Latest news with #OconeeEconomicAlliance
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
Deputies: Upstate woman used county-issued credit card for personal purchases
OCONEE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – An Upstate woman is accused of using a government-issued credit card to make more than $10,000 worth of personal purchases. 41-year-old Alicia Anais Smith was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent. According to the Oconee County Sheriff's Office, Smith worked as a senior administrative assistant for the Oconee Economic Alliance. Investigators said Smith had a county-issued credit card to make business-related purchases as part of her duties. County administration reported to law enforcement in December 2024 that Smith had been using the county's credit card to make personal purchases from May 2023 to September 2024, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies said the purchases included gas, food, clothing, and miscellaneous personal and household items totaling more than $10,000. Smith was booked into the Oconee County Detention Center and released on $10,000 bond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Five years later, Seneca community reflects on deadly tornado
SENECA, S.C. (WSPA) – On April 13, 2025, Seneca was devastated by the EF-3 tornado. 'I remember getting up, trying to get to the station and from my house to the station is usually about a five minute ride,' said Chief Richie Caudill, Seneca Fire Department. 'It took me probably a half hour to get here. I had three flat tires when I got here. Just trying to get to the station was a completely different deal. All the poles were down in the city with roofs blown off, houses laying in the road, everything was blocked.' First responders said the EF-3 tornado ripped through the BorgWarner plant, where one employee died. It didn't take long for reconstruction to start. 'They were quick to get that facility rebuilt and running in record time,' said Jamie Gilbert, CEO of Oconee Economic Alliance. 'I think within 30 days, they were back producing products, and that's really unheard of when you see the damage that the tornado caused.' The Oconee Economic Alliance said the facility bounced back, even expanding after the storm. According to the Seneca Fire Department, the beginning of the journey was rough, but it changed the way they do things now for the better. 'We look at the weather a lot closer now,' said Caudill. 'We train and practice and do different things now for collapses and different things that we maybe didn't do as much before.' Ever since 2020, the phrase 'Seneca Strong' is what the community said they've been clinging onto. 'You knew what that meant. People were helping. Neighbors were helping neighbors. People were helping strangers. It didn't matter. This community knows how to respond, knows how to take care of each other,' said Josh Riches, City of Seneca Assistant Administrator. 'We had an emergency fund, and we used every single bit of that emergency fund. And we're so thankful that we had people who had prepared years ahead of us to put that aside. Because without that, we would have gone bankrupt.' The city is still waiting on full reimbursement from FEMA for the costs of cleanup from the tornado and Hurricane Helene. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
