Daily Archives: 01/15/2025
Pickens council approves $3.8 million deal with Greenville Water
By Marquis Mittelstet
Special to the Courier
news@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Nearly six months after withdrawing from the Pickens Regional Joint Water System (PRJWS), Pickens City 
Council voted on a long-term Capacity buy-in and supply agreement with Greenville Water on Monday.
Council voted to approve the agreement by a 5-1 margin with councilman Floyd Rogers as the lone dissenting vote.
According to Pickens City Administrator Tim O’Briant the agreement replaces the
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Winter Wonderland
Pickens County saw its first major winter storm in nearly three years last week giving residents a chance to have some fun in the elements before it began to melt away. Pictured above is Opie Gilstrap enjoying a sled ride during the winter weather event.
Blankenship talks about goals as sheriff
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — At the Dec. 30 meeting of Pickens United, Tommy Blankenship was still sheriff-elect.
He has now begun his term as sheriff.
Beginning his portion of the meeting, Blankenship thanked outgoing Sheriff Rick Clark “first and foremost for his service to the citizens of Pickens County, to his leadership we’ve had at the agency.”
“But most of all, after attending sheriff’s school in Columbia the week before Thanksgiving, I got a little insight to what it’s like to come into a hostile environment,” he said. “There are other new sheriffs that are nowhere near as welcomed at their agency as I am, nor have they been afforded the things that Sheriff Clark has given me, with the latitude to start taking over, to start working on the budget requests, the capitol
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Area legislators discuss priorities
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Members of the Pickens County Legislative Delegation recently shared with constituents some of their priorities ahead of the first 2025 legislative session.
Delegation members discussed the upcoming session at the Dec. 30 meeting of Pickens United.
Both the South Carolina House and South Carolina Senate were slated to begin their session at noon Tuesday, Jan. 14.
“Watch your wallets from that point on, at least for the next five months,” Sen. Rex Rice said,
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YMCA provides Bibles for children’s holiday camp
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — An effort to place Bibles in young hands has proved more successful than YMCA staff originally hoped.
YMCA of Easley, Pickens and Powdersville president and CEO Sid Collins spoke about the effort during the Dec. 30 Pickens United meeting.
Attendees could see the results — the meeting room held stacks of Bibles.
“About a month ago, I emailed out to some of our YMCA family,
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Liberty’s Sutherland to lead 2025 SC Shrine Team
LIBERTY — Liberty High School head football coach Paul Sutherland has been named the head coach of the South 
Carolina team for the 2025 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, according to an announcement last week by the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association.
The Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, established in 1937, is the nation’s oldest high school football all-star game, pitting top players from South Carolina against their
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Southeastern Championship Bullriding at T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena
Despite a Friday cancellation due to winter storms in the area, Southeastern Championship Bullriding returned to the area last weekend at Clemson University’s T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena. Saturday. The T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena will be hosting the Clemson Monster Truck Wars on Saturday of this week.
