Daily Archives: 07/02/2014
2 charged in Easley fire
SLED: Man set blaze to kill
witness in robbery trial
EASLEY — An Easley man faces multiple felony charges — including three counts of attempted murder — after police said he tried to cause an explosion at a home to keep a witness from testifying against him in a trial last week.
Alexander Tuckey Dillard, 22, was charged with one count of third-degree arson, three counts of attempted murder, 10 counts of manufacturing a destruction device and one count of intimidation of a witness.
In addition, Alexis Jade Adams, 18, of Travelers Rest, was charged with one count o
Pickens police suspend officer
PICKENS — A Pickens police officer has been suspended without pay after allegations of misconduct.
According to Pickens city administrator Katherine Hendricks, officials received a complaint on June 19 of misconduct involving the officer and a woman.
The matter was briefly investigated by the Pickens Police Department before being turned over to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Hendricks said the officer is suspended without pay until the investigation has been completed.
Pickens, Easley plan holiday celebrations
Let your red, white and blue ready, as Pickens and Easley are planning events to celebrate the July 4 weekend.
In Pickens, the City of Pickens and Pickens Revitalization Association are inviting all visitors to downtown as the city will host a celebration from 3-10 p.m.
The event will feature free live music on the Pickens amphitheater stage, featuring the Katlin Owen Band and Friends. Various vendors will offer food, as will the Pickens Fire Department, and a $10 wristband will get visitors unlimited carnival rides for the day.
The night will wrap up with a fireworks display.
The following day, Pickens will host its third Cruise-In and Music on Main event of the summer. The event, which will feature a cruise-in open to all vehicles, will also
School board weighs prayer
By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter
brobinson@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — A recent decision by the United States Supreme Court made it legal for certain government entities to have prayer at their meetings, and Pickens County School Board members wasted no time getting the ball rolling on bringing prayer back to their monthly meetings.
School board chairman Alex Saitta and fellow trustee Jim Shelton recently held a meeting with community members and three local pastors to discuss a new policy for opening board meetings with prayer.
Gilead Baptist Church, the Rev. Jimmy Anthony of Prayer Baptist Church in Norris and the Rev. Shem Durham of Cannon Mountain Baptist
County council passes budget
By Nikki Rutledge
For The Courier
nrutledge@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Pickens County Council held its last meeting before summer session last week, voting unanimously to approve the final reading of the fiscal year 2014-15 budget, which includes no tax increase.
In addition, council members heard a request for approval to honor Medal of Honor recipients from Pickens County.
Council chairman Neil Smith made the motion to rename four structures across Pickens County after the four local soldiers who have received the medal.
“We are extremely proud of the fact that we have not one, but four unique
Big League World Series coming back to Easley later this month
EASLEY — The host team has been announced, and plans are heating up for the 2014 Big League World Seiers, set to kick off later this month in Easley.
The series, to be held at the J.B. “Red” Owens Complex in Easley for the 14th year in a row, will officially kick off with a Fan Fest on July 22. Games will be played July 23-30.
Trying to win its first series crown since 2007 against teams from around the country and the world, the S.C. District 1 host team will feature three county players
The fundamentals
Dwayne Bryant, left, of Southern Wesleyan’s men’s basketball team, and Charles Wimphrie, center, head basketball coach, watch as a young camper executes the “step-back” dribble to avoid their “trap” and advance past them during SWU’s Fundamentals First Basketball Camp. This year’s camp, for ages 6-16, took place June 23-27 at the Central-Clemson Recreation Center, with more than 90 youngsters participating. Along with key fundamentals that build basketball skills, the camp also stresses character development.
Elljean Baptist plans veterans service July 6
EASLEY — Elljean Baptist Church, located at 605 Elljean Road in Easley, will host a special service for veterans on Sunday, July 6, at 11 a.m.
The Veterans Service Corp of S.C. will recognize and present all veterans with a medal of recognition during the service.
There will also be military vehicles on display.
Mikoshi opens doors in Pickens
PICKENS — Mikoshi Japanese Steakhouse opened its doors in Pickens on July 1.
Mikoshi strives to bring its customers the exquisite taste of Japanese food at an affordable price, according to owners Mingxing Ni and Fang Ni, who said they are excited to offer a casual Japanese dining experience in Pickens.
Mikoshi Japanese Steakhouse will have a grand opening and Ribbon Cutting Celebration on Wednesday, July 2, at 10:45 a.m. at 209 Hampton Ave. in Pickens.
“We are very excited to welcome Mikoshi Japanese Restaurant to the Pickens
Siren test planned near Oconee Nuclear Station
UPSTATE — Sirens located around Oconee Nuclear Station will be tested Wednesday, July 9, at approximately 11:50 a.m.
No public action is required during the three-minute test. By testing the sirens, state and county officials and Duke Energy ensure the sirens are operating properly. The full-cycle siren test is performed once each quarter. County emergency officials are responsible for sounding the sirens.
Hearing a siren does not mean to evacuate. In an emergency, the siren sounding is a signal for residents to tune to a radio or TV station in their area that would carry an emergency alerting message. County officials would use the stations to provide
