Daily Archives: 03/07/2023
Community supports teen heart transplant recipient
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
LIBERTY — Proceeds from a church’s fundraiser this weekend will go to assist the family of a Liberty teen who received a heart transplant last month.
Aaron Whitmire received his new heart on Feb. 2. He turned 14 while hospitalized at MUSC, according to Liberty First Baptist Church member Karin Shore.
“He’s a sweetheart,” she said. “He’s the sweetest kid.”
To help offset the family’s expenses related to the heart transplant, Liberty First Baptist Church will be sponsoring a
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Justice prevailed in the Palmetto State
If Bubba hadn’t caught that chicken and come running up with it in his mouth right when he did, Alex Murdaugh might very well have gotten away with murder.
There are probably few places in the world other than a wild-hog-hunting estate in the South Carolina Lowcountry where a hound dog and a yardbird could have 
played such a pivotal role in solving a murder mystery such as we saw unfold in a Colleton County courtroom over the past few weeks.
But it was not the good-old-boy system that won the day in this case. The villain of an entrenched rural aristocracy was unable to withstand the collective will of 12 ordinary citizens.
In the end, justice prevailed in the Palmetto State — which goes a long way toward making up for the bizarre, podunk images the Murdaugh case cast on our beloved state in the eyes of the nation, and indeed the world.
(When the judge has to send a bailiff to retrieve a dozen eggs from the jury room for a juror who is being ejected for
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Reports from the Veterans Affairs OIG
Who would have thought it … stealing diabetic test strips for profit? Apparently there’s money to be made from those medical supplies. And one Michigan woman, in charge of procurement at a Department of Veterans Affairs pharmacy, made a lot of it, stealing in excess of 7,500 boxes of the strips over the years.
She wasn’t alone in the scheme. She’d sell them to a co-thief who’d make her own sales down the line to a third
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Courier Letters to the Editor 3-8-23
Taking a stand for our children
Dear Editor,
We as parents who are raising children who have autism and developmental delays need to take a stand for our children so they may have a voice. I’m proposing to the councilmen and women to build Arc Chapter in Pickens County.
The Arc Chapter of South Carolina promotes and protects the human rights of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and activity supports their full
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Only two options — the broad or the narrow way
Those who identify with following Jesus are usually satisfied with being comfortable and cozy in their religious styles. Let’s just say that suffering for God is not on their bucket list.
When we take a peek at the last 6,000 years, we learn that countless numbers of people who loved the Lord literally gave their lives for Him. It’s only within our modern secluded religious environment that we assume persecutions and deaths no longer happen. By no means of the imagination is this true.
According to Open Doors World Watch List, in 2022 many Christians were imprisoned and killed for their faith, and
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Courier Obituaries 3-8-23
RUSSELL B. RIGGINS
PICKENS — Mr. Russell B. Riggins passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of March 1, 2023.
He is eternally healed and in the presence of his Savior and reunited with his daughter, Barbara Holcombe.
Russell was the last surviving child of the late John David and Viola Simmons Riggins. Affectionately known as “Hon,” “Daddy,” “Poppy” and “Uncle Russell,” he loved his family dearly and never failed to tell each of us at every opportunity. Russell had many loving nieces and nephews who he loved dearly. Every Christmas Eve for the last 40 years, he read the story of Jesus’ birth from Luke chapter 2 to his children and all his grands and instilled the importance of a personal
Local scouts and community help feed the hungry
PICKENS — The third annual community food drive sponsored by Scout Troop 51 and Cub Scout Pack 51 was held last Saturday, with more than 1,000 cans collected for those in need at the Pickens Amphitheater.
Financial contributions were also accepted. This year’s winner of the Golden Can Award was the Pickens Garden Club, which won with 280 cans.
All items and donations go to the Gleaning House Food Pantry. Anyone who would like to make a late donation can email pickenstroop51@gmail.com with any questions
Exchange craft supplies at Hampton Library
That thing taking up space in your craft closet might be just what another crafter is looking for. Bring your unwanted craft supplies to the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library in Easley before Friday, March 17, to have them included in the library’s first Craft Supply Swap Meet. The Craft Supply Swap Meet will take place on Saturday, March 18, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. The free event is open to everyone. A craft supply donation is not required to attend the swap meet.
Keowee Lodge members asked to give contact info
COUNTY — The Keowee Lodge #79 A.F.M. needs help to update its records.
Members are asked to take a moment to contact the lodge and update their contact information
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Courier Community Calendar 3-8-23
• County Republican Party plans meetings
The Pickens County Republican Party is planning precinct reorganization meetings on Saturday, March 11. To accommodate all 61 precincts, there will be three sessions — 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Blue Ridge View Baptist Church will be the location for all three sessions.
Voters can find their precinct session by visiting pickens-sc.gop. Fill out the RSVP form and you will receive a map and your
