Monthly Archives: August 2020
Clemson furloughing more than 3K
By Riley Morningstar
Courtesy The Journal
rmorningstar@upstatetoday.com
CLEMSON — More than 3,000 Clemson University employees will be required to take days off with no pay due to a mandatory furlough program beginning next month that will save the school more 
than $8 million.
The largest employer in Pickens County, the school announced furloughs will begin Sept. 1 through Dec. 31, affecting those making an annual salary of $50,000 or more. Clemson has not approached the state for permission for a workforce reduction.
“This action is in addition to the University’s ongoing hiring freeze and other cost-reduction measures that have been taken in recent months to
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DEATHS, CASES DOWN IN COUNTY
COLUMBIA — With only one probable death reported over the past week, Pickens County is 
continuing to see a promising decline in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control reported the probable COVID-19 death of a single elderly Pickens County resident in its daily news release on Sunday. The single death came just one week after DHEC reported four deaths
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A new beginning
Pickens Co. students return to class for first time since March
COUNTY — Students across Pickens County returned to school on Monday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced classes to move all online in March.
Presented with the choice between having their students attend school in person and enrolling children in the Pickens County Virtual Academy, more than three-quarters of parents in the county elected for a full-fledged classroom return.
To help slow the spread of the virus, masks are required for students and staff members
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Praying all goes well
With the children of Pickens County stepping across the threshold of a schoolhouse this week for the first time since March, we have entered a potentially dangerous phase of the new abnormal of 2020.
Everyone will have a mask on at school, at least when they’re within 6 feet of someone else — presumably. That’s what the state Department of Education requires. But these are kids.
While they’re jumping around outside at recess, with masks off, the coronavirus may also be happily jumping around — from one kid to another, I’m afraid.
The schedule the school district came up with for the first six weeks made very little sense to me when I saw it, although I think I understand the concept a little better after talking with a district spokesman about it. But it still seems more risky than what Greenville
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District honors top teacher, support employee of 2020
COUNTY — The School District of Pickens County announced its annual Teacher of the Year and Support Employee of the Year at Friday’s 2020 Back-to-School Celebration, and both winners have 
played a key role in transitions within the district.
Central Academy of the Arts fourth-grade science teacher Kevin Stinehart and Garrett Davidson, a computer technician in the district’s Accountability and Information Technology Services department received the top honors at the
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211 connects those in need with services
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS —The United Way’s 211 system provides a mechanism to reach out and get help for residents — particularly those who have been isolated due to COVID-19.
During the pandemic, Pickens County has “really re-engaged with community partners,” county administrator Ken Roper said during a Facebook Live update video Friday.
“We’ve learned in Pickens County that the best thing we can do is keep communication open with you and with each other,” he said.
Roper was joined by United Way of Pickens County vice
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Pickens Lions Club gives the gift of sight
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — The Pickens Lions Club is looking for additional members to help them provide eye exams and eyeglasses for those in need.
“At the present time, it’s difficult to get into businesses and recruit new members because of all the
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Clemson sets move-in dates
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
CLEMSON — Clemson University kicked off its fall semester with online instruction Aug. 19 and is 
preparing to welcome students back to campus next month.
Clemson president Jim Clements issued an update Friday.
The new academic year is off to a good start, “although it is unlike anything we have previously experienced in higher education,” he said.
In recent months, the university invested heavily in
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A nurse’s perspective
As a nurse, working around illness is nothing new; in fact, it’s the expectation. But lately, working in health care has been challenging and has provided me with a new perspective on care.
The current pandemic has stressed every aspect of our nation’s health care system. And while the lasting impact of COVID-19 is still unknown, your local doctors and nurses are absolutely focused on understanding this virus and providing you with excellent care. We are constantly looking for better ways to treat it and prevent its spread, while protecting
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This was life as we knew it
Does anybody remember when there was an uproar over the length of the Beatles’ hair? Or when Elvis Presley couldn’t be shown below the waist when he performed on the long-ago Ed Sullivan 
show? When radio stations received protested calls for playing “Little Egypt” on air?
These were all matters of interest in the part of the country where we all lived.
When you grow up in a largely rural community in the South, hardly anything ever happens. So the least littleYou must be logged in to view this content.
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