In this week’s archives of the Cherokee Scout and Andrews Journal:
10 years ago – Nov. 5, 2014, Scout: Derrick Palmer, an 18-year law enforcement veteran, was elected sheriff over Keith Lovin, who served three terms. Update: Palmer served two terms in office and today sells real estate; Lovin no longer lives in Cherokee County.
- Dr. Dan Eichenbaum was elected to the District 4 seat on the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners over Democratic opponent Ed Figueroa. Eichenbaum ran for Congress in the 2010 Republican primary.
- Cherokee County Schools had the third-lowest rainy day fund in North Carolina at $106,215. How to increase that account was a major topic of debate during school board elections.
Nov. 6, 2014, Journal: Cherokee County Commissioner Cal Stiles of Andrews, a Republican who formerly ran for office as an independent, kept his District 1 seat in the general election, despite multiple efforts to replace him by Democrats and Republicans alike.
- Andrews police Sgts. Matthew Cox and Richard Taylor Jr. were two local residents who fought for the United States during the so-called war on terror in the Middle East. Cox was still active in the Naval Reserves.
25 years ago – Nov. 3, 1999, Scout: Levi Strauss & Co. locked the doors of its Murphy plant for the last time, turning over the keys to the facility to Mayor Bill Hughes, who summed it up thusly: “This is a sad day for Murphy.”
- The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners approved a new noise ordinance based on ones from Murphy and Alamance County. The new ordinance defined disturbing noises as those perceived as interrupting normal peace and calm.
- Murphy got back in the win column in football with a 42-13 thrashing of Hendersonville. The Bulldogs were led by senior fullback Scotty MacDonell, who rushed for 255 yards and two touchdowns, the last one a 42-yard sprint to the end zone that left him wearing only one shoe.
Nov. 4, 1999, Journal: Shots rang out at Nantahala School, and the campuses went to “Code Green” as a safety precaution. Fortunately, the shots turned out to be from local residents shooting at targets nearby.
- A fight in the parking lot of Dollar General in Andrews got serious when a local man pulled out a gun, causing all of the store employees to scatter. Both men were arrested in what was called a domestic dispute.
50 years ago – Nov. 7, 1974, Scout: Democrats gained control of the Cherokee County Courthouse in the general election, as Charles Laney and Bob Penland were re-elected to the board of commissioners. In other races, Charles Aiken of Ranger and Larry McNabb of Hiwassee Dam were elected to the board of education.
- The A&P grocery store in Murphy was selling ground beef for 69 cents a pound, a 5-pound bag of white grapefruit for 59 cents and salt for only 5 cents.
Nov. 6, 1974, Journal: More than a half-dozen apparently coordinated fires were set in and around downtown Andrews, but thankfully no one was injured. Fairview resident Dillard Pullium, 24, was charged with arson in three major blazes, which caused more than $100,000 total in damages.
– Publisher David Brown