CHEROKEE COUNTY
Deadline for jobless help
The deadline to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance has been extended to Jan. 7, 2025, for people in 39 North Carolina counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina.
The Division of Employment Security submitted an extension request to the U.S. Department of Labor, which approved it on Dec. 9, to continue to provide temporary financial support to people impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits are available for residents of the following counties: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lee, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Nash, Polk, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey counties as well as the Eastern Band.
People in these counties who are unemployed as a direct result of Hurricane Helene may be eligible for unemployment benefits under the DUA program. Business owners affected by the storm may also qualify for benefits.
Details: Applications can be filed at des.nc.gov.
MURPHY
The living mannequins
The living mannequins are returning to downtown behind glass this month.
From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Anngee Quinones-Belian, a staff correspondent and humor columnist for the Cherokee Scout, and a special guest from the community will be trying to hold a pose without moving in the window of Marketplace Antiques, 41 Peachtree St.
“You won’t be disappointed,” Quinones-Belian said. While it’s free to look, all tips will be donated to Shop With a Cop.
Details: Visit townofmurphync.com/police/page/shop-cop.
MURPHY
Town gets water help
U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) said the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate passing the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 secures wins for western North Carolina, a release says.
That includes the following funding authorizations, which are headed to the president’s desk to be signed:
- $1.5 million for downtown water system rehabilitation in Murphy.
- More than $41 million for flood mitigation along the Pigeon River in Canton.
- $4 million for water plant expansion in Weaverville.
- More than $3.4 million for water infrastructure upgrades in Robbinsville.
In addition to the funding, the following bills that Edwards introduced were passed as part of WRDA 2024: the National Dam Safety Program Reauthorization Act of 2023, National Dam Safety Program Amendment Act and Low-Head Dam Inventory Act.
North Carolina’s 11th district is home to more than 750 dams, many of which are in poor or unsatisfactory condition. The American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure gave America’s dams a “D” grade in safety, and the Association of State Dam Safety Officials estimates that more than 2,300 high-hazard dams are at risk due to a lack of investment in dam safety.
Details: Read the column on dam safety in Cherokee County in the Oct. 23 edition of the Cherokee Scout.
RALEIGH
Veto override leads to suit
Gov. Roy Cooper filed a lawsuit jointly with Gov.-elect Josh Stein on Thursday to block a portion of Senate Bill 382. The litigation, possibly the first of multiple with the legislation, targets the provision related to the commander of the N.C. Highway Patrol.
Senate Bill 382 is a 132-page bill led by 13 pages on fiscal aid for Hurricane Helene recovery and the remainder on changes to authority of elected positions. The House of Representatives and Senate both overrode Cooper’s veto.
In the new law, Section 3E.1.(u) says the commander of the Highway Patrol on Nov. 18 shall continue to serve until July 1 and then begin serving another five-year term without additional nomination by the governor or confirmation by the General Assembly.
MURPHY
Edwards staff coming here
Staff with U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) will hold office hours inside Penland Senior Center, 69 Alpine St. downtown, from 2:30-4 p.m. Thursday.
Edwards’ staff can help answer questions about Hurricane Helene, assist with federal agencies and more.
If you can’t join Edwards’ staff on the Carolina Cruiser and you or someone you know is having problems, call 223-FIX-FEMA.
CHEROKEE COUNTY
Public meetings
THIS WEEK
- Murphy ABC Board meets at 10 a.m. today at the ABC Store, 818 U.S. 64 W. in Murphy.
COMING SOON
- Local, state and federal government offices, and the Cherokee Scout, will be closed Wednesday, Dec. 25, for the Christmas holiday. The Scout will also close at noon Tuesday, Dec. 24, for Christmas Eve. The Scout will reopen at 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 26.
- Local, state and federal government offices, and the Cherokee Scout, will be closed Wednesday, Jan. 1, for the New Year’s holiday. The Scout will reopen at 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 2.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown.