Local councils take part in state leadership training
COLUMBIA — City council members from the City of Liberty and the City of Pickens spent last week in Columbia More »
Hot-shooting Hillcrest keeps Easley winless in region play
By Bru Nimmons Sports Editor bnimmons@thepccourier.com EASLEY — Holding a 60-57 lead entering the fourth quarter of their matchup against More »
LWVOP receives empowerment grant to expand local voter education efforts
UPSTATE — The League of Women Voters of Oconee and Pickens Counties (LWVOP) is excited to announce that it has More »
PC Native Plant Jubilee returns on May 2
LIBERTY — The Pickens County Native Plant Jubilee will return for its second year Saturday, May 2, bringing together gardeners, More »
Nuclear fallout
I don’t spend a lot of time brooding about such things as nuclear holocaust.
But when I found out last week that the federal government is looking to put South Carolina in the business of manufacturing 
plutonium pits — essentially doomsday triggers — it pushed my hot buttons.
This is a bad idea on many levels.
First, a little background.
About 20 years ago, the Russians agreed with us to get rid of some of the excess plutonium the two superpowers had built up over the years by foolishly racing to see who could make the most bombs. The plan was to convert the stuff into a form that could be used in nuclear power plants, a process called mixed-oxide fuel fabrication (MOX).
We would build our MOX plant at the Savannah River Site in Aiken County, where
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Dennis Chastain honored by state
Pickens County historian and naturalist Dennis Chastain was recently honored with a South Carolina State House resolution by Rep. Davey Hiott. The resolution honored Chastain for his outstanding work of history, research, articles and countless tours to help promote the Upstate region. Chastain’s knowledge of and understanding of this information is second to none, the proclamation said. Pictured are Chastain, center, with his wife, Jane, and Hiott, along with Pickens County Councilmen Wes Hendricks, left, and Roy Costner, right.
Officials honor Easley state wrestling champ
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — County and city officials recently recognized an Easley teen for bringing home a state wrestling championship.
During a meeting last month, Pickens County Council passed a resolution in honor of Easley High School’s Joshua Hill for winning the Class 5A individual state wrestling championship, the first in Easley High School history.
Council chairman Roy Costner read the
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Courier Letters to the Editor
Every litter bit hurts
Dear Editor,
Everyone needs to do what they can to stop littering.
Instead of throwing trash out your window, you can keep a bag in your car to put your trash in. You can surely throw it out at the nearest convenience store.
You should also keep trash picked up in your yard and neighborhood.
County employees go out occasionally and do their part to pick up trash on our roads. Prisoners can go out and pick it up, too.
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Endless summer days on the farm
We ate our first watermelon of the season last week, and the first bite took me back immediately to Grandmama’s back porch in summer. It’s been a long time since a watermelon has come my way that could be rated as good as Uncle Jack’s, but this one made 
the cut.
We had the perfect climate — hot — and the perfect soil — sandy — to grow world-class watermelons. And that’s what Uncle Jack did. It wasn’t the main crop, but it could be counted on to bring in a respectable amount of income if the weather cooperated.
He only grew two varieties of watermelons— Congos and Charleston Grays. The Congos had a dark green skin with stripes that were even darker. The Charleston Grays were a lighter green. They were both large watermelons, and both had a delicious sweet and juicy flesh.
When watermelons started getting ripe, the hands would bring them up from the
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Daddy’s fishing lake
Not many people own a lake. Well, our daddy built, owned and operated a fishing lake. Sometime in the early to mid-1950s, he decided to construct a lake just below the intersection of two small branches a short distance from the house.
A local contractor was hired to build the earthen dam. He had an old Caterpillar dozer that he used for such things. I remember he and Daddy talking about finding the right type of dirt for the core. The core is probably the most important part of the dam, because it prevents seepage. Generally, clay soil is used because clay particles are very fine and the water almost never flows through them. Well, they must have found the right type of clay soil directly below the old barn, because the dam has never leaked. When completed, the lake encompassed slightly more than an acre.
This pond was a young boy’s natural attraction. When I was not working, I could be found in, on or at least near the water. Strange as it might seem, I even enjoyed cutting the weeds from around the waterline with a sling blade or the old scythe. Daddy had
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What’s seniors’ No. 1 reason for ER visits?
A recent study revealed that the number of deaths from senior falls has tripled. This is not new. A 2015 study also concluded that the number of falls was increasing, even when America’s growing senior population was taken into account.
For those over age 65, falls are the leading reason we go to the emergency room. Falls can start a vicious cycle: A simple fracture or brain injury can lead to hospitalization, which can bring its own problems, such as catching an infection or becoming weak from staying in bed. Being weak can lead to more falls … and more decline. An older study concluded that one-fourth of seniors who had a hip fracture died within six months. Many of those who
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SWU president receives Duke Citizenship Award
CENTRAL — Southern Wesleyan University president Todd Voss received the Duke Energy Citizenship Award during the annual banquet of the Clemson Area Chamber of
Commerce on June 4.
The Duke Energy Citizenship Award is presented to a recipient who exemplifies the characteristics of good citizenship and selfless service. The annual award recipient has a deep concern and love for their community — someone who always steps up when there is a need, placing community over self. Their continuous contributions over time, often quietly, raise them to the stature of community icon for giving and doing.
Accepting the award for Voss, who was traveling outside the country, was his daughter, Emily Voss Slabaugh.
In presenting the award, Leigh Anne Puryear, community relations liaison at Duke Energy, said, “Southern Wesleyan University states that it is their goal to develop
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Easley FIRST Lego League team competes at invitational
EASLEY — A FIRST Lego League robotics team from Easley, the Thunderbolts, competed at the FIRST Lego League Razorback International Invitational at the University of Arkansas from May 17-19.
The Thunderbolts are one of many teams sponsored by BOSCH Anderson. They were elated to hear their team name called out as a Champion’s Award Finalist during a carnival Friday night, held in conjunction with the invitational. To be considered for a Champion’s Award Finalist was a huge honor. The Champion’s Awards are presented to those teams who excel in all four areas of the
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Courier Obituaries 6-26-19
VERNA MARIE ROCCO
CENTRAL — Verna Marie Rocco, 79, passed from this life Thursday, June 20, 2019, at her home.
Born in New Castle, Pa., she was a daughter of the late Kenneth L. Book Sr. and the late Georgetta Clark Book.
Verna was of the Catholic faith, enjoyed playing bingo, was a vendor at the Anderson Jockey Lot and an avid news watcher, and she loved her family.
Survivors include a daughter Elizabeth Holbert (Timothy Mize) of Liberty; grandchildren, Curtis Holbert, Benjamin Holbert, Michael Holbert, J. J. Holbert, Michelle Pickens, Cherokee Holbert and Cheyenne Holbert; 10 great-grandchildren; 12 great-great-
