In this week’s archives of the Cherokee Scout and Andrews Journal:
10 years ago – Jan. 15, 2014, Scout: Lyndon Parve, 51, of Murphy, was killed as a result of an automobile accident that occurred in the Ocoee Gorge, when his van crossed the center line in a shape curve and collided with a tractor-trailer.
- Former Murphy football, University of Tennessee and NFL standout Carl Pickens was arrested after a domestic incident at his home in Duluth, Ga. He was found hiding in the attic.
- John Joseph Watts, 69, of Murphy, was sentenced to 360 months in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree sex offense of a child, a felony that can result in a life sentence.
Jan. 16, 2014, Journal: The Andrews Police Department received five Humvees from the U.S. military, but the Andrews Board of Aldermen was moving to give them away to other agencies.
- The Andrews Board of Aldermen voted to hire three new police officers, an events planner and an administrative police chief, who would not be a sworn law enforcement officer, putting Police Chief Joel Deese’s position in question.
25 years ago – Jan. 13, 1999, Scout: The new Cherokee County Board of Commissioners decided to make tax collection a priority after two years of having 40 percent and 42.7 percent of taxes, respectively, go uncollected. “We need to get more aggressive,” Commissioner Barbara Vicknair said.
- The Murphy Town Council voted to increase Dumpster pickup service tip fee from $6.50 to $10. The board also agreed to charge a $5 per month pickup fee for commercial establishments that use 32-gallon garbage cans.
- Harold Roper Sr. of Marble published a full-page ad in the Scout after one of his frequent letters to the editor was edited. In this case, it was because he ran afoul of the word limit, not censors. Update: A letter to editor in the following edition took issue with the accuracy of Roper’s ad.
Jan. 14, 1999, Journal: A lawsuit filed against Andrews by the family of a 3-year-old girl who was injured when she fell into stagnant water in the deep end of the town pool was preparing for trial.
- Andrews residents were surprised to find out that local mail went back all the way to Andrews and back in order to be delivered down the street by the U.S. Postal Service.
50 years ago – Jan. 17, 1974, Scout: The Murphy Town Council gave the green light to spent $4,000 on a study to see if building a new hospital was feasible. Update: Providence Hospital in downtown Murphy later closed, but Murphy Medical Center – now Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital – opened about five years later in Peachtree.
- Burning household garbage is illegal in North Carolina, but that didn’t stop several local residents from doing it anyway – and in front of employees with the N.C. Department of Water & Air Resources.
- The Murphy Jaycees leased Tri-County Raceway in Brasstown and planned to operate the local dirt track in the 1974 season. Update: Tri-County’s owners are looking for a new operator to take over in 2024 after Ray Cook’s departure.
Jan. 16, 1974, Journal: Dee Witt Sharp of Andrews filed to run for the District 1 seat on the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners held by incumbent John Boring, creating a Democratic primary.
- Children taking the bus to school in the Andrews Valley were climbing aboard in the dark thanks to a national Daylight Saving Time law adopted by Congress as an energy-saving measure.
– Publisher David Brown