In this week’s archives of the Cherokee Scout and Andrews Journal:
10 years ago – July 22, 2015, Scout: The pool and gym at the Hiwassee Valley Pool & Wellness Center in Murphy were considered to be crucial to the overall health and well-being of local senior citizens, despite the cost to taxpayers.
- Mixed martial arts veteran Roger “The Leprechaun” Carroll, who beat Dan Hornbuckle during Fight Night in the Valley a year before in Marble, was knocked out during his Bellator debut. Update: Hornbuckle, once a promising prospect, has not fought since then.
- The Frozen Daddy-Daughter Dance was a big hit at the historic Hackney Warehouse in Murphy. Dad Jason Savugot of Murphy was shown twirling with his daughters – KaeLiana, 3, and Cadence, 6.
July 23, 2015, Journal: An ”awful” major storm hit the Andrews Valley hard, uprooting trees in Topton and throwing a scare into local residents. The “wind event” took out power in local homes for nearly two days.
- The green thumb of Tamara “Tammy” Passmore Guffey, who was born in Nantahala before moving to Andrews, was on display in her garden, which was considered to be a hidden gem in town. And she did it while being disabled.
25 years ago – July 26, 2000, Scout: A man was shot at Hiwassee Lake, but an investigation showed the gunshot was self-inflicted. The man and his wife were treated and released from Murphy Medical Center.
- No one was injured during a house fire on Dotson Road in Culberson. However, the small, A-frame house sustained extensive smoke, fire and water damages, as it took 3,000 gallons to extinguish the blaze.
- Cherokee Scout Editor Tina Hughes wrote a column saying how paved roads were not good for the country. “Our values were better when our roads were worse,” she wrote about rural life. Update: After leaving the Scout, Hughes moved to the Atlanta area and met a nice man, who she married.
July 20, 2000, Journal: Because the Andrews Board of Aldermen eliminated a sewer pump station impact fee, about $60,000 was going to have to be backed out of the town’s annual budget.
- An industrial-size air conditioner at Andrews Elementary School was creating a high-pitched noise that caused several nearby neighbors to complain. When the A/C came on at 4 a.m., one resident said, sleeping was impossible.
50 years ago – July 24, 1975, Scout: The Tennessee Valley Authority was raising power rates across the region, adding another 69 cents per 1,000 kilowatt hours on home bills.
- A Clay County couple were charged with “growing grass” – aka marijuana – in Downing Creek. About 300 of the illegal plants were confiscated.
July 23, 1975, Journal: John Boring of Andrews was named chairman of the Southwestern North Carolina Planning & Economic Development Commission Board of Directors.
– Publisher David Brown