Yearly Archives: 2020
A salvation story
Former Major League star Strawberry speaks at Pickens County opioid summit
By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal
goliver@upstatetoday.com
CENTRAL — Darryl Strawberry was once on a Hall of Fame trajectory with a 17-year Major League Baseball career that included eight All-Star selections, two Silver Slugger awards and four World Series championships with the New York Mets and New York Yankees.
Known for his home run power, the 1983 NL Rookie of the Year hit 335 homers and batted in 1,000 runs in his career. But as he enjoyed immense success on the field, off the field, Strawberry was
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County’s 2-week virus incidence rate lowest in SC
COLUMBIA — Although South Carolina officials have reported four new COVID-19 deaths in Pickens County over the past week, the virus’ spread in the county over the past two weeks is cause 
for some encouragement.
While Pickens County has the 12th-lowest transmission rate of South Carolina’s 46 counties, with 1,520.29 cases per 100,000 residents, it had the lowest two-week cumulative incidence rate in the state as of Monday. That number describes recent incidence of COVID-19 infection to capture the potential burden of currently ill
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Pickens City Council votes to recommend people wear masks
PICKENS — Pickens City Council members voted unanimously Monday night to “strongly recommend” that people wear face coverings inside all public buildings and businesses.
In the resolution, passed in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, council cites the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines urging people to wear cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus.
The resolution urges “all citizens, city employees and visitors” to social distance, frequently wash hands and wear masks or face
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Mile Creek revenue, county development up despite pandemic
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Current revenues at Mile Creek Park are more than double what they were at this point last year.
County administrator Ken Roper discussed revenues during his update to county council during its Aug. 10 meeting.
Council members had asked him to report back every month “on how we’re doing on revenues,” Roper said.
“I guess you lead with the big story, right — and the big story is
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School board incumbents to run unopposed
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Barring any major write-in challenges in the coming months, the Pickens County 
School Board should remain stable following the general election after only incumbents filed for the three seats up for grabs in November.
When filing closed Monday, Betty Bagley, Shannon Haskett and Betty Garrison were the only candidates with their hats in the ring for the right to represent Districts 1, 3 and 5,
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Testing reveals possible unmarked black graves on Clemson campus
CLEMSON — Ground-penetrating radar has revealed the possible locations of more than 200 unmarked graves in Woodland Cemetery on the Clemson University campus believed to date back more than a century.
The graves are thought to be those of enslaved people who worked from about 1830 to 1865 on John C. Calhoun’s Fort Hill Plantation and later as sharecroppers and black laborers, including convicted individuals involved in the construction of Clemson College from 1890 to 1915. All are believed to be African Americans.
The university has reached out to leadership in the
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County departments working on capital improvement plans
Officials also dealing with county comprehensive plan
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Maintaining a conservative budget was one of the goals Pickens County Council gave to county administrator Ken Roper and staff.
During his report to council at its Aug. 10 meeting, Roper said conservative budgeting was one of six goals council developed, “which we have used to focus our efforts as a staff over the past few months.”
“We’re now at the halfway point in the year since you gave us the goals,” he said. “We’re making good progress on many of them, and on others we’re taking a six-month (look) and saying ‘Are we doing
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Duke Energy set to return to regular billing practices
PICKENS — Duke Energy is suspending service disconnections for non-payments until October, the company announced Monday.
Customers experiencing financial hardship will have until that time to pay previous balances on accounts or make payment arrangements. Duke is set to begin standard billing and payment practices in South Carolina in “the coming weeks,” a company release said.
“Many of our customers are facing unprecedented adversity during this pandemic, so for months we have expanded the ways we can help them avoid power interruptions,” Duke South Carolina state
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Easley council talks stormwater, grass clippings and recycling
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — Easley officials are considering allowing the city’s new courtesy recycling drop-off center 
to accept grass clippings, in order to keep them out of the stormwater system.
During city council’s Aug. 10 meeting, Councilman Kent Dykes reported on a public works committee meeting held July 22.
The city’s list of stormwater projects for the next couple of years totals $1.7 million, “of which we’ve got funds to do $1.3 million,” Dykes said.
Those funds are a combination of budgeted funds, a $400,000 grant and a recently approved bond issue, he said.
“So we’ve got much of it covered in the short run,” Dykes said.
Later in the meeting, council unanimously approved a resolution
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Steese: Silos developers need to own property for financing
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — Ownership of a development underway in downtown Easley could be officially changing hands sooner than expected.
During its Aug. 10 meeting, Easley City Council passed first reading of an ordinance to sell 122 Folger Ave. to Silo Holdings LLC.
That is the address of The Silos, a major new development taking shape in downtown Easley.
The address was once the home of the Dixie Milling Company.
“The city purchased these back in February 2019 for $80,000,” city administrator Stephen Steese said of the property.
The developers, Stacey and D.J. Desrosiers, plan to move their restaurant, Inky’s Authentic
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