Category Archives: Local News
Liberty mayoral debate set for Monday
LIBERTY ‑- Hear directly from Mayor Erica Woods and Andrea Wagner at a 60-minute mayoral debate on Monday, October 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Pickens County Performing Arts Center.
The evening opens with remarks by Clay Counts and is moderated by Roy Costner. Public is invited.
See streaming on Liberty Advocate Facebook page
Wolf Creek annexation gets early OK
PICKENS — The city of Pickens recently approved planned development (PD) zoning associated with a 
proposed annexation and residential project known as Holder Ridge, located near Wolf Creek School Road and Mauldin Lake Road, during a regular monthly meeting held on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Pickens City Hall. The PD framework establishes specific design, density and infrastructure standards for the project while
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Pickens man charged with lottery fraud
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — A Pickens man is accused of fraud involving lottery tickets after an investigation by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
SLED spokeswoman Renée Wunderlich said the South Carolina Education Lottery requested the investigation.
Charles Ray Seawright, 47, of Pickens, is charged with two counts of intent to defraud, counterfeit game 
tickets, she said.
Seawright was charged on Oct. 4.
A warrant alleges that on July 26, Seawright “with intent to defraud” unlawfully passed a quantity of stolen South Carolina Education Lottery
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Clark announces bid for Easley City Council Ward 4
EASLEY — Chris Clark, a longtime Easley native, is running to represent Ward 4 as part of the Easley 
City Council. According to Clark, her slogan is “Born Here; Raised Here: Ready to Serve.”
Clark was born at Baptist Easley Hospital and graduated from Easley High School, and except for an 11-year stint in the Mt. Pleasant/Charleston area, she has lived in Easley most of her life.
“I’m not running because I have it all figured out; I’m running because I
Mayor: City is steady, responsible and proud
When I talk about the strength of Pickens, I’m not just talking about our spirit — I’m talking about our finances, too. A strong city needs both. And I’m proud to say that in 2025, the city of Pickens is in better 
financial shape than it’s been in many years.
If you’ve been following along with city council meetings or reading the budget summaries, you’ve seen the change for yourself. If you’ve been listening to some on social media more concerned with creating drama than knowing or telling the truth, you might think the city is on its last legs. They are talking about the past and ignoring the progress of the last two years.
Back in 2023, our general fund budget was overspent by around
Candidate forum set those running for Central seats
CENTRAL — The Town of Central will hold a forum for the four candidates running in the November 4 
election for the three city council positions and the one candidate running for the position of Mayor. City Council candidates include Doug Barry, Daniel Evatt, Robert C. Griffin and Sara Paige Hudson
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Community Calendar 10-15-25
• Dacusville Lions to host monthly bingo
The Dacusville Lions Club will be hosting Bingo night on the second Thursday of each month at the Lions Building in Dacusville, located at 1384 Thomas Mill Road. The next Bingo session will be Thursday, November 13.There are set to be 10 games beginning at 7 p.m., and proceeds will go toward funding community events and other community needs.
The games should conclude around 9 p.m. Bingo night will be a family-friendly eve nt and monetary
Legislators discuss bridges, teacher pay
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Roads and bridges, education and the safety of legislators are among the concerns of some members of the Pickens County Legislative Delegation.
Sen. Rex Rice and Rep. Neal Collins gave a delegation update during the Sept. 29 meeting of Pickens United.
Rice is concerned about the number of bridges currently out in Pickens County and the time it is taking to repair them.
“Probably the biggest thing we’ve got going on is the number of bridges we’ve got out in Pickens
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Sheriff wants ‘culture of service’ at PCSO
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Pickens County Sheriff Tommy Blankenship spoke about the sheriff’s office’s community outreach efforts and its staffing needs at a recent meeting of Pickens United.
“We’ve had a lot of changes, mostly internally, focused a lot on the culture of our agency, moving it toward what it should be — a culture of service,” Blankenship said at the Sept. 29 meeting.
He said the sheriff’s office has an updated mission statement. It reads, in part, “Beyond
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Area woman dies in Hwy. 178 car wreck
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
LIBERTY — A Liberty woman has been identified as the victim in a fatal two-vehicle collision last week.
Pickens County chief deputy coroner Tommy Page said in a release that Pickens County Emergency Medical Services responded to a two-vehicle wreck on U.S. Highway 178 at Pickens Drive in Liberty on Friday. Page said he also responded to the scene.
A passenger car had crossed the centerline of the highway
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