In this week’s archives of the Cherokee Scout and Andrews Journal:
10 years ago – Aug. 5, 2015, Scout: Leigh Brown, a rising eighth-grader at Murphy Middle School, passed away from a blood clot, despite showing no signs of health problems leading up to her death. “She was a sweet little girl who touched a lot of lives,” one parent told the Cherokee Scout.
- A land use inspection of Western Carolina Regional Airport in Andrews by the Federal Aviation Administration cited several violations of grant agreements reaching back years, including hangars paying no fees for the use of land owned by Cherokee County.
- The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners continued working on an adult bookstore ordinance after a strip club ordinance was passed in April.
Aug. 6, 2015, Journal: A 57-year-old Andrews woman accused of not caring for her horses got to keep the animals despite pleading guilty to animal cruelty after her horses were found on a roadway and escorted back to their enclosure by town police officers.
- After a 29-year-old Andrews man admitted stealing a refrigerator and stove from a local home, he was forced to take the appliances back to the home and re-install them under the watchful eyes of law enforcement officers. Update: This punishment perfectly fit the crime.
25 years ago – Aug. 9, 2000, Scout: With the exception of The Learning Center charter school in Murphy, every public school in Cherokee County met or exceeded the state’s standards in expected areas. Five schools reached exemplary standards, with Murphy Elementary School scoring the highest overall in the previous year.
- Crystal Malinowski, 13, a rising fifth-grader at Hiwassee Dam Elementary School, died when she was pinned underneath a vehicle near her home. Update: Her father still feels Crystal’s loss today, but he’s doing something about it to help others. Read the My View column on page 4A to learn more.
- Rebecca Dawn Debty, 17, of Marble, was killed when a pickup she was riding in went out of control, going airborne and landing on its top. Changes were pending against the 16-year-old boy driving the truck.
Aug. 3, 2000, Journal: A 15-year-old boy from Wartburg, Tenn., died at the Andrews rest area after inhaling a substance and going into seizures. The teenager was with a group on a rafting trip. No charges were filed.
- An editorial in the Andrews Journal asked, “Town going to the dogs?” The Andrews Board of Aldermen passed an ordinance dealing with dogs running loose downtown, but it wasn’t working, with canines still a’plenty and few animal owners buying licenses.
50 years ago – Aug. 7, 1975, Scout: The Peachtree Volunteer Fire Department took delivery of a brand-new pumper truck as well as firefighting gear for 30 men, representing an investment of about $40,000.
- Marvin Thompson of Murphy was pursuing a patent for an automatic mailbox opener he invented. He displayed his clever device at the Georgia Mountain Fair as well as an inventors fair in Knoxville, Tenn.
Aug. 6, 1975, Journal: Little Vickie Lynn Galloway, 3, of Andrews, came home from Duke Medical Center following treatments that seemed to have successfully arrested her leukemia. Local residents collected money for the family.
– Publisher David Brown