In this week’s archives of the Cherokee Scout and Andrews Journal:
10 years ago – Dec. 19, 2012, Scout: In the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, local parents expressed concerns about safety in Cherokee County Schools.
- Shop With a Cop gave local children a positive experience with law enforcement officers – as well as a nice shopping trip to Walmart in Murphy.
- The N.C. Supreme Court upheld the ban on electronic video sweepstakes, which impacted several businesses in Cherokee County.
Dec. 20, 2012, Journal: Andrews Town Clerk Teresa Ricks was preparing to take over as town manager, although the retiring Bill Green would still be available to help as needed.
- The Chris Smith family shared the story of their “angel in disguise” – an English sheepdog named Max that they rescued and cared for over a dozen years.
25 years ago – Dec. 17, 1997, Scout: A case of meningitis at Peachtree School was not called an outbreak, but an isolated incident.
- The Cherokee County Board of Education accepted the retirement request of Barbara Hughes, who worked with exceptional children. Update: Since then, Hughes has been honored multiple times as Volunteer of the Year and today serves on the Murphy Town Council.
- Johnny Foster, owner of Ranger Plaza on U.S. 64 West, said the tap fees to tie into Cherokee County’s new water and sewer system would cost an exorbitant $20,000.
Dec. 18, 1997, Journal: Larry Henry, 20, of Smyrna, Tenn., who fell about 30 feet from a grain elevator at Parker & Reichman in Andrews, was on the mend.
- Andrews only was receiving about $5,000 in taxes annually from beer sales, and the board of aldermen wanted to increase that number.
50 years ago – Dec. 21, 1972, Scout: Telephone rates are going up in Murphy and surrounding areas, according to the N.C. Utilities Commission, which approved Westco telephone’s request for an increase.
- A frame house owned by the Larry Alligood family burned down in the Bluff section of Marble.
- About 60 percent of Magnovox workers in Andrews missed their first shift. The workers called it a protest, while the company called it an illegal wildcat strike.
Dec. 20, 1972, Journal: Sadly, this edition is missing from our archives.
– Publisher David Brown