In this week’s archives of the Cherokee Scout and Andrews Journal:
10 years ago – April 29, 2015, Scout: An Oklahoma man led Cherokee and Clay county sheriff’s deputies on a long high-speed chase that allegedly included him trying to run over one deputy before being arrested. Patrol cars were damaged, and a Taser was used to help restrain the driver, 55-year-old Charles Alan Fancher.
- Improvements to N.C. 294 in Hiwassee Dam led to a local family having to leave their two-story home – called “the old Ida Pope house” – which was built in 1863 across from Friendship Baptist Church but was being razed in the name of progress.
- Hiwassee Dam High School junior Haylie Shope was named to the NCPreps All-State 1A basketball team. The 2015 Little Smoky Mountain Conference Player of the Year averaged 15.8 points and 12.1 rebounds per game that season.
April 30, 2015, Journal: Andrews gave birth to a festival it hoped to build on with an Earth Week Celebration held over five days. Update: That event has since merged with the Andrews Chamber of Commerce’s Spring Fling.
- The Andrews Senior Center’s “Sunshine Club” of 37 volunteers were delivering meals all around the area without asking for a dime in return. The club was headed by Virginia Cox of Andrews.
25 years ago – April 26, 2000, Scout: J. Samuel Burton, a 60-year-old retiree, completed a journey from Evanston, Ill., to Cherokee, which included stops in and around Murphy, to see the land that drapes his Native American heritage.
- Residents could drop off their trash and recycling at one place thanks to the new convenience center in Caney Creek. An attendant was going to be on duty there for 12 hours a day, six days a week.
- The Murphy Volunteer Fire Department received a 1981 model fire truck from the N.C. Forest Service at no cost to local taxpayers. When new, the truck sold for $96,171. Update: That truck would cost about $300,000 today.
April 27, 2000, Journal: Principal Jennifer Clayton, who was retiring due to health reasons and in a wheelchair, was given a moving tribute during the new Andrews Middle School’s dedication ceremony.
- Hearing “I thought mountain people had pride” broke Cherokee County Commissioner Barbara Vicknair’s heart, as she recounted being told that from someone who visited the area and afterward expressed concerned about the amount of litter.
50 years ago – May 1, 1975, Scout: Construction of a new medical complex in Peachtree was going to be started in about 90 days following a lengthy meeting between the Murphy Hospital Authority and National Health Care Inc.
- The Murphy High School Band was raising money to buy new uniforms before a Spring Concert. Band director Steve Holcomb said the Bulldogs’ uniforms were at least 12 years old.
May 1, 1975, Journal: Andrews Community Fairs, previously known as Andrews Hobby Fairs, were being sponsored by the Tri-State Rock Hounds and Andrews Rotary Club, and operated by an independent committee.
– Publisher David Brown