IT IS TIME TO VOTE IN THE PICKENS COUNTY COUNTY COURIER’S READERS CHOICE AWARDS
Everyone run out and grab this week’s Pickens County Courier and vote for your favorite businesses in Pickens — and More »
Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce celebrating 60 years
By Jason Evans Staff Reporter jevans@thepccourier.com PICKENS — The Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce uses a variety of tools to More »
PCSO lauds ‘Devil in Disguise’ guilty pleas, sentences
By Jason Evans Staff Reporter jevans@thepccourier.com STATE — The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office is hailing recent guilty pleas entered in More »
Lady Lions clinch third straight region title with win over Tigers
By Bru Nimmons Sports Editor bnimmons@thepccourier.com TIGERVILLE — The Daniel High School girls’ basketball team traveled to Blue Ridge on More »
Courier Letters to the Editor
Saitta gives update on road paving Dear Editor, Last month, I wrote the SCDOT had added repaving S.C. 183 from More »
Whiten takes the stage at the Opry
By Rocky Nimmons Publisher rnimmons@thepccourier.com NASHVILLE — What a week it has been for Six Mile native and up‑and‑coming country More »
Child brings gun to school
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — A West End Elementary student brought a gun to school Thursday.
After the incident, School District of Pickens County chief communications officer Darian Byrd shared a safety update with parents and local media.
Byrd said a student told school officials they had brought a weapon to West End
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Local men charged with sexual abuse of minors
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Two Pickens County men face charges in unrelated cases connected to 
the sexual exploitation of minors, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced Monday.
Logan Tyler Smith, 20, of Central, and Sergio Eduardo Salinas Maradiaga, 20, of Easley, were arrested on 13 total charges, Wilson said in a release.
Investigators received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that led them to both Smith and Maradiaga, Wilson said.
Wilson said investigators allege Smith and Maradiaga both possessed files of child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, a more accurate reflection of the material involved in these “heinous and abusive crimes.” CSAM is replacing the term “child pornography” globally, as “pornography” can imply the child was a consenting participant, he said.
Smith was arrested on Jan. 11 and is charged with three counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count, Wilson said.
Maradiaga was arrested the next day and is charged with 10 counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, Wilson said.
Wilson said Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office made the arrests. Investigators with his office, which is also an ICAC Task Force member, assisted with the investigations, he said.
Wilson said his office will prosecute both cases and stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.
NCMEC’s CyberTipline is the nation’s centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children. Using the CyberTipline, the public and electronic service providers can make reports of suspected online enticement of children for sexual acts, child sexual molestation, child sexual abuse material, child sex tourism and child sex trafficking, unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child, misleading domain names and misleading words or digital images on the internet.
Find the CyberTipline at missingkids.org or report.cybertip.org.
Pickens principal Duncan taking job in SDPC office
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Pickens principal Jeff Duncan is set to move to a new role within the School District of Pickens County after being named the next Assistant Superintendent for Human Resource
Services on Monday by the SDPC Board of Trustees.
“Mr. Duncan brings a tremendous set of knowledge and skills to this position,
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League of Women Voters, Oconee/Pickens Counties discuss election challenges
UPSTATE — A panel of Oconee and Pickens Election Officials discussed 2024 election challenges 
at the January meeting of the League of Women Voters, Oconee and Pickens Counties. Issues included increasing the number of registered voters and turnout on election day and striking the right balance between security and accessibility.
An audience of about 40 people expressed support for election personnel but concern for the underfunding of these functions, especially in Oconee. Election Officials reminded the audience of the need for poll workers and expressed appreciation for those who do the work. For more information about voting or being a poll worker, call 864.898.5948 (Pickens).
Clemson police receive funds for fake ID program
CLEMSON — The city of Clemson authorized its police department to sign an agreement for thousands of dollars in funding at its latest meeting.
At Wednesday’s city council meeting, Clemson Police Chief Jorge Campos announced that his department had secured $20,000 in funding from the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS). The funding, which must be spent during the
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Clemson University student killed in Summerville accident
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
CLEMSON — A Clemson University student from Summerville died in a wreck last week.
Pickens County chief deputy coroner Andrew Wilson identified the victim as 20-year-old Jacob Walter Noack.
According to a release from Clemson University Public Safety, a
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Historical Legacy Unveiled for the 150th Anniversary: Easley Area Museum welcomes remarkable oil paintings
Courtesy the Easley Area Museum
news@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — In a momentous occasion, the Easley Area Museum proudly unveiled two exquisite oil paintings generously acquired from the City of Easley. These paintings not only showcase the 
artistic heritage of the region but also commemorate two influential figures integral to the city’s
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The mountains of smoke and music
Just as the sun began to rise, a Cherokee brave moved swiftly, but silently, up the mountain path. A smoky mist cast a hazy glow over the pine tree-covered trail.
He stopped briefly by a rotting log to inspect the tracks he was following. The Cherokee hunted these “smoking mountains” for more than 1,000 years. They learned to listen to what the mountain told
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Good and bad of the YAM Winter Bluegrass Jubilee
When Ed and I arrived home last weekend from the most wonderful Winter Bluegrass Jubilee with a packed-to-the-ceiling van, we could hardly make it fast enough to the couch and recliner.
We talked for a bit of how we were bursting with pride and joy about our event, and then we fell in the bed. But, at 2:15, I woke up — my head and
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