Monthly Archives: March 2020
Market at the Mill now open
PICKENS — The Market at the Mill, located at the former Singer plant in Pickens, is now open for business and off to a great start.
The market held a soft opening Thursday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. It will be open from 8 a..m.-5 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sundays.
Those hours may expand, facility manager Barry Crawford said.
The market’s grand opening is set for noon March 12.
The soft opening allowed vendors “to move in and get settled,” Crawford said, adding the market
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Marijuana users asked to help research study
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Participants wishing to stop smoking marijuana completely or cut back their use of the drug are needed for a new research study at Behavioral Health Services of Pickens County.
The study is a placebo trial, director of research Elizabeth Chapman said.
“The reason you do placebo trials is typically you’re looking for a new indication, something different, outside of what FDA has approved,” Chapman said. “The FDA has already approved Chantix Varenicline for smoking cessation, but they have not approved it for marijuana cessation.”
The study needs individuals age 18 or older who have a desire to quit or cut back their use of
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Courier Obituaries 3-4-20
BRUCE GRIFFIN
PICKENS — Mr. Bruce White Griffin, 67, of Pickens went to be with his Lord and Savior surrounded by his loving family on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020.
Born in Pickens, he was the son of the late Columbus Griffin and Sarah Stegall Griffin, and husband of Betty Jean Grant Griffin.
Bruce enjoyed coin collecting and watching his son’s dirt track races, but most of all enjoyed his loving and precious family.
Bruce is survived by his loving wife Betty of 47 years; two sons, Barry Griffin (Jennifer) of Pickens and Benji Griffin (Stacey) of Liberty; a daughter, Barbara Pilgrim (Tony) of Liberty; three brothers,
Go home to Walton’s Mountain
Back in the olden days, we gathered around the TV when “The Waltons” came on and we all 
watched it together. It was one of my favorite shows, and after some time went by, we all grew very attached to the characters. They became very real, and we grieved when Grandpa died.
The plots didn’t rely on car chases or shootouts to keep the audience interested. It was all about the relationships between people. They were kind to each other. They made allowances for the quirks and oddities of others and expected people to do the right thing. It gave us hope.
There was no whining in Walton’s Mountain. They accepted the economic limitations of their circumstances and learned that there are consequences for bad behavior.
The children were not the bratty, smart-mouthed children who appear all too often on modern
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Courier Letters to the Editors 3-4-20
Put existing businesses first for once
Dear Editor,
You have read the news stories that the county council is discussing raising taxes for roads and is considering options including a 29-mill property tax increase, an increase of the road fee from $20 to $100 or a sales tax hike from 7 percent to 8 percent.
Watching this unfold, I see another example of the councilmen following along with the county administration and council leadership.
I examined this new council’s voting record of 2017, 2018 and 2019 to try and glean the elements of independence or alternative thought, if any, on this council.
There were 545 votes the past three years (not including procedural votes like adjournment, going
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Making a move toward God
I know that life sometimes can be difficult. It seems I’m always writing about the struggles of 
spiritual warfare, but we cannot deny the Christian life is filled with battles. However, there is good news!
The Lord is with us and is waiting to help us if we will only allow Him to be in control of our life. I had a long conversation with a precious elderly lady this afternoon, and she is struggling with negative emotions. She lives alone and is discouraged, which is not all that unusual, but there is a way to learn how to rise above our feelings of negativity. I reminded her that we must make an investment if we want to enjoy the peace and joy of God’s presence.
What does this mean? Simply, that Christians must take the initiative to pray and read our Bibles
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What is it that makes us happy?
What makes us happy as we get older? Below are the results of an informal poll of seniors at the local coffee shop.
• Having enough income. It turns out that many who are living only on Social Security can have enough to make it through the month if they made wise decisions before retiring. Paying off the mortgage is a big one.
• Being listened to, or at least not being disregarded. There’s something about aging that seems to make us melt into the background, and if we have opinions or comments, people don’t always listen. Medical staff seem to rank very high on this list of people who
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Black nanny helps author weather the storm of life in wealthy Lowcountry family
The author, Angela Williams, in her marvelous book “Hush Now, Baby,” writes much about South 
Carolina politics that were affecting black people’s lives as her beloved African-American nanny tried to live in two worlds during very trying times. The author and I are both in our 70s. We lived during segregation and Jim Crow laws that required different schools, beaches, motels and bathrooms. It was our generation that saw civil rights bestowed with the integration of schools and drinking fountains. Williams was from a rich Lowcountry family who had a very close friend, Strom Thurmond. Throughout the book, it was the beloved nanny, Eva, who saw to the needs of Angela Williams, and acted as her real mother.
“While Clara Lee (her mother) sipped cocktails and flirted with Buster (her father), Eva nurtured
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Expert warns of likely rise in robocalls this year
STATE — People in South Carolina are being warned that robocalls are likely to increase as the country gears up for the 2020 elections.
The 2020 elections, which will be held in November, will see all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives, 35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate and the office of the president of the United States contested. Thirteen state and territorial governorships, as well as numerous other state and local elections, will also be contested.
CPR Call Blocker, makers of the best-selling call blocking device in the U.S., is warning that people in South Carolina are likely to get deluged with robocalls in the coming months and that they should
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Bring on the brownies
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
Chocolate is a truly wonderful ingredient. If you’re suffering from the winter doldrums, baking something with chocolate will bring hope into the kitchen. Just smelling a warm brownie fresh from the oven is an uplifting experience.
So get out a mixing bowl and try some of these outstanding brownie recipes. Everybody has a favorite brownie. I love the chewy ones and am especially fond of the corner pieces, because they have two extra chewy edges.
We always eat our brownies warm. They’ve never lasted long enough for us to know how they taste cool.
The perfect complement to a warm brownie is a glass of milk. That’s a personal preference. I hear they’re good with coffee, too.
