Yearly Archives: 2020
SC appeals court sides with county in coal ash battle
By Ron Barnett
Staff Reporter
rbarnett@thepccourier.com
COLUMBIA — The South Carolina Court of Appeals has struck a major blow to a company’s four-year battle to build a coal ash landfill near Liberty, ruling that the company, MRR, misled Pickens County on its intentions and that the state Department of Health and Environmental Control erred in approving a permit change without notifying the public.
“MRR misrepresented to the County and the Pickens County Planning Commission the nature of its plan for the landfill facility and operation,” the ruling, issued Jan. 8, says.
The appellate court opinion sends the case back to the Administrative Law Court, which is bound by law to
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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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County’s road paving cycle ‘worse than we thought’
PICKENS — Pickens County’s current road paving cycle is unsustainable, according to acting county administrator Ken Roper.
Roper discussed road paving during county council’s Jan. 6 meeting.
“The paving cycle for all 658 miles of county roads is more than a 75-year paving cycle,” Roper said.
“Worse than we thought,” council chairman Roy Costner said.
Roper agreed.
With the county’s current $20 road user fee, the county can pave $1.8 million a year, or about six miles of road, he said.
“The $20 road user fee was instituted many, many years ago,” Roper said. “That’s what it pays for in today’s dollars.”
The fee is on “people who own cars and other vehicles in the county,” he
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Public invited to MLK celebration breakfast event
PICKENS — The community is invited to a free breakfast Monday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The breakfast will begin at 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20, in the fellowship hall of Griffin Ebenezer Baptist Church, located at 450 Garvin St. in Pickens. Open to the public, the event is free for all.
Unlike in years past, the event will not feature a walk to the Pickens County Courthouse. Organizers said inclement weather in the past led to the decision to hold the entire event indoors at Griffin Ebenezer.
The Rev. Anthony Williams, pastor of King of Glory World Outreach Ministries in Easley, will be the guest
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The case of the missing polecat
Does anybody out there remember Pepé Le Pew? He was a fascinating cartoon skunk who was passionately in love with a kitty cat.
Sometimes, love is blind. Poor Pepé didn’t realize that his feline darling couldn’t bear to be around him because of his unfortunate scent.
Anyone who has ever encountered a skunk who has sprayed knows how she felt.
A mystery has developed on Fowler Farm. Upon reaching home rather late in the evening, I was surprised to see what looked like a
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Courier Letters to the Editor 1-15-20
Don’t lose sight or we all lose
Dear Editor,
I saw a Facebook post about people “celebrating” our military actions in Iraq, and it made me think. It reminded me of the apocryphal pictures of Muslims dancing in the streets on 9/11.
Remember, regardless of your politics, the military actions occurring in Iraq are costing real people their lives. Unlike video games, there is no reset button when it’s game over for these young men and women.
Remember that they are operating in harm’s way under direction of people who are safely thousands of miles away.
Before you start cheering about the latest bombing raid or missile strike, imagine being the mother or father of
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Courier Obituaries 1-15-20
RUTH E. CRAWFORD KELLEY
SIX MILE — Ruth E. Crawford Kelley, 88, widow of Earl Kelley, passed away on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020, at her 
residence.
Ruth was born in Anderson County, a daughter of the late George and Ida Nix Crawford. She was a former employee of Elljean Textiles in Pickens. Ruth enjoyed making homemade quilts and various types of jellies.
Surviving are daughters, Diane Bryant of Six Mile and Glenora Arnold of Liberty; and a large number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In addition to her husband and parents, Ruth was predeceased by sons, Ricky Donald, Lewis Donald and Doug Donald; and a daughter, Brenda Lewis.
Funeral services were held on Jan. 9 in the chapel of Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home, with burial following at the Kings Grove Baptist Church cemetery.
Visit robinsonfuneralhomes.com or Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home and Cremations, Central-Clemson Commons.
LOUNELLE SIMMONS
PICKENS — Lounelle Simmons, 86, passed away on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, in Pickens.
Born in Pickens, she was the daughter of the late William Franklin Nealy and Bertie Evette Nealy, and wife of the late Sherril Dean Simmons.
She was a member of Griffin Baptist church in Pickens.
Survivors include three sons, Douglas Simmons (Phyllis) of Easley, Michael Simmons of Pickens and Keith
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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Easley girls drop heartbreaker
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — The Easley Green Wave girls’ basketball team faced an emotional rollercoaster against the 
Greenwood Eagles on Friday night.
The Wave used an 18-4 run to take their first lead in the fourth quarter, but after another Eagles run, the Wave were in dire straits in the final seconds, trailing by two points.
The Green Wave got their chance for the victory after a miss by Eagle guard Kendahl Spearman on a one-and-one opportunity, as Elizabeth Goodwin launched a half-court heave for the win.
Goodwin misfired on the attempt and a subsequent miss on a putback as time expired doomed Easley to a 44-42 loss.
“We’ve struggled a lot lately, and part of that is lack of confidence while on the floor,” Easley coach Ivan Raymond said. “Tonight we saw them be patient and play good basketball, but we didn’t get the desired outcome. Still, I couldn’t be more proud of this group.”
The Wave got off to a rough start offensively, making no field goals
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