Monthly Archives: August 2024
Courier Letters to the Editor 8-7-24
Higher priorities for COVID funding
Dear Editor,
I read the story about Pickens County Council giving $500,000 to the YMCA. I did not vote for this, and I want to explain why.
In 2021, the federal government gave the Pickens County government $23.4 million. Departments within the county government made $66 million of requests for that COVID relief money. In the end, the county spent millions on things like blue bins at the recycle centers ($187,000), a countywide radio system for police, fire and EMS ($10.3 million), a shredder for the landfill ($900,000), bonuses for first responders and essential staff who worked through
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Fight the heat
When cooling centers are opened up in our town, you know it’s brutally hot. It’s not something that’s usually done 
around here. But recent temperatures have been shocking for our area.
I made a tour of the cooling stations one afternoon, fully expecting them to
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Picture found
This photo was found about a year ago in a yard in the vicinity of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church. The photo looks to be from the early 1900s and is cut into an oval shape. It is about 16-18 inches wide by about 8 inches tall. It features a couple standing outside a wood-sided building. It is sure to be a family heirloom of a time gone by. If you can identify the picture or know the family who it comes from, contact (864) 654-5594. The finders really want to get the photo back to its owners.
Courier Obituaries 8-7-24
GERALD W. ELLENBURG
PICKENS — Gerald W. Ellenburg, 86, of Pickens, went to be with the Lord on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024.
Born in Pickens, he was the oldest son of the late Clyde Ellenburg and Ethel Nix Ellenburg.
Gerald is survived by his son, Richard Ellenburg; daughter, Tammy Boysworth (Autry); granddaughter, Tamara C. Boysworth; three brothers, Charles, Alton and Ricky Ellenburg; and three sisters, Glenda Wilson, Bertha Lou Woodring and Ella Mae Childs. He also leaves numerous nieces and nephews to cherish
New Appalachian true crime book features local connections
PICKENS — A retired Western North Carolina police detective and a self-described Upstate South Carolina “armchair detective” and hobby historian have joined forces to produce a new book filled with historic true crime tales based in the hills and hollers of the Appalachian Mountains, including a pair with Pickens County connections.
“Blood on the Blue Ridge” revisits a variety of crimes that happened
over a nearly 200-year period and even dispels some myths that have been passed down through the ages, with stories from both North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
The book’s 15 chapters recount stories of moonshiners, manhunts, murders, train robberies, a rare book heist at Biltmore House and a random killer who terrorized South Carolina.
Authors R. Scott Lunsford and Alfred Dockery are
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Liberty Elementary gets bike through ‘Pedals Possible’
LIBERTY — The Clemson and Clemson Sunrise Rotary clubs recently donated an adaptive bicycle to Liberty 
Elementary School under Rotary District 7750’s “Pedals Possible” initiative, thereby enhancing physical, recreational and educational opportunities for special needs students.
The contribution aims to promote inclusivity and physical activity among
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PHS taking nominations for new Hall of Fame class
PICKENS — The Pickens High School athletic department is currently taking application for the upcoming Pickens 
High School Athletic Hall of Fame class.
To nominate a person for the prestigious honor, those interested should submit the nominee’s name, years they were at Pickens High School, their sports and awards, post-
Courier Community Calendar 8-7-24
• Dacusville Lions to host monthly bingo
The Dacusville Lions Club will be hosting Bingo night on the third Thursday of each month at the Lions Building in Dacusville, located at 1384 Thomas Mill Road.
The next Bingo session will be Thursday, Aug. 21. There are set to be 10 games beginning at 7 p.m., and proceeds will go toward funding community events and other community needs.
The games should conclude around 9 p.m. Bingo night will be a family-friendly event, and monetary prizes will be available. Cards are $1 each, with no limit on the number of cards that can be purchased for each round. For
