Area News

Firefighters from Laurens and Greenwood counties responded to a mobile home fire near Cross Hill Thursday afternoon, but were unable to save the structure. According to Laurens County Director of Fire Services Greg Lindley, the residents at 66 South Drive in Cross Hill were at home, but uninjured in the blaze. A cause of the…

A Fountain Inn woman died Tuesday from injuries she suffered in a Feb. 17 traffic accident on North Old Laurens Road. Hattie Anita Johnson, 50, of Boyd Street, Fountain Inn, was involved in a single-car accident about a mile north of Gray Court just before 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17. According to the S.C.…

In a municipal election with contested races in three cities or towns, a low voter turnout of 12.75 percent was marked by upsets in at least a couple of races. Up against two contenders for her District 1 council seat in the City of Laurens, long-term incumbent Marian Miller held onto her seat with 57.78…

Long-time Cross Hill town councilman Randy Bishop was elected the town’s mayor in Tuesday night’s election, which also seated two new council members along with two incumbents. Bishop defeated political newcomer Bobby Kersey, 69-10, earning 85.2 percent of the mayoral vote. Newcomer Beverly Lindsay Jones was the top vote getter among six people vying for…

United States Attorney Beth Drake stated on March 2 that Jason Bolt, 39, of Laurens, pled guilty on Feb. 27 in federal court in Florence, to Conspiracy to Commit Marriage Fraud, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell of Florence, accepted the plea and will…

Waterloo Elementary School Principal Taria McIntosh (nee Taria Stokes) is being transferred to a district-level position effective for the remainder of the school year, according to a press release Friday afternoon from Laurens School District 55. Jennifer Abercrombie, who is currently assistant principal at E.B. Morse Elementary will take over as interim principal at Waterloo.…

A mild, sunny day, typical of this un-wintry winter, gave way to violent thunderstorms Wednesday evening that left thousands of Laurens County residents without electricity and some with damaged property. A massive storm front, which included heavy winds, rain and hail in some areas, rolled through the county after 6 p.m. That’s when Kenneth and…

A Laurens man pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Greenville to charges stemming from a robbery of a drug store in Laurens. Iquill Wayne Morrison, 22, pleaded guilty to obstruction of commerce by robbery and to use of a firearm during a crime of violence. Morrison, who was being held in the Laurens County…

Laurens City Council amended and approved second reading of an ordinance Wednesday that will give the mayor and council members pay increases. The amended ordinance will grant $100 monthly increases for council members and the mayor. The original ordinance asked for $300 increases across the board in monthly stipends, which would have meant increases of…

A Waterloo man identified by prosecutors as a “longtime meth cook” was sentenced to 15 years in prison Tuesday after being found guilty of manufacturing methamphetamines. Roy Ellis Smith, 51, of Waterloo, was convicted for a third time of narcotics-related crimes by the Eighth Circuit Court. The jury took only an hour to return the…