Drill helps agencies prepare for potential school gunman
A soundtrack of screams and mayhem played over the public-address system Wednesday morning at Hickory Tavern School. Chaos was the idea as local law enforcement and first responders conducted a live-shooter drill, roleplaying what might happen if a gunman entered the school. “You get to see that things come from different angles and it all…
Read MoreGreenwood escapee captured in Laurens County
UPDATE: An anonymous tip to the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office just after 11 a.m. Wednesday led to the capture of a man who escaped from the Greenwood County Jail a few minutes later. After receiving the tip that escapee Nathaniel Tyler Wideman, 22, was in Gray Court driving a blue Ford Taurus sedan, an LCSO…
Read MoreMissing Thornwell teens found safe
UPDATE, AUG. 17 Three teenagers who ran away from the Thornwell Home for Children in Clinton Tuesday night were found safe late Wednesday afternoon. The three were found near Trotter’s Restaurant on Highway 76 in Clinton, about 2.5 miles from Thornwell. Local law enforcement from Clinton Public Safety, the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office and SLED…
Read MoreClear the Shelter Day set for Saturday, Aug. 19
The Laurens County Animal Shelter will be participating in Clear the Shelter Day for the first time beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19. Clear the Shelter Day is a national event held in 20 states in which animal shelters offer adoptions at reduced or no fees. “I’ve been communicating with several other shelters…
Read MoreGraham visits, backs tough talk on North Korea
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) outlined his healthcare solution and supported President Donald Trump’s reportedly off-the-cuff tough talk concerning North Korea at a meeting Wednesday with local business and government leaders. Graham spoke about an hour and took questions from a group of around 25 people at the Laurens City Hall, reiterating GOP talking points about…
Read MoreSumter woman killed on I-26 Tuesday night
A Sumter woman was killed on I-26 in Laurens County late Tuesday night when the vehicle she was riding in collided with a tractor-trailer. The accident occurred at Exit 61 near Joanna, killing Margaret Brookins, 46, of Sumter. She was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident at 11:53 p.m., said Laurens County Deputy…
Read MoreCounty Council meeting erupts into brouhaha
Tuesday night’s Laurens County Council meeting devolved into a shouting match between Council Chairman Joe Wood and supporters of a county communications audit who attended the regular meeting. Overshadowed by the late-meeting barbs was the announcement at the opening of the meeting that Councilman Ted Nash had decided not to reconsider his vote, which gave…
Read MorePiedmont man leads LCSO on high-speed chase, arrested
A Piedmont man is in the Johnson Detention Center after leading Laurens County Sheriff’s Office deputies on a chase that ended in Clinton Wednesday afternoon. Antwain Jermaine Abercrombie, 28, faces burglary and a half-dozen related charges. Abercrombie is charged with driving under suspension, failure to stop for a blue light, habitual traffic offender, operating…
Read MoreFisher Barton to close local plant in September
Fisher Barton, a manufacturer located just inside the Laurens County line in Fountain Inn will be closings its doors by mid-September. Laurens County Development Corporation Executive Director Jonathan Coleman said the plant employs about 100 workers who will soon be displaced. “There are several hundred job openings in the vicinity of that plant,” Coleman said.…
Read More‘Vote Yes’ event draws supportive crowd to The Ridge
Around 200 people showed up to Tuesday night’s Kids 1st – Laurens Future Kick-Off Event Tuesday night at The Ridge. The “Vote Yes” event was organized in support of the $109 million bond referendum for a new Laurens District High School and other district-wide building projects brought forth by Laurens School District 55. The referendum…
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