In this week’s archives of the Cherokee Scout and Andrews Journal:
10 years ago – Jan. 16, 2013, Scout: Amanda Davis, who was 22 at the time of the incident, was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison after killing Thomas Stiles of Hiwassee Dam in a drunk-driving accident.
- Timothy Jake Holder, 21, of Robbinsville, pleaded guilty to second-degree kidnapping, assault by pointing a gun and common law robbery for his role in a crime that took place at Fatback’s Citgo on Dec. 21, 2011.
- Heavy rains and flooding knocked out sewer lines and forced schools to close after a storm. Part of the bridge on Bulldog Drive in Murphy was washed away. Update: Debris from the EF-2 tornado on March 2, 2012, was blamed for causing much of the damage.
- Georgia Francis, 7, of Ranger was in critical condition after the automobile wreck in the Ocoee Gorge. Update: Georgia recovered and later served as grand marshal of a local parade.
Jan. 17, 2013, Journal: Travis James Allen, 39, of Murphy, was charged after a methamphetamine lab was discovered on Watauga Lane in Andrews.
- Robert Hamilton’s famous Car-truck, a staple of local parades for years, took its last ride. Update: Hamilton, owner of Sounds Good Electronics in Andrews, passed away a few years later.
25 years ago – Jan. 21, 1998, Scout: Grace Moses, a 19-year employee with Cherokee County Emergency Management Services, pleaded guilty to 77 counts of embezzlement adding up to more than $9,000.
- Mark Ervin Heffron, 48, of Stephens City, Va., was found two days after he walked alone into the woods near Oak Grove Baptist Church off of N.C. 294 to search for God’s word.
- Cherokee County’s new welfare plan called for putting more responsibility into the hands of people receiving public assistance.
Jan. 22, 1998, Journal: Four Andrews High School students came to the aid of local resident Edwin Bristol, an elderly man who fell on campus.
u Ray White, owner of White’s Plaza in Andrews, said gas prices were the lowest in 10 years at 99.9 cents per gallon.
50 years ago – Jan. 18, 1973, Scout: Cherokee County’s 3.1 percent unemployment rate was the lowest in several years, with many plants running full-time shifts six days a week.
u You could buy a push lawnmower from Carolina Tire Co. in Murphy for only $25, the same price as an AM/FM clock radio.
Jan. 17, 1973, Journal: Former Cincinnati Reds manager Dave Bristol told the Lions Club that Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente was the greatest baseball player he ever saw.
u You could buy 10 apples for just 98 cents at the A&P grocery store or a 4-pound canned ham for $3.98.
– Publisher David Brown