Area Breaking News

Making a phone call in the 8-6-4 is about to get a little more complicated for some because of the 8-2-1. An overlay, which adds the new 821 area code to new users in the area previously served only by the 864 area code, goes into effect July 19, meaning all calls in the region…

The Laurens County Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve first reading on a tax incentive plan for “Project Onward,” a proposed residential development on the former Watts Mill site off of Highway 221 just North of Laurens. Greenville-based Clear Mountain Properties requested a Special Source Revenue Credit for the $50 million development, which will…

A Gray Court man was killed Tuesday night in a single-car accident on Warrior Creek Church Road, the Laurens County Coroner’s Office said. Chief Deputy Coroner Patti Canupp identified the victim as William Anthony Bayliff, 28, of Gray Court. He died at the scene of the wreck, Canupp said. The accident occurred around 10:50 p.m.…

Local residents were getting a slight respite from extreme heat Monday and Tuesday, but don’t expect the milder temperatures to last long, the National Weather Service said. A heat wave over much of the U.S. drove temperatures into the high 90s this past week and included a predicted heat index of 104 degrees in Laurens…

A crash on I-385 in Laurens County Saturday left three people injured and one dead. The accident, which occurred around 5:40 p.m. near mile marker 13 in the Gray Court area, tied up traffic on southbound I-385 for several hours Saturday evening. Traffic was detoured down Highway 14. According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol,…

The victim of a drowning in the Saluda River near Irvin Pitts Memorial Park in Ware Shoals was identified Monday by the Laurens County Coroner’s Office. Juan Otoniel Antonio Simon, 23, was found in nine feet of water by the Swift River Rescue Team about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, some three hours after emergency personnel were…