ANDREWS
Learn more of heritage
The Nantahala Regional Library is again partnering with One Dozen Who Care for the fourth annual reading challenge for children in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Books can be found in the Purel Miller African-American Book Collection, which is housed at the Andrews Public Library, 871 Main St.
The challenge encourages and promotes the collection to celebrate African-American heritage as well as learn more about the history of Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties. Incentives for reading and reviewing books are offered to each child who completes the review requirements.
Details: Visit facebook.com/odwcinc and facebook.com/AndrewsPublicLibrary.
MURPHY
Register by Friday
Eligible North Carolinians who want to cast their ballot in person on Primary Election Day – Tuesday, March 5 – must register to vote by Friday.
Feb. 9 is also the deadline for registered voters to change their party affiliation before the primary. Under state law, the regular voter registration deadline is 25 days before an election.
Individuals who miss the deadline may register and vote during the in-person early voting period, which runs from Feb. 15 through March 2, at any early voting site in their county. These “same-day registrants” must attest to their eligibility and provide proof of where they live, in addition to showing an acceptable form of photo ID for voting.
If using the paper application to update a registration, it must be signed and mailed to the Cherokee County Board of Elections, 40 Peachtree St. downtown, by Friday.
Details: Visit cherokeecounty-nc.gov/274/Board-of-Elections.
MARBLE
Free prom dress event
An exciting event for young ladies will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 30, as Raine Boutique will be presenting the second annual Free Prom Dress Event.
The free prom dress extravaganza will include a drawing for free hair updo and nails. Beautiful and colorful dresses, shoes, jewelry – as well as makeup – are all available at no cost.
Refreshments will be served and a photo booth will be on site to capture a lasting memory. This free prom dress event will be hosted at Marble Springs Baptist Church, 80 Marble Springs Church Road.
All girls are welcome.
Anyone wanting to donate gently used prom dresses can bring them by Raine Boutique, 916 Main St. in Andrews, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
WASHINGTON
Study about part-timers
U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) introduced Friday H.R. 7196, the Federal Parity for CASH Research Act, to require the Government Accountability Office to study the effect of homeownership by part-time residents on Census Bureau data used to allocate federal funding for tourism-centric communities in comparison to non-tourist communities.
U.S. Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.) is co-leading this bipartisan legislation.
Communities that attract large numbers of tourists, including the mountains of western North Carolina, have higher rates of homeownership by part-time residents. These part-time residents, however, do not contribute to the total household count collected through the U.S. Census, despite using community resources. Consequently, tourist communities receive less funding than may be needed to sufficiently address the needs of the population it serves during peak seasons and keep up with urban communities in infrastructure development.
RALEIGH
$14 million for internet
A new program through the N.C. Department of Information Technology’s Office of Digital Equity & Literacy will award $14 million in grants to community organizations to help North Carolinians afford high-speed internet, obtain digital devices and access digital literacy resources.
The Digital Champions grant program has received 230 applications from community service, nonprofit, higher education and regional organizations requesting more than $150 million in funding from the $14 million program, demonstrating the need for more digital equity resources in the state, according to a release.
The office received applications proposing digital equity projects from eligible entities to serve all 100 counties, including 31 higher education organizations, 29 K-12 organizations, 14 libraries, 24 local governments, 120 nonprofits and 12 regional entities. Many counties had project proposals from multiple applicants.
Details: Visit ncbroadband.gov.
ASHEVILLE
Airport sets new record
Following the commencement of the largest construction project in Asheville Regional Airport’s history, the airport proudly marks yet another record-breaking year, showcasing continued double-digit growth.
In 2023, an impressive 2,246,411 passengers traveled to or from AVL, a 22.2 percent increase over 2022 figures, catapulting the airport’s annual passenger count beyond the historic 2 million mark for the first time ever.
The growth in 2023 can be attributed to several pivotal factors. First, airlines actively expanded their offerings, introducing new routes and enhancing services on existing ones. Second, local travelers demonstrated a strong preference for flying from their regional airport, a crucial element bolstering airline growth in the market.
Details: Visit flyavl.com.
MURPHY
Forum on commission
The Hiwassee River Young Republicans and Cherokee County Republican Party are hosting a Republican candidate forum for the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners are 6 p.m. Thursday at the county courthouse downtown.
Everyone is invited to attend the free political event. It will be live-streamed on the Cherokee Scout’s Facebook page, if possible.
Details: Visit facebook.com/hiwasseeriveryoungrepublicans.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Public meetings
THIS WEEK
- Cherokee County Tourism Development Authority meets at 2 p.m. Monday in the Murphy Visitors Center, 20 Tennessee St.
- 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.
- Cherokee County Board of Health meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Cherokee County Health Department in Murphy.
COMING SOON
- Cherokee County Veteran Forces meets at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14, at the Cherokee County Courthouse in downtown Murphy.
- Cherokee County Board of Education meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, at Central Office, 911 Andrews Road in Murphy. Live-streamed on the Scout’s Facebook page, if possible.
- Andrews ABC Board meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 19, in the ABC store, 13934 U.S. 19.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown and Editor Randy Foster.
CORRECTION
There was a reporting error in the article “Officials oppose ‘absurd’ 8.5% rate hike” on page 3A in the Jan. 31 edition of the Cherokee Scout. The first paragraph should have said this was a proposed increase in insurance rates only. The online version of the article has been updated. The Scout regrets the error.