In this week’s archives of the Cherokee Scout and Andrews Journal:
10 years ago – June 13, 2012, Scout: North Carolina’s government approved live dealers for Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, opening the doors for future expansion into Murphy. Update: Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel opened in September 2015.
- Dr. Dan Eichenbaum and the Cherokee County 9/12 Project asked county commissioners to no longer support the Southwestern North Carolina Commission because of its alleged support of United Nations Agenda 21. Update: The vote failed 2-1. After he was elected to the commission two years later, Eichenbaum and other board members continued working with the Southwest Commission.
- Rising ninth-grader Tyler Boatwright, a graduate of The Learning Center charter school in Murphy, was the state champion in three rodeo events at the Georgia Junior High School finals.
June 14, 2012, Journal: A $125,000 go-kart track called Bear Ridge Speedway was getting ready to open in Andrews. Update: After some success the track eventually closed, and the property was purchased years later by Cherokee County Commissioner Cal Stiles.
- The annual Summer Garden Tour, presented by the Valleytown Cultural Arts & Historical Society, took folks to five different homes with hidden gardens and much more.
25 years ago – June 11, 1997, Scout: Former Cherokee County Senior Services director Marlene Vinson was indicted on a federal charge of embezzlement after $153,849 was discovered missing in an audit. Update: Despite the charge, Vinson was still working at the Swain County Senior Citizens Center.
- Search and rescue teams spent almost 24 hours searching Lake Hiwassee for Jeffrey Lee Dockery, but the local man walked out the woods alive and well the next morning.
- The Murphy Town Council approved a $1.9 million budget featuring no tax increases and a 5 percent raise for all town employees.
June 12, 1997, Journal: Ann Woodford of Andrews helped Asheville attain All-American City status. She was the “joy of the whole trip,” according to Asheville’s public information officer.
- While principals were in favor of a proposed school attendance policy, parents were not. As a result, the Cherokee County Board of Education postponed voting on the subject.
50 years ago – June 15, 1972, Scout: Mitchell Scott Hicks, 10, died in a farming accident when a tractor ran into a hole, while Robert Wayne Mauney, 44, died from a gunshot wound during a struggle within hours of each other in the same vicinity of Clay County.
- School bookkeeper Margie Zimmerman turned the first shovel of dirt at the ground breaking of a new building for Tri-County Tech in Peachtree.
- North Carolina’s minimum wage was increased to $1.60 per hour, up from $1.45.
June 14, 1972, Journal: The Cherokee County Board of Education awarded contracts for construction of a new Andrews Elementary School. The total cost was expected to be $527,702.
- A 1969 Volkswagen was stolen from Corbert Luther’s Body Shop in Andrews. Update: The vehicle was found in the parking lot of the hospital in Bryson City