Area News
LDHS football season ends due to positive COVID-19 test
The Laurens District High School football season came to an abrupt end Thursday as District 55 officials announced that a person in the program tested positive for COVID-19. According to a release from District 55, the person within the program tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday and was asymptomatic until the day of the test. District…
Read MoreIncumbents fall in Dist. 55: New trustees for districts 55 and 56
In District 55, Seat 7 representative Robby Bell, who has been serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, lost soundly to opponent James Bubba Rawl, with a vote of 1,170 for Rawl to 527 for Bell. Also falling to the challenger was Seat 3 incumbent Barbara Beeks, who lost her seat to challenger Neal Patterson…
Read MoreUpgrades are coming to city, county parks
Children of Laurens County, and adults who are young at heart, will have splash pads to play in to cool off now that the Capital Project Sales Tax passed in this week’s election. The three splash pads will go into parks within the City of Laurens, Joanna and Ware Shoals as part of a large scale upgrade to…
Read MoreFormer jail guard faces more misconduct charges
A former Laurens County Sheriff’s Office deputy who worked as a guard at the Johnson Detention Center was back in jail Monday on additional charges of misconduct in office and voyeurism. Phillip Kevin Tollison, 33, was arrested initially on Wednesday (Oct. 28) and booked initially into the detention center. The LCSO requested a criminal investigation…
Read MoreTribble ousts Pitts for District 7 council seat
Republican Clinton businessman David Tribble reclaimed the County Council District 7 seat that belonged to him more than a decade ago with a victory over Council Chairman David Pitts in Tuesday’s General Election. Tribble, who also served two terms as Clinton’s mayor in the 1980s and one term in the South Carolina General Assembly, won…
Read MoreVoters say ‘Yes’ to CPST referendum
Laurens County voters approved a 1-cent Capital Project Sales Tax Tuesday, voting overwhelmingly in favor of a plan that will invest nearly $35 million in 16 building and improvement projects all around the county. When the votes were tallied, 14,370 people voted for the referendum (58%) and 10,366 (42%) voted against it. The “Yes” votes…
Read MorePENNIES for Parks: Upgrades await all city and county parks
Children of Laurens County, or adults who are young at heart, will have splash pads to play in to cool off if the Capital Project Sales Tax passes in next week’s election. The three splash pads will go into parks within the City of Laurens, Joanna and Ware Shoals as part of a large scale…
Read MoreFormer JDC deputy arrested, SLED investigating misconduct charges
The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a former deputy who worked at the Johnson Detention Center and charged him with misconduct in office. Phillip Kevin Tollison, 33, was arrested Wednesday and booked into the detention center. The LCSO requested a criminal investigation by the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) after learning of the alleged…
Read MoreCounty voters casting ballots ahead of Nov. 3 election
A week prior to the Nov. 3 General Election, local voter turnout has been heavy as early voters have taken advantage of expanded mail-in and early voting. Through 5 p.m. Tuesday, 5,458 voters have cast their ballots early at the Laurens County Board of Voter Registration and Elections offices at the Historic County Courthouse in…
Read MoreCPST: Courthouse project needed for iconic building
(Editor’s Note: The Laurens County Advertiser is taking a look at each of the 16 projects proposed to be funded by the Capital Project Sales Tax (CPST) in Laurens County. The 1-cent sales tax will be put to a referendum in the Nov. 3 General Election. The final two projects in our series take…
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