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 »
Rain washes out Doodle Trail bridge
By Ron Barnett
Staff Reporter
rbarnett@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — If you’re itching to make your first Doodle Trail ride of the spring between Easley and Pickens, you might have to hold off for just a bit longer.
You can’t get there from here — whichever direction you’re going — on the four-year-old recreational trail that connects the two cities along an old railroad bed.
That’s because last week’s heavy rains
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Collins: Education reform bill presents ‘opportunity’
By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal
goliver@upstatetoday.com
EASLEY — State Rep. Neal Collins spent time recently with Pickens County teachers, telling them he is glad to see the state legislature finally putting in effort to reform education in South Carolina.
“This is my fifth year (in the General Assembly), and education hasn’t been put at the forefront,” Collins said at the meeting, held in the Easley High School auditorium. “I’m extremely pleased that this is the year of education.”
Collins said he is pleased with the efforts being made by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and Speaker of the House Jay Lucas.
“For the first time in a long time, we have a lot of momentum in education — basically my lifetime. It’s been 30 to 40 years since we’ve had this sort of momentum coming through the State House,” he said.
But Collins cautions that just because the bill has momentum, that doesn’t mean it is a sure thing.
Even if the bill passes the House, just one senator could stop the
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Southern Wesleyan to present ‘Little Women’
Musical based on Alcott’s classic novel set for March 28-30 at Hobson auditorium
CENTRAL — Southern Wesleyan University’s Fine Arts Division will present a musical based on the beloved literary classic “Little 
Women” at the Newton Hobson Chapel and Fine Arts Center on March 28-30.
The musical is based on Louisa May Alcott’s 1869 semi-autobiographical novel with a book by Allan Knee, lyrics by Mindi
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Clemson’s Shivar graduates from the SC Fire Academy
COLUMBIA — Kimberly Shivar of Clemson Fire Rescue was one of 
25 graduates on March 1 from the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation’s South Carolina Fire Academy.
The academy is an eight-week firefighter candidate school in Columbia. Shivar underwent a 320-hour training program of classroom and hands-on firefighting skills development. Keynote speaker was Chief John C. Thomas of the North Augusta Department of Public Safety.
The comprehensive training, offered quarterly at the fire academy, includes emergency responder first aid training, hazardous materials operations training, auto extrication, flammable liquids and gas firefighting, rescue training, and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Firefighter I and Firefighter II levels.
Shivar earned the prestigious Chief Robert Frick Award. The award is given to the recruit with the highest grade point average.
BBQ chicken fundraiser planned for Saturday at Six Mile Baptist
SIX MILE — Six Mile Baptist Church, located at 150 N. Main St., will host a BBQ chicken plate fundraiser this Saturday, March 9, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Proceeds from the sale will go toward updates and enhancements to the church’s 100-year old worship center and classrooms. Patrons are invited to dine in at the Roper Building or get takeout. Both will be available for the same price.
Plates will include fresh BBQ chicken, cole slaw, baked beans and bread with tea, coffee and water to drink for $10 per plate.
For more information about the fundraiser or to order in advance, call Rev. Ray Longenecker at (864) 506-0410.
Community Calendar
• PHS class of 1979 planning reunion
The Pickens High School Class of 1979 is making plans for its 40-year reunion, to be held in Greenville on Oct. 5.
To make it feel more like their years of roaming the halls at PHS, the class is inviting friends from the classes of 1977-1981 to join. Details will be revealed soon, but for now, PHS alumni are urged to visit phsblueflame1979.com to sign in to the Roll Call area to stay informed as the plans come together.
• PCLA plans spring book sale this month
The Pickens County Literacy Association’s annual spring book sale is scheduled for March 29-30 at the Pickens Presbyterian Church social hall.
This year, the PCLA has a large number of DVDs, cookbooks and
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Just another ordinary day
It was an ordinary, uneventful Friday evening, cool and, of course, raining as it had every single miserable day for more than a week. As often happens on Friday evening, I was meeting a group of friends 
for supper at a fairly new restaurant. And I was looking forward to it.
I got into the car, pulled out into the driveway and headed toward town.
About halfway there, I thought I felt something brush against my foot. I thought it was the bottom of my jeans, but I was mistaken. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a mouse ran over my leg, raced across the gear stick and darted across the floor on the passenger side, escaping beneath the glove compartment. It was mousey in
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Voting by mail in SC would save time and money
After deciding to vote early in last year’s election, my wife and I stood in line for more than three hours at a Charleston shopping center early voting facility. The first hour was spent huddling in line under 
an umbrella to ward off the rain.
What is now proposed in our legislature is the state spending more than $500 million for new voting machines that would include a paper trail for every vote that is cast. A far better alternative would be a vote-by-mail system, as already proven in Oregon, a vote-by-mail pioneer in 1998, and since adopted by the states of Washington and Colorado.
When you’re voting at home, there’s no standing in line or having to rush to the polls after getting off work. This explains in part why the
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Major win for the environment
Feb. 26 was a good day for conservation and the environment. President Donald Trump has an opportunity to make it even better.
Nearly five months after Congress allowed the critical Land and 
Water Conservation Fund to expire, the House followed the Senate and permanently reauthorized the fund as part of a massive public lands bill. President Trump should sign the bipartisan measure into law as soon as possible.
In South Carolina, the fund is an important supplement to land conservation and outdoor recreation efforts. The fund has contributed almost $300 million to the state over the past 50 years.
Losing support of that magnitude would be a terrible blow to South Carolina, where the fund has aided land and historic site projects in all 46 counties. Among those are Fort Sumter and more than 20 parks in Charleston, including Waterfront Park, as well as Congaree National Park in Columbia, Falls Park in downtown Greenville, and
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Don’t be seduced by romance scams
Romance can be lovely … except when it isn’t. Disaster can be part of the package if the new “perfect match” is a scammer. There are far too many ways for thieves to con seniors.
Online Dating Sites — You can’t really know who’s on the other end of the ads you view, but there are some warning signs that a potential date might not be honest. He or she might profess love all too quickly, or send photos that don’t look real. You
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