers, Robert (Joan) and Lawrence, as well as several nieces and nephews.
Phil was a proud Navy man for 20 years and retired as a chief engineman. A disabled veteran, he was a member of the American Legion Post 11, having served as a past commander and zone commander. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus, Peter Villano Council 9576. He was a charter member of the Fr. Barney Lohmann Assembly 3065 in Pickens, where he served as a faithful navigator and color corps commander. Phillippe served on the Pickens County Literacy Society and was a charter member of OSHER Lifelong Learning Institute.
He loved his community and was not afraid of hard work. He was known for his woodworking and loved his gardening and travel and was a collector of American history. Phillippe was a man with stories to share, a big voice and an even larger heart for anyone he met. He knew everyone in town.
A family wake will be held Wednesday evening, Sept. 11, 2019, from 5-7 p.m. at Dillard Funeral Home. A funeral mass will be held at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Pickens, at 10 a.m. on
BC and the mule
I was sitting in the kitchen basically doing very little that you could attach a work sign onto. Looking through the window, I noticed Mr. B.C. walking toward our house. He appeared to be in a bit of a hurry. I surmised from his 
walking pace that he wanted to borrow something. Apparently I guessed accurately, because he eyed me through the window and motioned for me to come outside.
Not knowing exactly what he wanted, I very quickly began to utilize the extraordinary memory portion of my teenage brain. Let me think, have I done anything to Mr. B.C. that Daddy doesn’t know about? Do I owe him any money? I really cannot think of any monetary reimbursement that might be in arrears.
Hmmm! I don’t think I have been up to his house for quite some time. Mr. B.C. lived less than a quarter mile up Shady Grove Road from our house. He and his wife, Evelyn, along with their two boys had been our good neighbors for a number of years. In addition, B.C. had been one of
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It could be you
We are always searching for heroes. Real ones — not the superheroes in comic books or movies, but real people who do heroic things.
The people who qualify as heroes are not those who perform a single act of bravery, although those are legitimate heroes. They are the ones who over a period of time face overwhelming and sometimes hopeless circumstances and persist in trying to accomplish what may seem impossible.
It takes enormous moral courage to do this, and there have been a few of our countrymen who meet the criteria.
If we look at past presidents, there are a handful who fit the description.
George Washington was one. No, he didn’t chop down a cherry tree and confess, nor did he throw a coin across the Potomac River. But
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