Quick Reads

  • Emily Fulford/Contributing Photographer Bruce Abernathy, Ruth Anderson, Dee Maresca and Tommy Anderson (from left) were the runners-up during the Valentine’s Day King & Queen Celebration at Murphy Rehab & Nursing Center in Peachtree on Feb. 14.
    Emily Fulford/Contributing Photographer Bruce Abernathy, Ruth Anderson, Dee Maresca and Tommy Anderson (from left) were the runners-up during the Valentine’s Day King & Queen Celebration at Murphy Rehab & Nursing Center in Peachtree on Feb. 14.
  • Cruella DeVille, the Murphy dog in the running to become America’s favorite pet, is in second place in the top 15 as the end nears. You can vote for her online at https://americasfavpet.com/2022/cruella-fa9a. Here she is shown working as a therapy dog while visiting staff at Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital in Peachtree.
    Cruella DeVille, the Murphy dog in the running to become America’s favorite pet, is in second place in the top 15 as the end nears. You can vote for her online at https://americasfavpet.com/2022/cruella-fa9a. Here she is shown working as a therapy dog while visiting staff at Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital in Peachtree.
  • Eight Highland Creek residents – including Scott Johnson, shown supervising Randy Herndon – collected a total of 24 bags of trash – plus a couch, car bumper and percussion cymbal – Saturday while picking up litter along Harshaw Road, from Harshaw Place to Martins Creek Road. Someone even had the gall to throw a can and cup out of their car window right after they picked everything up – and in clear view of the orange bags – so more education and help is needed to clean up Cherokee County.
    Eight Highland Creek residents – including Scott Johnson, shown supervising Randy Herndon – collected a total of 24 bags of trash – plus a couch, car bumper and percussion cymbal – Saturday while picking up litter along Harshaw Road, from Harshaw Place to Martins Creek Road. Someone even had the gall to throw a can and cup out of their car window right after they picked everything up – and in clear view of the orange bags – so more education and help is needed to clean up Cherokee County.
  • Last week, Cyndi Martin lost her husband, Howard Martin, who was well known as “The Mountain Man” of Mountain Man Produce on Joe Brown Highway. Even with Howard’s passing, Cyndi still showed up to volunteer at fundraisers for the Rotary Club of Murphy, of which she is a member. Club members said Cyndi “has a true heart for service to others.” Obituary, page 6A.
    Last week, Cyndi Martin lost her husband, Howard Martin, who was well known as “The Mountain Man” of Mountain Man Produce on Joe Brown Highway. Even with Howard’s passing, Cyndi still showed up to volunteer at fundraisers for the Rotary Club of Murphy, of which she is a member. Club members said Cyndi “has a true heart for service to others.” Obituary, page 6A.

    MARBLE

    Andrews top shots

    Another chapter in the long-sought quest to return to normalcy was written Saturday, as shooting teams from around the region competed in the FarWest Tournament at the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Shooting Range.

    The competition ended a two-year drought for western North Carolina shooting teams and was attended by 14 teams, split evenly between middle and high school shooters.

    When the gunpowder finally dissipated, Andrews edged Pisgah – with 2,890 team points, to Pisgah’s 2,887 – to win the high school bracket. Bethel (Waynesville) compiled 2,807 to knock off the Andrews Red team (2,734) in the middle school race.

    The Midwest Competition will be held in Canton on Saturday.

    CHEROKEE COUNTY

    59 positive for COVID

    From Feb. 21 through Monday, 59 more local residents tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Cherokee County Health Department.

    Of the 25,947 tests handled through the department since the pandemic began in March 2020, 18,876 were negative, eight are pending and 7,063 were positive. Of those cases, 54 are active, 6,892  have been released and 17 are deceased.

    Less than 50 percent of the county is fully vaccinated. Health Director David Badger encourages everyone who has not been vaccinated or needs a booster to set an appointment online at https://novelhealth.ai/practice/cherokee-county-health-department-287668.

    “Based on the three measures, we are moving into a low-risk scenario,” Badger said of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s new mask guidelines. “The bigger challenge will be assessing hospitalization data since a majority of our residents go to hospital systems outside of our area and mostly in other states. Case data is significantly trending down, but the new criteria doesn’t take into consideration vaccination rates, and those I suspect will stay about where they are at for the foreseeable future.”

    He added that deaths aren’t a useful barometer because they are showing impacts of where we have come from, as a lagging indicator, and not indicative of where we are today.

    NANTAHALA

    Andrews man guilty in theft

    Crowe

    Macon County jurors found a man guilty last week of breaking into a home in December 2019 in Nantahala, District Attorney Ashley Welch said in a release.

    After being found guilty, Andrews resident Jon Crowe, 47, received an added sentence enhancer for habitual felon, requested by assistant district attorney John Hindsman Jr., who prosecuted the case.

    Habitual-felon status enhances punishment decisions and can apply after a defendant is convicted of three felonies.

    Habitual felons face sentencing at a felony level four classes higher than the underlying felony convictions. Crowe faced the possibility of 111-146 months in prison on each of two charges, felony breaking and entering and felony larceny, for total possible imprisonment of 222-292 months.

    Visiting Superior Court Judge Pete Knight, for the purposes of sentencing, opted to consolidate the two charges. Knight ordered Crowe to serve a total of 83 months to 112 months in state prison.

    CHEROKEE COUNTY

    Man seeking local patches

    A young man from out of state, David Chiacchio, is a serious collector of emergency service agency patches. And his search has led him to Cherokee County, N.C.

    Chiacchio wrote the Cherokee Scout to request help obtaining patches from the Andrews Fire Department, Andrews Rescue Squad, Cherokee County Rescue Squad, Grape Creek Fire Department, Murphy Fire Department, Peachtree Fire Department, Ranger Fire Department, Unaka Fire Department and Valleytown Fire Department.

    “This would mean a great deal to me,” he said in his letter. “Any and all help you can give would be much appreciated.” The young man counts more than 250 patches in his collection.

    If someone has a patch they would like to donate, please drop it off at the Scout, where they will be mailed to Chiacchio in a self-addressed stamped envelope he provided. If you would like to sell or barter for a patch, you can reach him at: 70 Bumble Bee Circle, Shrewbury, MA 01545.

    MARBLE

    Fundraiser set for family

    Marble Springs Baptist Church is sponsoring a fundraiser Saturday to cover medical costs for the Mark Mintz family.

    Mintz, a retired teacher from Andrews Elementary School, has been Marble Springs’ church choir director for many years. From 6-7:30 p.m. Saturday, the church will host an evening of music by local vocalists and musicians.

    If you’re unable to attend, please send donations to Marble Springs Baptist Church, 80 Marble Springs Church Road, Marble, NC 28905. If sending checks, write “Mintz family” in the memo line.

    CHEROKEE COUNTY

    Send people profiles here

    Are you an interesting person? Do you know someone who is? How about a volunteer behind the scenes who helps make a business, nonprofit agency or fun endeavor amazing?

    Let the Cherokee Scout tell their story. Please email the person’s name, phone number and brief information to anngeeq@gmail.com, and we’ll do the rest. Special people deserve a few minutes in the spotlight. Thanks for reading.

    LOCAL GOVERNMENT

    Public meetings

    THIS WEEK

    • Murphy Town Council meets at 5 p.m. Monday at Murphy Electric Power Board, 5 Wofford St. downtown.
    • Cherokee County Board of Commissioners meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the multi-purpose room of the Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St. in downtown Murphy.
    •  Andrews Board of Aldermen meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Facilities Building, 85 Fourth St.

    COMING SOON

    • Cherokee County Veteran Forces meets at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 9, at the Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St. in downtown Murphy.
    • Cherokee County Board of Education meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 10, at Central Office, 911 Andrews Road in Murphy.
    • Cherokee County Tourism Development Authority meets at 2 p.m. Monday, March 14, in the Murphy Visitors Center, 20 Tennessee St.
    • Andrews ABC Board meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 21, in the Facilities Building, 85 Fourth St.
    • Cherokee County Department of Social Services Board meets at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24, in the DSS conference room, 4800 U.S. 64 W. in Ranger.

    From staff reports.