Category: News

The Oconee County Public Library announces the hiring of Robena Barton as Technical Services Librarian.  She was born in Aiken, SC, and graduated from USC-Aiken with a Bachelor’s degree in History. She earned a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of South Carolina with an emphasis on cataloging. “From my first cataloging class I knew I […]

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today released this letter to the Russian Ambassador to the United States about Edward Snowden.  “Mr. Ambassador: Media reports have indicated that Mr. Edward Snowden took a flight from Hong Kong to Moscow on Sunday June 23, 2013.  Reports also indicate that Mr. Snowden remains in Russia after failing to depart for a third country […]

Safe Harbor is well on its way to opening a 24/7 emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence and their children in Oconee County.  So far, the non-profit agency is more than halfway to its fundraising goal for the shelter, explains Amanda Callahan, Relationship Education Project Educator for Safe Harbor in Oconee County.  “We kicked off the campaign with a […]

Call it a lingering side effect of the recession. Research from Bankrate.com finds 76% of Americans are lacking in emergency savings and don’t have a stash of cash that could cover six months of expenses. Senior Financial Analyst Greg McBride says the recession contributed to this tendency by taking away some fixed portions of a family’s earnings like stocks or […]

Clemson University’s Palmetto Cluster ranks fifth on the list of university-owned supercomputers in the United States, according to the June 2013 Top 500 list of international supercomputers. The Palmetto Cluster is a collaborative environment where IT specialists work in partnership with faculty and students to create an advanced cyberinfrastructure that serves the needs of a multi-disciplinary set of programs.  It also enables research and […]

A new law signed by Gov. Nikki Haley this month bans minors from buying a tobacco substitute known as electronic cigarettes, or “e-cigarettes.” E-cigarettes are increasing in popularity, especially amongst smokers trying to kick their habit. They resemble traditional cigarettes, but work by vaporizing a liquid mixed with nicotine. Water vapor is released from the end of the device, like smoke from cigarettes, and […]

South Carolina ranks better than just five states in the overall wellbeing of its children. That’s according to a new Kids Count survey released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. South Carolina’s overall ranking slipped two spots from last year’s report, to 45th overall in children’s ability to succeed. The report ranked the economic well-being of the state’s children at 44th […]

Two former deputies with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office have pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance. The Anderson Independent reported Saturday that 32-year-old Mark Miller and 35-year-old Shane Thompson were each sentenced to a year of probation.  They were both fired last year. A state investigator testified Thompson had regularly purchased methamphetamine while on duty and that Miller […]

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help regarding a suspicious fire on June 20th near Walhalla. According to investigators, deputies responded to 122 Warner Mill Road in regards to a structure fire.  When deputies arrived, they were notified by firefighters that when they arrived on scene, there was no one in the house and they had noticed […]

The search for a missing rafter on the Chattooga River has entered its fifth day. On Sunday, four divers from Oconee and Pickens counties joined the recovery crew, which also includes 18-trained responders from Anderson, Pickens, Oconee, Rabun and White counties. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is providing air support and six commercial river guides and U.S. Forest Service personnel are aiding […]