ANDREWS
Food Truck Friday here
The August Food Truck Friday event from 5-8 p.m. is bringing good food, entertainment, a beer and win garden, local and visiting vendors to downtown this week.
There will be picnic tables on First Street and parking on Main Street. There will also be musical entertainment by the Alex Haughton Band, playing pop and rock songs from the 1960s, ‘70s and ’80s.
Food Truck Fridays is just one of the many ways the Andrews Chamber of Commerce is looking to bring more people into town. For details, see visitandrewsnc.com.
MURPHY
County dips into funding
The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners voted Aug. 2 to spend $4,000 from contingency funds to renovate an office in the administrative suite of the Cherokee County Courthouse downtown that will be used by the new human resource generalist the county recently hired.
At the same meeting, commissioners voted to spend $9,700 from contingency funds to purchase a pharmaceutical security upgrade for emergency medical services.
CHEROKEE COUNTY
5 roadways get names
The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners has approved names for five roadways.
Marshall Coleman Trail, Mills Farm Road, Arvel Williamson Drive, Blackhawk Mountain Drive and Snowbird View Drive will be added to the county’s road list following the commissioners’ unanimous vote on Aug. 2.
MURPHY
School event set for Friday
Reach of Cherokee County Inc. is hosting a back-to-school event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Reach Thrift Store, 1980 U.S. 64 W., to help local students as they head to class.
The event will give away free new socks and underwear, including bras, for students of all ages and sizes. Reach will also be handing out school supplies – including notebooks, paper and pencils – to the first 100 students who visit the event.
Along with the free items for students, Giggles the Clown will be making animal balloons. There will also be free popcorn, snow cones and games for kids. For details, call 837-7570.
MURPHY
Moms in Prayer meet Tuesday
Moms in Prayer will hold a signup meeting from 10-11:30 a.m. Tuesday at The Worship Tent, 20 Casino Parkway just off U.S. 19/74.
The guest speaker will be Sondra Ball, one of the five founders of MomsinPrayer.org. Tea, water and a light snack will be provided.
You’re invited to “have a profound on your children and their schools, from preschool to young adult.” For details, call Bethany Clark at 828-337-7601 or email toworshiphim2@yahoo.com.
MURPHY
Road gets newer life
The alley that runs between Black & White Market and Urban Salon & Spa downtown has been closed to vehicle traffic.
However, that doesn’t mean the public won’t be able to enjoy the space. Residents are soon going to be invited to share ideas on outdoor furniture, decorations, lighting and holding special events.
Organizers hope that, with seating, this area can be a great place to take a break for shopping or enjoy a meal outside. For details, stay tuned to the Downtown Murphy NC page on Facebook.
ANDREWS
Veterans event coming Oct. 30
This year’s special Welcome Home Veterans event will be held Sunday, Oct. 31, at Western Carolina Regional Airport.
A parade on Main Street downtown will start the day at 9:30 a.m. Festivities move to the airport at 11 a.m. and are expected to wrap up by 2 p.m. so residents can enjoy the Halloween holiday.
The final meeting for this year’s event will be held at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, at the airport. For details, email bandy@brmemc.net.
MURPHY
Need masks at chamber
With the recent spike Cherokee County is experiencing in COVID-19 cases, the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce is taking additional precautions in the office.
Executive Director Sherry Raines and others are happy to meet with residents by appointment, on the phone or via Zoom online. They’re also requesting that anyone coming inside the office to please wear a mask; they have some available at the door as well as hand sanitizer.
“We are doing as much for your protection as our own,” Raines said. For details, call 837-2242 or email director@cherokeecountychamber.com.
CHEROKEE
Council OKs medical pot
The Cherokee Tribal Council on Friday approved a 42-page ordinance that will establish a system to support legalized medical marijuana on the Qualla Boundary, according to the Smoky Mountain News.
“This is a compassionate care issue,” said Principal Chief Richard Sneed, one of the ordinance’s three submitters. “This is an issue for people who have chronic pain, for people who have cancer and who are in chemotherapy and can’t eat, for people who have PTSD, for soldiers who have come back from combat, for those who are battling opioid addiction. This is the off-ramp.”
The ordinance creates a new Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Cannabis Advisory Commission that will study cannabis-related issues and make regulatory recommendations, the News reported. Meanwhile, a new EBCI Cannabis Control Board will set the regulations.
The law allows for licensure of dispensaries where people holding valid medical cannabis patient cards will be able to acquire cannabis products. Dispensaries may not be within 1,000 feet of a pre-existing school or community facility. During the first three years that the law is in effect, medical cannabis cardholders will be limited to buying one ounce of medical marijuana per day and 6 ounces per month.
WASHINGTON
Complaint filed vs. Cawthorn
U.S. Rep. David McKinley’s (R-W.Va.) office has filed a complaint with the House Ethics Committee against freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) after a verbal altercation with a staffer over a mixup on his name being put on the wrong piece of legislation, according to The New York Post.
The incident took place just ahead of a heated confrontation between McKinley and Cawthorn on the House floor, with some saying it appeared the two lawmakers were on the brink of a physical brawl.
A source with direct knowledge of the incident in McKinley’s office said Cawthorn entered uninvited and demanded to have his name taken off the piece of legislation, which related to drug pricing in low-income, rural communities, but he mistakingly believed was related to abortion. After being told by an aide that his staff has received directions on how to have Cawthorn’s name removed, he said he was “looking for a fight today.”
Cawthorn, who represents Cherokee and surrounding counties in Congress, later attempted to smooth things over with the staffer in a note obtained by The Post. It’s unclear whether the House Ethics Committee will move forward with an investigation.
Cawthorn has also faced criticism in recent weeks after it was reported that he tried to bring a “Glock” handgun and ammunition through Asheville Regional Airport on Feb. 13. However, he was not charged in that incident.
WASHINGTON
FHA extends no evictions
The Federal Housing Administration has announced an extension of its moratorium on evictions for foreclosed borrowers and their occupants through Sept. 30, according to a release.
This extension is part of President Joe Biden’s announcement on July 29 that federal agencies will use their authority to extend their respective eviction moratoria through the end of September, which will provide continued protection for households living in federally insured, single-family properties. FHA’s eviction moratorium extension will avoid displacement of foreclosed borrowers and other occupants who need more time to access suitable housing options after foreclosure.
Mortgage service companies may initiate or continue foreclosures in accordance with FHA requirements once the single-family foreclosure moratorium expired as planned on July 31, but may not evict a foreclosed borrower or other occupant.
From staff and The Center Square reports.