ANDREWS
Alderman owes taxes
Newly elected Andrews Alderman Theodore “Ted” Paul owes $2,116.61 in unpaid back taxes to the town.
Town recreation director and former alderman Jonathan Ellison brought the unpaid taxes to the attention of the board of aldermen at its Jan. 11 meeting.
“You have to lead by example,” Ellison told the Cherokee Scout following the meeting.
Paul is the only board member with back taxes owed. He started accruing a negative balance in 2017, with the total owed growing year by year.
He owns property at 237 Connahetta Ave., according to Cherokee County tax records. Paul lists the address as his residence. The tax listing describe the property as a nice doublewide valued at $40,380.
ANDREWS
Fire in the Valley set
The sixth annual Fire in the Valley chili cook-off will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at The Blue Stage, 889 Main St. downtown.
The chili entry fee is $20, but it only costs $5 for admission and tasting. IN addition to food, there will be live entertainment.
Sample different types of chili and then vote for your favorite. The event is produced by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7620, with assistance from the Andrews Chamber of Commerce, Town of Andrews and NCDesigns.
Details: visitandrewsnc.com/chili-cook-off.
MURPHY
Contract for airport lights
Walker & Whiteside Inc. was the winning bidder to install new airfield edge lighting, signage and navigation aids at Western Carolina Regional Airport.
Walker & Whiteside, which is based in Greenville, S.C., specializes in electrical design and build, airfield lighting and industrial and commercial contracting. Its winning bid was $954,134 among seven bidders ranging to just shy of $2.4 million.
A state grant will cover 90 percent of the cost, with Cherokee County providing a 10 percent match.
The board also authorized $2,100 in county funds to pay for a new display at the airport’s fueling station that will display fuel price per gallon, gallons delivered and the price for the delivered fuel. The contract was awarded to QTpod of Longmont, Colo.
BLAIRSVILLE, Ga.
First baby is from Murphy
The first baby born in 2024 at Union General Hospital was Sylvi Morgan-Watters, who came into this world at 12:26 a.m. Jan. 2, with Dr. David Breedlove as the delivering physician.
She weighed in at 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and measured 20.75 inches long. The proud parents are Parker Morgan and Kara Watters of Murphy, N.C.
The family thanks to River City Bank’s Blairsville office for donating a huge baby gift basket and starting a $100 savings account for Sylvi. River City Bank assistant vice president Katie Mashburn presented the gifts to mom Kara and baby Sylvi. Union General’s Labor & Delivery Department also put together a gift basket.
MURPHY
Solution for intersection
The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners sent a resolution seeking help resolving traffic problems at the intersection of U.S. 64 West and Old Ranger Road.
The intersection is frequently congested and dangerous, with numerous accidents and no traffic control other than a stop sign on Old Ranger Road, the board said in its resolution.
The board requested help from the N.C. Department of Transportation and sent copies to state Sen. Kevin Corbin and Rep. Karl Gillespie (both R-Franklin), who represent Cherokee County.
The resolution was approved at the board’s Jan. 8 meeting.
PEACHTREE
Work planned on the center
Local residents received conditional support from the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners to fund repairs and renovations to the Peachtree Community Center.
Like other community centers around the county, the Peachtree Community Center is decades old and badly in need of repairs and renovations. The board of commissioners had previously approved $6,000 to repair the building’s restrooms, which are in need of repair and must be made compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
Community center representatives asked for an additional $19,000 for other repairs, including a roof leak, termite damage, water drainage issues and installation of new exterior doors, locks and lighting.
Community representatives say they will cover any additional costs – estimated at about $25,000 – through fundraisers. The board of commissioners directed the center to make restroom repairs the first priority.
MURPHY
‘Landslide’ on Harshaw
A landslide occurred on Harshaw Road near the Murphy Power Board substation, blocking both lanes of traffic, on Jan. 9.
The N.C. Department of Transportation responded, according to a release from the Town of Murphy, and the road was cleared for traffic within a few hours.
MURPHY
Funding for school items
Funding was approved for several maintenance projects affecting Cherokee County Schools and Tri-County Community College at the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners meeting on Jan. 8
Projects include $1.18 million to replace a roof at Andrews Middle School; $454,720 for roof replacements for the West and McSwain buildings at Tri-County Community College; and $103,668 for a chiller rental at the Hiwassee Dam schools, sewer line replacement at Andrews High School, and general boiler cleaning.
The Andrews Middle roof project will be paid for with state lottery proceeds, while the other projects will be funded from schools-specific sales tax proceeds.
BLAIRSVILLE, Ga.
Radio winter field day set
The Murphy chapter of the Western Carolina Amateur Radio Society is planning a winter field day event Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 27-28, at Fox Lake Club House, 101 Fox Shore Lane.
At this event, amateur radio operators will join each other in setting up equipment and operating for a two-day worldwide event. With the growing need for alternative and backup communications for emergencies, the local amateur radio club is continuing to grow in members of all ages and backgrounds.
Everyone is welcome to come learn more about the types of communications available, from talking on the radio via voice to data transmissions such as Morse code. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 27 and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 28.
Details: wcars-murphy.org.
ANDREWS
Auditions for ‘Alice’
Auditions will be held at 6 p.m. today and Thursday in the Valleytown Cultural Arts Center, 125 Chestnut St. downtown, for the Community Youth Players’ spring production of the classic musical Alice In Wonderland.
A variety of youth, including all school ages, are needed for this production. The play is scheduled for a mid-March performance.
Callbacks will be scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday. Anyone interested in volunteering with the production is encouraged to attend.
Details: facebook.com/ACT2Players.
MURPHY
Walk set for Waller
The Valley River Humane Society is hosting a Freedom Walk and Fill the Bus fundraiser Thursday, Feb. 1, at Konehete Veterans Park; look for balloon archway by the veterans memorial.
The humane society was rocked on Feb. 1, 2023, with the loss of animal shelter manager Kirsty Waller. A passionate person, she spent her life saving animals, and treated every animal in her care as her own. Waller knew the name, personality and background of every animal that crossed her path.
For the Freedom Walk, each shelter dog paired with a shelter worker or volunteer will walk a mile at the park in honor of Waller. The public is asked to help by donating money at the finish line or donating needed items to help Fill our Bus. If you can’t join us in person, all donations made in memory of Kirsty Waller can be sent via our website or our Amazon wish list.
All adoptions on that day will be half priced. Rain day is Wednesday, Feb. 7. Times are 10 a.m. to noon for Group 1 and 1-3 p.m. for Group 2.
Details: valleyriverhumanesociety.org.
MARION
County bans crypto mines
The McDowell County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Jan. 8 to ban commercial cryptocurrency mining in the county, effective immediately, according to online reports.
This action was taken after months of discussions last year. Cryptocurrency mining is defined as “the continuous process where computers work to solve algorithms to maintain and build algorithmic, or blockchain, and in exchange are granted cryptocurrency.”
Glenn Kern, a local attorney, supports the ban and submitted comments to the commission last year.
“Those comments focused on concerns that I have after learning of a commercial cryptocurrency mine in Cherokee County near Murphy, N.C., and the negative impacts of that mine have been reported on by WLOS, The Washington Post, Fox News, CNN, and other regional and national publications,” Kern said. “Specifically, that mine has had detrimental impacts on residents that are near it due to its excessive noise production, and it has caused residents to leave their homes and try to live elsewhere if they are able to.”
CORRECTIONS
There was an editing error on page 1A in the Jan. 10 edition of the Cherokee Scout. The second paragraph of the article “Family heirloom” should read: “While browsing items at the sale, he came across some lumber. It belonged to the father of Bonnie Herbough, the young lady who was selling it. She didn’t want to just sell the wood for scraps, as it was being used for a project up until the time of her father’s passing in October 2022. He wanted to make something for his wife, Patricia, which he was always doing.”
There was an editing error on page 1B in the Jan. 10 edition of the Scout. The photo at left with the article “Bulldogs split 2 with Eagles” is of Hiwassee Dam’s Brinkley Payne taking a shot against Murphy.
Both errors were corrected in the online versions of the articles. The Scout regrets the errors.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Public meetings
THIS WEEK
- Cherokee County Department of Social Services Board meets at noon today in the DSS conference room, 4800 U.S. 64 W. in Ranger.
- Cherokee County Board of Education meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Central Office, 911 Andrews Road in Murphy. Live-streamed on the Scout’s Facebook page, if possible.
- Cherokee County Board of Commissioners meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St. in downtown Murphy. Live-streamed on the Scout’s Facebook page, if possible.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown and Editor Randy Foster.