Category Archives: News
Burrow, LSU too much for defending champs
By Alex Maminakis
Courtesy The Journal
alex@upstatetoday.com
NEW ORLEANS — In the end, there was no slowing down Joe Burrow and LSU’s prolific offense.
No. 1 LSU stormed back from an early 17-7 deficit on Monday night and proved to the college football world what it may have already known — that it was the best team in the nation this year — beating Clemson 42-25 to win the College Football Playoff National Championship Game and complete a perfect 15-0 season.
The loss brought an end to Clemson’s 29-game winning streak — a streak that began after the Tigers lost to Alabama in the same building two years ago.
“Obviously a disappointing night for us, not the way we envisioned it going,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “I’m thankful for our team. I’m thankful for God’s grace, for allowing me to be part of such a special group of
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Newly elected Easley officials sworn into office
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — The large crowd expected for the swearing-in of the city of Easley’s newest officials necessitated a 
change in venue for city council’s January meeting.
The swearing-in ceremony for Mayor Butch Womack, Councilman Nancy Breazeale, Councilwoman Pat Webb and Easley Combined Utilities Commissioner Eric Goodwin was held at Gettys Middle School’s W.M. Scott Auditorium on Monday night.
County council vice chairman Chris Bowers served as emcee.
“This is really a time of celebration for all the hard work, but it’s also a time of commitment for all of these folks that are
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The cure for what ails you?
When I found out that a study released last month showed that people who eat chili peppers at least four times a week are 40 percent less likely to die from heart attack and 60 percent less likely to die from a stroke, it brought 
to mind a subject I’ve been wanting to write about for quite a while.
If food is medicine — and the truth is, it really is — there’s a place in Easley where you can get your prescription filled with locally grown, unadulterated fruits and veggies just about any time of year, and it’s called the Farmacy.
I had been wondering about this little store at the fork in the road between South B Street and East 3rd Avenue ever since it opened about two and a half years ago. Of course the name is what caught my eye.
It was pretty obvious that they were selling a lot of good fresh produce, but being a creature of habit and always in a hurry, I never took the time to stop in and check it out until a
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Short-handed Wave fall to Greenwood
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — Facing any opponent without your starting point guard is a tough proposition, but the Easley Green Wave boys’ basketball team seemed up to the challenge without sophomore guard Princeton Rhodes early on in 
Friday night’s region matchup against the Greenwood Eagles.
Rhodes’ absence proved too much, though, as turnovers and sloppy play plagued Easley down the stretch in a 64-50 loss.
“When Princeton is out, we have to play guys at different positions,” Easley coach Mike Jones said. “Then, when you play a team that is so athletic and so defensive-minded like Greenwood, it really exploited some of the areas that we are normally stronger at.”
With Rhodes out with injury, sophomore Kain James picked up the slack and had a strong game, scoring 15 points and keeping Easley afloat in a game that always seemed within reach, even though the Green Wave were unable to close the gap.
“Every time we started to make a push, I felt like they upped the pressure defensively,” Jones said. “Some bad turnovers at those critical points just never allowed us to get over the hump.”
The Wave started off in a hole, letting Greenwood go on an 8-1 run
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New book tells story of Holly Springs dog
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — A new children’s book tells the story of a connection between a local woman and the dog she befriended.
“Hambone” was published Nov. 1 by 
Ambassador International.
“I am a lifelong Pickens County resident,” author Liz Rampy said.
A Clemson University graduate, Rampy has experience in the classroom and in the public sector. “Hambone” is her first book.
“I have always had the idea that I would probably write a children’s book,” Rampy said. “I work with children, I relate to them well and I enjoy writing.”
The subject of her book may be familiar to customers and
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Poster contest winners
The Six Mile and Clemson Lions Clubs sponsored the International Lions Clubs Peace Poster Contest for the sixth, seventh and eighth grades at R.C. Edwards Middle School in the fall. First-place winners were recognized during a joint awards banquet of the two clubs on Nov. 14 at Six Mile Town Hall. Pictured are sixth-grader Marenda Riggins of Six Mile, sponsored by the Six Mile Lions Club, and seventh-grader Hallie Ray of Central and eighth-grader Marie Burton of Clemson, both sponsored by the Clemson Lions Club. Christy Garrett, pictured at right, is their art teacher. She led their creative work under the theme of “Journey of Peace.”
Community mourns Wyche’s loss
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Former NFL head coach and Pickens County Councilman Sam Wyche died last week.
Wyche died Thursday after a battle with metastatic melanoma. He was 74.
Wyche joined the Furman University Paladins as a walk-on before becoming the team’s starting quarterback in 
1964 and 1965. He played semi-professionally for the Continental Football League’s Wheeling Ironmen before signing with the Cincinnati Bengals. He also played for the Washington Redskins, the Detroit Lions and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Wyche’s coaching career began as an assistant coach with the University of South Carolina, where he was studying for an MBA degree.
He was the head coach of the Indiana University
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Pickens boys snap 69-game losing streak
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
SALEM — A lot has changed for the Pickens Blue Flame under first-year head coach Jeff Harrelson.
The Flame were a rudderless program that had gone three years without a win, but after some close calls early in the season, the Flame emerged victorious for the first time in nearly 70 games with a 53-26 win over the Eagle Ridge Eagles on Monday night.
“We’ve been so close this year,” Harrelson said after the victory. “I’ve told the guys since the beginning of the year, they just have to learn how it feels to win, and we finally got
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Take a hike? no sweat
Virtual reality hike now available at Table Rock
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — There’s now a way to get to the top of Table Rock without breaking a sweat.
On New Year’s Day, officials unveiled a station at the Table Rock Visitors Center that allows users to experience 
a virtual reality hike.
Bringing virtual reality to the center was inspired by the memory of Greenville County native Tom Presnell, who passed away in August 2018.
Carol Presnell said her husband was “an avid outdoorsman.”
“He loved coming to Table Rock,” she said. “This was something that was very near and dear to his heart.”
She found the idea of brining virtual reality to the park appealing.
“Tom always said he wished everybody could see the view that he could see off
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Pickens High honors Dean at tournament
PICKENS — Melissa Dean was named the tournament honoree at the first-ever Festival of Flames Girls’ Basketball Tournament established by Pickens High School head coach Rikki Owens.
Dean was presented the honor after a breakfast held for all participating teams and prior to team play on Dec. 21 in the Peggy Harden Anthony Gymnasium by her lifetime friend and college teammate, Peggy Anthony.
Dean played basketball at Daniel High School from 1968-72 before becoming a star three-sport athlete at the University of South Carolina, playing basketball, softball and tennis. She participated in the 1973 AAU National Women’s Basketball Tournament in New York City and twice participated in the Women’s College World Series in Omaha, Neb. She was a teacher, basketball and tennis coach at Estill and South Aiken high schools for 13 years.
For 50 years, however, Dean has endured a staggering number of health issues. She has suffered torn knee cartilage; epilepsy; Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome; four brain surgeries; a stroke; a 30-day coma; permanent paralysis of her left side; Achilles tendon surgery; two bouts of breast cancer; kidney stone surgery; gall bladder
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