The year 2024 was filled with big stories. The Cherokee Scout scoured every edition looking for the top headlines. Here’s what we found for 2024 in review in the local newspaper’s 135th year of publication.
January
Martins Creek, Ranger, Hiwassee Dam schools reorganized: Families in the Martins Creek, Ranger and Hiwassee Dam school zones learned that their children will be going to different schools starting in the fall.
With no advance notice, no public hearing and no one beside faculty and staff at the meeting except for a reporter from the Scout, the Cherokee County Board of Education voted to reorganize several schools starting in the 2024-25 school year.
Martins Creek and Ranger schools became pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade elementary schools, with their middle schoolers moving to Hiwassee Dam Middle School in the case of Ranger and to Murphy Middle School in the case of Martins Creek. Hiwassee Dam’s pre-K through fifth-graders moved to Ranger.
The reorganizations would not close any campuses and would require some costs to retrofit, but they do result in annual cost savings and, in some cases, more programs for affected students.
U.S. 64 roundabout on ‘pause’: Read the above closely – the U.S. 64 West roundabout, not the one in downtown Murphy; that one is proceeding as scheduled.
The N.C. Department of Transportation “paused” the U.S. 64 roundabout and said it would review it after work is completed on a new intersection at the highway. A year later, work on that intersection is still in limbo.
Once the intersection is complete (whenever that is), the new connector road with Old Ranger Road will be opened with a stop sign where it intersects with U.S. 64 West.
Freakishly strong wind storm destroys storage facility in Granny Squirrel: A cold, ferocious storm brought rain and high winds throughout Cherokee County, knocking out power to hundreds and destroying a storage facility off of U.S. 19/74.
Yet, even as the wind howled from that storm, county residents had their eyes fixed on the next one, this one spawned by frigid polar air that started bringing snow and sleet to Cherokee County by that Monday afternoon.
The power outage originated in an area near Granny Squirrel, where falling limbs damaged electrical equipment leading to the outage. Powerful winds in that area also toppled a metal, multi-unit storage building operated by Rhodo Mini Storage off U.S. 19/74.
Sheriff new animal control officer: Cherokee County commissioners started off the new year facing an issue that they struggled with the previous year – how to control vicious dogs.
At the board of commissioners meeting on Jan. 11, residents spoke about a neighbor with dozens of unrestrained dogs making life miserable. However, unlike 2023, when the board was unable to come to terms over creating a local dog ordinance, this time the board had an answer.
The board appointed Sheriff Dustin Smith to be the county’s animal control officer. For his part, it is a new role he didn’t seem to relish.
Coward retirement effective Feb. 1: Judicial District 43A Senior Resident Superior Court Judge William Coward retired in January, although his official retirement date was Feb. 1.
Coward submitted notice of his retirement in a letter to court clerks in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon and Swain counties on Dec. 6.
After receiving advice from each county, Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Tessa Sellers, a District Court judge, to the Superior Court seat.
February
Art Walk video goes viral: A video of a confrontation between the director of the Murphy Art Walk and co-authors selling their book downtown during the November 2023 event provoked angry responses across multiple social media platforms.
The video shows part of the interaction between the Art Walk director and local resident Brenda FireEagle Biddix, author of the book Pond Water.
There are two versions of the video: one that was live-streamed on TikTok by the book’s co-author, Rian Mileti, who has around 150,000 followers; and a shorter version narrated by Mileti. The longer video had been set to private. Biddix and Mileti declined requests from the Cherokee Scout to see the full video.
Rudolph loses case: A man sentenced to life imprisonment for fatal bombings at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and an Alabama abortion clinic will not get a chance at a new sentence, an appeals court ruled Feb. 13.
A three-judge panel on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Eric Robert Rudolph, formerly of Nantahala, remains bound to the terms of his 2005 plea agreement, during which he accepted multiple life sentences to escape the death penalty, according to an Associated Press report.
“Rudolph is bound by the terms of his own bargain. He negotiated to spare his life, and in return he waived the right to collaterally attack his sentences in any post-conviction proceedings,” Judge Britt Grant wrote.
Murphy police move into new headquarters: The Murphy Police Department has operated for decades out of a cramped, aging headquarters patched together inside a street-level corner of the old Carnegie Library downtown. Not any more.
“After years of planning and support from the town and its residents, the Murphy Police Department officially moved into new headquarters at 498 Hill St., a facility designed to meet the demands of modern law enforcement and community service,” according to a release from town officials. The old facility “was no longer suited to the operational requirements of contemporary law enforcement.”
The town paid previous owner Samuel McAfee $565,100 in cash for the 1988 building over the summer. Officials added another $70,000 to outfit the 5,472-square-feet building, which is nearly three times the space at the old police headquarters on a 0.68-acre lot with off-street parking for visitors and a fenced, secure parking area in the back for the patrol fleet.
March
Mother accused of drowning twin sons: A Harshaw mother is in jail, accused of murdering her 4-year-old twin boys amid a messy divorce and custody dispute that left first responders distraught.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office reported that on March 2, the sheriff’s office and Cherokee County Emergency Medical Services responded to a 911 call at 75 Gooseberry Road in Murphy. The reporting party was a father who arrived at the home of his separated wife to exercise custody of his 4-year-old twin sons around 10 a.m. that day. Upon arrival, he discovered his twin sons deceased.
Genevieve Ellen Springer, the mother of the deceased twins, was hospitalized in north Georgia and charged with two counts of first-degree murder by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. Upon release from the hospital on March 2, Springer was arrested in Union County, Ga. Springer waived extradition and was transported to the Cherokee County Detention Center in Murphy on March 3, 2024, where she is being held without bond.
Law officers will not face criminal charges in raid: Law enforcement officials will not face criminal prosecution for their involvement in a December 2022 SWAT raid that left a local resident shot as he complied with their commands.
A special prosecutor assigned to review potential criminal conduct by police officers decided no charges are warranted.
The target of the SWAT incident, Jason Harley Kloepfer, survived after being shot by three of the SWAT team members. His wife, Alison Mahler, was with him at the time and in the line of fire but escaped injury. She was held in custody following the shooting before being released without charges.
A number of charges against Kloepfer were also later dropped after he revealed surveillance video of the raid from inside his home that refuted law enforcement allegations against him. He and Mahler subsequently filed a civil lawsuit in federal court in Asheville against law enforcement directly and indirectly involved in the incident.
Firefighters have new place to call home: Firefighters at the Bellview Volunteer Fire Department have a new place to call home.
The department celebrated its move from the old three-bay station that sat along Blairsville Highway, which was razed to make room for a highway project.
The new, clean and roomy five bay building is at 271 Old Bellview Road, across the street from the Bellview Community Center.
Incumbent commissioners fall: Incumbency did not lead to re-election for Cherokee County Commissioners Jan Griggs and Randy Phillips in the Republican primary election.
Griggs in District 5 lost to contractor Alan Bryant, while Phillips in District 2 lost to Valleytown Fire Chief Justin Hyde.
After Hyde won the District 2 seat unopposed in November, he declined to take office after he being notified that a conflict-of-interest statute would jeopardize his position as a county-employed emergency medical technician.
Mark Stiles, a local businessman, was selected by the Cherokee County Republican Party Executive Committee to replace Hyde in December. He was expected to be sworn in as a commissioner Monday night.
Blairsville Highway under construction: Work has started in earnest on the U.S. 19/129 – Blairsville Highway – improvement project that won’t add driving lanes to the two-lane highway, but will modernize it.
The 3.8-mile, $55 million highway project is one of the largest of several N.C. Department of Transportation projects under way, about to start or nearing completion in Cherokee County. Delays are already present.
The project will add 4-foot-wide shoulders, improve intersections, add left-turn lanes at intersections, fix sharp curves, and smooth out low and high sections of roadway. Road crews are finishing up preparation work and tree clearing, with construction scheduled to begin in the spring.
April
Andrews public safety gets boost with police and fire: Not that long ago, public safety was in disarray in town. But that was then.
Since January, the Andrews Police Department has received around 450 calls for service, conducted 168 traffic stops, and has completed nearly 350 security checks and extra patrol requests, according to Chief Caleb Stiles, who became the town’s top cop in 2023.
And since taking over fire and rescue protection inside town limits, Valleytown Fire & Rescue has a perfect response rate – 100% of dispatches have been answered.
State has humane society on $260K-plus challenge: The Valley River Humane Society, a vital nonprofit animal shelter in Marble serving three counties that is always scrapped for cash, is in the middle of a new financial challenge that is costing more than $260,000.
In the end, the organization will feature a vastly improved facility that meets state health requirements. But in the meantime, the challenge is daunting.
Jim Gerke, then-president of the board at Valley River Humane Society, said meeting state health standards puts the nonprofit “between a rock and a hard space.”
May
Trial of former DSS attorney held: Jury selection began in Macon County in the trial of a former Cherokee County Department of Social Services lawyer facing 20 felony obstruction of justice charges.
Scott Lindsay of Murphy was charged for his role in separating children from their families – without judicial oversight – through the use of custody and visitation agreements. Lindsay was the lawyer advising county DSS.
After a two-week trial, Lindsay was found guilty on 12 felony counts and two misdemeanor counts of obstruction of justice. Special Superior Court Judge Steve Warren consolidated the counts into one, sentencing Lindsay to 5-15 months in prison. However, he suspended the sentence for one year, plus court costs, which he gave Lindsay one year to pay. He is set to appeal.
Tornado tears up buildings and trees: A roaring thunderstorms spawned an EF1 tornado with winds from 86-110 mph passed through Peachtree, damaging 83 structures, including seven major and one destroyed. However, there were no injuries from the storm.
The Peachtree tornado traveled about 2.42 miles with a path 40 yards wide late May 7, reaching an estimated peak wind of 95 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn., with pockets of extensive tree damage noted around the community. The tornado likely developed near Greenlawn Cemetery Road and Memory Lane and continued east across Upper Peachtree Road, causing some tree damage on Lizzie Elliot Road.
The tornado took a slight northeast jog and was non-continuous throughout its life cycle. It crossed Sky Trek Drive and Shadow Pond Road and lifted before crossing Upper Peachtree Road again, the National Weather Service reported.
June
June was graduation month: Here were the numbers for the Class of 2024:
- Tri-County Community College graduated 34.
- Hiwassee Dam High School graduated 34.
- Murphy High School graduated 114.
- Andrews High School graduated 51
- The Oaks Academy graduated 20.
All trash convenience centers to be staffed: Cherokee County’s 10 solid waste convenience centers will be staffed, with adjusted hours and closed gates after hours, starting after the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
The convenience centers will be gated and open to the public only when attendants are present, the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners decided on May 29.
Cherokee was among the last counties in the region with some convenience centers open unstaffed and around the clock. Commissioners later added hours back to the Caney Creek and Granny Squirrel locations after residents complained.
Board faces off with supporters of library: The Andrews Board of Aldermen faced a room nearly full of supporters concerned about the Andrews Public Library during a workshop.
Mayor James Reid said the board has gotten the library’s attention, and he would have no problem keeping library spending at the current level – $80,000 for staffing, plus $20,000 for utilities and maintaining the building, which Andrews owns.
When the board made its final vote on the 2024-25 fiscal year’s budget, it left library funding unchanged.
July
Hiwassee Dam park project struggling: A planned community park for western Cherokee County is struggling to acquire the necessary grant funding and may be downsized if the necessary funds aren’t secured.
Grant writer Silas Shields warned county commissioners at the board’s June 24 meeting that one grant he sought came with a big string attached – it requires $600,000 in local funds.
“Coming up with $600,000 is a big ask,” Commissioner Dan Eichenbaum said. He suggested that the project be downsized to match available grants, then expand in the future as more funding becomes available.
Commissioner Jan Griggs has been the biggest booster for the community park project, which is in her district. She pointed out that nearby residents do not have any recreational facilities.
Dad accused in family slayings: A former Cherokee County resident was charged in the July 10 shooting deaths of his wife, 6-year-old son, 15-month-old son and in-laws in the home they shared in Alameda, Calif.
Shane Killian, 54, of Alameda, attended Murphy High School and has family in Cherokee County.
San Francisco Bay area news reports called the shooting deaths “the Bay Area’s most shocking and tragic crime in recent memory.”
Man guilty in strangling death: A local man was convicted of second-degree murder in the 2022 strangulation of 55-year-old Shirley McClure in Culberson.
James Tyrone Smith, 57, will serve 26-32 years in prison in a plea agreement that, in exchange for a guilty plea to second-degree murder, reduced his maximum penalty from life in prison, reduced his charge from first-degree murder, and dismissed charges of breaking and entering, larceny, car theft and possession of stolen property.
He will also have to pay McClure’s family $6,936.25 to compensate them for her funeral expenses.
Peanut butter and meth in sandwich at jail: A local man being transferred from the Cherokee County Detention Center to the Clay County Detention Center in Hayesville allegedly attempted to smuggle 2.2 grams of methamphetamine inside a peanut butter sandwich.
Russell Edward Bennett Jr., 44, was transported from Cherokee County to Clay County early July 16 morning. Bennett had been picked up in Cherokee County for an outstanding warrant in Clay County on a felony larceny charge, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
As Bennett entered the Clay County jail at about 6:44 a.m., he was holding a white bag that he told jailers contained his breakfast from the Cherokee County jail.
Schools offices move to Marble: Starting in August, the Cherokee County Board of Education will hold its monthly meetings at the former Oaks Academy (and Marble Elementary School) at 2230 Airport Road.
The July meeting was held in the current Central Office at 911 Andrews Road, but Cherokee County commissioners evicted Central Office effective Aug. 2 and plan to use the building to house emergency services.
The 911 Andrews Road property is owned by the county. The county offered to allow the school system to use the county’s portion of the old National Guard Armory, an offer the school district declined because it already owns the old Marble campus and planned to sell it until it was evicted from the Andrews Road building.
August
Parton new area judge: Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Kristy Parton as a District Court judge in Judicial District 43, serving Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties. She will fill the vacancy created by the appointment of Judge Tessa Sellers to Superior Court.
Parton works as a solo practitioner at her own practice. She also serves as a guardian ad litem for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Family Safety Court, a guardian ad litem attorney advocate in Jackson County and an attorney for the Swain County Department of Social Services.
Previously, she served as a court-appointed family financial mediator. Parton received bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro before earning her Juris Doctorate from the University of Kentucky College of Law.
Murphy council member resigns: Town council member Keisha Dockery, who was elected in 2021, announced that she is resigning effective Sept. 1.
In a letter to Murphy residents and town officials, Dockery, owner of The Black & White Market downtown, said she “will no longer meet the qualifications to serve as I am moving out of the area.”
Dockery told the town council Monday that she is moving to Union County, Ga., seeking a better education for her child. She will continue her local business.
From crypto mining to AI: A 250,000-square-foot local crypto mine – the largest of the three in Cherokee County by far – appears to be switching from Bitcoin to another rising technology: artificial intelligence.
Core Scientific Inc. – one of the more established large-scale Bitcoin miners – announced a 12-year partnership with CoreWeave to deliver about 270 megawatts to host CoreWeave’s NVIDIA graphics processing unit for high-performance architectures operations used to train artificial intelligence.
The deal has an expected value of $6.7 billion. Core Scientific’s Marble plant, which has a 104 megawatt capacity, would fulfill about 38 percent of the contract’s requirement.
Town bans crypto mines inside borders: The town council took steps on Aug. 12 to shield Murphy from the growing crypto mining industry, but when it comes to regulations, technology is a moving target.
While both Murphy and Cherokee County have taken steps to prevent new crypto mining operations, the county is not protected against existing mines and neither so far can prevent intrusion by the explosive rise of the artificial intelligence industry, which promises even bigger impacts than crypto mines.
Industry reports say AI has already overtaken bitcoin mining in power consumption. While the crypto industry has a narrow focus – mining crypto currency – the AI industry’s applications are limited only by human imagination and, at some point, AI’s ability to expand by itself.
September
New projects moving ahead: Several infrastructure projects funded through $20 million in grants are in progress or set to begin in Andrews, including:
- A $1.6 million water line replacement.
- A $12.078 million wastewater treatment plant upgrade and moderation.
- Leatherwood water storage tank replacement costing $1.548 million.
Timeline set to finish U.S. 64/Ranger Road connector: A connector road between Old Ranger Road and U.S. 64 West that was once envisioned as part of a traffic circle on the four-lane highway should be ready by Thanksgiving. (It wasn’t.)
N.C. Department of Transportation spokesman David Uchiyama said DOT officials are negotiating a supplemental agreement with the contractor to complete paving, curb and gutter, driveway installation and other line items for the connector road.
The new connector will have stop signs where it intersects with U.S. 64 West and Old Ranger Road.
Schools disrupted by threats: Students, staff and faculty at Cherokee County Schools were on edge after threats of violence and one false alarm occurred at different campuses on three out of five school days.
Threats were made affecting Murphy Middle School on Sept. 10 and Andrews High School on Sept. 11, with a false alarm about gunshots around the Schools of Innovation in Peachtree.
Murphy Middle was among about 40 schools throughout the western half of the state that were caught up in a false shooting report spread through social media on Sept. 10. The N.C. Information Sharing & Analysis Center said it was aware of a shooting threat affecting multiple school districts in North Carolina.
Commissioners, school board members meet: A long-awaited meeting between county commissioners and school board members included sometimes angry comments from the public and an agreement for further meetings to map out the future for the building-rich, cash-poor school system.
Cherokee County Schools has 13 schools spread out over 12 campuses, total numbers almost no one believes are sustainable. At the same time, there is strong opposition in Andrews, Hiwassee Dam, Martins Creek, Peachtree and Ranger about closing their schools.
A plan to consolidate the county’s three main high schools was rejected in early 2023, when the county turned away matching funds for a $50 million state grant to fund construction.
October
Threat leads to arrest of 17-year-old: A Murphy teenager with a history of sympathizing with killers is facing multiple charges after a threat was made against Towns County Schools.
The investigation into Jeremiah Andrew Franklin Lloyd, 17, of Gwenmont Circle in Murphy, led law enforcement to filing additional charges concerning his involvement with a 14-year-old girl. His booking report shows Lloyd was arrested on Sept. 20 at the Dollar General store on Sunnyside Road in Hiawassee and charged with felony terroristic threats, disrupting public school, felony sexual exploitation of children, felony enticing a child for indecent purposes, child molestation and statutory rape.
The Towns County Sheriff’s Office said in a release that Lloyd confessed to all charges during an interview.
Storm spares county from worst: Oktoberfest in Andrews was canceled. School was out for several days. Some trees fell, including one that blocked Blairsville Highway. Cell phone service and local 911 were knocked out. Businesses unable to process credit and debit cards went cash only.
Some parts of Cherokee County saw 8 inches of rain over five days, while others saw wind gusts of 26 mph.
The local impacts of Hurricane Helene were noteworthy, but there was a universal sigh of relief because it could have been far worse.
Local school scores competitive: Cherokee County Schools is celebrating highlights from results of the latest N.C. Report Cards, which evaluates test results and growth from each school and awards letter grades based on the results.
Overall, county schools performed slightly worse than the previous year, with one school, Tri-County Early College, dipping from an A to a B, and one, Peachtree Elementary, dipping from a B to a C. All other campuses received the same letter grades as the previous year – all C’s and one D, at Andrews Elementary School.
Martins Creek kindergarten class severely overcrowded: The numbers are in for Cherokee County Schools kindergarten through eighth-grade classrooms, and some are overcrowded – including a kindergarten class almost twice the average size.
Martins Creek Elementary School’s kindergarten class has 27 students – well over the average class size of 16 in the state. Martins Creek’s first- and second-grade classrooms are also overcrowded by six to seven pupils, but its kindergarten overcrowding is especially troublesome.
To solve it, Martins Creek created a hybrid kindergarten-first grade classroom.
County makes progress with animal control: The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners held a work session on Sept. 30 to address animal control issues without raising taxes or enacting an animal control ordinance – the two most powerful tools to control the county’s chronic problem with vicious, out-of-control and homeless animals.
The work session included representatives from the sheriff’s office, health department and Valley River Humane Society, all present to answer questions from county commissioners. About 50 people attended the meeting; one audience member was escorted out of the room after shouting at representatives from the humane society.
The upshot: Cherokee County will accept two fully equipped animal control vehicles essentially donated by Caldwell County for $1 each. Caldwell will also donate chip readers to help identify missing animals.
Inmate injured in escape attempt: A federal prisoner being held for a string of bank robberies in five North Carolina counties allegedly attempted to escape from the Cherokee County Detention Center in Murphy, but was quickly recaptured.
Kelvin Wayne Simmons, 47, of Concord, was back in jail after being treated for severe lacerations and a broken bone. He is being held for the U.S. Marshal’s Office on federal charges of bank robbery and kidnapping.
Simmons escaped from the Cherokee County Detention Center inmate yard by scaling a fence topped with razor wire and falling to the ground outside the fence. He was surrounded only minutes later about 200 yards away by detention center officers, sheriff’s deputies and police officers from Murphy and Andrews.
Early voting draws 10.7% of voters: The 2024 general election began, with 2,493 votes cast in Cherokee County in the first week – including 2,256 cast through in-person early voting. Mail-in ballots received included 223 civilian, two military and 12 overseas.
In Cherokee County, there are 11,789 Republicans, 7,813 unaffiliated and 3,355 Democrats registered. Total voter registration as of Jan. 1 was 23,114. As of Monday, total voter turnout in Cherokee County was 10.7%.
Statewide, 1.031 million votes had been cast – 13.24% of eligible voters, of which 939,123 were from in-person early voting, 78,162 were from civilian mail-in ballots, 2,709 military mailed-in ballots and 11,216 overseas mailed-in ballots.
Downtown Murphy loses part of history: A historically significant house was too far gone to save and was demolished to make room for green space and a parking lot for Murphy First United Methodist Church.
The Akin-Axley-Davidson House at 69 Valley River Ave. was built in the Civil War era and was one of the oldest buildings in downtown Murphy. Charlene Smith, a town council member and member of the church, said the historic but old building required too much money to fix and was unsalvageable.
Andrews seeking water sharing with Murphy: Town officials are looking to revive a disused drinking water interconnection between Andrews and Murphy.
The board of aldermen discussed the 10-mile water line connecting water systems in Murphy and Andrews. A multimillion-dollar grant paid for the 12-inch water line between the two municipalities in 1999.
November
IOI celebrates 50 years of growth and success: Industrial Opportunities Inc. – better known as IOI – culminated a year-long celebration of their 50th anniversary with an open house celebration on Oct. 4.
Long known as one of the largest employers in Cherokee County and also as a provider of premiere U.S. military equipment through governmental contracts, the company is also the heart of working with people of varying disabilities to engage them in the workforce as well as in differing programs, such as creative writing.
Tom O’Brien, president of IOI and chair of the board of directors – along with several other former board members, local and state politicians – spoke to the large crowd, emphasizing both IOI and the community’s commitment to providing quality products and changing lives.
Devastating loss at Foster’s Flea Market: A large section of Foster’s Flea Market along Blairsville Highway was a total loss on Nov. 5 as a result of a fire.
Large amounts of thick black smoke could be seen from a distance. Smoke at the scene was so thick it nearly eclipsed the sun. The fire was so large and hot that windows across the street at Decker’s Flea Market were hot to the touch.
According to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the cause was determined to be the result of a small trash fire containing pieces of particle board that got out of control in high winds.
West fire burns 24 acres: A wildfire burned 24 acres in the Oakwood Estates area between Johnsonville Road and U.S. 64 West.
Rain helped keep the fire from spreading following a week of warm weather, breezy conditions and low humidity. Ed Figueroa, a resident in the area, said, “The commitment of each volunteer involved was nothing short of remarkable.”
On Election Day, firefighters and utility linesmen responded to a roadside fire that knocked out power to much of western Cherokee County while voting was in progress. The fire occurred around 3 p.m. Nov. 5 off of U.S. 64 West.
Leaders see plans for county center, EMS station and more: Cherokee County commissioners got to see architectural plans for three building projects that will mark significant changes in how and where county government works.
In May, the board hired Matthews-based Architecture Unlimited to develop three projects:
- A multi-story building off Hilton Street to house senior and veteran services, environmental health, Cherokee Transit and other county offices. Completion of the project will allow county government to move out of the courthouse.
- A renovation and expansion of Emergency Medical Services Station 2 in Andrews.
- A spec plan for a multi-story building off U.S. 64 West beside the Cherokee County Department of Social Services that would house county health services.
December
Hyde turns down commissioner post: The month-long question of whether Justin Hyde would take his seat as a Cherokee County commissioner was answered when he resigned as commissioner-elect. His statement was read at the next Cherokee County Board of Commissioners meeting, where Alan Bryant, also newly elected, took the oath by himself before taking his seat at the board table.
The Cherokee County Republican Party Executive Committee is responsible for selecting and recommending Hyde’s replacement, since Hyde was elected as a Republican. Party officials have 30 days to make the choice.
142 local names in voter challenge: Republican Appeals Court Judge Jefferson Griffin is challenging more than 60,000 ballots – including more than 140 in Cherokee County – as part of his attempt to unseat Democratic incumbent Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs.
The list includes 142 registered voters in Cherokee County. Visit tinyurl.com/4evrsypk to see the full list of contested voters.
Town leaders urge fall biker event: Town leaders hope to put Andrews on the map for motorcycle enthusiasts and are seeking advice from someone who did the same thing in Maggie Valley.
Maggie Valley, a popular tourist town between Cherokee and Waynesville along U.S. 19, has about the same population as Andrews and features a variety of scenic routes for bikers. For 22 years, the town has been the location of Thunder in the Smokies, a weekend event held in the spring, summer and fall in Maggie Valley.
Chris Anthony of Handlebar Corral Productions in Maggie Valley runs the event. He was invited to the Andrews Board of Aldermen’s workshop on Dec. 5 to answer questions about whether something similar could work in the Valley.
Less-distressed county now in Tier 2: Cherokee County improved its development tier ranking from Tier 1 – the most economically distressed in the three-tier system – to Tier 2 – the middle ranking.
Cherokee County’s distress rank improved from 32nd in the state in 2024 (with first being the most distressed and 100 being the least) to 46th in 2025.
The N.C. Department of Commerce annually ranks the state’s 100 counties based on economic well-being and assigns each a designation. Andrews OKs weapons ban repeal: Against advice to preserve it, a ban on weapons on town property was repealed by unanimous vote of the board of aldermen.
One person spoke at a public hearing earlier at the same meeting, arguing that at least some of the ban should be preserved. He suggested that the ban should remain in effect at Andrews Town Hall and town parks, citing the assassination of a health insurance company CEO as a symptom of unrestrained gun violence.
The ban, which was adopted before James Reid became mayor, affected Town Hall and the Police Department (except for police officers), the Facilities Building, Community Center, Andrews Public Library and Andrews Pool. It made a violation punishable by a fine up to $500 and imprisonment up to 30 days in jail.
8 apply for seat on board: Eight Cherokee County Republicans, including former county commissioner Randy Phillips, have applied to fill Phillips’ District 2 seat on the board of commissioners.
Nine Republicans will select the next commissioner representing District 2, which includes Marble and Peachtree. The seat was left vacant on Dec. 1, when Justin Hyde, who won the seat after defeating incumbent Phillips in the GOP primary and running unopposed in the November general election, turned down the seat.
Candidates for the board are Kandace Barnett, Lance Bristol, Judy Edwards, Max Norton, Alex Parker, Chuck Parris, Phillips and Mark Stiles. who was later picked in a 6-2 vote by the Cherokee County Republican Executive Committee.
Local plant turns to AI and expands: A 250,000- square-foot factory that once produced thread for garments before converting to industrial-strength crypto mining is switching to the growing artificial intelligence industry and will become part of one of the world’s largest supercomputers.
Plant manager Jack Lewis said the switch to AI requires a “significantly larger number of employees.”
Drones? Get used to them: When asked if he had received complaints about drones, Cherokee County Commissioner Dan Eichenbaum said he hadn’t, but advised that “UFO” – unidentified flying object – would more accurately describe what people are seeing.
UFO sightings in Cherokee County are drawing hundreds of comments on local social media websites, begging the question: Are we alone?
If “alone” refers to aliens from another world, the answer as it pertains to the most recent wave of UFO sightings is, yes, we are probably alone.
However, if “alone” refers to someone flying a drone equipped with a video camera over your property, the answer is a near certainty that you aren’t alone.
UFO sightings assumed to be drones are coming in by the thousands in the Northeast and becoming common in Cherokee County.