Area News
County: LOST decrease impacting tax bills
A crowd of Laurens County residents voiced concerns over increased property taxes at Monday night’s county council meeting. While county officials have raised property taxes by about $15 for every $100,000 in assessed value for residences and other properties, they said most of the increases have to do with Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) dollars…
Read MoreGray Court residents vote to turn over water to LCWSC
Residents of the Town of Gray Court voted overwhelmingly in the Nov. 5 General Election to turn over ownership of its water system to the Laurens County Water and Sewer Commission (LCWSC). But Town Manager Garry Smith said those residents really won’t notice a thing. “The (LCWSC) has been managing the system for over five…
Read MoreImani Milele Children’s Choir returns for PC performance Wednesday, Nov. 13
Clinton, South Carolina – In late November, 2020, children and staff from the Imani Milele Choir gave a final departing concert on the sun-dappled banks of Lake Greenwood at Camp Fellowship, where they had spent eight months during the pandemic. Now the choir is back on tour from Uganda for a performance in Clinton, this…
Read MoreNoon, 7 p.m. today, Nov. 12 – Ashmore honored amid dual history/Veterans programs at Laurens County Museum
Laurens, South Carolina – Veterans Day will be commemorated with programs at noon and at 7 p.m. about the US Navy during the Revolutionary War and General Francis Marion on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at the Laurens County Museum. The evening program will be followed by the awarding of a national DAR historian award to Durant Ashmore,…
Read MoreCounty hosting Veterans Day ceremony at new Monument Park
Laurens County will host a Veterans Day Ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday at the new Veteran’s Monument and Memorial Park at the Laurens County Library. The ceremony is the first event held at the Monument and Memorial Park, which was recently completed on the library campus at 1017 West Main Street in Laurens. The Veterans…
Read MorePhilson defeats incumbent Anderson for county council seat
Petition candidate Arthur Philson unseated long-time Laurens County Council member Diane Anderson, winning the District 6 seat on council with 55% of the vote in Tuesday’s General Election. Philson won the seat with 1,831 votes, while Anderson finished with 1,487 votes. He entered the race for the District 6 seat as a petition candidate rather…
Read MoreSC Law Enforcement reminds voters: Understand voting laws, no ballot photos
Laurens County, South Carolina – Ahead of the Tuesday, Nov. 5 General Election, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is reminding voters that taking “Ballot Selfies” is illegal. The following is a release by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), reminding South Carolina voters that it is unlawful to take a photo of your…
Read MoreSecond Class inducted into county’s expanded Hall of Heroes
Laurens County, South Carolina – The Laurens County Veterans and First Responders Hall of Heroes organization on Sunday afternoon held its second annual Hall of Heroes induction ceremony. This is the second year since the organization expanded to hold ceremonies in Laurens County, while also including personnel from 911 Emergency Dispatch, Emergency Medical Services, Fire…
Read MoreCounty council gets update on Hurricane Helene damage, effects
Laurens County Administrator Thomas Higgs presented a wrap-of the county’s efforts during and after Hurricane Helene left a path of destruction in its wake in the county almost a month ago. Higgs said approximately 593 homes were affected by the storm, 43 of which were completely destroyed and about 200 had “major damage.” Damage estimates…
Read MoreEarly voting sets new marks, continues through Saturday
Early voters are casting ballots for this year’s General Election in record numbers across the state and nation, and Laurens County is no different. More than 8,000 ballots had been cast in the county as of Tuesday afternoon, a significantly higher number than around 6,000 no-excuse absentee and early votes cast in 2020 during the…
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