Area Breaking News
Wreck involving 18-wheelers injures 2 at rest area
An accident at an I-385 rest area in Laurens County involving four vehicles, including a pair of 18-wheel semi trucks, sent two people to the hospital Wednesday morning. The accident occurred around 8:30 a.m. when an 18-wheel tanker truck carrying animal remnants attempted to pull into the rest area at Exit 6. The tanker rammed…
Read MoreCarroll elected as county council chairman
Laurens County Council members spoke of unity as a theme for the coming year Monday night at council’s first meeting of 2025. Council welcomed newly elected members Matthew Brownlee (District 2), Justin Lane (District 7) and Arthur Lee Philson Jr. (District 6), and in its first order of business elected a new chairman and vice-chairman.…
Read MoreCHS student arrested after gun, marijuana found in vehicle
An 18-year-old Clinton High School student was in jail Wednesday after a firearm and marijuana were discovered in a vehicle belonging to the student in the student parking lot. Jalen Shands was taken into custody and transported to the Johnson Detention Center where he is awaiting a bond hearing scheduled for Thursday morning. According to…
Read MoreLaurens County schools close in anticipation of snow, ice
Friday’s forecast for severe winter weather has caused both Laurens County school districts 55 and 56 as well as Thornwell Charter School and Laurens Academy to close Friday. Districts 55 and 56 will shift to e-learning on Friday as will Laurens Academy. LA officials said their e-learning assignments will not require internet connectivity. Thornwell…
Read MoreBenfield leaving Laurens Co. Chamber for Fountain Inn post
Laurens County Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Amanda Benfield will be leaving that post in February to accept a new position with the City of Fountain Inn. The Fountain Inn City Council voted unanimously to approve Benfield’s hire at a short meeting Thursday night. Benfield, who has spent the past seven years as head of the…
Read MorePowerSchool breach may impact Districts 55, 56
Laurens County, South Carolina – An international cybersecurity data breach has impacted a portion of PowerSchool’s customers, including Districts 55 and 56 in Laurens County. On Thursday, the information had been posted to District 56’s website and District 55 sent a letter to its families and staff. The South Carolina Department of Education press release…
Read MoreSpartanburg man dies in Clinton crash
A Spartanburg man was killed about 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8, in a two-vehicle crash in Clinton. Laurens County Deputy Corner Ashley Rushton identified the victim as Nicolas Perez Mendez, 54. According to Rushton, Perez was a passenger in the rear seat of a 2025 Toyota SUV that collided with a box truck at Highway…
Read MoreWoman perishes in Gray Court mobile home fire
A fire at a Gray Court residence Saturday claimed the life of a 68-year-old woman, the Laurens County Coroner’s Office reported. The victim was identified as Teresa Posey of Highway 92 in Gray Court. The fire erupted in the single-wide mobile home around 8:30 p.m. Saturday and was extinguished by county firefighters after about an…
Read MoreAdditional charges filed in false identity case
Additional charges have been filed against a Simpsonville woman already accused of falsifying her identity in order to gain employment with Laurens County School District 55. Bryia Lattimore Scott as arrested Monday and charged with unlawful conduct toward a child, the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office said in a release. According to investigators, Scott, who was…
Read MoreCarter remembered for legacy of service, presidency
For a Southerner like Ernie Segars – and James Earl Carter – the weather in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 1977 was bitterly cold. It was sunny and around 28 degrees – but the wind chill made it seem like it was in the teens – when Carter took his oath of office on the…
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