Department of Transportation workers install a new sidewalk along Highway 29 in Blacksburg on Monday as part of ongoing maintenance work. Sidewalks and repairs to downtown buildings are among the issues Blacksburg Town Council will consider as it continues work this month on its 2018 budget.
Girl, 11, allegedly shoots would-be burglar
‘Right now, we can’t say if it did or didn’t happen’ — Sheriff Steve MuellerThe Cherokee County Sheriff ’s Office was continuing to investigate on Tuesday a Jan. 14 incident on Union Highway in which an 11-year-old child allegedly shot at and possibly struck a burglar entering her family’s home. As of Tuesday afternoon, however, Sheriff Steve Mueller said there’s been no evidence yet that anyone was struck and a detective was seeking to […]
Former sheriff named interim administrator
Former Cherokee County Sheriff Bill Blanton said he needed help to find the council chambers in the county administration building. He’ll be spending more time in the chambers now after his unanimous appointment Tuesday as interim Cherokee County administrator. Blanton’s hiring ends a sometimes wacky nearly 3-week search that began with the resignation of Cherokee County Administrator Holland Belue earlier […]
County suffers great loss with death of Mason
FREEProminent Gaffney businessman Bill Mason died Tuesday. Mason was the owner of Bill Mason Enterprises. He moved to Gaffney in 1991 after taking ownership of the McDonald’s restaurants on Floyd Baker Boulevard and East Frederick Street. In 1993, Mason opened the Mc- Donald’s in Blacksburg. He was dedicated to the Cherokee County community, serving on various boards including Limestone […]
MLK Day speaker stresses openness to different points of view
When he was 15 years old, Bishop M. Garrison still remembers picking up the phone to call a congressman to discuss the future impact of a new federal education law. Garrison decided to call after he heard his mother express concern about how the No Child Left Behind Law passed in 2001 would impact her job as a school teacher. […]
SC Senate overrides governor’s veto of $20.5 million to purchase 210 new school buses
State lawmakers have taken a step towards removing South Carolina’s oldest and most fire-prone buses from service. The South Carolina Senate voted Tuesday to override Gov. Henry McMaster’s veto of $20.5 million to cover the cost to purchase 210 new school buses. This followed last week’s vote by the state House of Representatives and clears the way for the state […]
Police chief requests funding for repairs to headquarters
Blacksburg Police Chief Jamie Ham has asked the town to consider roof repairs and to investigate termite damage at the police department’s headquarters, which are located in a historic downtown building. The Blacksburg Police Department is starting its 20th year inside the old town hall. Built in 1898, the town spent $327,755 in 1998 to remodel and redesign the first […]
STAR PARKER
Republicans must lead abortion debateThis year, as every year, I will be joining the hundreds of thousands who will be arriving in Washington, D.C., for the March for Life. March for Life notes the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, Jan. 22, 1973, which legalized abortion on demand in our country. The event has taken place every year since 1973 and will continue […]
GUEST COLUMNIST
Winston Churchill’s darkest hourLast Saturday I dropped off my two oldest sons and their friend at the theatre. I planned to kill a couple of hours at the bookstore, on my laptop, at a coffee shop, whatever. When I got out of the car the balmy two-degree temperature in Pittsburgh prompted second thoughts. Instead, I strolled into the theater complex, looked around, and […]
LEDGER COLUMNIST
And now, what it is, is cleanAre you really, really good at something? That question came to my mind yesterday morning when contemplating what to write about this week. As I was staring at my keyboard, bright white and spotless, it dawned on me that when I set my mind to it, I am excellent at cleaning. A couple of Saturdays ago, I came to the […]
