Category: featured

On October 5, 2025, at 4:00 P.M., eleven Oconee County high school students—Kamryn Braner, Madelyn Cooper, Chloe Davis, Miley Long, Emma Lusk, Teya McCurry, Sarah Medlin, Mattie Oliver, Lydia Ridge, Kylie Suttles, and Brooke Wylie—will compete in the 43rd Miss Oktoberfest Pageant at Walhalla Middle School, featuring interview, casual wear, and formal wear categories. The winner, succeeding 2024 titleholder Ashlyn […]

Walhalla Councilman Grant Keehn’s motion for an injunction to reverse a $550,000 budget transfer from the water department’s enterprise fund to the city’s general fund was not heard due to improper notification. Representing himself, Keehn admitted to Judge William McMaster a procedural error. The judge also considered a motion by Walhalla’s attorney, John Michael Sosser, to dismiss Keehn’s complaint, which […]

Last night’s Westminster political forum saw only four city council candidates participate due to late no-shows: Jimmy Powell, Charles Morgan, and James Jones attended in-person, while Susan Ramey joined via cell phone. Mayor Brian Ramey noted that absent candidate Dale Glymph had a family obligation. Candidate Andrea Harbin told us yesterday afternoon she would not be in attendance due to […]

National drive-thru coffee chain Dutch Bros Coffee is planning to open a new location in Clemson, with an expected opening sometime in late 2025. The company, known for its specialty coffees, smoothies, and energy drinks, announced plans to enter the South Carolina market earlier in 2025. The Clemson location, formerly KFC/LJS, is part of its expansion into the Southeast, positioning […]

Blue Ridge Bank officially opened its new, permanent 3,239-square-foot office at 628 Ann Street in Pickens. The opening replaces a temporary branch that had been operating since November 2024, signaling the bank’s long-term commitment to serving the Pickens community. The new facility offers a full range of banking services to local residents and businesses. The grand opening ceremony will be […]

The City of Seneca Fire Department’s B-Shift concluded an exceptionally busy day and night shift on September 24, after responding to numerous emergency calls. The demanding day included routine calls and training exercises, which was then punctuated by a major incident involving a motor vehicle accident (MVA). The MVA resulted in a vehicle with heavy entrapment colliding with a power […]

A 20-year-old West Union man, Wilson Nahun Figuero-Argueta, has been charged with Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor in the Second Degree and is held on a $50,000 surety bond. The charge stems from a 2022 incident investigated by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, where Figuero-Argueta, who was 17 at the time, allegedly had sexual relations with a teenager. Due […]

On Friday, September 19, 2025, at approximately 6:40 a.m., the Oconee County Coroner’s Office responded to 417 Forest Acres Circle near Walhalla regarding a reported child death. A 4-year-old boy, identified as Isaiah Joseph Dionne, was found unresponsive by his parents, and EMS had been called around 6:20 a.m. The child was pronounced dead at the scene. Due to the […]

The Oconee County Council has decisively rejected a proposal for a 5,200-home development in Newry by East Shore South, LLC, citing the project’s non-compliance with local density ordinances and potential strain on infrastructure. Council Chairman Matthew Durham confirmed the rejection, stating the development significantly exceeds standards outlined in Ordinance 2024-18, designed to protect roads, schools, utilities, and the county’s character. […]