Both Laurens County school districts showed improvement when the statewide report cards were released this week by the South Carolina Department of Education. District 56 received good or average ratings in all five of its schools. Its three elementary schools – Clinton, Eastside and Joanna-Woodson – received good ratings, which were improvements from the 2021-22…
Laurens, South Carolina – Laurens County School District 55 announced at a recent press conference that it had been selected for a highly competitive, federally funded Teacher and School Leader Incentive Grant totaling $13.5 million over a three year period. To prepare for the application process, the district partnered with the National Institute for Excellence…
UPDATE: Victim identified as 3-year-old Madison A. Hines of Gray Court A child was killed in a wreck Sunday afternoon on Highway 76 at Chestnut Ridge Road about three miles west of Laurens. The two-car collision occurred at 4:10 p.m. when a 2008 Chevrolet pickup traveling north on Chestnut Ridge Road ran a stop sign…
Gray Court, South Carolina – Some of the colorful and traditional dances at the Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation’s Pow-Wow on Saturday honored veterans and tribal members who had passed away over the past year. Those included former members Linda Slark and Aaron Nickelson, as well as Lillian Eller, a former member of the Elders Council.…
Laurens, South Carolina – A year ago, Squealin’ on the Square planners were watching Tropical Storm Ian become Hurricane Ian and had to make the tough call to postpone Squealin’ on the Square until the following weekend. This year, it’s a different story. The 2023 Squealin’ on the Square this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 6-7,…
Laurens, S.C. – Illegal connections to fire hydrants have become a problem for the Laurens Fire Department and the Laurens Commission of Public Works. All hydrants inside the city limits are owned and maintained by the Laurens CPW for the exclusive use of the Laurens Fire Department. It is illegal for anyone else to connect…
The South Carolina Department of Transportation has temporarily closed the bridge that spans the Enoree River on Highway 221 at the Laurens-Spartanburg County line. The closure is expected to last through Wednesday (Oct. 4) as crews make repairs to the bridge surface. A signed detour route is in place, and the SCDOT urges drivers to…
A homeless man who was struck by a train while walking on a railroad trestle above North Harper Street in Laurens Saturday night is recovering from injuries sustained in the incident. John Wix underwent a partial foot amputation due to the injuries he suffered, but Laurens Police said he is expected to make a full…
The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies are working to identify human skeletal remains found on a private property in Joanna, the LCSO said Monday morning. In addition to the LCSO, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and Foothills Search and Rescue were on the scene Monday in Joanna. SLED, Foothills Search and…
Laurens County, S.C. – Members and guests of the Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation SC will be coming from across and beyond South Carolina this Saturday in celebration of the local tribe’s 16th Annual Pow-Wow, and the public is invited to experience the tribal traditions of the region’s first inhabitants. “The Pow-Wow will begin at 9…