In the last three week’s archives of the Cherokee Scout and Andrews Journal:
10 years ago – Sept. 3, 2014, Scout: Murphy police arrested Harry Ray Abernathy, 28, after an Andrews man said Abernathy allegedly kicked, hit and spit on his 7-year-old, who has autism.
Sept. 10: Dr. Stephen Lane, superintendent of Cherokee County Schools, was suspended with pay after being charged with driving while intoxicated. He allegedly blew a .12 on the Breathalyzer; the legal limit is .08. Update: Lane had lost his previous superintendent’s position due to a DWI charge. He would lose this job, too.
Sept. 17: Derrick Palmer, the Republican candidate for Cherokee County sheriff, reported that vice grips were placed on the brake line of his truck while it was in the parking lot of a local business. He had also suffered four flat tires since the start of his campaign against incumbent Keith Lovin. Update: It didn’t work, as Palmer won.
Sept. 4, 2014, Journal: While Andrews Mayor Nancy Curtis said the town wasn’t considering it, Cherokee County Commissioner Cal Stiles expressed concern that the board of aldermen might seek to enforce extra-territorial jurisdiction, which would reset the town’s boundaries by about 1 mile each way.
Sept. 11: Expressing concern over possible long-term environmental damage, the nonprofit Andrews Valley Initiative was building a coalition to potentially sue North Carolina over a new state law that would allow fracking in western North Carolina.
Sept. 18: A year after a lawnmower accident took her right foot, Carleigh Holden, 3, of Andrews, was undergoing preliminary surgeries to get fitted for a prosthetic foot.
25 years ago – Sept. 1, 1999, Scout: A three-member committee of local residents was formed to work with a state senator and representative to bring natural gas to Cherokee and surrounding counties.
Sept. 8: Billy Ray Stiles, 41, of Murphy, was found dead adjacent to a road in the Bell Hill area. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office was investigating, with an autopsy scheduled.
Sept. 15: The Murphy football team amassed 392 yards on he ground en route to a 38-14 win over Andrews. Scott McDonell led the way with 196 yards on only 12 carries, which included scoring runs of 35 and 87 yards.
Sept. 2, 1999, Journal: Reservoirs were up, but rainfall was down, causing Andrews officials to ask residents to voluntarily conserve water across the Valley.
Sept. 9: Cherokee County residents spoke against a Tennessee Valley Authority decision to no longer allow its law enforcement officers to “moonlight” as sheriff’s deputies.
Sept. 16: Mitch Rheinhardt, president of Andrews Cable Co., sued Murphy Electric Power Board in an effort to gain use of power poles in Murphy. Update: The late Rheinhardt would later serve as mayor of the Town of Andrews.
50 years ago – Sept. 5, 1974, Scout: The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners finally voted to pay for new radios in the sheriff’s office. Commissioner John Boring had been making motions to pay the bill for the last year.
Sept. 12: The congregation of Mount Liberty Baptist Church were getting ready to move into a new sanctuary after an April 3 tornado demolished their former buildings. The new structure’s cost was $42,000, with more than $32,000 already collected through Truett Baptist Association fundraisers.
Sept. 19: About 40 people attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a new Murphy Public Library building, to be built on a knoll behind Murphy Electric Power Board downtown. Total cost was estimated at $467,600, with federal funds covering 80%.
Sept. 4, 1974, Journal: Dr. Don Ambler opened his “modern” dental office on Main Street in Andrews. A few months earlier, former schoolmate Dr. James Vollmer also opened a dental office in Andrews.
Sept. 11: The old Tatham House at the base of Pisgah Road was still occupied, despite it being the oldest known original stricture in Cherokee County.
Sept. 18: The first-ever Fall Festival of Crafts was set at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown. More than 35 professional crafters were expected to be on hand, along with special entertainment and a pig roasting.
– Publisher David Brown