ANDREWS
Oktoberfest set Saturday
The annual Andrews Oktoberfest is back from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday for a day filled with fun, food, music and entertainment.
Stop by and listen to some great live music from Struck by Lightning, The High Strangeness, Adrian Stover, George Asman & Friends and Sweet n Sourwood Honey.
More than 50 craft vendors will be displaying all kinds of handcrafted items in time for the holiday shopping season right along Main Street, and there will be plenty of food trucks on site as well. There will be picnic tables available for those who would like to sit and eat while enjoying the music.
Registration for the annual cornhole tournament starts at 11 a.m., and there is a $10 fee to enter. There will be cash prizes for first, second and third places. The tournament starts at 2 p.m. If you’re not in the game, you can always stop by and cheer for your favorite contestants.
Other contests for the day include the best Oktoberfest costume – by popular vote, a mug holding and best beard. There will also be a kid’s zone, with plenty of things to do for the young ones and a fun photo booth.
Wrist bands are just $5 for the beer and wine garden, which will include a chance to win a $20 gift certificate from one of the beer or wine vendors. Don’t forget to check out the leaves changing colors for the fall season.
This family friendly event, sponsored by the Andrews Chamber of Commerce, only comes around once a year. For details, visit www.visitandrewsnc.com.
MURPHY
Art Walk set Friday
The Valley River Arts Guild will present the Murphy Art Walk from 5-8 p.m. Friday, with dozens of arts and crafts vendors and musicians flocking to downtown to showcase their art, perform music and have a good time.
Everyone is invited to the free event. For details, call 360-3038 or visit @valleyriverartsguild on Facebook.
MURPHY
Visit Tasty Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday will be held at the L&N Depot, 4 Railroad St. downtown, from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday.
There will be food trucks and craft beer, with live music, tables and chairs in the depot. The event will be held, rain or shine, through October. Everyone is welcome.
BRASSTOWN
Comment on bridge
The N.C. Department of Transportation is inviting the public to provide input on a proposed project to replace a bridge on Old U.S. 64 over the Hiawassee River.
This bridge in Cherokee County over the Hiwassee River is coming to the end of its lifespan and has been selected for replacement. The new bridge is a proposed 280-foot-long structure with three spans that feature 11-foot-wide lanes and 6-foot-wide shoulders. The project will cost about $4.5 million.
Right of way is set to begin in fiscal year 2023 with construction the following fiscal year. Old U.S. 64 will be closed for the duration of the project, with traffic being detoured along U.S. 64 and Settawig Road.
An informal meeting scheduled Monday in the Brasstown Community Center was canceled. Residents may submit comments by mail to Zach Shuler, NCDOT Division 14, 345 Toot Hollow Road, Bryson City, NC 28713, or email ztshuler@ncdot.gov, through Monday.
WILMINGTON
EVs going mainstream
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Sept. 27 that North Carolina’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan has been approved. Under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, N.C. is set to receive $39.4 million over fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
Phase one will focus on the development of NEVI-compliant charging stations among the state’s Alternative Fuel Corridors. For southeastern North Carolina, Interstate 40, Interstate 74 and U.S. 17 have been listed as AFCs.
The second phase of the plan, according to the release, will focus on community-based charging needs. The state hopes that improvements in this sector will improve public accessibility to charging stations and assist electric vehicle-related jobs.
In total, North Carolina expects about $109 million will be needed over the course of five years to complete this project.
ROBBINSVILLE
Corridor K bidding let
Six companies were in the mix when the first round of Corridor K letting took place Aug. 16.
Just two pitches were received for the second segment – and for good reason: it is the most daunting task in the process. At an estimate of $83,824,722.24, phase two of the Corridor K improvements in Graham County will cover 3.911 miles, from Beech Creek Road (N.C. 143) to ½-mile north of the Appalachian Trail crossing at Stecoah Gap.
The rugged terrain will be constructed by Sevierville, Tenn.-based Charles Blalock & Sons Inc., which beat out Wright Brothers Construction Co. Inc. of Charleston, Tenn. Charles Blalock & Sons Inc.’s bid was $116,407,729.70 – or 38.9 percent above the estimate – with Wright Brothers’ submitting a bid of $130,012,832.96 – or 55.1 percent higher.
The bids were unsealed Sept. 20, by the N.C. Department of Transportation. Phase two of the long-
discussed improvements – first conceived during the Johnson Administration by the Appalachian Development Highway System, in 1965 – will ultimately improve draining, grading and paving along the nearly 4-mile strip of N.C. 143. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday at Robbinsville High School.
A 2019 report from the Cherokee Scout noted that
while the expansion would not fulfill the original vision of navigating through Tatham Gap to rejoin the four-lane U.S. 74, plans were moving forward. Improvements from Robbinsville to Andrews in Cherokee County – where Corridor K will connect with U.S. 74 – are unfunded and unclear on how they will proceed.
RALEIGH
Medicaid expansion
An obstacle to expanding Medicaid in North Carolina appears to be disappearing as the state’s association of hospitals is altering its stance on operating regulations.
When the General Assembly returned to Raleigh on Tuesday, they have an opportunity to review a new proposal by the N.C. Healthcare Association. The proposed “Healthcare Access & Stabilization Program” includes reforming certificate-of-need regulations, an area Republican legislators and Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper wanted changed, won’t require any state funding and will provide the General Fund up to $60 million as long as the federal government continues to provide its share of the funding.
The NCHA proposal calls for health systems and hospitals to fund a majority of the state’s share of expenses for expanding Medicaid. It would cover about 600,000 people at an estimated cost of $550 million per year.
However, the NCHA also noted health-care organizations could possibly lose $700 million from modifying CON laws on ambulatory surgery centers. The proposal also calls for legislators to repeal CON laws for psychiatric inpatient beds and chemical dependency beds.
The Senate passed House Bill 149, called “Expanding Access to Healthcare,” but it’s being held up in negotiations between the House and Senate on Medicaid expansion. North Carolina could receive up to $1.8 billion in federal funds for the additional Medicaid patients.
RALEIGH
State roads are deadly
Traffic deaths are on the rise in the United States, according to a recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. An estimated 20,175 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes from January through June 2022, the most in the first half of any year since 2006.
The latest increase in traffic fatalities comes as Americans are spending more time on the road. U.S. drivers traveled 43.2 billion more miles in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year.
The recent increase in traffic fatalities is a continuation of a troubling long-term trend. Deaths on American roads rose for seven consecutive quarters, from mid 2020 to early 2022. A recent survey conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that the trend is partially the result of rising instances of risky behavior among motorists, including speeding, distracted driving and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Some states stand out for having especially high traffic fatality rates so far this year. According to the NHTSA, there were an estimated 806 traffic fatalities in North Carolina in the first half of 2022, the fifth most among states.
After adjusting for vehicle miles traveled, North Carolina has the 11th highest traffic fatality rate in the country, with 1.44 roadway deaths for every 100 million miles traveled. For context, there were an estimated 1.27 deaths per 100 million miles nationwide in the first half of the year.
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.
- 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, Oct. 12, at the Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St. in downtown Murphy.
- Cherokee County Board of Education meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, at Central Office, 911 Andrews Road in Murphy.
- Andrews ABC Board meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17, in the Facilities Building, 85 Fourth St.
- Cherokee County Board of Commissioners meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17, in the multi-purpose room of the Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St. in downtown Murphy.
- Cherokee County Department of Social Services Board meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, in the DSS conference room, 4800 U.S. 64 W. in Ranger.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown.