County staff still discussing Helene lessons
By Jason Evans Staff Reporter jevans@thepccourier.com COUNTY — Pickens County staff are continuing to discuss ways the county can better More »
Lions’ Williams captures second XC state championship
By Eric Sprott Courtesy The Journal sports@upstatetoday.com NEWBERRY — With roughly 900 meters to go in the final cross-country meet More »
This week in FOOTBALL FRENZY only in PICKENES COUNTY COURIER
Lions outlast Richland Northeast behind Conn’s big day; Liberty, Pickens and Easley season in reviews’ Clemson clobbers the Citadel; all this More »
Red Devils win inaugural Liberty Tip-Off tourney
By Bru Nimmons Staff Reporter bnimmons@thepccourier.com LIBERTY — Trailing 25-19 at halftime of its Liberty Tip-Off tournament championship game with More »
God loves unity
When we read, in Matthew 22:36-40, about our Lord being questioned by the Pharisees as to which is the greatest More »
Blue Ridge Bank opens new Pickens branch
PICKENS — Blue Ridge Bank recently held the grand opening of its new branch at 628 Ann St. in Pickens. More »
Bigbee, West named 2023 winners of Liberty Community Scholarships
LIBERTY — The Liberty Community Scholarship Board has announced the recipients of the 2023 Liberty Community Scholarship, which is awarded to Liberty High School deniors for outstanding academic achievement, demonstrated leadership and showing a commitment to community service.
Millie Mae Bigbee plans to attend Anderson University in the fall to study medical imaging.
While at LHS, Bigbee was the president of the Interact Club, a member of Beta Club, a Teacher Cadet and a Tri-County dual enrollment student, and she assisted with school marketing and advertising. She is also an active member of Covenant Presbyterian Church and enjoys working at Winslett’s Produce Market in Easley.
Bailey Elizabeth West has always wanted to attend Clemson University and pursue a degree in animal and veterinarian science. She is thrilled that her hard work has paid off, and she will be attending Clemson in the fall. She is proud of her hard work to make the dream come true while still prioritizing family, church and helping her community.
“I’m very blessed to have a supportive family that has helped and guided me throughout the years, and I’m very excited to see where this next chapter of my life brings me,” West said.
Information about this scholarship, past winners and sponsor, including business and community leaders, may be found at the following: https://lcsscholarship2019.wixsite.com/mysite.
Community Calendar 5-10-23
• Fleet Reserve plans business meeting
Fleet Reserve Association, Branch 15, will meet this month on Saturday, May 13, at 8 a.m. for a business meeting. For the May meeting, Branch 15 will be helping out at the DNR Youth Fishing Rodeo at the Piedmont Tree Nursery, located at 113 Piedmont Nursery Road in Tamassee. Fleet Reserve is open to all enlisted former and active duty U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard personnel. Contact
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Courier Legal Notices 5-10-23
Notice of Application
Notice is hereby given that Paris Banh Mi Global Company Inc. Intends to apply to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a license and/or permit that will allow the sale and ON premises consumption of beer, wine, and/or liquor at 189 OLD GREENVILLE HWY, STE B, CLEMSON SC 29631-1388. To object to the issuance of this license and/or permit, you must submit Form ABL-20, postmarked no later than May 12, 2023.
Mail protests to SCDOR, ABL Section, PO Box 125, Columbia, SC 29214-0907, or email to ABL@dor.sc.gov.
Courier Classifieds 05-10-23
Announcements
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Courier Trespass Notice 5-10-23
In the state of South Carolina, trespass after notice is a misdemeanor criminal offense prohibited by section 16-11-620 for the South Carolina Code.
Those who enter upon the lands of others without the permission of the owner or manager shall be deemed guilty of misdemeanor trespassing. All persons are hereby notified and warned not to hunt, fish, cut timber or trespass in any manner whatsoever upon the lands of
Courier Notice to Creditors
NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF ESTATES
All persons having claims against the following estates MUST file their claims on Form #371ES with the Probate Court of PICKENS COUNTY, the address of which is 222 MCDANIEL AVE., B-16 PICKENS, SC 29671, within eight (8) months after the date of the first publication of this Notice to Creditors or within one (1) year from date of death, whichever is earlier (SCPC 62-3-801, et seq.), or such persons shall be forever barred as to their claims. All claims are required to be presented in written statements on the prescribed form (FORM #371ES) indicating the name and address of the claimant, the basis of the claim, the amount claimed, the date when the claim will become due, the nature of any uncertainty as to the claim, and a description of any security as to the claim.
Estate: Jerry Milton Gibson
Date of Death: 03/12/2023
Case Number: 2023ES3900271
Personal Representative:
Cynthia L. Grubb
Address: 470 Devore Road,
Donalds, SC 29638
Apr. 26, May 3, 10
Estate: Floyd Chester Huff, Jr.
Date of Death: 03/24/2023
Case Number: 2023ES3900283
Personal Representative: Doris L. Huff
Address: 123 Hunts Bridge Rd.,
Easley, SC 29640
Apr. 26, May 3, 10
Estate: Teddy Wayne Holcombe
Date of Death: 03/12/2023
Case Number: 2023ES3900274
Personal Representative:
Mary Lavern Holcombe
Address: 152 Buck Horn Lane,
Easley, SC 29642
Apr. 26, May 3, 10
Estate: Willie Madgelene Shivers
Date of Death: 02/14/2023
Case Number: 2023ES3900155
Personal Representative:
Randolph Eugene Shivers
Address: 200 Robinson Avenue,
Easley, SC 29640
Apr. 26, May 3, 10
Estate: Mary Ann Ard Davis
Date of Death: 02/04/2023
Case Number: 2023ES3900344
Personal Representative:
Clifford Edwin Davis
Address: 119 Victor Circle,
Easley, SC 29625
Attorney: J. Baker Cleveland, III
Address: Post Office Box 9,
Pickens, SC 29671
Apr. 26, May 3, 10
Estate: Barbara J. Kolze
Date of Death: 03/05/2023
Case Number: 2023ES3900332
Personal Representative:
Karen K. Kleveno
Address: 1085 Old Clemson Hwy., E118,
Seneca, SC 29672
Attorney: Emma W. Morris
Address: Post Office Box 795,
Seneca, SC 29679
Apr. 26, May 3, 10
Estate: Geraldine Barnette Hamby
Date of Death: 02/01/2023
Case Number: 2023ES3900324
Personal Representative:
Lawrence Robert Hamby
Address: 3416 Custer Ave.,
Cincinnati, OH 45208
Attorney: John Hamrick
Address: 108 Mills Avenue,
Greenville, SC 29605
Apr. 26, May 3, 10
Estate: Mary Eileen Murphy Love
Date of Death: 12/15/2022
Case Number: 2023ES3900125
Personal Representative: Alice Garrett
Address: 116 Hummingbird Lane,
Easley, SC 29640
May 3, 10, 17
Estate: Robert Thomas Porter
Date of Death: 03/27/2023
Case Number: 2023ES3900308
Personal Representative: Joyce W. Porter
Address: 100 Mountain View Court,
Pickens, SC 29671
May 3, 10, 17
Estate: Linda Fay Whitmire Waldrop
AKA Linda Fay Wilson
Date of Death: 03/26/2023
Case Number: 2023ES3900294
Personal Representative:
Crystal Renee McCall
Address: 31 Ames Street,
Seneca, SC 29678
May 3, 10, 17
Estate: Sandra Hill Freeman
Date of Death: 03/02/2023
Case Number: 2023ES3900291
Personal Representative:
Susan Gail Greenlee
Address: 117 Beech Tree Lane,
Rutherfordton, NC 28139
Attorney: Steven T. Alexander
Address: Post Office Box 618,
Pickens, SC 29671
May 3, 10, 17
School district sued over book ban
By Riley Morningstar
Courtesy The Journal
rmorningstar@upstatetoday.com
EASLEY — The five-year ban of an anti-racism book from a local school district is a violation of the First Amendment, attorneys for the 
Pickens County Branch NAACP said in a federal lawsuit last week.
A 28-page complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief against the School District of Pickens County was filed in the United States District Court of South Carolina’s Anderson Division on Wednesday. District spokesman Darian Byrd told The Journal on Friday morning the district couldn’t comment, but hadn’t been served papers yet.
Allegations
The lawsuit filed by the local NAACP branch comes with legal backing from the ACLU of South Carolina and lists three sets of parents with children in the district.
The school board unanimously voted to remove “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You” in September over its use in a 10th-grade English classroom at Daniel High School, saying it violated a state budget proviso restricting districts from using any state money to teach or approve any instructional materials centered around racist concepts. Three parents submitted challenges against the use of the book for promoting “socialism,” “radical Marxism” and “objectible (sic) indoctrination.” Two committees — one of district officials and district parents — each approved the use of the book in classrooms and media centers.
The other book banned for five years was “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” but it was not mentioned in the filing.
The plaintiffs called the move “pure censorship” and alleged the skin color of the board was a factor in the removal.
“The vote was a calculated decision by seven white board members to suppress ideas that they personally and politically oppose, in hopes that fewer students would be exposed to them,” the filing said. “The board may not exercise that authority to silence views based on its political and partisan preferences.”
The filing said the book did not violate state educational curriculum standards and challenged students to develop critical thinking skills. The book by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds “describes and deconstructs the history of racist thought in America and was written specifically for young-adult readers,” according to the plaintiffs’ preliminary statement.
Lawyers also set their sights on the growing South Carolina House Freedom Caucus movement. They took aim at the racial makeup of the group of 20 members — pointing out all 20 were white, and 17 were men.
“The 20 white South Carolinians who act under the banner of the Freedom Caucus believe that their opinions on race are correct and that all other opinions are wrong and dangerous,” the lawsuit said, including screengrabs of praise after the banning from Freedom Caucus House Rep. Thomas Beach and political group Conservatives of the Upstate.
The filing closes by asking for a judge to declare the removal a constitutional violation, reinstate the book in the district and for the defendant to cover attorneys’ fees.
‘Antithetical to the First Amendment’
ACLU of South Carolina legal director Allen Chaney said the removal was “antithetical to the First Amendment and reflects a deep hostility toward America’s promise of a free and pluralistic society.”
“We are hopeful that the courts will vindicate the Constitution and rebuke the cresting wave of censorship we’re experiencing across South Carolina,” he said.
Pickens County Branch NAACP president Shelia Crawford said in a news release, “Black history is American history.”
“We have a responsibility to provide our students with a complete teaching of our nation’s history — both the good and the bad,” she said. “The Pickens County Branch of the NAACP is proud to stand with the national NAACP and ACLU of South Carolina in this lawsuit to protect a curriculum that celebrates diversity, promotes equity, while furthering justice for black America.”
Teacher salaries set to get boost in SDPC budget
By Andrea Kelley
Courtesy The Journal
akelley@upstatetoday.com
EASLEY — The School District of Pickens County’s budget proposal including raises for teachers and other staff members passed another 
hurdle last week when the school board approved second reading.
One person took the podium during the public hearing for the nearly $164 million fiscal year
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