ANDREWS
Woman a CNN Hero
Nora El-Khouri Spencer, who the Cherokee Scout wrote about in the Oct. 26 edition, has been named one of the 2022 CNN Heroes for her volunteer work.
El-Khouri is a well-known name in the Andrews Valley of Cherokee County. In 2020, Spencer became founder and CEO of Hope Renovations, a nonprofit organization that teaches the skills and empowers women to be able to enter into construction trades.
Hope Renovations also helps seniors and those with disabilities remain in their own homes by fixing or installing needed items that make the home safer. Read CNN’s tribute to Spencer online at www.cnn.com/2022/05/19/us/jobs-women-north-carolina-construction-cnnheroes/index.html.
CHEROKEE COUNTY
84 cases of COVID-19
Positive cases of COVID-19 have maintained a slow decline throughout November and into the first week of December, with only 84 cases last month, according to the Cherokee County Health Department.
“We are still managing between 15-20 active known cases per day,” Health Director David Badger said in a release. “We continue to see a high number of influenza, RSV and strep infections along with COVID, so it is important regardless of the virus type to limit exposure to others.
“It is important to understand that these numbers represent reported (known) cases, so it is likely an underrepresentation of the actual case rate as many people are taking home tests or simply not testing. It is important to remember that if you have been exposed or have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 to take necessary precautions to prevent further transmission.”
Those precautions include self-isolation during the first five days of infection and masking during the second five days or quarantine following exposure. Vaccinations and new bivalent boosters are also readily available, along with flu vaccines.
Statewide, 78 percent of residents have received at least one vaccination shot for COVID. For details, visit covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard.
RALEIGH
Railroad to get repairs
Multiple short line railroads will be improving their rail infrastructure thanks to about $12 million in grant funds being awarded by the N.C. Department of Transportation.
The matching grants come from the department’s Freight Rail & Rail Crossing Safety Improvement Program. The program supports rail infrastructure health, safety and performance throughout the state, enabling the DOT to partner with rail companies on improvement projects to effectively move freight.
The awarded grants are matched with railroad investments to contribute about $24 million in rail infrastructure improvements statewide. Together, these projects will support improvements to 52 railroad bridges and nearly 123 miles of railroad track in North Carolina.
The grant funds include $1,011,978 to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad for bridge improvements and track upgrades along the mainline corridor in Cherokee, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.
WASHINGTON
Cawthorn to pay for ethics
The House Ethics Committee directed GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) to pay nearly $15,000 to a charity on Dec. 6 after finding “substantial evidence” that he improperly promoted a cryptocurrency while in Congress, according to NBC News.
The fine caps an investigation announced in May that looked into whether the scandal-plagued lawmaker touted a cryptocurrency known as a Let’s Go Brandon coin in which he had a financial interest, and whether he engaged in “an improper relationship” with an aide on his congressional staff. The committee said in its 81-page report that it did not find evidence of improprieties between Cawthorn and the staffer.
However, the subcommittee that conducted the probe said Cawthorn, who represents Cherokee and surrounding parties in Congress, violated rules against conflicts of interest surrounding the cryptocurrency and directed him to pay $14,237.49 to an appropriate charitable organization by Dec. 31.
It also found that Cawthorn, 27, failed to file timely reports to the House “disclosing his transactions relating to the cryptocurrency.” And even though the panel determined that he did not knowingly fail to file the disclosures in a timely fashion, he was still required by law to pay $1,000 to the Treasury Department in late fees.
MURPHY
Time stands still for two
Marketplace Antiques at 41 Peachtree St. is going to have a special addition to their holiday store front window from 3-4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Anngee Quinones-Belian and Abigail Blythe Batton, both staff correspondents with the Cherokee Scout, will be posing as mannequins in the decorated downtown store window. Come out and meet two local writers while enjoying the fun and festive window display.
MARBLE
Credit union blanket drive
Mountain Credit Union has joined Mountain Projects Inc. for their annual Blanket Drive for 2022.
Please bring a new, unused child-themed blanket or throw to any Mountain Credit Union office, including the one at 8005 N.C. 141. The deadline to donate is Dec. 30.
Online purchases can be shipped directly to the agency at Mountain Projects, “Blanket Drive,” 2177 Asheville Road, Waynesville, NC 28786. Checks can also be sent by mail; please annotate checks with “Winter Warmth.”
MURPHY
Fly-tying club here
Want to learn more about fly fishing and tying flies? The 4-H Club Cherokee on the Fly meets every month on the first and third Thursdays from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at 699 Conaheeta St.
For details or to register for the class, call Shannon Coleman with N.C. Cooperative Extension at 837-2210, Ext. 4. Read an article about the club in the Dec. 7 edition of the Cherokee Scout.
RALEIGH
Walgreens,CVS deals
Attorney General Josh Stein announced Monday that he has finalized agreements with CVS and Walgreens to bring the national amount from investigations and litigation against the pharmaceutical industry for its role in the opioid crisis to more than $50 billion.
North Carolina’s share of those funds is well over $1 billion. Under the agreements, CVS will pay $5 billion and Walgreens will pay $5.7 billion, totaling $10.7 billion.
“This crisis is unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” Stein said in a release. “It’s the deadliest drug epidemic in American history.”
In addition to the financial settlement, CVS and Walgreens, along with Walmart earlier, have agreed to court-ordered injunctive relief that requires the pharmacies to monitor, report and share data about suspicious activity related to opioid prescriptions. The terms of this agreement will go to the states for their review.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Public meetings
THIS WEEK
- Cherokee County Veteran Forces meets at 10 a.m. today at the Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St. in Murphy.
- Cherokee County Board of Education meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Central Office, 911 Andrews Road in Murphy.
COMING SOON
- Cherokee County Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Cherokee County Courthouse on Peachtree Street in downtown Murphy. The purpose is to meet with the board of education to discuss the state grant for a consolidated high school.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown.