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2 days ago | 
upstatetoday.com | Caleb Gilbert
WALHALLA — Chambers were nearly packed at Monday night’s Oconee County Planning Commission meeting, with most people ready to discuss an agenda item that would address reducing rights-of-way on private roads, reducing setbacks, increasing the number of units that can be served on a driveway and reducing road width and parking areas in subdivisions. Special interest? One of few who spoke in favor of reducing private roadway standards was Tom Markovich.
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2 days ago | 
upstatetoday.com | Caleb Gilbert
As you may have read in Evan’s column just last week, I’ve caught a bit of the golf fever. I’m 25, almost 26, and I never thought I’d be here. I used to be firmly on the “I’d rather watch paint dry” side of the golf fence — but now I find myself therapeutically regripping clubs under the pergola after work.
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1 week ago | 
upstatetoday.com | Caleb Gilbert
FAIR PLAY — One local pizzaiolo — or pizza chef — placed fifth in the entire Southeast in an international pizza competition held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Journal last did a story with Nick Harper, owner of Peace of Pie on Hartwell, three years ago when he won a sweepstakes that sent him to Parma, Italy for the World Pizza Championship, which allowed him a chance to tour the country for 10 days with the U.S. Pizza Team.
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1 week ago | 
upstatetoday.com | Caleb Gilbert
WESTMINSTER — A prominent manufacturer in Oconee County is growing. Lift Technologies, a material handling manufacturer off U.S. Highway 11 near Westminster, announced Wednesday it will be expanding its operations with a multimillion-dollar investment that will create 41 new jobs, according to a press release from the South Carolina Department of Commerce.
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1 week ago | 
upstatetoday.com | Caleb Gilbert
WALHALLA — Besides its approval of a fee-in-lieu agreement for a local manufacturer, Oconee County Council also pushed through a number of items in a less than 20-minute meeting. One procurement item was approved: Alexander-Cannon-Hill House improvements for $272,717.01.
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1 week ago | 
upstatetoday.com | Caleb Gilbert
WALHALLA — Oconee County Council moved swiftly in unanimously approving a fee-in-lieu tax agreement between the county and a prominent manufacturer looking to expand in the county. The possible expansion of “Project Shaker” would include the construction of a 100,000 square-foot addition with an “expected capital investment” of nearly $20 million and 41 new jobs, according to backup material.
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1 week ago | 
upstatetoday.com | Caleb Gilbert
WALHALLA — Friends are good. Friends who raise money for you are even better. That’s exactly what the Friends of the Library do for the Oconee County Public Library system. With today marking the last day of Library Appreciation Week, The Journal stopped by the Friends’ used book sale on Thursday, which was held in the basement of the Walhalla Library. Stephanie White, president of the Friends, and Nancy Churchwell, treasurer, were eager to talk about what the organization does.
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1 week ago | 
upstatetoday.com | Caleb Gilbert
SENECA — The Corinth-Shiloh Special Purpose Tax District Commission met earlier this week to discuss and approve its upcoming fiscal year 2025-26 budget. A little over $1.2 million in both revenue and expenses was approved unanimously by the commission.
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2 weeks ago | 
upstatetoday.com | Caleb Gilbert
SENECA — The Oconee County Republican Party has new leadership at the top, including a newly elected chairman who, politically, may be relatively unknown to a few in Oconee County. Barry Sanders earned the title of chairman at Saturday’s Oconee County Republican Party convention, earning 147 votes. Perry Smith earned the role of vice chair with 132 votes, while Valerie McCarthy was elected executive committeeman with 164 votes.
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2 weeks ago | 
upstatetoday.com | Caleb Gilbert
I’ve been got. I flew close to the sun. I have been humbled. Predictably (for you, not for me), I did not win the office-wide March Madness tournament challenge. I did not finish second, third or fourth — I finished 10th. Shockingly, my previous column was taped to the window of my office and is currently staring me down as I write this. If you don’t remember my last column, I don’t fully blame you, but it reeked of optimism, overconfidence and flat out cockiness.
