Monthly Archives: October 2019
Taking a knee
The thousands of high school football fans in attendance at Bill Isaacs Field for Friday night’s homecoming game between Pickens and Walhalla got a little extra bang for their buck before kickoff, as Blue Flame linebackers coach JJ Stone took his girlfriend, Lacey Godwin, to midfield, dropped to a knee and asked her to marry him. She said yes. To read more about the game, check out the Football Frenzy section inside this week’s issue.
Man gets prison time in 2017 kidnapping
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — A Liberty man accused of luring a Canadian woman to his home and kidnapping and raping her in 2017 
was sentenced to nearly two decades in prison after a recent guilty plea.
Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins said in a news release that Fred Russell Urey, 41, pleaded guilty on Sept. 30 to first-degree criminal sexual conduct and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
During the plea hearing, assistant solicitor Baker Cleveland presented evidence establishing that Urey used aggravated force and committed
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Thousands Attend Annual Pumpkin Festival
The annual Pumpkin Festival drew thousands to Pumpkintown for Pickens County’s unofficial fall season kickoff on
Saturday. The festival featured fun for the whole family in the form of a parade arts and crafts, rides, games, vendors, live music, food and, of course, plenty of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.
Russell Brinson/russellbrinson.com
Panel: Stigma impedes opioid addicts’ recovery
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
CENTRAL — One of the ways to fight the opioid problem in Pickens County is to change the way people think of those 
struggling with addiction, according to experts.
Behavioral Health Services of Pickens County and the Pickens County Library System held the last of four town hall meetings on opioids Sept. 30 at the Central-Clemson Library.
“Tonight we want to hear from you,” moderator Cathy Breazeale said.
Breazeale is the director of prevention services at BHSPC.
The town hall featured a panel answering Breazeale’s questions and questions
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New detour in place in Easley
EASLEY — As work continues to extend S.C. Highway 153 in Easley, a new detour has been put in place to move the project along.
Thrift Development announced recently that crews were set to begin installing a detour in the vicinity of Prince Perry Road, Saluda Dam Road and Rolling Hills Circle on Tuesday.
The detour will alter the current detour in place on Rolling Hills Circle and will close Prince Perry Road at the
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Administrator focusing on communication
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — Acting Pickens County administrator Ken Roper calls the county council elections three years ago the 
“Revolution of 2016.”
Roper spoke at the Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce’s recent State of the County luncheon.
“The voters in Pickens County chose, overwhelmingly, a new direction,” he said. “We had council members who were retiring, we had council members who had chosen not to run again, we had council membersthat did choose to run again.
“We had candidates on all sides of the political spectrum in that primary that were advocating for different things,” Roper continued.
The successful candidates all believed county council should “re-engage with the community,” he said.
“For whatever reasons, through the years, the county had become veryYou must be logged in to view this content.
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Liberty’s blanks at the ballot box
Welcome to Liberty — “Where neighbors become friends.” Where the ideal of American freedom is embodied in its 
very name. And where, if you live in a certain part of town, you could go to the polls to vote in the Nov. 5 municipal elections and see a blank slate, because nobody signed up to represent you on the city council.
Incumbent Ward 3 Councilman Josh Harrison decided after three terms that he would step aside and let somebody else have a go at it. No one was interested in the job.
But don’t despair. Unwilling to allow the city to have to run a special election to fill the seat — with no assurance that anyone would step forward even in the second go-round — Harrison declared himself as a write-in candidate. Which I think is highly commendable.
He said he doesn’t have an explanation for why no one was willing to
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Lady Blue Flame honor seniors, defeat region foes Walhalla, BHP
PICKENS — The Pickens High School Lady Blue Flame honored their four seniors at Senior Night last week and took down Region I-4A foes Walhalla and Belton-Honea Path.
In a match played Oct. 7 in Walhalla, Pickens defeated the Lady Razorbacks in three sets, winning 25-15, 25-9, 26-24. In the BHP match, played on Senior Night Oct. 9 in the friendly confines of Peggy Harden Anthony Gymnasium, the Lady Blue Flame easily defeated the Bears 25-12, 25-17, 25-12. After the match, seniors Olivia Dow, Kaylee Gillespie,
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Hagood Mill Storytelling Festival, Liars Competition set for Saturday
PICKENS — Each October, the hills and hollers around the Hagood Mill Historic Site in Pickens come alive with storytellers sharing the weird and wonderful, mountain funnies, memories of yesteryear, and tales of mystical places in Appalachia.
This year marks the 18th anniversary of the Hagood Mill Storytelling Festival, and everyone is cordially invited to the event Saturday. Back by popular demand, the host for this year’s shindig is author and storyteller Johnny Thomas Fowler. The veteran showman is guaranteed to delight listeners with his music, folklore and a big helping of
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Easley Community Band to play movie, TV tunes
EASLEY — The Easley Community Band will perform its 2019 Fall Concert on Monday, Oct. 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Foothills Playhouse, with a varied selection of movie and TV-themed tunes, including selections from Star Wars, Mary Poppins, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Looney Tunes.
Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted to cover the cost of new music and other expenses.
As a way to give back to the community, the band shares donations with another local nonprofit organization. This concert’s proceeds will be shared with Meals on Wheels of Pickens County.
For more information, visit easleycommunityband.org or find the band’s Facebook page.
