In this week’s archives of the Cherokee Scout and Andrews Journal:
10 years ago – Feb. 6, 2013, Scout: Murphy residents Larry Wayne Reid Jr., 41, and Elizabeth Sue Donaldson, 31, were charged in the armed robbery of Parker’s Drugstore in Peachtree. Update: Parker’s, which also had a location in downtown Murphy for many years, has since then sold to Walgreens, which also purchased Kerr Drugs.
- The N.C. Department of Transportation was getting ready to repair the bridge on Bulldog Drive over the Valley River, which was washed out due to a combination of heavy rainfall and tornado debris.
- Cherokee County residents were dealt a wild weekend of wild wintry weather, with tornado warnings, wind gusts up to 70 mph, 3 inches of snow and power outages.
Jan. 31, 2013, Journal: Ann Woodford, director of the nonprofit One Dozen Who Care Inc., retired from the organization she formed with 11 other African-American women in 1997. Update: One Dozen Who Care continues today under the leadership of Ronda Birtha.
- Nantahala School honored late principal Robbie Newton with “Cancer Awareness” basketball games to benefit the charity Coaches vs. Cancer.
25 years ago – Feb. 4, 1998, Scout: Eric Robert Rudolph, 31, formerly of Nantahala, was wanted for questioning in the bombing of the New Women All Women Clinic in Birmingham, Ala. Update: You should already know how this ends, with Rudolph serving a life sentence in a maximum security penitentiary.
- Pamela Vinson, former director of the Cherokee County Senior Citizens Center, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for embezzling more than $100,000 in federal, state and local monies.
- The Murphy wrestling team finished fifth in the Smoky Mountain Conference Tournament, but junior Jeremiah Brinke remained unbeaten for the season in the 160-pound weight class. Brinke won the SMC title as well as being named Most Valuable Wrestler for the tourney. Update: Brinke finally lost a match in the Western Regionals.
Feb. 5, 1998, Journal: Brother and sister Lakita Karen Morrow, 8, and Robert Dean Morrow Jr., 11, died after their mother lost control of the Camaro she was driving and it flipped over.
- “Andrews spends $649 a month to dispose of business garbage,” was the front-page headline. As a result, the story said, businesses were going to have an additional $1 tacked onto their monthly bill.
50 years ago – Feb. 1, 1973, Scout: Charles B. Hughes, 31, of Bellview, was killed after a high-speed police chase resulted in an automobile wreck that also caused injuries to two other members of the Hughes family.
- The future of the Four Square Community Action agency was in question after President Richard Nixon decided to dismantle the Office of Economic Opportunity. Update: Four Square survived and is doing well today.
- Changing a longstanding policy, the Cherokee County Board of Education voted that pregnant students can stay in school.
Jan. 31, 1973, Journal: Area hunters were in an uproar over the swirling population of big game in western North Carolina.
- The Andrews High School junior varsity cheerleaders were selling balloons to benefit the Heart Fund fighting heart disease, the No. 1 killer in America at the time.
– Publisher David Brown