Within these walls
Historic schoolhouse restored, marker unveiled at Soapstone By Jason Evans Staff Reporter jevans@thepccourier.com PICKENS — A historical marker on the More »
This week in the PICKENS COUNTY COURIER’s FOOTBALL FRENZY Sponsored by MOUNTAIN VIEW FUNERALS AND CREMATIONS
ON A ROLL!! LIBERTY OVERCOMES SLOW START FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WIN LIONS LOOKING TOWARDS CLINTON; GREEN WAVE PREPARE FOR MANN; More »
Pickens Lip Sync Battle sparks community unity
PICKENS — The second annual Lip Sync Battle was held at the Pickens Amphitheater on Saturday, bringing music, laughter and More »
Grand opening held for Hagood Mill Pavilion
The grand opening of the Heritage Pavilion at Hagood Mill Historic Site was held on Friday at a free community More »
PC Habitat for Humanity to host dinner next week
COUNTY Pickens County Habitat for Humanity (PCHFH) invites neighbors, supporters, and community partners to gather for the Have a Heart More »
4th annual Barns, Boots, Brew and Silent Auction set for Oct. 7
EASLEY — Family Promise of Pickens County is excited to present its 4th Annual Barn, Boots Brew and Silent Auction More »
County jobless rate up slightly in November
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
COLUMBIA — The unemployment rate in Pickens County went up slightly during the month of November, state officials said in a recent jobs report.
The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) reported that unemployment rose only a tenth of a percentage point from 2.6 
percent in October to 2.7 percent in November. DEW also reported 1,536 county residents were unemployed at the end of October, compared to 1,560 county You must be logged in to view this content.
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Central officials discuss railroad underpass
By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal
goliver@upstatetoday.com
CENTRAL — Central Town Council and a retired South Carolina Department of Transportation traffic engineer discussed ways to improve traffic congestion at the town’s railroad underpass last month.
“We’ve tried for the last 15 years since I’ve been on council to come up with a solution and get a new crossing for the railroad side,” Mayor Mac Martin said. “Our last attempt was rejected by Norfolk Southern in 2019. So the planning committee really wants to pursue the traffic at the underpass, specifically the 10 to 15 minutes people come to school and leave school each day.”
Martin said Eric Dillon presented council with “a couple of options” and brought photos for those in attendance to examine. Martin emphasized the
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DNR: Sassafras road may be closed during winter weather
COUNTY — Recreational users of the Sassafras Mountain Overlook, the Foothills Trail and the Palmetto Trail should be aware that severe winter weather may close the road to the overlook and the trail parking area for safety reasons.
When severe winter weather is forecasted, Pickens County may close the gate on F. Van Clayton Highway, the road to Sassafras, about a
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mile away from the overlook. Any vehicles left at the parking area near the overlook would be inaccessible if they are still there when the road is closed.
Because of the steep grade of the road, and its high elevation, the road can be dangerous when covered with ice or snow.
The closings will be posted to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) website and on social media. Advanced warning to the closures may be limited due to changing weather conditions.
To check on the status of the road to the Sassafras Mountain overlook, call the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office at (864) 898-5500.
Sassafras Mountain overlook is part of the Jocassee Gorges in northern Pickens and Oconee counties along the North Carolina border and surrounding Lake Jocassee. The property features numerous forest ecosystems and many rivers and streams. Jocassee Gorges, acquired by SCDNR in 1998, is also home to rare and unusual plants and animals. Recreational uses include hiking, backpacking, hunting, fishing, mountain biking, paddling, birdwatching, and nature viewing.
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DHEC urging flu shots before surge
COLUMBIA — Flu season runs from September to May, but peaks from December to February.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is urging people to get the flu vaccine after the agency said last week its latest flu report was significantly higher than the past two years.
The flu report Dec. 5-11 showed 775 lab-confirmed cases across the state,You must be logged in to view this content.
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What can we expect in 2022?
A satirical look back at 2021 and ahead to 2022…
So what can I say about the year that has flown by at about 186,000 miles per second?
One of its themes was the debate over whether government has a right to tell freedom-loving Americans to use deodorant so we don’t smell so bad we make everybody around us sick — or something along those lines. Except unfortunately you can’t smell a virus.
The year started off with a patriotic parade through the U.S. Capitol, led by a colorful fellow wearing something that looked like buffalo horns and a dead coyote on his head. The theme of
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Secret Santas make the magic
Secret Santa has returned to the North Pole until next year. Secret Santa has been around for a long time. The tradition of Secret Santa originally came from Scandinavia, a game called Julklapp. An elf would leave a gift at someone’s door, knock on the door and run away. In 
the United Kingdom, it’s called “Kris Kringle.” In Germany, Secret Santa is called “Wichteln,” which means “elf.”
The game begins when each player fills out a questionnaire that asks you to list the kind of
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Is farm pyrolysis the best answer to climate change?
Every day it seems there is a catastrophic event that is in some fashion related to climate change.
Seventy to 80 percent of the people are in agreement now that climate change is a serious issue — if not the most important issue — the 
world faces today with regard to the habitability of our planet. We have all heard and been encouraged to take the hundreds of steps we can do personally to reduce our carbon footprint. And we have heard/read about governmentally and business-wise switching to solar, wind and others as our energy source.
The purpose of all is to stop or vastly decreasing putting carbon dioxide, methane and other global warming gases into our atmosphere. But attendant to the problem is the time delay of
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Perfect time to begin anew
The New Year is here, and I’m excited to see what 2022 has for us! My hope is this coming year will be a season of abundance not just with material prosperity and success, but of love, health and spiritual awareness. As we plant seeds of faith, may we have the patience and expectation to witness the harvest of God’s blessings.
One of my personal resolutions is to be more generous and joyful, even when things are not going well. I’m reminded of a quote by Mother Teresa, who said, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.”
January means “beginning,” and as we plan our resolutions, this is the perfect occasion to consider developing physical, emotional and spiritual lifestyle changes. You notice I used the word “developing,” because our goals are often a lengthy process. For example, eating a salad
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Lions fall short in Christmas tourney
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
CENTRAL — After winning their first two games last week, the Daniel High School boys’ basketball team moved on to the finals of its annual Christmas tournament against Wade Hampton on Thursday.
The Lions, however, came just short of championship glory, falling 59-50 to the Generals in the championship game.
“They did a really good job offensively of pushing the ball,” Daniel head coach Ben Touchberry said of Wade Hampton following the loss. “Defensively, they did a really good job of stopping our penetration and
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Pickens girls win pair heading into Christmas
PICKENS — The Pickens High School Lady Blue Flame picked up two wins earlier this month to head into the Christmas break with a 5-4 overall record.
“This team is so much fun to watch grow together,” Pickens coach Rikki Owens said. “They are
getting better with court awareness, game situations and the chemistry among each other. Despite adversity, they have the best attitudes, and we are starting to get on the radar for hard competition. These girls are a force to be reckoned with, for sure.”
In a Dec. 13 home game,the Lady Blue Flame defeated the Lady Mustangs of Palmetto High School, 52-36. Eighth-grade guard Ava Owens led the Lady Blue Flame with 14 points, 12 steals, nine rebounds
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