Category: News

A 27-year-old woman from Mountain Rest in Oconee County faces charges after allegedly selling alcohol to underage people, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Dreanna Rhea Wildman was charged on March 26, 2026, with two counts of Sale of Liquor to a Person Under 21 (first offense) and one count of Giving Beer or Wine to a […]

April and May city council meetings will provide opportunities for public comment on a proposed zoning change for more than 100 acres near Lake Keowee in Seneca. Residents near Indian Oaks Road and South Cove Road attended Tuesday night’s council work session hoping to speak but were informed that public comment is not permitted during work sessions. City Administrator Scott […]

All locations of the Oconee County Public Library will be closed on Friday, April 3, for staff training. Those locations with Saturday hours will also be closed on Saturday, April 4, for Easter weekend. All branches will reopen on Monday, April 6, at their normal times. Book returns will be open and the website, oconeelibrary.org, will be available for downloads.

Columbia, S.C. (March 31, 2026) – Beginning immediately, the bridge on Oconee Creek Road (S-37-129) crossing Oconee Creek in Oconee County will be closed for repairs. Due to the nature of the repair work, the bridge must be closed to traffic to allow crews to safely complete the work. Updates will be shared as the project moves forward. A signed detour […]

Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis reports that a 63-year-old man from Westminster was killed early Tuesday in an apparent pedestrian incident on Sandifer Boulevard near N. Seed Farm Road. Deputies responded shortly before 2 a.m. after 911 received a report of a person lying in the roadway in the Seneca-bound lane. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. An […]

A 45-year-old Seneca man, Matthew Lee Thompson of Tokeena Road, was arrested Sunday evening by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the detention center at 11:42 p.m. on a charge of Trafficking in Methamphetamine. Deputies spotted his motorcycle matching a prior fleeing vehicle, attempted a traffic stop for wrong-lane travel on Joe Lewis Road near Wells Highway, and […]

The statewide outdoor burning ban in South Carolina was lifted Monday at 7 a.m. after low humidity and gusty winds subsided, but the South Carolina Forestry Commission warns that persistent drought conditions still create high wildfire risk through April. Fire Officials emphasized that residents must exercise extreme caution when burning, continue monitoring any recent fires for potential reignition, and take […]

At Monday’s filing deadline, a large slate of candidates entered this year’s elections in South Carolina, with Oconee County seeing multiple contenders for several key offices, including county council and two state House seats. In State House District 1, incumbent Republican Bill Whitmire faces challengers Democrats Juni Lynch and Jasmine Williams, plus Republican Craig A. Diem. In District 2, first-term […]

The public is invited to a free community meal this evening, Monday, March 31, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Rocky Knoll Baptist Church, located at 970 Highlands Hwy in Walhalla, SC. Sponsored by the Isaiah 40:31 Foundation, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Foundation, and Rocky Knoll Baptist Church, the event offers a meal and fellowship for anyone […]

A relatively small group of demonstrators assembled Saturday morning at Seneca City Hall in Oconee County as part of the latest “No Kings” protests held across the Upstate and the nation, voicing opposition to President Trump’s strong second-term agenda focused on securing the border, enforcing immigration laws, and taking decisive action on national security threats such as Iran. The event […]