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Monthly Archives: June 2013

Jeeps invade Pickens

Jeep enthusiasts from around the Upstate flocked to downtown Pickens on Saturday night as more than 200 Jeeps packed the Main Street area for the final night of the city’s summer Cruise-In and Music series. In addition to the Jeeps,

New Dixie Storm

New Dixie Storm

 provided music for the event, which organizers called a huge success.

Board sticking with middle school plan despite outcry

Nicole Daughhetee/Courier

Longtime Easley-area teacher Phalba Jeanes, dressed in a green shirt adorned with a “2 schools” sign, told school board members Monday night that the middle school years are the most difficult for children.

By Nicole Daughhetee, Courier Staff

EASLEY — Despite a standing-room-only crowd of vocal green-clad Easley community members imploring School District of Pickens County board trustees to reconsider a decision reached last month that quashed plans for two area middle schools, the board took no action in regards to the issue at Monday night’s regularly scheduled meeting.

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Plans had called for students in Easley to split between a renovated Gettys Middle School and the new Brice Middle School, housed in the old Easley High School building, but the board voted May 25, with board chair and Easley representative Judy Edwards as the lone dissenting vote, to scrap renovation plans at Gettys and send all students to Brice.

Although the plan to have two middle schools had been in the works for several years, SDPC trustee Alex Saitta pointed out that the school district’s original building plan called only for the renovation of the high school into a middle school that would house all Easley-area students.

Tuition going up for CU students

CLEMSON — A 3 percent undergraduate tuition increase approved Monday by Clemson University’s board of trustees will help fund the cost of additional faculty members and enhancements in student engagement programs, technology and facilities — all priorities in the university’s 10-year strategic plan.

The increase amounts to $190 per semester for in-state students and $444 for out-of-state students. Combined, the in-state and out-of-state increases represent the smallest overall percentage increase in 15 years.

Local organizations offer job skills training sessions

By Nicole Daughhetee, Courier Staff

COUNTY — The Parenting Place, in partnership with the Goodwill Job Connection, is providing several opportunities for unemployed and under-employed members of the Pickens County community to increase employment options through a series of four job and employee skills training sessions.

“We have a great partnership with the Goodwill Job Connection to provide job training and other employment skills,” said Sharon Sanders, director of family services for The Parenting Place. “This partnership is huge because they do employment well and we do relationships well.”

Banking coming back to Six Mile

 

The building which formerly housed First Citizens Bank on Main Street in Six Mile will soon reopen as a new “rural banking concept” branch of Carolina Premier Bank, with the trade name Our Bank.

The building which formerly housed First Citizens Bank on Main Street in Six Mile will soon reopen as a new “rural banking concept” branch of Carolina Premier Bank, with the trade name Our Bank.

Town joins with N.C. bank to

test ‘rural banking concept’

SIX MILE — After being without a bank for more than two months now for the first time in nearly a century, the town of Six Mile will soon be home to a bank once again.

Officials announced Friday that Six Mile has joined forces with Carolina Premier Bank, a North Carolina state-chartered bank, to create a branch under a “rural banking concept.”

Baptist Easley laboratory gets national accreditation

EASLEY — Baptist Easley Hospital Laboratory again received national recognition and accreditation from the College of American Pathologists (CAP) based on a recent on-site inspection. The laboratory, for the second consecutive time, received notification of a 100 percent passing score with no deficiencies.

The CAP accreditation process is designed to ensure the highest standard of care for all laboratory patients. Inspectors examine the laboratory’s records and quality control of procedures for the past two years. CAP inspectors also examine laboratory staff qualifications, equipment, facilities, safety program and record, and overall management.

 

 

Upstate Legends Jeep Club gives back to the community

Upstate Legends Jeep Club member Cindy Kelly presents Charlie Daniels with a ULJC t-shirt during a recent concert in Seneca. 

UPSTATE — Since 2010 the goal of Upstate Legends Jeep Club has been to promote the love of Jeeps and Jeeping, honor the legacy of Larry Hinkle, and be a positive influence on the community.

For three years the club has grown and they have been able to give back in many ways. The group has been involved in many events this year, from cruise-ins to pleasure rides and fundraising.

Longing for Kentucky

Ben Robinson

Ben Robinson

All About Ben

By Ben Robinson

Today is a tough day for me. I should be in Middlesboro, Ky., going to and enjoying a Bible School class, then spending time with my friends, sharing stories of the day’s adventures. Instead I am still in a hot bedroom in Dacusville, planning for my several partial jobs and hoping to replace them soon with an actual fulltime job.

Let’s go back in time, close to 25 years ago. I was looking for something meaningful to do with my extra time. Some folks at my church — Nine Forks Baptist in Dacusville — were part of the Pickens First Baptist annual mission trip to Bell County, Ky. The group would conduct Bible School at several small churches. Some would also work on construction projects, but that did not apply to me. I am only good at building animosity.

Big Brother is NOT listening?

Olivia Fowler

Olivia Fowler

One the Way

By Olivia Fowler

Now let me see if I have this straight. All of our phone calls, emails, Facebook pages and any other forms of communication are being stored digitally by our government to keep us safe from terrorism.

We are told not to be concerned about any violation of our privacy, because nobody is actually listening to us. We are told everything is being loaded into a sophisticated database.

Should we be worried? Admittedly the technology involved in all of this is beyond my level of understanding. But this, if in fact true, and who knows really, raises questions.

If it’s true that this will keep us safe from terrorism, why didn’t we know about the Boston Marathon bombers? And if nobody is actually listening to the conversations, then how will they know if something “dangerous” is in the works? Why do it at all if the conversations are not being monitored?

Ralling Together

Nicole Daughhetee/Courier

Former Easley High School principal Bill Houston addresses community members at a meeting scheduled last week to discuss the future of Easley-area schools.

Easley community members meet to discuss educational future in wake of SDPC middle school decision

By Nicole Daughhetee, Courier Staff

Setting the Stage

During the May 28 meeting of the School District of Pickens County’s board of trustees, five of six members voted to terminate a contract with HG Reynolds for the Gettys Middle School renovation and to combine budgets in order to finish Brice Middle, effectively killing a plan for the city of Easley to be home to two middle schools.

On Tuesday, June 18, roughly 185 members of the Easley community, including mayor Larry Bagwell, Bill Thompson, former SDPC board trustee Kevin Kay, Gettys principal Mike Corey, and current school board trustees Judy Edwards and Ben Trotter, met in the Easley High School auditorium to discuss how best to solve the problem of educating 1,350 children in one school building that was constructed to house only 750 students.