MURPHY
Xplosion! set Friday
Downtown is again “x-ploding” with art in the Murphy Art Xplosion! The newest installation of 54 big canvas art prints for the MAX Project will debut at the Valley River Arts Guild’s First Friday Art Walk, with an artist reception at the Murphy Art Center from 5-8 p.m.
The 5-foot panels will be on display on brick walls and fences at 13 outdoor locations until the end of March. The theme for this show is “Vintage and Anything Old.” Featured art includes old barns, vintage objects and the old-world traditions of the Appalachian Mountains.
The Art Walk will include dozens of arts and crafts vendors and musicians showcasing their art, performing music and having a good time at the free event. For details, call 360-3038 or visit valleyriverarts.com.
ANDREWS
Credit union turning five
Stop by the State Employee Credit Union located at 1090 Main St. from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, and enjoy some refreshments to help them celebrate.
The credit union will be celebrating its fifth anniversary and the introduction of a new program for financial advisory services, which will offer insurances, state planning, trusts and investments.
Mayor James Reid will be on hand for the Andrews Chamber of Commerce’s ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m. For details, call 321-8130.
WASHINGTON
Capitol tree lit Tuesday
The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree arrived in Washington from North Carolina to the Capitol building, stopping in towns along a 14-day tour, including Murphy on Nov. 6.
Since 1970, the U.S. Forest Service has selected the Capitol Christmas Tree – or “The People’s Tree” – for transport to Washington. A tree-lighting ceremony was held Tuesday night on the Capitol’s West Lawn.
This year’s carrier, Hardy Brothers Trucking based in Siloam, is recognized on both doors. The company selected its husband-and-wife driver team of Harold “Ed” Kingdon Jr. and Deborah Z. Kingdon to haul the tree – a 78-foot tall red spruce called “Ruby.” The tree was harvested Nov. 2 from the Pisgah National Forest.
YOUNG HARRIS, Ga.
King gets recognized
Alex King, director of broadband for Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corp., was among 21 people under age 40 featured in this quarter’s Fiber Forward magazine, a publication of the Fiber Broadband Association.
Fiber Forward’s article,
“Fiber under Forty – A Snapshot of FBA’s Upcoming Leaders and Doers,” is to recognize the young, emerging leaders within its ranks, shining a spotlight on individuals who are recognized by their companies and peers as making substantial contributions to their organizations and to the community at large. Out of 80 submissions, King was selected.
“I am honored to be recognized by work and industry peers,” King said in a release. “This recognition highlights the efforts and commitment of everyone at Blue Ridge Mountain EMC to provide a much-needed service to our membership.” To read the article, visit fiberbroadband.org/page/fiber-forward.
King has been with Blue Ridge Mountain EMC for 11 years. He began his career as an intern in the broadband department while finishing high school and moving on to college. After college graduation, King took on the role of manager of broadband and was promoted to director in 2021.
RALEIGH
Dealing with drug makers
Attorney General Josh Stein announced last week that he has finalized $6.6 billion in agreements with opioid makers Teva and Allergan over allegations that the companies contributed to the opioid crisis by overstating the benefits of opioids, downplaying the risk of addiction and failing to maintain effective controls to prevent opioid diversion.
Stein announced preliminary agreements with Teva and Allergan in July. State attorneys general on the executive committee, attorneys representing local governments and the companies have agreed to final settlement terms, which are being sent to other states for review and approval. The parties are optimistic that the settlement will gain substantial state support by the end of 2022, allowing local governments to join the deal during the first quarter of 2023.
North Carolina’s share of these settlements is at least $188 million to be paid over 13 years. The settlements will also require Teva’s opioid business to provide stringent injunctive relief that, among other things, will prevent all opioid marketing and ensure systems are in place to prevent drug misuse. Additionally, Allergan is required to stop selling opioids for the next 10 years.
EAST FLAT ROCK
$20 ticket wins $2M
Local resident Yoni Davila tried his luck on a $20 lottery ticket and won the first $2 million prize in the Platinum scratch-off game. Davila bought his lucky ticket from Triangle Stop Food Store on Asheville Highway in Hendersonville.
When Davila arrived at lottery headquarters in Raleigh to collect his prize, he had a decision to make. He could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $100,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $1.2 million. He chose the lump-sum amount of $1.2 million and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $852,126.
Platinum debuted in August with four $2 million prizes and eight $100,000 prizes. Three $2 million prizes and four $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed.
Ticket sales from lottery games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details, visit www.nclottery.com.
RALEIGH
Vote set to be certified
With post-election processes – including required audits – nearly complete, the N.C. State Board of Elections met Tuesday to certify final results of the 2022 general election.
In recent days, each of the 100 bipartisan county boards of elections certified election results at the county level. During the 10-day period between the Nov. 8 general election and county canvass, the county boards completed numerous post-election tasks to verify the vote counts, including determining which provisional ballots are eligible to be counted by law, processing and counting absentee ballots of eligible voters that were cast by Election Day but arrived in the mail after Election Day, conducting statutorily required audits and any necessary recounts, considering any election protests, and ultimately certifying results of contests under their jurisdictions.
In one audit required by state law, bipartisan teams at each county board hand-counted all ballots from two randomly selected ballot groups. Among those ballot groups that could have been selected for the hand-count audit are ballots cast at an early voting site or Election Day precinct, or all ballots cast by mail in a county.
Across North Carolina, teams hand-counted the U.S. Senate results in 158 Election Day precincts and 28 early voting sites. And 14 counties conducted a hand-count of all absentee-by-mail ballots they accepted. The county-by-county results of these audits, conducted at public meetings, show once again that the certified election machines used to count ballots do so with great accuracy, said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections.
MURPHY
A week at the beach
The Rotary Club of Murphy is holding a raffle for a chance to win a week at member Mark Stalcup’s condominium in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
For $50 a ticket, you could win a week in a beautiful three bedroom, three Bath oceanfront condo on the fifth floor of North Beach Plantation, one of the newest luxury complexes in the area. It’s within walking distance of Barefoot Landing, with numerous restaurants and shopping opportunities on the way.
See Stalcup, who is donating the week visit in memory of his late wife, or a member of the Rotary Club for tickets. For details, visit www.northbeachrentals.com.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Public meetings
THIS WEEK
- Murphy Town Council meets at 5 p.m. Monday at Murphy Electric Power Board, 5 Wofford St. downtown. This meeting will be live-streamed through the Scout’s Facebook page.
- 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. This meeting will be live-streamed through the Scout’s Facebook page.
- Cherokee County Tourism Development Authority meets at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Murphy Visitors Center, 20 Tennessee St.
COMING SOON
- Cherokee County Board of Education meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, at Central Office, 911 Andrews Road in Murphy. This meeting will be live-streamed through the Scout’s Facebook page.
- Andrews Board of Aldermen meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, in the Facilities Building, 85 Fourth St. This meeting will be live-streamed through the Scout’s Facebook page.
- u Cherokee County Veteran Forces meets at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14, at the Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St. in downtown Murphy.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown.