Monthly Archives: February 2015
Pickens County administrator resigns after 6 months on job
Finance director Guarino takes interim post again
COUNTY — After a little less than six months on the job, Pickens County administrator Matthew Delk announced his resignation last week.
No reason was given for Delk’s abrupt resignation, and county officials said they could not comment on personnel matters.
Pickens County Council members voted unanimously at a planning retreat on Saturday to name finance director Ralph Guarino as the interim replacement for Delk as a search is carried out to find a permanent administrator. Guarino has been with the county for 15 years and has served
School board trustees to tackle prayer again
By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter
brobinson@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Pickens County School Board trustee Alex Saitta surprised his fellow board members Monday night by motioning that prayer before meetings be put on the agenda for next month’s meeting.
Board member Phillip Bowers seconded the motion.
The Supreme Court upheld prayer at meetings of public bodies in a case filed against the city of Greece, N.Y., last year. The Pickens County prayer policy was sent to the policy committee in
Forecasts: Upstate could get several inches
Rocky Nimmons/Courier
A fresh blanket of snow covers the ground outside the Pickens County Museum in Pickens on Tuesday morning. Although much of the county got more than an inch of snow, forecasters are predicting up to 8 inches on Wednesday night.
COUNTY — After the remnants of last week’s ice storm finally melted away over the weekend, Pickens County residents woke up to a blanket of snow Tuesday morning, and much more of the white stuff could be on the way.
Schools in the county were closed Tuesday after the first of two winter storm systems expected to hit the region this week dropped more than an inch of snow in much of the county overnight. As of press time, district officials had announced no decision on closings or delays for the rest of
Pickens seniors earn $115K grant
Pictured, from left, are Yancey McGill, John Howard, Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster, Sen. Larry Martin and Rep. Davey Hiott.
PICKENS — Senior Citizens of Pickens has received a $115,000 grant from Lt. Governor Henry McMaster for the completion of renovations at the Hagood Community Center.
The center, located at 129 Schoolhouse St. in Pickens, is home to the Pickens Senior Center.
The money, earned thanks to the efforts of a pair of local legislators, Sen. Larry Martin and Rep. Davey Hiott, as well as the director of the Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging, Yancey McGill, was
Grief support program has served Pickens County more than 22 years
PICKENS — H.O.P.E. Ministries, a grief support program for those who have lost a loved one through death, was founded in 1993 by Dillard Funeral Home, in Pickens.
H.O.P.E. stands for Helping Others through Programs and Exchange of ideas. Through support groups and one-on-one meetings, people learn ways to cope with a death loss. Some of the topics covered are “how long does grief last?,” “permission to grieve” and “dealing with the ups and
Gettys students printing hands for disabled children and adults
Gettys Middle School students are designing prosthetic hands for the group Enabling our Future.
EASLEY — When you think of a group working on 3D-printed prosthetic hands, you probably don’t picture a class of middle school children, but that is exactly what is happening with the students at Gettys Middle School in Pickens County.
Jonathan Scrivner, a Gettys Middle School STEM teacher and instructor for Project Lead the Way, was recently contacted by the group Enabling the Future, with a request to assist them in their efforts to print prosthetic hands using 3D printers. Enabling the Future, an organization dedicated to helping the disabled, has been working with communities across the world to make
Snow atop the jonquils
There’s a friend out there who has been longing for a snowfall all winter. She has kept her snowman decorations out to help things along. So now I see the snow coming down and realize that my friend is actually a powerful weather witch, and I’m a little afraid of her.
It is beautiful falling. I’d forgotten how pretty it makes everything look and how clean. We know what a temporary condition that is. Maybe that’s part of the beauty of snow in the South.
Have you ever heard the one about how to tell the southerners from the northerners in a neighborhood? When it snows in the South, the northerners who haven’t lived here very long can all be seen out in their driveways shoveling snow. The southerners will all be out in the front yard with the children, playing in it. They know that
Courier Obituaries 2-25-15
MARY SUE MCJUNKINS
EASLEY — Mary Sue McJunkins, 81, wife of the late Charles Newton McJunkins, died Monday, Feb. 16, 2015, at Baptist Easley Hospital.
Born in Pickens County, a daughter of the late Carvin Otis and Annie Mae Waldrop Satterfield, Mrs. McJunkins retired from Home Health Care and was a member of Rock Springs Baptist Church.
Surviving are a son, Dale McJunkins (Tina) of Easley; a daughter, Tonya McAlister (Robert) of
Discounted tickets available for Clemson’s ‘Passport to the Arts’
Clemson’s annual “Passport to the Arts” celebration is scheduled for March 6.
CLEMSON — Clemson University and the city of Clemson will host the popular and unique celebration of the arts with the signature town-gown event “Passport to the Arts” 6-9:30 p.m. March 6.
Tickets are available online at the discounted rate of $30 at www.clemsonpassport.org until March 1. After that, the price goes to $40. The ticket price includes transportation, food, drink
Rotary continues fight against polio
UPSTATE — The President-Nominee of Rotary International, John Germ, was the keynote speaker at Rotary International’s 110th birthday celebration held at the Spartanburg Marriott at Renaissance Park on Saturday, Feb. 21.
Germ presented the highlights of Rotary’s fight to eliminate polio off of the face of the earth. Rotary’s effort to eliminate polio began in 1985.
Today, with the help of the United Nations and countries throughout the world, the courageous fight has resulted in polio now being endemic in only three countries: Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Tangible progress continues to be made. Afghanistan and Nigeria have not reported a case of polio this year. Unfortunately, Pakistan has reported seven new cases.
Nevertheless, Rotary and the rest of the world are very close to ending the terrible, debilitating disease that has over the years caused death or severe disability to so many people, particularly in developing countries.
Rotary International is a service organization with 33,000 Rotary Clubs worldwide with a
