Daily Archives: 07/21/2026
Police: Ex-preschool employee charged with soliciting minor
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — A now-former employee of a local preschool has been arrested on multiple charges including criminal solicitation of a minor, according to police records.
Heather Nicole Hill was arrested on Friday, according to police records.
She is charged with eight counts of disseminating obscene material to a person under the age of 18 and one count of criminal solicitation of a minor, according to records.
A surety bond of $10,000 was set for each count.
Upstate news outlets reported that Hill was employed at
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Sheriff discusses Flock cameras use
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Pickens County Sheriff Tommy Blankenship took to social media Sunday night to discuss the use of Flock Safety cameras by law enforcement.
Flock Safety cameras’ use by law enforcement in South Carolina has been in the news 
recently.
Earlier this month, the Greer Police Department announced two officers were terminated after evidence confirmed they
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Elderly man dies after camper fire
PICKENS — A 93-year-old Pickens man died Monday, nearly two weeks after he was injured in a camper fire.
In a Monday news release, Pickens County Coroner Andrew Wilson identified the victim as Taylor Joe Lewis.
Wilson said Pickens County EMS, Pickens County Sheriff’s
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Three charged in Clemson trafficking case
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
CLEMSON — Three people were arrested on human trafficking charges last week after a Clemson Police Department investigation.
A Clemson Police Department news release issued Friday said the agency received allegations of human trafficking within the city in May.
“After confirming initial allegations, detectives opened an official investigation utilizing
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Wright, Courier recognized for excellence by SCPA
COLUMBIA — The Pickens County Courier is proud to announce that graphic designer Emily Wright has once again been recognized by the South Carolina Press Association 
(SCPA) for her outstanding work. Wright’s award-winning designs helped the Courier earn the 2026 President’s Award for Best Overall Advertising among weekly newspapers in this year’s South Carolina Palmy Awards competition.
The President’s Award is presented annually to one daily and one weekly newspaper based on the total number and ranking of advertising awards won, regardless of circulation.
A longtime graphic designer and advertising specialist who has been with the Courier since its founding, Wright captured an impressive eight first-place awards, five second-place awards, and three third-place awards in this year’s competition.
Wright earned first place in the Under 7,500 Circulation Division (Category K) for
Outdoors/Recreation with her advertisement for Durham’s Convenience Mart. Judges praised the piece, saying, “The ad was very clean with a clear message.” She also received third place in the same category for her advertisement for Waterboys Pools.
In the Automotive (Open Division) category, Wright received third place for her advertisement for Pickens Auto Repair.
She also excelled in the Restaurant/Nightlife (Division K) category, earning both first and second place honors. Her advertisement for Pete’s of Easley received second place, while her Readers’ Choice advertisement for The Open
PCSO launches check-in program for seniors
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office has begun a program that will see its 
communications staff calling to check in on elderly or other vulnerable residents.
A July 15 agency release discussed the Silver Shield program.
“PCSO is proud to release a new program geared toward providing an extra layer of protection for our elderly and/or medically fragile citizens who live alone,” the release said. “Silver Shield is a program that will use our
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Dreams are empowered with perseverance
Disappointment is a familiar feeling, especially to the ambitious. The more a person strives, the more failures they will face, but this doesn’t mean that every door is always 
locked.
Learning self-control and patience is a part of the advancement process. It is said that “True success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm,” and we certainly do not have the time to
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Courier Letter to the Editor 7-22-26
Passing secrets
Dear Editor,
All through history people have used secret ways to proclaim something controversial. Sometimes it could be a book, such as Louisa May Alcott’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” She was against slavery but feared trouble if she came out and said it, so she wrote the book,
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Calculating 2027 Social Security
There is talk among the experts who track these things that the Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) will rise 3.8 percent for 2027. This is down slightly from 
their guess of 3.9 percent just two months ago.
In other words, we can’t take that estimated increase in our Social Security benefit to the bank just yet. There is room for change between now and October, when the official 2027 figures come out based on
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