Quick Reads

  • Nicole Wright/Staff Correspondent Sign of the times: The Andrews Public Library’s weekly words of wisdom on Main Street summed up most everyone’s thoughts about the new year’s winter weather of late.  With snow still lingering in parts of downtown, along with the weekend’s rain and slush, the library reminds us that this time of year can indeed embody this dichotomy.
    Nicole Wright/Staff Correspondent Sign of the times: The Andrews Public Library’s weekly words of wisdom on Main Street summed up most everyone’s thoughts about the new year’s winter weather of late.  With snow still lingering in parts of downtown, along with the weekend’s rain and slush, the library reminds us that this time of year can indeed embody this dichotomy.

    MURPHY

    Helene delays roundabout

    Construction on a roundabout in downtown Murphy has been delayed but should still take place in 2025, Mayor Tim Radford said.

    Construction was originally set to be in progress by now, but the N.C. Department of Transportation has redirected its attention to rebuilding and repairing roads, highways and bridges affected by Hurricane Helene in late September 2024.

    “It’s still in the plans, but NCDOT is prioritizing Hurricane Helene repairs at the moment,” Radford said. “That has delayed their work here, understandably. We anticipate the street project to begin this year, followed by the streetscape/pocket park renovations.”

    PEACHTREE

    Still ‘onward and upward’

    Aegis Power Systems was featured in the October edition of Business North Carolina magazine.

    Founded in 1995, Aegis makes switch mode power supplies and power converters for several markets, including defense, industry, aviation, electric vehicle and telecommunications, and is a leading supplier of AC-DC and DC-DC power supplies for custom and special applications. It had 14 employees and a 15,000-square-foot complex of engineering labs, manufacturing and production floor, and administration offices.

    Life was good at Aegis until founder, Bill Dockery was forced to deal with a recurring medical condition That’s when his daughter,  Arlissa Vaughn, stepped up and learned the ropes to keep the company successful.

    Dockery, a U.S. Air Force veteran, engineer and entrepreneur, passed away in April. He had a favorite saying – onward and upward.

    “That, subtly, is the driving motto for the team,” Vaughn said. “The big thing I’ve learned on this eight-and-a-half-year journey is you can’t do it alone. You have to have the support system at the personal level and the institutional level. If you’re not willing to get help from others, it’s going to be a harder journey.”

    Details: Contact Aegis Power Systems at 805 Greenlawn Cemetery Road, Murphy, NC 28906; call 828-837-4029; or visit aegispower.com.

    CHEROKEE COUNTY

    Counting all the homeless

    Cherokee County is gearing up for its annual “point in time” count, a census of the homeless population taking place simultaneously throughout the nation.

    The PIT count is a single 24-hour outreach effort for Cherokee, Clay, Graham

    and Swain counties to reach out to the unhoused community to identify where people are.

    Your help is needed, as volunteers seek out and briefly interview those who are unsheltered. Those that are currently unhoused are also invited to reach out on their own behalf.

    When is the count?

    • Jan. 29 evening and Jan. 30 morning.

    How can you help?

    • Volunteer to help on the date for the count.
    • Donate to help provide supplies for the unhoused.

    Contact for more information or to volunteer?

    • Four Square Community Action – Sue Ledford at sue.ledford@foursq.org or 828-321-4475.
    • Cherokee County Department of Social Services – 828-837-7455.
    • Maria Pedro – mpedro@brchs.com.

    CHEROKEE COUNTY

    Public meetings

    THIS WEEK

    • Murphy Town Council meets at 5 p.m. Monday at Murphy Electric Power Board, 5 Wofford St. downtown. Live-streamed on the Scout’s Facebook page.

    COMING SOON

    • Cherokee County Board of Education meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at Central Office, 2230 Airport Road in Marble. Live-streamed on the school district’s YouTube channel. The board will also have a workshop at 4 p.m. to discuss at least four different school consolidation proposals.
    • Andrews Board of Aldermen will hold a work session at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, in the Facilities Building, 85 Fourth St.
    • Cherokee County Tourism Development Authority meets at 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, in the Murphy Visitors Center, 20 Tennessee St.
    • Cherokee County Board of Health meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, at the Cherokee County Health Department, 228 Hilton St. in Murphy.
    • Cherokee County Veteran Forces meets at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, at the Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St. in downtown Murphy.
    • Andrews Board of Aldermen meets at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, in the Facilities Building, 85 Fourth St. Live-streamed on the Town of Andrews’ Facebook page.
    • Andrews ABC Board meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17, in the ABC Store, 13934 U.S. 19 in Andrews.
    • Cherokee County Board of Commissioners meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17, at the Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St. in downtown Murphy. Live-streamed on the Scout’s Facebook page.
    • Murphy ABC Board meets at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, at the ABC Store, 818 U.S. 64 W. in Murphy.
    • Cherokee County Department of Social Services Board meets at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, in the DSS conference room, 4800 U.S. 64 W. in Ranger.
    • Cherokee County Board of Commissioners Chairman’s Forum meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 3, in District 5 at the Hiwassee Dam Community Center, 7829 N.C. 294.

    Compiled by Publisher David Brown.