Daily Archives: 12/21/2021
The Christmas flower
No Christmas holiday is complete without the poinsettia. Before it was called poinsettia, the bright red plant was called cuetlaxochitl (kut-la-sho-she) by the Aztecs. In Mexico, the poinsettia is a perennial shrub that can grow 10 to 15 feet tall.
The poinsettia has been included in Christmas celebrations in Mexico since the 17th century. The star-shaped leaf pattern is said to 
represent the Star of Bethlehem, and the color red symbolizes the blood of Jesus.
There are many legends about the poinsettia. One tells of a poor Mexican girl, who wanted to place an offering at the altar for the baby Jesus, but she could find no flowers, so she gathered
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Courier Letters to the Editor 12-22-21
Former law enforcement employee weighs in
Dear Editor,
I am writing about the Nov. 18-21 issue. I saw where Christopher Vaughn was charged with 10 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation
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Courier Obituaries 12-22-21
GAYE S. MOURITZEN
PICKENS — Dr. Gaye S. Mouritzen, 84, passed from this life on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021.
Dr. Mouritzen was born in Sharon, Pa., daughter of the late Clifford and Edith Sweesy.
Gaye earned a B.A. from Houghton College in 1959, an M.S. in Education from Wagner College in 1964 and an Ed.D. from Nova Southeastern University in 1993.
From 1961 to 1980, she supported her husband, Wayne, in his pastoral work at several churches. including Morgan Memorial Wesleyan
Blue Flame outlast Liberty in OT
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
LIBERTY — A lot has changed for the 10th-ranked Pickens High School boys’ basketball team this season, and that change was on display more than ever against Liberty on Thursday night.
Trailing 16-3 after one quarter, the Blue Flame stormed back to close the gap and force overtime before coming out with a 49-43 win.
“They’ve done this all year,” Pickens head coach Jeff Harrelson said. “It seems like every game at some point, whether we’ve gotten up or gotten down, we’ve had to fight back and claw back. For whatever
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Daniel sweeps Green Wave
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — It was a succesful night for both the Daniel High School boys’ and girls’ basketball teams last Tuesday as they swept county foe Easley on the road.
Beginning with the girls’ game, Easley had all the momentum early behind big first halves from Mattison Hayes and Reagan Horn. Horn, who scored 23 points and hit five threes in her previous matchup with Daniel, seemed in line for another big game with eight points as Easley headed to the locker room up 19-
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Pickens girls win big
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
LIBERTY — It’s hard to imagine there have been much better starts for a team this season than the performance of the Pickens Blue Flame girls’ basketball squad against county foe Liberty on Thursday.
The Blue Flame held the Red Devils scoreless for nearly 12 minutes, jumping out to a 25-0 lead, and brought home a 54-24 victory.
“We did the little things and we were very aggresive,” Pickens head coach Rikki
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Winter Bluegrass Jubilee is next month at Pickens High
PICKENS — The Young Appalachian Musicians (YAM) program will hold its annual indoor music festival, the Winter Bluegrass Jubilee, on Jan. 22 at Pickens High School.
“In less than two months, we will be back in the Pickens High School Fine Arts Center for the Winter Bluegrass Jubilee,” said Russ Hennessee, who coordinates the jubilee along with his wife, Sondra. “We can’t wait to reunite with our
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Freeman named Liberty PD TREE award winner
LIBERTY — The Thomas’ Recognition of Excellent Employee (T.R.E.E) service award is an annual award that was started in 2019 to recognize the hard work, dedication and loyalty of the workers of the Liberty Police Department.
Each year the T.R.E.E. service award recipient is chosen by Chief Adam Gilstrap and a panel of employees. This year’s winner was awarded to Cpl. James “Jay” Freeman.
Freeman served as a state trooper for the South Carolina Highway Patrol for nine years before joining the Liberty Police Department force in August 2015. In June 2016, Freeman was promoted to the rank of corporal. Since that time, Freeman has been placed over the training department.
Freeman has been praised by the community for being courteous and informative during police encounters. The Liberty Police Department would like to congratulate Freeman as the 2021 T.R.E.E. service award recipient.
Golden anniversary
Mr. and Mrs. James Curtis McGowens Sr. celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Dec. 11 at Occasions at Wedgefield in Central. The happy couple enjoyed a great time with the many family and friends who were in attendance for the ceremony. May Heaven continue to bless the couple.
Community Calendar
• Local friends and newcomers to meet
The Tri-County Friends and Newcomers will meet the second Monday of each month through April 2022.
The group has a new meeting location in the Powdersville Branch Library off S.C. Highway 81. Social time is 10 a.m. Business meeting is at You must be logged in to view this content.
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