CLEAN SWEEP T Vol. 117HE No. 73 JOURNALWednesday, April 14, 2021 $100 Clemson’s Cagle T J throws no-hitter A DIFFERENT LOOK: Tornado takes down trees, changing city’s appearance. B1 as Tigers take MINNESOTA SHOOTING: Cop, chief resign 2 days after black motorist’s death. D1 doubleheader. C1 OCONEE COUNTY WALHALLA Owens wins husband’s council seat BY NORM CANNADA Tuesday’s special Christy Marlow, who probably would want THE JOURNAL election to finished with 45 votes to trust me to carry fill her late (31.69 percent), accord- on what he wanted (on WALHALLA — A little husband’s ing to unofficial results. council), and I’ll do the more than three months seat on city Write-in votes went to best I can do, not to fill after the death of Wal- council Jessie Bunning (6), Nan- his shoes — I could nev- halla City Councilman left vacant cy Todd James (3) and er do that —but to do the Dennis Owens, voters after Dennis’ Shawn Albertson (1). best I can. chose his widow to finish death in “I think Dennis is “I would like to thank out the remaining eight Owens January. happy right now. I think the residents of the city JERRY BEARD | THE JOURNAL months of his council Owens he is happy that I did who came out to vote for Oconee County officials are working to expand the mine- term. received 87 votes (61.27 it,” Owens said Tuesday able land at the county rock quarry by nearly 20 acres. Gwen Owens won percent), defeating night. “I think people SEE OWENS, PAGE A3 County working SENECA to expand quarry BY RILEY MORNINGSTAR of the quarry on Rock Prayers for healing THE JOURNAL Crusher Road in Walhalla about the current appli- WALHALLA — Oconee cation process. Quarry County is in the process manager Thom Moxley of applying to expand the formally submitted paper- mineable land at its rock work to DHEC on Jan. 18, quarry operation by near- records show. ly 20 acres. “At this time, DHEC is The S.C. Department of reviewing the application, Health and Environmen- and the information in the tal Control (DHEC) has application may change notified some residents who are within a half-mile SEE QUARRY, PAGE A5 SENECA Relief fund raises $775K to help tornado victims BY NORM CANNADA lockwise from above: Rev. Matt Turner THE JOURNAL of Ann Hope United Methodist Church SENECA — A year in the Utica mill village offers a prayer One year during a community prayer service at ago today, one day after C an EF3 tornado ripped the church on Tuesday to mark the one-year through Seneca, people anniversary of the EF3 tornado that damaged were reeling from the later ... nearly 2,000 homes and cut power to more loss of homes and other TUESDAY MARKED the than 17,000 in Oconee County. The service property. included singers, speakers and a Salvation Some didn’t know what one-year anniversary of the they would do. Help ar- devastating EF3 tornado that Army food truck that served about 100 meals rived. swept through Seneca on to residents of the hard-hit community. • Salva- Seneca city employees April 13, 2020. This week, tion Army volunteer Jerry Kinard serves meals and others from nearby The Journal is running a during the event. Volunteers prepared 200 cities and large numbers series of stories on the meals, though only about 100 were served. of volunteers locally and tornado and its lasting • Utica resident Lisa Taylor holds her grand- from other states were al- effects on the community, both positive and negative. daughter, 2-month-old Briley Carver, near the church at SEE FUND, PAGE A5 Tuesday’s service. • Utica resident Jamie Clowe holds his dog, Light Bulb, on Tuesday, the one-year anniversary of the devastating tornado that wreaked havoc in the area. NORM CANNADA | THE JOURNAL Seneca city administrator Scott Moulder looks through folders with applications for the city’s Tornado Relief Fund. PHOTOS BY JERRY BEARD | THE JOURNAL | INSIDE | | INFO | WILLIE SAYS: ARRESTS A6 COMICS B3 OPINION A4 DELIVERY (864) 882-2375 CALENDAR A2 ENTERTAINMENT B4 SPORTS C1 CLASSIFIEDS (864) 882-2375 I’m with Uncle CLASSIFIEDS D2 LIFESTYLE B1 STOCK REPORTS D4 ADVERTISING (864) 973-6305 COLUMNISTS B3 OBITUARIES B2 WORLD | NATION D1 Frank! B5 Lake Keowee Waterfront MELANIE FINK Furnished, Several Upgrades, Fireplace AND ASSOCIATES Open Floor-plan, Low Maintenance Loaded with Community Amenities Priced at $235,000 melaniefink.com | 303 Rochester Hwy, Seneca | 864-888-3211 | PAGE LABEL EVEN | A2 THE JOURNAL WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 Duke Tuesday’s COVID-19 siren test numbers at a glance Confirmed Confirmed Percent cases deaths positive today South Carolina 447 12 5% Oconee County 6 0 1.6%* THE JOURNAL STAFF Pickens County 15 1 2.9%* SENECA — Duke En- * Seven-day moving average ergy's second siren test of the new year will take Cumulative cases place today. South Carolina: 472,310 cases, 8,177 deaths The Oconee Nuclear ASSOCIATED PRESS Station will test 65 sirens A vial of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine sits on a table at a pop-up Oconee County: 8,450 cases, 125 deaths within 10 miles of the vaccination site at the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center in the Staten Island borough Pickens County: 16,459 cases, 249 deaths complex in Oconee and of New York on Thursday. Pickens counties for three Oconee Memorial Hospital ICU occupancy minutes, which will hap- Beds available: 12 Beds taken: 7 pen between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. today. To ensure the Beds occupied by COVID patients: 3 sirens are functioning cor- DHEC addresses vaccine pause rectly, officials said it may SOURCE: SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL be necessary to test some THE JOURNAL STAFF more than 6.8 million and Moderna shots. sirens more than once. doses of the vaccine have “Because of this, the Local broadcasting COLUMBIA — The been administered. pause on Janssen vaccine stations will not interrupt S.C. Department of “Right now, these is less of an impact in our | CALENDAR | regular programming Health and Environmen- adverse events appear to state than we would expe- to broadcast Emergency tal Control (DHEC) has be extremely rare,” a joint rience if a pause occurred THURSDAY Alert System messages, placed an “immediate statement from the CDC on Pfizer or Moderna OCPL FRIENDS of the Library book sale every Thursday in the since it is a quarterly test, pause” on the distribu- and FDA said. “COVID-19 vaccines. Millions of peo- Walhalla Library basement from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. No more than according to officials. tion of Johnson & John- vaccine safety is a top ple in the United States nine customers at a time. Masks will be required. Other tests in 2021 are son’s Janssen one-shot priority for the federal have received doses of slated for July 14 and Oct. COVID-19 vaccine after government, and we take vaccines with very little FRIDAY 13. For more information federal health agencies all reports of health prob- side effects,” the agency DEMENTIA SUPPORT group at 11:30 a.m. at the walking trail about the outdoor warn- recommended the move lems following COVID-19 said. “Our top priority is picnic tables in front of Oconee Memorial Hospital, 298 Memorial ing sirens, visit duke-en- Tuesday morning. vaccination very seriously. protecting the health and Drive, Seneca. Email [email protected] for more ergy.com/NuclearEP. The Centers for Dis- People who have received safety of the public. This information. ease Control and Pre- the (Janssen) vaccine who pause is evidence of very vention (CDC) and Food develop severe headache, close safety monitoring as SATURDAY WMS student tests and Drug Administra- abdominal pain, leg pain or part of the strict quality FLEET RESERVE Association, Branch 15, will meet at 8:30 a.m. for tion (FDA) called for shortness of breath within assurance that is in place breakfast followed by a business meeting at 9 a.m. at Chicopee positive for COVID-19 the pause over concerns three weeks after vaccina- to ensure patient safety.” United Methodist Church, 403 S. Catherine St., Walhalla. Open to WALHALLA — The about blood clotting. tion should contact their Approximately 80,498 all former and active U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine and U.S. Coast Guard School District of Oconee The two agencies said health care provider.” South Carolina residents personnel. [email protected] or (864) 638-7553. County said Tuesday that a they were investigating DHEC said the federal had received the Janssen student at Walhalla Middle clots that happened six government had been pro- vaccine as of Saturday, School was the only person to 13 days after vacci- viding nearly 7,000 doses according to DHEC data. in the district who tested nation. The Associated of the vaccine a week, positive for COVID-19 the Press reported the clots compared to more than The Associated Press previous day. occurred in veins that 40,000 each of the Pfizer contributed to this report. The South Carolina drain blood from the Department of Health and brain and occurred New Plants Environmental Control together with low plate- Quality Without Compromise & Vegetables, (DHEC) publishes lists lets. 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