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Daily Archives: 11/20/2018

School board election results tossed

No date set yet for new District 7 race

By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter

bnimmons@thepccourier.com

PICKENS — After a review by the Pickens County Board of Voter Registration and Elections, the results of the Nov. 6 election for the new District 7 seat on the Pickens County School Board have been thrown out.

The seat, which was contested between Phillip Healy and Alice Hendricks Vander Linden, appeared to have been won by Healy on election night as he outgained Vander Linden 1,723 votes to 1,701.

However, after a hearing Monday based on an official protest of the

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PHS gym renamed for Peggy Anthony

By Rocky Nimmons
Publisher

rnimmons@thepccourier.com

PICKENS — Officials ensured a true Pickens legend will live on forever earlier this month, as the Pickens High School gymnasium was named for Peggy Harden Anthony.

At PHS, Anthony’s name is synonymous with winning. The name is also synonymous with much more, from teacher to coach, from character building to role model. Anthony’s legacy is engrained in the people of the Pickens community not just because of her wins on the volleyball court, but for the heart and love she put into every athlete to have ever called her coach.

The Nov. 11 event served not only as a chance to christen the gym in

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Man charged with stalking police chief

CENTRAL — A Six Mile man was arrested Tuesday after agents of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said he stalked and harrassed Central Police Chief Khristy Justice for more than two years.

According to a SLED news release, Marc Matthew Justice, 44, is charged with stalking and first-degree harrassment.

An arrest warrant alleges Marc Justice used “a pattern orf words and conduct tha

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Man dies after truck overturns

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

EASLEY — A 28-year-old Greenville County man died Thursday afternoon after a single-vehicle accident.

Pickens County Coroner Kandy Kelley identified the victim as Shaun William Gilstrap of Douigann Court in Travelers Rest.

The accident occurred at 1:49 p.m. Thursday as Gilstrap was traveling west on Saluda Dam Road, according to Lance Cpl. Justin Sutherland of the

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Local Palmetto Trail passage opens

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

SUNSET — The newest passage of the Palmetto Trail is officially open in Pickens County.

The Eastatoe passage of the trail begins at Dug Mountain Angler Access on the Eastatoe River and connects to Keowee-Toxaway State Park.

Officials gathered Friday morning to cut the ribbon on the new passage.

“I was so excited that Mother Nature decided to remind us what sunshine was,” Palmetto Conservation Foundation executive director Natalie Britt said. “This is really not a bad Friday morning in the office.”

The foundation’s “passion and vision is to build the statewide mountains-to-sea Palmetto Trail,” she said.

The trail not only showcases public lands, it tells the story of South Carolina “in such an incredible way to our visitors, to our citizens,” Britt said.

The passage is part of the Jocassee Gorges, which has been recognized by National Geographic for both its unspoiled nature and its environmental diversity.

“What a privilege for us as South Carolinians to have all of this environmental diversity here,” Britt said. “We know that generations to come will enjoy this beautiful place. This trail and the bridges that you will see will be here for future generations to learn about conservation, to learn about our natural resources and to really understand how important it is to really create the next generation of conservation-minded youth.”

Creating the trail is “all about partnerships,” she said. The foundation’s partners include Duke Energy, Naturaland Trust, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

“We could not do this without DNR,” Britt said. “We are continuously grateful. Our focus is connecting as many of our state parks as we can.”

PRT’s recreational trails program is another funding partner, she said.

Duke Energy awarded the foundation $100,000 toward the trail through its water resources grant program, Duke Energy South Carolina president Kodwo Ghartey-Tagoe said.

“None of this happens without corporate philanthropy,” Britt said. “Duke has been committed to trails for a really long time and committed to this project.”

Ghartey-Tagoe is a newly elected member of the PCF board.

“Duke Energy, we’ve been interested in the environment since our inception,” Ghartey-Tagoe said. “We’ve been involved with rivers and waterways since our inception.”

The Eastatoe passage provides more angler access, another goal of the Palmetto Trail, Britt said.

“That’s great for us and for DNR,” she said.

Jocassee Gorges project manager Mark Hall said one of the most important emphases of the long-range plan for the Gorges “is providing public access to the beautiful resources like this river.”

Adin Fell is the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism’s regional chief for the Mountain Region.

“We’re extremely excited to work with all these partners, whether it’s through trails or other aspects of our job,” Fell said.

The Palmetto Trail gives people “more opportunities to get out into nature, especially the Mountain Region of South Carolina State Parks,” he said.

“The mountain’s an extremely limited resource here in South Carolina,” Fell said.

Britt said the next Palmetto Trail opening will be the section that connects Oconee State Park to Stumphouse Mountain Bike Park.

 

Mayors read letters from centennial time capsule

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

PICKENS — The Pickens County Museum of Art and History kicked off its “150 Days of Pickens County History” campaign Thursday with a special event.

Pickens County mayors read from letters and other contents placed in a time capsule that was buried at the Pickens County Courthouse in 1968.

Daniel James oversees the museum and has been working with the time capsule’s contents since it was unearthed on Oct. 1.

James and Anne Sheriff and Mildred Brewer with the Pickens County Historical Society were the first people to lay eyes on the contents of the capsule.

The campaign will be celebrated using the museum’s social media pages.

“Each day we plan on sharing something we opened from the capsule,” James said.

Six mayors, as well as Pickens County Councilman Trey Whitehurst, filling

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Member of the month

Corner Drug Store, located at 205 E. Cedar Rock St., was recently announced as the Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce’s November member of the month. Family-owned and operated since 1960, the Corner Drug Store has always been an advocate for the local community.

 

Easley business defaced in July to get new look

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

EASLEY — An Easley business that was defaced with with racist graffiti in July is going to get a new look, thanks to a partnership between the owner and the city of Easley.

On Nov. 12, city council members approved a resolution to place a 10-foot mural on the exterior side wall of Rosa’s Hair Salon, located at 208 N. West Main St.

“When Rosa’s side of her building got vandalized … there was some discussion about potentially doing something to the side of her building,” city administrator Stephen Steese said.

The agreement gives the city permission to place the mural, which will

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Bolding MVP of North/South All-Star match

DUE WEST — The 2018 North/South All-Star volleyball match was played Nov. 17 at Erskine College.

Pickens High School seniors Sydney Bolding and Lexi Wierzbicki were chosen to play on the North team.

The North 4A and 5A teams were coached by Eastside High School coach Susan Meadows. The South squad was coached by former Pickens coach Jennifer Gravely, now the head

Pickens County salutes its veterans

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

LIBERTY — The name of the city hosting Pickens County’s “A Salute to Veterans” program on Nov. 11 was not lost on U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan.

“It’s not missed on me that we’re in Liberty, South Carolina, at the moment,” Duncan said. “Liberty’s a powerful word. It’s a strong word for freedom. A free country is kept free by the men and women standing on the wall guarding us, guarding the Constitution of the United States that ensures our freedom.”

The Pickens County Performing Arts Center hosted the program on Veterans Day, following a veterans parade through downtown Liberty. The lobby of the center was transformed into a museum of local military history for the event.

Pickens County Council chairman Roy Costner said the number of veterans

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