Category Archives: Local News
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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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.
Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce Business of the Month
The Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce has named Bridge Brothers as its January Business of the Month. Bridge Brothers is a young, dynamic company revolutionizing the bridge-building industry with cutting-edge technology and design automation. The company prides itself on being a pivotal part of the Pickens community. It strives to hire local talent and be a leading name in the industry. Pictured are Pickens chamber board members and Bridge Brothers staff. The Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce has named Bridge Brothers as its January Business of the Month. Bridge Brothers is a young, dynamic company revolutionizing the bridge-building industry with cutting-edge technology and design automation. The company prides itself on being a pivotal part of the Pickens community. It strives to hire local talent and be a leading name in the industry. Pictured are Pickens chamber board members and Bridge Brothers staff.
Courier Community Calendar 1-15-25
• Public meeting set on legislation
A public meeting sponsored by seven organizations on proposed S.C. legislation impacting public education and libraries is planned this month.
The event’s speaker will be the S.C. ACLU advocacy director, followed by a Community Advocates for Education (CAFÉ) discussion of advocacy to protect freedom to read and learn.
The meeting will be held from 10:30 a.m.-noon Jan. 25 at the Central-Clemson Library on Commons Way in Central.
• Dacusville Lions to host monthly bingo
The Dacusville Lions Club will be hosting Bingo night on the second Thursday of each month at the Lions Building in
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Old Pickens Middle set for renovations
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Local residents will soon see some changes going on at the former site of Pickens Middle School.
Pickens County School Board vice chair Karla Kelley gave an update on the district during the Dec. 30 meeting of Pickens United, held at the Easley YMCA.
“We’re taking the former Pickens Middle School and we’re renovating that,” she said. “We’re going to add some new life to the Pickens area, hopefully put in some
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Wall That Heals event in search of volunteers
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Volunteers are needed for an event this spring honoring those who gave their lives in Vietnam.
Nearly 30 years ago, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) unveiled a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial designed to tour communities throughout the United States.
Since then, the three-quarter-scale replica and its companion mobile education center have been displayed in nearly 700
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Election saw ‘astronomical’ voting turnout
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Nearly half of the registered voters in Pickens County took part in two weeks of early voting for the November 2024 election, according to the county’s top election official.
Pickens County Department of Voter Registration and Elections director Amy Sams spoke at the Dec. 30 meeting of the Pickens United group, saying that she wanted to “brag on Pickens County really
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Biden commutes Ponzi schemer Wilson’s sentence
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
UPSTATE — Former Anderson County Councilman and Easley business owner Ronnie Gene Wilson was among the hundreds of people who had their prison sentences commuted by President Joe Biden last month.
In 2012, Wilson pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud filed against him in what investigators said was a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme he operated for more than a decade.
Investigators said Wilson bilked his silver investors of about $60 million in fraudulent investments, telling investors he’d
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