The year 2025 was marked by tragedy, championships and everything in between. Here are some of the top stories the Cherokee Scout covered from May through August.
MAY
Work at the church
Local resident Wolfgang Raffler has signed on as contractor to complete the roof restoration project for the historic Harshaw Chapel in downtown Murphy. Raffler will begin work on the project this month and follow plans designed for the purpose of restoring the chapel to its earliest known exterior appearance.
Raffler will follow plans originating from work done previously by an architect with historic preservation expertise. The project is being done within bounds of the preservation standards, and much of the original material removed will be kept to be incorporated into the chapel’s interior.
Lights at the airport
Western Carolina Regional Airport “looks like Christmas at nighttime” following installation of a new lighting system, with a list of other projects recently completed or about to get underway. Airport Director Maria Hass submitted a list of achievements to the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners.
“We were approved for a grant to replace the four existing towers, which are antiquated and inoperable,” Hass said. The airport will also be applying for grant funds in 2026 to build a new terminal, if matching funds are available or no match is required.
‘Festivus’ comes early
The board of commissioners unanimously approved a “petition for redress of grievances” to the federal government over federally owned land, forest management and wilderness designations they say are harming Cherokee County’s economy. Proposed by Dr. Dan Eichenbaum, chair of the board, the petition lacks the force of law but may tap in to the Trump Administration’s sensitivity to federal overreach.
Cherokee County consists of 298,482 acres, of which the U.S. Forest Service owns 31% – a total of 92,637 acres. The petition states that lakefront land should be made available for private and commercial developers to enhance the county’s property tax base. It also calls on the Forest Service to loosen restrictions on logging and cease any requests for wilderness designations.
SWAT suit settled
A $10 million settlement was reached in the federal civil lawsuit over the Dec. 13, 2022, SWAT raid that nearly killed an unarmed Bear Paw man as he attempted to comply with commands from team members.
The lawsuit, J. Harley Kloepfer and Allison Mahler vs. Sheriff Dustin Smith, et al., was settled with $5 million to be paid by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, whose SWAT team conducted the raid, and $5 million from Cherokee County, whose sheriff’s office requested the SWAT team’s assistance. For its part, Cherokee County’s insurance carrier is covering its portion of the settlement, less a $5,000 deductible the county paid shortly after the case was filed, according to a government statement.
JUNE
Board went down
to Georgia
Cherokee County school board members returned from a field trip to Union County, Ga., last week and, for the first time during the tenure of this board, agreed unanimously on a school consolidation plan. The board’s monthly meeting followed a trip to Union County Elementary School in Blairsville, Ga., where a new elementary school campus serves grades 3-5, while a primary school in that county serves kindergarten through second grade. The county also has a middle school and high school.
Cherokee County Board of Education members believe they can use Union County Elementary School as a template for a K-8 school in Cherokee County, serving the Murphy area. It would replace elementary schools in Martins Creek, Murphy and Peachtree, as well as Murphy Middle School, allowing them to close four campuses and replace them with one.
More on SWAT incident
The SWAT team member operating a surveillance drone during the December 2022 raid at a local residence said he thought he saw Jason Harley Kloepfer pointing a gun at the drone and told his fellow SWAT team members, but lost sight of a gun and didn’t share that information before the team opened fire on him, according to a deposition filed in the lawsuit.
As video taken inside Kloepfer’s residence has shown, Kloepfer was unarmed when he was awakened by the drone, picked it up and opened his front door only to be met by a volley of gunfire from the SWAT team. A $10 million settlement was reached in the federal civil lawsuit over the Dec. 13, 2022, SWAT raid that nearly killed Kloepfer as he attempted to comply with commands from team members.
Apple of their eyes
Cherokee County Schools has tired of using Chromebooks and is switching to iPads in the coming three school years. Chief Technology Officer Dane Rickett advised the school board to approve a lease agreement with Apple to supply iPads for students of Cherokee County Schools with a three-year rollout, which the board approved.
Rickett said Chromebooks are inferior to iPads, but have met school district needs and were less expensive. But the price gap has closed, making iPads a better choice. The school district will be financing $727,147.36 over four years, with an annual payment of $181,786.84.
JULY
Tragedy during office visit
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A federal inmate shot and killed a guard during a medical appointment , then led law enforcement officials on an hour-long chase that ended with his recapture. Transport Detention Officer Francisco Flattes, 56, a four-year veteran, was wounded by gunfire and taken to Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital in Peachtree, where he was pronounced dead.
Detention Officer George Feinauer was also injured during the escape, but not by gunfire, and he’s expected to recover. Kelvin Simmons, 49, of Concord, was charged with first-degree murder and may face additional federal charges after leading law enforcement officials on a chase into Clay and Macon counties.
Full speed ahead
School board members are sticking with a plan to consolidate three elementary schools and a middle school in central Cherokee County, emboldened by what appears to be a 3-2 majority of commissioners in favor of the plan. Members went into closed session to discuss real estate related to the plan, which would build a new campus and close Murphy Middle School plus elementary schools in Martins Creek, Murphy and Peachtree.
The plan results in a single campus, location to be determined, that serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Funding would come in large part from a $52 million needs-based grant that Cherokee County Schools would apply for, along with a $5.2 million local match that would have to be approved by both the board of commissioners and board of education.
Next up in Murphy
Now that downtown Murphy’s traffic circle is complete, work is in progress for a $1.2 million project to construct four small parks at the intersection of Valley River Avenue and Hiwassee, Peachtree and Tennessee streets. Blairsville, Ga.-based Colwell Construction Co. won the bid for the project, with $1 million coming from state and federal sources, with the town footing the remaining $200,000.
The project will include the construction of brick pavers and lighting, landscaping and a community stage. The multi-faceted project started with the replacement of downtown water lines, then a traffic circle was installed to replace traffic signals. Once the pocket parks are complete, the N.C. Department of Transportation will return to repave downtown’s main streets.
School grades
The 2024 N.C. Report Cards are in, with some Cherokee County Schools showing slight declines in letter grades over the previous two years. All but one campus received grades of C or better, however. The report cards evaluate test results and growth from each school and awards letter grades based on the results.
None of the 12 schools in Cherokee County that were evaluated improved since 2023 grades were released. Two schools, Peachtree Elementary and Tri-County Early College, showed slight declines. The Oaks Academy was not graded.
Remember in April?
A “petition for redress of grievances” by the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners that flew under the radar when it was passed resurfaced with widespread condemnation over a call to sell off federally managed lakeshore property at Hiwassee Lake.
The petition, which was signed by all five members of the board, was directed at the federal government over federally owned land, forest management and wilderness designations that commissioners say are harming the county’s economy. Much of the lake’s shoreline is federally owned except for Bear Paw, which was established to house construction workers when the dam was built in the mid-20th century, along with a handful of private marinas on lake tributaries.
Name that address
Andrews Alderman James McLean was challenging Alderman Steve Jordan’s eligibility to run for re-election, alleging that Jordan doesn’t qualify to run because he doesn’t live inside the town limits. McLean filed a formal challenge with the Cherokee County Board of Elections against Jordan.
McLean wrote, “He does not reside in the city limits” and justified his allegation writing, “I know he does not live in his registered address.” Jordan said he will fight the challenge.
Under new ownership
West End Plaza, at the west entrance into Andrews from U.S. 19/74, is getting some much-needed renovations after new owners took over. The purchase, completed on May 29 and brokered by Allison Ralph of Old Town Brokers, is a boon for the plaza, which was originally built in 1976.
New owners Morgan Ellis and Tony Kelly knew the property was in need of a serious upgrade and curb appeal when they visited downtown. “We found Andrews and saw the stunning view from the Valley, and we knew Andrews had something special,” Ellis said,
AUGUST
Sticking to their guns
Cherokee County commissioners doubled down on the “petition for redress of grievances” during their July 29 meeting, defending calls for unleashed logging and selling off Hiwassee Lake shorefront property as a way to bolster the local economy.
The petition, signed by all five members of the board in April, was directed at the federal government over federally owned land, forest management and wilderness designations the commissioners say are harming Cherokee County’s economy. The meeting agenda did not include anything about the petition, but numerous people attended, including some who spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting.
No mobile devices
Cherokee County Board of Education members were expecting a backlash after they formalized a ban on students using cell phones during school hours – not as much as from students as from their parents. The board was already working on a policy governing the use of “wireless communication devices” but the state beat it to the punch.
House Bill 959 mandates that schools develop and implement policies to restrict cell phone use during instructional time. The board’s policy says cell phones will “be powered off as soon as the student enters any school campus and that the wireless communication device is to remain powered off until the student exits the school campus or after their instructional school day ends.”
Humane society funding
A crowd of people overflowed into the hallways during the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners meeting to defend funding for the Valley River Humane Society. Led by Don Reynolds, president of the humane society’s board of directors, the group was reacting to funding doubts after commissioners called for interim reports to justify the county’s $250,000 annual contribution to the animal shelter for housing homeless dogs and cats.
The humane society operates a low-kill shelter in Marble that provides shelter under contract for Cherokee and Clay counties. While animals that are gravely sick or injured face euthanasia, animals that are healthy are not put down. State law requires the county to fund 72 hours of an animal’s shelter; some commissioners say anything beyond that time is the shelter’s responsibility.
Round 1 to Mclean
The Cherokee County Board of Elections voted 4-1 against Andrews Alderman Steve Jordan’s candidacy qualification in a hearing at the Cherokee County Courthouse. The board deliberated before a small audience for an hour and a half with a roll call vote against Jordan’s proof of his eligibility for candidacy for re-election.
Led by county attorney Darryl Brown, the hearing included testimony by Alderman James Mclean, who challenged Jordan’s residency qualifications, and Jordan. Each side presented evidence, made statements and were questioned by each other as well as board members.
Death on Airport Road
Retired dentist and local resident Frank Mason, 82, who was struck by a vehicle while riding his bike on Airport Road on Aug. 12, succumbed from his injuries on Aug. 18. “His tragic death is a reminder that all drivers need to keep our eyes on the road and both hands on the wheel,” according to a post on the Hiwassee Dam Fire Department Facebook page.
Mason, an avid bicyclist, was riding his bike along Airport Road just west of Webb Creek Road on the morning of Aug. 12 when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Samantha Bristol of Walnut Cove Road in Andrews. The driver pulled over immediately after the incident and called 911.
Next week: September through December.