Category Archives: Opinions
Letters to the Editor 2-14-24
Radio system, dispatch, 911 call center
Dear Editor,
I know some of you have read the articles about the new radio system for emergency services in Pickens County. Looking at the stories, there is a bit here and then a bit there, so let me try to give you a more comprehensive picture of the plan and what is unfolding.
The radio system that is used by rescue, fire, EMS and law enforcement is a patchwork of radio systems, changes, upgrades and a tower here and another one there. As a result, often first responders can not directly communicate
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Rocks of ages
More than 3,000 years ago, a young shepherd boy killed a giant warrior with a rock from a slingshot.
David, the shepherd boy, took some cheese sandwiches to his older brothers, who were in the army fighting the Philistines. When David arrived at the camp, he learned that everyone was afraid of a giant named Goliath. So David challenged Goliath with only his slingshot as a weapon. Goliath wore
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Grace greater than all our sin
Since you were conceived, God has wanted your attention. He has never neglected or ignored you.
If you were to write down all the blessings and victories He has given over the years, they would prove He has been guiding and helping you all along. How could any of us even consider we were created by chance? The truth is that God specifically called you and has
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
A letter to all registered US voters
A letter to all registered US voters
Dear Editor,
In November of this year, eligible American citizens will have the opportunity to vote in our presidential election. If I am able to, I will be voting for our country’s leader for the 16th time. In the almost 60 years I have voted in such elections, as well as local and state elections, I have voted as a Democrat, a Republican and
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Stay ready for the next storm
In many areas of the country it’s been a harsh winter. Snow, ice, wind, flooding … we’ve seen it all, sometimes several of those at the same time. We need to be 
prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws at us.
The first step is to know what’s coming, and when. While the local news and weather can be your trusted source, having other options can’t
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Records center has caught up
The National Personnel Records Center, part of the National Archives and Records Administration, has finally cleared up a huge, four-year backlog of 
work. Caused by the COVID pandemic, at one time they had a list of 600,000 requests for records.
From what we hear, it was a crazy time, with only a certain number of emergency personnel allowed to work in the building at once to take care of
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
It’s unwise to underestimate Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley came to Easley one day back in 2016 to sign a bill that had been championed by then-Sen. Larry Martin.
There in city council chambers, surrounded by a standing-room crowd of local 
dignitaries, Haley gave Pickens County’s longtime senator a big pat on the back for relentlessly pushing passage of an ethics reform bill, which she said would help clean out
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
It’s a surprise!
Surprises catch us off guard. After all, that’s what makes it a surprise.
According to Homer, the ancient Greeks had been trying to conquer the city of Troy for 10 years to no avail. Odysseus and the Greeks built a
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Negativity not cheering for us to succeed
I want to begin today by saying how much I appreciate you for being a faithful reader of this newspaper and this column.
Newspapers are still considered valuable to the older generations as they remember their grandparents
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
The Light of Humanity
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” — Matthew 4:1-4.
Author Primo Levi, writing about his 11 months in the Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz, said that hardest thing to bear was not the hunger, the
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
