Daily Archives: 12/28/2021
Coroner’s office IDs shooting victim
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
LIBERTY — The Pickens County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim of a fatal shooting in Liberty earlier this month.
Pickens County deputy coroner Heather A. Harrison identified the victim as Steven Wayne Neese,You must be logged in to view this content.
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Nonprofit gets grant to protect water quality in Upper Saluda Watershed
COUNTY — An Upstate nonprofit announced a $550,000 grant award from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control to protect water quality in the Upper Saluda Watershed last week.
The grant will allow Save Our Saluda and partnering organizations to work with local landowners and farmers within the watershed to develop and implement projects aimed at reducing soil runoff to streams and rivers upstream of Saluda Lake.
The Upper Saluda Watershed above Saluda Lake encompasses nearly 300 square miles in Greenville and Pickens counties and provides
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Officials hoping action will lead to water plant
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Officials hope the passage of a resolution will help enable the creation of a water plant on Lake Keowee that would serve Pickens County residents.
Pickens County Council members discussed a resolution “in support of regional water solutions within Pickens County” during their Dec. 6 meeting.
“This is the first step of us being able to put a water plant on Keowee, bring all of our water districts together and be able to get water from
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SC retirement an increasing county burden
COUNTY — Pickens County’s portion of payments to the South Carolina’s State Retirement System continues to rise, and county officials 
worry the system is not sustainable.
Alan Robinson of Cherry Bekaert LLP presented the fiscal year 2021 audit to county council during its December meeting.
Pickens County received an unmodified audit opinion, he said.
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County jobless rate up slightly in November
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
COLUMBIA — The unemployment rate in Pickens County went up slightly during the month of November, state officials said in a recent jobs report.
The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) reported that unemployment rose only a tenth of a percentage point from 2.6 
percent in October to 2.7 percent in November. DEW also reported 1,536 county residents were unemployed at the end of October, compared to 1,560 county You must be logged in to view this content.
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Central officials discuss railroad underpass
By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal
goliver@upstatetoday.com
CENTRAL — Central Town Council and a retired South Carolina Department of Transportation traffic engineer discussed ways to improve traffic congestion at the town’s railroad underpass last month.
“We’ve tried for the last 15 years since I’ve been on council to come up with a solution and get a new crossing for the railroad side,” Mayor Mac Martin said. “Our last attempt was rejected by Norfolk Southern in 2019. So the planning committee really wants to pursue the traffic at the underpass, specifically the 10 to 15 minutes people come to school and leave school each day.”
Martin said Eric Dillon presented council with “a couple of options” and brought photos for those in attendance to examine. Martin emphasized the
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DNR: Sassafras road may be closed during winter weather
COUNTY — Recreational users of the Sassafras Mountain Overlook, the Foothills Trail and the Palmetto Trail should be aware that severe winter weather may close the road to the overlook and the trail parking area for safety reasons.
When severe winter weather is forecasted, Pickens County may close the gate on F. Van Clayton Highway, the road to Sassafras, about a
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mile away from the overlook. Any vehicles left at the parking area near the overlook would be inaccessible if they are still there when the road is closed.
Because of the steep grade of the road, and its high elevation, the road can be dangerous when covered with ice or snow.
The closings will be posted to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) website and on social media. Advanced warning to the closures may be limited due to changing weather conditions.
To check on the status of the road to the Sassafras Mountain overlook, call the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office at (864) 898-5500.
Sassafras Mountain overlook is part of the Jocassee Gorges in northern Pickens and Oconee counties along the North Carolina border and surrounding Lake Jocassee. The property features numerous forest ecosystems and many rivers and streams. Jocassee Gorges, acquired by SCDNR in 1998, is also home to rare and unusual plants and animals. Recreational uses include hiking, backpacking, hunting, fishing, mountain biking, paddling, birdwatching, and nature viewing.
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DHEC urging flu shots before surge
COLUMBIA — Flu season runs from September to May, but peaks from December to February.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is urging people to get the flu vaccine after the agency said last week its latest flu report was significantly higher than the past two years.
The flu report Dec. 5-11 showed 775 lab-confirmed cases across the state,You must be logged in to view this content.
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What can we expect in 2022?
A satirical look back at 2021 and ahead to 2022…
So what can I say about the year that has flown by at about 186,000 miles per second?
One of its themes was the debate over whether government has a right to tell freedom-loving Americans to use deodorant so we don’t smell so bad we make everybody around us sick — or something along those lines. Except unfortunately you can’t smell a virus.
The year started off with a patriotic parade through the U.S. Capitol, led by a colorful fellow wearing something that looked like buffalo horns and a dead coyote on his head. The theme of
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Secret Santas make the magic
Secret Santa has returned to the North Pole until next year. Secret Santa has been around for a long time. The tradition of Secret Santa originally came from Scandinavia, a game called Julklapp. An elf would leave a gift at someone’s door, knock on the door and run away. In 
the United Kingdom, it’s called “Kris Kringle.” In Germany, Secret Santa is called “Wichteln,” which means “elf.”
The game begins when each player fills out a questionnaire that asks you to list the kind of
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