SEPTEMBER
Biggest fire of the year
A fire destroyed a two-story apartment building at Meadowbrook Apartments, leaving four families homeless and pets missing, but a few bright spots as well. Cherokee County Emergency Medical Services took two victims – one by ambulance to Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital in Peachtree, and a second who was airlifted to Grady Hospital in Atlanta with trauma and second-degree burns.
The airlifted patient jumped from the second floor to escape the fire and was initially helped away from the complex by a citizen, Murphy Fire hief Al Lovingood said. The building was declared a total loss from the fire, which was caused when a grill burning debris was knocked over on a balcony and quickly spread.
Report cards
Cherokee County Schools’ performance grades from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction were a mixed bag of higher and lower grades, with five campuses earning B grades compared to just two the previous year. On the other hand, the number of D letter grades went from one in 2024 to three in 2025.
The top performing schools in Cherokee County were Tri-County Early College, Peachtree Elementary, Hiwassee Dam High and Murphy High, which each received B grades; the Oaks Academy received an “Alt_B” grade. Schools that received C letter grades were Andrews High, Hiwassee Dam Middle, Murphy Elementary, Murphy Middle and Ranger Elementary; schools receiving a D grade were Andrews Elementary, Andrews Middle and Martins Creek Elementary.
Addressing. round 2
After reconvening from closed session, the Andrews Board of Alderman voted to remove longtime Alderman Steve Jordan from the board in a 2-1 vote. Both Jordan and Mayor James Reid recused themselves from the vote, which was initially made by Alderman James Mclean and seconded by Alderman Ted Paul. The lone nay vote was Alderman Brandi Smith.
The vote comes after Mclean’s complaint filing and August’s hearing about Jordan’s legal residential address and his eligibility for candidacy in this year’s upcoming election. After the Cherokee County Board of Elections backed Mclean’s claims with their hearing verdict, Jordan appealed to the N.C. Board of Elections.
OCTOBER
Take that, Helene
Despite impacts from Hurricane Helene, Cherokee County saw a 1% increase in tourist spending in 2024 compared to 2023. Domestic and international visitors to Cherokee County spent $102.43 million in 2024, according to an annual study commissioned by Visit NC, part of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.
According to Tourism Development Authority Executive Director Casey Kerr, tourism helps pay people’s salaries, supports local businesses, and funds many services in the county. The county’s tourism sector directly employs more than 600 people and contributed $20.62 million in wages in 2024, while state tax revenue tied to tourist spending came to $3.15 million.
Back on/off board
Concurrent with an order from the N.C. Court of Appeals dated Oct. 10, the Andrews Board of Aldermen reinstated Steve Jordan as a member during a specially called meeting due to the ruling that the court has “sustained” the appeal made by Jordan about his residency originally filed by Alderman James Mclean in July.
Jordan had a hearing in August with the Cherokee County Board of Elections regarding Mclean’s complaint. After his case was denied by the county board, Jordan entered into the state’s appeals process. The three-judge panel of the court later ruled unanimously that Jordan was ineligible.
Federal charges filed
A former Cherokee County jail prisoner accused of killing a guard during an escape attempt while at a doctor’s visit faces federal charges, including a murder charge that could result in a death penalty if convicted. On June 30, Detention Officers Francisco Flattes and George Feinauer escorted prisoner Kelvin Simmons, 49, of Concord, to an appointment with an orthopedist at 75 Medical Park Lane in Peachtree for injuries stemming from Simmons’ 2024 escape attempt from the Cherokee County Detention Center in Murphy.
A grand jury indictment said Simmons assaulted and shoved Feinauer “over a wheelchair, stealing his service weapon,” then shot and killed Flattes. According to court records, Simmons stole a car at gunpoint from a woman who was at the medical office, then led law enforcement officials on a chase across three counties before he was stopped and captured just west of Franklin in Macon County.
Happy birthday, folk school
John C. Campbell Folk School, established in 1925 in Brasstown by Olive Dame Campbell and Marguerite Butler, celebrated its 100th anniversary of preserving the rich cultural heritage of the Southern Appalachian region, marking a century of dedication to enriching lives through the arts, education and community building.
The folk school’s annual Fall Festival kicked off the 100th birthday celebration. Gov. Josh Stein’s proclamation says the folk school “has served as a beacon of cultural preservation and artistic expression, attracting students from across the nation and around the world to engage in hands-on learning experiences that celebrate Appalachian traditions.”
NOVEMBER
Feeding the needy
Cherokee County agencies, churches and citizens scrambled to put together food relief for thousands of local residents whose SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – benefits were set to be disrupted.
N.C. Cooperative Extension, Cherokee County Department of Social Services, Cherokee County Transit and local churches, nonprofit agencies and individuals met to create a relief program seemingly out of thin air. The plan, which is still being developed, is to seek and obtain food and monetary donations from the community and use eight existing food banks to distribute food to families affected by the SNAP disruption, which is expected to last until Congress comes up with a budget bill.
Another bicycle fatality
A bicyclist was struck and killed by a vehicle on Airport Road in front of the Marble ambulance station. The bicyclist was apparently riding in the westbound lane, approaching a bridge and choke point created by guard rails, when she was struck from behind.
A setting sun may have been a factor in the second fatal accident on that stretch of road in 2025. Tire tracks marked during the N.C. Highway Patrol investigation show the westbound vehicle, a Jeep, veered to the far right edge of the road, crashed into the bicycle from behind and skidded to a stop in the middle of the two-lane road.
Andrews elections
A hotly contested election for mayor ended with James Reid keeping his seat for a third term by just 14 votes. Brandi Smith gave up her seat as alderman to run for mayor against Reid, a former alderman.
For the two alderman seats, Chasity Ledford received the largest number of votes with 193. Heath Woodard, a former Andrews police officer who ran for sheriff in 2022, was also elected with 176 votes.
Murphy elections
The Murphy Town Council will have five returning members – Mayor Tim Radford and council members Cindy Chastain, Barry McClure, Charlene Smith and Gail Walker Stansell – following the Nov. 4 municipal elections.
Radford ran unopposed after his only challenger, Jeff Crane, passed away shortly after filing. Former Cherokee County commissioner Jonathan Dickey and assistant district attorney Kimberly Harris were also elected to the town board.
Inmate pause
The Cherokee County Detention Center, which was overbuilt in 2008 to house out-of-county and federal prisoners as a revenue stream for the county, has paused accepting federal prisoners following the death of a jail guard during an escape attempt by a federal prisoner. Sheriff Dustin Smith said he and the U.S. Marshal’s Office agreed to “pull out for a little while” following “public outrage and questions” following the death.
The contract for federal prisoner’s remains intact, and the detention center will “start phasing (federal prisoners) back in as soon as it’s right” and following a review. Smith said the detention center is accepting more prisoners from other counties to make up some of the difference from the pause in federal prisoners.
2023 helicopter crash
Robbinsville residents Ila Rae Waldroup, a patient, and her husband, Varnell Rufus Waldroup, are suing Med-Trans Corp. and pilot Alex Fulford over injuries she allegedly suffered in a helicopter crash while being transported between Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital in Peachtree to Mission Hospital in Asheville on March 9, 2023.
About 15 minutes after departing Murphy, just before 7 p.m., the helicopter clipped a tree and landed hard on a paved road near Franklin in Macon County. Official releases at the time indicated that there were minor injuries.
Not a good record
Lars Prentice Johnson, 53, of 670 Bill Barker Road in Peachtree, was sentenced to from 225 months (18¾ years) to 282 months (23½ years) in prison following a four-day jury trial at the Cherokee County Courthouse. His arrest was the largest drug case involving methamphetamine in Cherokee County history, the sheriff’s office said.
Johnson was found guilty of high-level manufacturing of methamphetamine, trafficking by possessing methamphetamine and trafficking by manufacturing methamphetamine; he is appealing the sentence. A vehicle stop on July 13, 2022, led to the arrest of Johnson and another man.
Galloway bridge
N.C. Highway Patrolman Charles Galloway was 29, and Patrolman Joseph Davis was just 22, when they were killed in an aircraft accident shortly after takeoff at then-named Andrews-Murphy Airport on May 3, 1948. More than 77 years later, Galloway’s sacrifice was commemorated with a bridge named in his honor on U.S. 19 Business, over Junaluska Creek on the eastern edge of Andrews.
Two families showed up for the bridge dedication ceremony at Beaver Creek Freewill Baptist Church on Beaver Creek Road – his blood relatives, niece Karyl Foster of Gastonia and granddaughter Amber Galloway of Marshal; and 18 uniformed state troopers whose careers are steeped in the sacrifices of comrades, including Galloway, who have died in the line of duty.
DECEMBER
Another Dollar General
A Georgia company noted for developing Dollar General stores has acquired acreage on the edge of downtown Murphy. Teramore Development LLC, based in Thomasville, Ga., acquired a 2.24-acre parcel at 138 Ledford St. at the southwest corner of the intersection of Ledford Street and U.S. 19/74/129.
The property was acquired in July for $364,000. The company’s website touts its development of Dollar General stores throughout the region, including stores in Newton, Statesville and Summerville. The new development will include a sidewalk, curb and gutter.
Chairman of the board
Commissioner Alan Bryant, a first-term commissioner with one year on the board, was chosen to be chair of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners for the coming year following a split vote. Bryant was picked over Commissioner Ben Adams, the most senior member who has never served as chair.
The meeting was held two weeks early to establish the board’s organization going into 2026. Chaired by Maria Hass, clerk to the board, the organizational meeting started off with Commissioner Mark Stiles nominating Adams and calling for the vote. Adams seconded Mark Stiles’ nomination. When Hass called for further nominations, ignoring Mark Stiles’ call for an immediate vote, outgoing chair Dan Eichenbaum nominated Bryant, with Commissioner Cal Stiles seconding it.
A contract – finally
With funding set to expire at the end of December, the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners approved a contract with Valley River Humane Society for continued animal control housing through the first half of 2026. Commissioner Ben Adams called the agreement a “piece of paper” with no teeth.
The contract is worth $125,000 the last six months of the fiscal year for the humane society, which serves Cherokee and Clay counties, although Cherokee County accounts for the lion’s share of animals and costs at the animal shelter in Marble. The board voted 4-1 to approve the contract, with Adams casting the lone vote against it.
A happy ending
The longest federal shutdown in U.S. history ended with legislation that included $3 million in funding for upgrades to Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital, which serves Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties. U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C., District 11) requested the funding, which was included in the federal appropriations bill passed by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
President Donald Trump signed the bill, reopening the federal government and directing this funding to Erlanger Western Carolina and other hospitals. This funding will enable Erlanger expand the impact of its medical facility in the region, enabling it to provide health care to rural populations on a larger scale and with greater efficiency.
Town to state – no
The Murphy Town Council opposes a push by state legislators to turn non-partisan municipal elections in the state to partisan and combine those elections with state and federal races. Members unanimously approved a resolution opposing any state-mandated changes to municipal elections without local approval.
The resolution opposes ongoing attempts at the state level to align municipal election years with even-numbered state and federal election cycles, and to change the nature of municipal elections from non-partisan to partisan. The council called on the N.C. General Assembly to respect the principle of local self-determination and refrain from enacting statewide or countywide changes to municipal elections without explicit support of the affected municipalities.