Category Archives: News
Liberty unveils 150th anniversary logo, announces art exhibition
LIBERTY — The city of Liberty celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2026, and officials 
unveiled a sesquicentennial logo for the city to highlight the celebration.
The unveiling came as part of a community social held at the Rosewood Center on Saturday afternoon.
Mayor Andrea Wagner raised the curtain on the easel displaying the logo.
“This year is a special moment in the life of our city,” she said. “We are very proud to
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Prisma staff encourage early testing for flu
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
STATE — Prisma Health staff encourage the public to get tested for the flu soon after 
they notice symptoms.
Prisma Health has facilities in South Carolina and Tennessee, and according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures shared by senior media relations coordinator Sandy Dees on Jan. 8, state season flu activity is increasing in most areas of the country,
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Daniel boys beat Pickens for region lead
PICKENS — With leading scorers Jackson Conley and Will Swann forced out of action early due to foul trouble and injuries, the Daniel High School boys’ basketball team was 
forced to change things up on Monday night against county rival Pickens with first place in Region 2-4A on the line.
The Lions (10-7, 3-0 Region 2-4A) went five out offensively, driving and kicking as they picked the Blue Flame (7-10, 2-1) apart with their lethal three-point shooting led by guards James Epting and Emory McIntyre, allowing them to pull away for an 80-48 win.
“When Will’s out, we just have to play differently,” Daniel head coach Ben Touchberry said. “The guys knocked down shots, and it’s a testament to them. They come in early and stay late getting extra shots in the gym. It’s just due time when they start finding looks that they’re going to hit shots.”
Epting and McIntyre were at the forefront of the Lions’ three-point onslaught, hitting nine of the team’s 11 made three-pointers in the contest. McIntyre, an eighth-grade starter for the Lions, was especially impressive, scoring a career-high 22 points as he drilled five three-pointers.
“He’s an extremely hard worker,” Touchberry said of McIntyre. “Everyone knows, including me, that he is very young, but he is very talented. I think he’s got a good supporting cast around him to help mold him and show him some of the little intangible things.”
Things didn’t look good for the Lions early when Swann aggravated a lingering ankle injury in the opening minutes. That didn’t stop Daniel from building an early lead, but Pickens responded with baskets from Shepherd Smith and Brooks Dow to cut the lead to 13-8 as Conley exited the floor with two fouls for Daniel.
Consecutive three-pointers from McIntyre and a controversial tech on Pickens’ Will Stone on a held ball were enough for Daniel to build a 23-12 lead after one quarter.
The Lions kept their hot shooting going in the second quarter as freshman guard Kingsten Bibb worked his way around and through the Pickens zone to pick up five first-half assists as the lead grew to 33-16. The Blue Flame weren’t going away though, with Dow, Lane Respass and Kyler Wilson all picking up huge buckets to cut the lead to 40-29 at halftime.
The Lions seemed to catch fire to start the second half, with McIntyre and Epting continuing their barrage before a rim-shaking alley-oop finish from Conley off a pass from Epting put Daniel ahead by 30 points midway through the quarter. Pickens managed to score just four points in the period, leaving head coach Jeff Harrelson disappointed after a strong first-half finish.
“We had a little rough start, but I was proud our guys fought back and cut it to 11,” Harrelson said. “We just didn’t take advantage of when we had the advantage inside and they got hot.”
Leading 66-33, McIntyre opened the fourth quarter with his fifth and final three-pointer of the night as the Lions rolled to the win.
Daniel 80, Pickens 48
DWD 23 17 26 14 — 80
PHS 12 17 4 15 — 48
Daniel (80) — McIntyre 22, Epting 16, Johnson 10, Conley 9, Bibb 5, Bell 3, Tucker 3, Carter 2, Freeman 2, Justice 2, Keys 2, Williams 2.
Pickens (48) — Dow 14, Wilson 11, Arnold 9, Respass 7, Smith 4, Roper 2, Fuller 1
Ballenger reflects on his career, legacy at Blue Ridge Electric
By Riley Morningstar
Special to The Courier
PICKENS — After 55 years of dedicated service, Terry Ballenger retired as the Senior Vice President of Communications of the Blue Ridge Electric Co-op at the end of December.
Born and raised in Pickens County, Ballenger began part-time work in high school and through college as a summer employee in the early 1960s. He credits getting his foot in the door of the co-op by being a neighbor of A.J. Hurt, Blue Ridge’s first CEO.
After graduating from the University of Georgia, Ballenger began as a full-time staff
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Sunset Ceremony honors departed veterans
SIX MILE — As light winter rain fell at 5 p.m. on December 28, families, veterans, and community members gathered at Semper Fi Barn for a poignant Sunset Ceremony honoring 22 local veterans who passed away in 2025. Loved ones came forward one by one to hang dog tags bearing the names of fathers, brothers, husbands, and friends who
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Two teens charged after incident leads to damage at Easley church
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — Two teens face felony charges after an incident in the parking lot of an 
Easley church last month.
According to a release from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, the agency received a 911 call at 11 p.m. Monday, Dec. 22, reporting teenagers “detonating explosives and performing burnouts” in the parking lot of Mount Pisgah Baptist
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Juvenile rams into Pickens police vehicle
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — A juvenile was taken into custody after authorities said he rammed a Pickens Police Department vehicle during a chase Sunday morning.
According to a PPD release issued Sunday, at 5:09 a.m. that morning the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a gun being fired outside Pickens city limits.
Upon arrival, the initial deputy encountered a vehicle that immediately fled the scene, prompting a pursuit, the release said.
The vehicle, which was later confirmed to have been stolen out of Greenville the previous day, led the deputy into the city of Pickens, where PPD officers joined the pursuit, according to the release.
At one point, officers believed the vehicle to be contained in a business parking lot, but the driver continued to flee, causing property damage and nearly striking deputies who were on foot, the release said, adding that the driver disregarded the presence, commands and emergency equipment of the deputies.
According to the release, the driver intentionally rammed a Pickens officer’s vehicle twice “in an attempt to evade apprehension.”
Losing control of the vehicle on John Street, the driver then fled on foot, continuing to actively resist officers and deputies, the release said. Authorities said a Taser was deployed, but proved ineffective before officers took the suspect into custody shortly afterward.
The suspect, a juvenile whose name was not released because of their age, was found to be armed with a handgun “with an obliterated serial number,” the release said.
The release said as part of a subsequent joint investigation between the Pickens PD and PCSO, a search warrant was executed, “which led to the recovery of additional evidence related to an unrelated firearms theft and a small quantity of narcotics.”
An investigation with the PCSO, Greenville Police Department and S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice remains ongoing, the release said.
AnMed limiting vistors amidst flu outbreak
ANDERSON — AnMed is temporarily limiting visitation to the health system’s 
hospitalized patients to up to two people at a time. As is standard policy, visits by children younger than 14 years of age should be coordinated with the patient’s
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