Campaign seeks to raise $500k for Soapstone Baptist Church
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Those hoping to continue protecting a historic mountain church in Pickens County are issuing a challenge.
Soapstone Baptist Church has been a pillar of the Liberia community, founded by freed slaves, for more than 150 years.
For years, the future of the church, the
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Pickens names new city administrator, mayor pro-tem

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — The city of Pickens kicked off 2024 by naming a new city administrator.
After an executive session at its monthly meeting Monday night, Pickens City Council unanimously voted to hire former Aiken economic development director Tim O’Briant as
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Report: County jobless rate down
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
COLUMBIA — The unemployment rate in Pickens County went down slightly during in the latest jobs report released in late December.
The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) reported that unemployment went down three tenths of a percentage point
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The plot, the pirate, the plan
During the War of 1812, the British turned their attention to the city of New Orleans.
It was an important port on the Mississippi River. Steamships carried American exports of cotton and sugar to ocean-going vessels. Booming business made lawyers, insurers and
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The cost of being close to God
We talked about taking a stand for Christ last week, but being a Christian is also a walk which in the light of scripture refers to conduct.
Ephesians’ second chapter mentions how we once walked with the world fulfilling the lust of our flesh,
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Courier Letters to the Editor 1-10-24
A riveting exploration of risk taking
Dear Editor,
“Eyes of a Spore,” by Kyle Johanesson, is a historical fiction novel available via Barnes and Noble with a plot eloquently intertwined with gems of romance, coming of age and adventure. The plot revolves around John Vurduct, who has recently inherited his deceased father’s tailor shop in 1850s Independence, Mo. He lives each day in excruciating monotony with Victoria, his love
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Kittens versus senior cats
One of my easy-to-accomplish resolutions for 2024 was to adopt a kitten, maybe 2-3 months in age. After consulting the local humane society’s website and seeing dozens of tiny cats listed, I paid a visit to the shelter’s group kitten room.
Of course they were cute, swinging from the chandeliers, racing, climbing and tumbling. And of course they were completely uninterested in the humans in the room who were smiling and
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Here we go again
I’m not the only one who has opted, once again, to stay home. Both the rec center and the senior center are cutting back on classes and hours because of the lack of participation, again, but mostly because of the sudden increase in cases of COVID, again. Of course this could include the
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Courier Obituaries 1-10-24
MONNIE LEE BROOME
GREENVILLE — Monnie Lee Broome, 82, of Greenville, passed away Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023.
Monnie was born in Spartanburg, on Aug. 15, 1941 to parents Emmett M. and Ada White Broome. He was a graduate of Spartanburg High School (1959) where he served as president of his class. Monnie helped plan class reunions for 60 years where he enjoyed close relationships with many of his classmates. He met the “love of his life,” Jackie Gravely while attending the University of S.C. on athletic scholarship. He transferred to Wofford College where he participated in football as a scholarship athlete. He graduated in 1964 and continued to be a strong supporter of Wofford throughout his life.
He joined JP Stevens & Company (Greenville) and spent his entire career in the textile industry. In 2014 he retired as Executive Vice President of Human Resources from JPS Industries.
During his career, Monnie was President and Board Member of the Carolina Society for Training and Development, two-time Chairman of the HR Division of SC Textile Manufacturers Association, Board Member of the S.C. Textile Manufacturers Association, Member of Society for Human Resources Management, Chairman of the Regional Educational Association Advisory