Daily Archives: 04/21/2020
Paying tribute
Banners at Brice Field honor EHS seniors
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — Graduation, awards day and senior night.
For the Easley High School class of 2020, these important events may not happen as social distancing continues during the COVID-19 outbreak.
However, that’s not stopping those within the community from finding a way to recognize the efforts and achievements of what’s become known as a lost senior year.
It all began when District 6 Pickens County School Board representative Karla Kelley was approached by Amy Segee. Segee, whose son, Luke, is a senior at Easley, wanted the class of 2020 to get some form of recognition, so Kelley went to work.
Kelley teamed up with fellow school board member and Easley representative Betty Garrison to get the Easley seniors recognized. Starting with senior athletes, who traditionally have banners made, they worked with unanimous approval from the high school,
Governor unveils plan to jumpstart economy
Pickens County nears 40 confirmed COVID-19 cases
COLUMBIA — As state officials reported the newest coronavirus infection numbers on Monday 
afternoon, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced the creation of a statewide economic revitalization plan involving small and large business leaders, health care professionals, local government officials and education professionals.
McMaster’s plan consists of five components of analysis and effort — response, protection, governance, resources and information. James Burns, a partner at the law firm of Nelson, Mullins, Riley and Scarborough, will serve as accelerateSC’s executive director. Burns and the rest of the membership are serving in a voluntary capacity. For more information about accelerateSC and its
Roper: ‘Let’s not rush back out recklessly’
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — During his daily Facebook Live update video Tuesday morning, acting Pickens County 
administrator Ken Roper discussed Gov. Henry McMaster’s latest executive order reopening some retail businesses across the state and beginning the process of ramping the state’s economy back up.
“We’ve all got our own opinion of how the governor’s doing this,” Roper said. “I’m going to prescribe myself the medicine that I’m always prescribing to others and I’m going to assume he’s got good advice and I’m going to trust the process.
“He said he’s going to open up some businesses today,” Roper continued. “He opened up the boat ramps last weekend. He’s saying he’s going to open the beaches.”
Authorities were placed in their positions by the voters, he said.
“We are now tasked with trusting them when it’s reasonable, what they’re saying, so I’m going to do that,” Roper
Estimates for storm damage cost top $1M
County taking donations for displaced residents
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — The storm that spawned two tornadoes in Pickens County in the early-morning hours 
of April 13 caused more than $1 million in damage.
Acting county administrator Ken Roper discussed the storm during his daily update video on Facebook Live Monday morning.
The storm put the county in “kind of double states of emergency,” he said.
“We had significant storm damage all along the lower part of the county, along (Highway 93) and also up in the the Laurel and Hardy Road area,” Roper said. “Our assessor’s office has
Teen charged in Clemson hotel shooting
CLEMSON — A shooting early Saturday morning that led to the arrest of a 15-year-old remains under investigation by the Clemson Police Department.
Chief Jeff Stone said Monday morning he could not release any details about the case — including how the teenager was able to enter the hotel — since the shooting is still under investigation. Stone also said warrants cannot be released since the shooter is a juvenile.
Police responded at 4:45 a.m. to reports of shots fired at the Comfort Inn on Tiger Boulevard. When
Man arrested after Easley store robbery
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — An Anderson County man is facing charges after an Easley convenience store was 
robbed Wednesday.
Michael Alain Gadoury, 38, is charged with armed robbery, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and simple larceny, according to a release from Pickens County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Chuck James.
The sheriff’s office received a 911 call April 15 about an armed robbery that had just occurred at the Zee Mart located at 1522 Anderson Highway in Easley, James said.
After arriving, deputies were told a white man had
Courier Obituaries 4-22-20
JESSE HAROLD PACE
PICKENS — Jesse Harold Pace, 88, husband of Bobbie Bolding Pace, ascended into the arms of Jesus on Friday, April 17, 2020.
Harold was born in Pickens, a son of the late Vernon and Ada Pace. He graduated from Pickens High School in 1951 and was employed in construction and trucking until his retirement. He was a foreman of a construction crew that helped to clear Lake Jocassee and Lake Keowee. He ended his working career hauling trusses for Mac’s Trusses in Greenville.
He was a member of the South Carolina National Guard in the 1950s. He was a member of East Pickens Baptist Church in Pickens. He was also a volunteer fireman for the Pickens Fire Department for many years and he was a member of the Pickens County Bear Hunters Association.
In addition to his wife of almost 68 years, he is survived by his two daughters, Tebra Cloer (Dr. Michael Cloer) of Rocky Mount, N.C., and Freda Coyle (the late Redmond Coyle) of Easley; grandchildren, Anna Jabali, Clemson Coyle, Cameron Coyle, Jacob Cloer, Noelle Coyle, Aaron Cloer and Courtney Coyle; and great-grandchildren, Nyla Jabali, Michael, Gideon, Sophia and Rachel Cloer, Silas, Mary and Judah Cloer, Pace, Rett and Grady Coyle, and Noah and
Planting in honor of Uncle Jack
It’s best we avoid the news, although we do check in once in the morning and once in the evening for weather and to make sure we’re not in a world war. We’ll get the alert on our phones in case of 
tornadoes, and we can’t do anything about that, either. It’s time to focus on positive things.
For the last two weeks, I’ve been dreaming of eating a ripe cantaloupe. So, on a note of hope, I paged through the Burpee seed catalog and decided to order some Ambrosia cantaloupe seeds. Now, Ambrosia seeds are expensive. I bought 32 seeds for $6.
But if even half of them come up and get the right kind
A bigger picture?
Sometime between 3:30 and 4 a.m. on the night after Easter Sunday, a miraculous thing happened, or so it seemed.
Kathy and I were huddled in the basement watching the weather radar on my phone as a menacing red line of violent, tornado-laden thunderstorms approached Easley from the west. It was a vertical line of destruction, heading right toward us.
As it got closer, though, it split in two, with one segment moving to the north of us and the other passing by to the south.
We were safe! God had heard our prayers.
But wait. What about those people who lived farther to the north and south of us, those who weren’t in the path of the storm until our prayers sent the hostile winds in their
Courier Letters to the Editor 4-22-20
Importance of upcoming local election
Dear Editor,
The upcoming local elections are important to each of us, and thank you for writing about them. For County Council District 3 (Pickens), Alex Saitta has a genuine interest in keeping Pickens County the great county that we all know and love. He has the financial background to get the most from our tax dollars and to help not only the public, but other council members understand the complex financial issues the council will face. I have observed that in many meetings, Councilman Wes
