Daily Archives: 04/01/2015
Man charged with homicide in deadly November wreck
EASLEY — A Greenville man was charged last week with reckless homicide nearly five months after a passenger in his truck died in a wreck near Easley.
Nathaniel Cleveland Blackwell, 20, of 441 Roe Road, was arrested last Tuesday in connection with the deadly Nov. 3 accident.
Pickens County deputy coroner Gary Duncan said at the time that Cory Edward Mathis, 17, of Belton, who was wearing a seatbelt, was partially thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead
New weekly feature set to focus on local small
Local Biz Buzz
PICKENS — As the only locally owned and operated newspaper in Pickens County, we at the Pickens County Courier have made it a point since our doors opened in 2007 to do our best to help local businesses survive and thrive.
As we operate a small business ourselves, we know the challenges faced by those who strike out on their own looking to make a difference.
With that in mind, we are launching a new feature this week that will shine the spotlight on a
Ready to Roll
Ready To Roll
Rocky Nimmons/Courier
The Bargain Exchange flea market hosted a car and bike show on Saturday to raise money for MARYS House, a local shelter for abused women and children. The event also featured a poker run, with participants traveling around the area looking to score the best hand. In addition to the car and bike show and poker run, concessions, raffles, music and a kids zone were featured, as well as pictures with the Easter bunny and an Easter egg hunt for the children. Pictured above, the Bargain Exchange’s flea mascot prepares to launch the first wave of motorcycles for the poker run on Saturday.
School board passes capital needs plan
By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal
goliver@upstatetoday.com
EASLEY — After months of discussion, the Pickens County School Board of Trustees gave final approval last week to a $4.65 million capital needs plan for the 2015-16 academic year.
School district spokesman John Eby said $3.25 million of funding for the plan was generated by refinancing the district’s bonds for the 2006 building program at a lower interest rate.
Eby noted the additional $1.4 million was made available due to the sale of a property on Pendleton Street for $300,000 and the movement of the Pickens Elementary project into the
‘My Hometown hero’
Pickens resident Marlene Aiken credits her 13-year-old beagle Smidget with saving her life during a recent low blood sugar incident. Although the dog has been diagnosed with kidney failure, Aiken said his heroic deeds will help him live forever in her heart.
Woman credits 4-legged
friend with saving life
By Rocky Nimmons
Publisher
rnimmons@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Heroes, they say, come in all shapes and sizes.
For Pickens resident Marlene Aiken, hers walks on four legs and always wants a rub on the head.
Her hero, a 13-year-old beagle, has been with Aiken for 11 years as her best friend and protector.
These days, Aiken has been going through the trauma of losing her best friend. Smidget, as she lovingly calls him, is sick. The beagle has been diagnosed with kidney failure, but despite his sickness, Smidget has never stopped giving.
At around 5:30 a.m. on March 18, Aiken’s fiancé, Jimmy Davis, who was sleeping in a different room, went to check on Aiken, who had been sleeping with her sick pet.
“When I walked into the room, I could tell something was wrong,” Davis said. “Smidget was
Blue Ridge Coop construction set to make more room for members
PICKENS — At the beginning of 2015, Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative embarked upon a major construction program at its Pickens office campus.
According to Blue Ridge officials, two chief concerns drove the building plans. One is what officials said was the long-overdue establishment of a modern, multifaceted operations center. Another was their need to strengthen the cooperative’s ability to conduct a quality annual meeting of its members.
One annual-meeting problem had been the lack of close and convenient parking to the site — the
School district looks at teacher pay increases
By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter
brobinson@thepccourier.com
COUNTY— The board of trustees of the School District of Pickens County has been looking into funding increases in teacher pay to try to keep up with surrounding counties.
“Our turnover rate of 7.6 percent is lower than the average of 8.8 percent for Anderson, Greenville and Oconee,” board member Alex Saitta said at last week’s meeting. “Oconee has the
Man charged in beating of convenience store clerk
PICKENS – The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Pickens man on Monday in connection with a brutal attack on a local convenience store clerk.
Benny Ray Morris
According to PCSO Chef Deputy Creed Hash, Benny Ray Morris, 40, of Pickens, was arrested without incident and is currently being detained within the Pickens County Detention Facility with bond being denied. Arrest warrants states that Morris is charged with assault and battery 1st degree and kidnapping.
In a statement the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office say they responded to the “Country Corner” convenience store located on SC 183 at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, regarding an assault to the female attendant.
Deputies arrived on the scene to find a female employee that had been
Easley Police Chief Traber set to retire
By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter
brobinson@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — Easley Police Chief Danny Traber has announced his plans for retirement after serving more than three decades with the police department.
“After 35 1/2 years, it’s time to move on and do some of the things I’ve always wanted to do while I’m still young enough to do them,” Traber said.
Traber has been police chief for 16 years.
“It doesn’t seem like 16 years,” Traber said. “It’s been a good ride.”
Traber won’t be involved in naming his replacement, but he hopes Major Tim Tollison will be
Does no one dye eggs anymore?
The world as I know it doesn’t exist anymore. It changed on Saturday afternoon.
The day began well. It was sunny, and the birds were hopping around in the yard doing bird stuff. The buds on the dogwood trees showed promise, and the peonies were well up.
It was a day conducive to getting things done. And that’s what we did. Amazingly enough, several projects were finished without interruption. That doesn’t happen very often.
A visit to the grocery store was on the list of things to be done, and it was during this task that
