.
Whenever I don’t have enough info about one subject to write about, we take a trip “around the newsroom in 2½ minutes,” which is just about how long it will take to read this column.
Local News Day is Thursday, and the Cherokee Scout and other media hope you will drop in from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Crafted Dough Café, 104 Tennessee St., Suite B, in Murphy.
The nonprofit N.C. Local has helped arrange events across North Carolina, from Murphy to Manteo, so this is a wonderful opportunity for the westernmost part of the state.
Even though the controversial SAVE Act is not the law of the land, at least not yet, a longtime Cherokee County resident shared just how challenging it was for her to cast a ballot in the March 3 primary election.
“I did a mail-in ballot for the primary since I was helping family members outside of the area. I got access to copier for copy of my license, which to some could be a hindrance. I couldn’t find two witnesses for signatures that weren’t related. Tried to get a Notary, but didn’t find one in Tennessee,” she said, obviously shocked that it took so much effort just to cast a ballot.
“Thought I’d drive to Murphy, thinking it was the closest/easiest route. Oh, no. Even the bank where we still have an account wouldn’t sign it. Finally, at the Andrews Public Library, one of the ladies there was willing. I drove a six-hour roundtrip to cast a mail-in ballot.”
Despite his constant criticism of them, even President Donald Trump cast a mail-in ballot this year, so I think it’s safe to say those votes are secure.
Murphy native Braden Rumfelt has advanced once again on ABC’s American Idol. After the March 30 broadcast, he’s in the top 14. The broadcast began with the top 20 contestants, but Rumfelt continued to move forward by impressing the judges – and the voting audience – with both his singing ability and Southern sincerity. Make sure to vote for him again on Monday night; while Braden’s already a winner, let’s bring him back home with the trophy and a recording contract.
u I find it fascinating that some of the people who say the poor should learn to lift themselves up by their bootstraps and not receive a little help are the same folks who have no problem accepting a handicap in golf in order to give them a better chance to compete. Apparently, equity only applies in some sports, sometimes.
In a similar vein, it’s sad to see some people demean others for exercising their First Amendment rights of speech, religion or freedom of assembly solely because they don’t agree with the cause. If you want to enjoy those freedoms, you have to allow the other side to experience them. Make fun all you want, but you can’t say they don’t have a right to protest in the U.S.
Over the last 25 years, it would be a challenge to find any edition of the Cherokee Scout that former production director Christy Guthrie didn’t play a big part in. She started as an inserter, moved into typesetting, started building ads, then started building pages and preparing photographs, while also handing circulation. That’s a level of multi-tasking few people could pull off successfully, but she managed to do it.
To her credit, Christy has accepted a position with a local government agency, and no one deserves it more. If something needed to be done at the Scout, she was the first to volunteer – if not just take care of it before I even knew it needed taking care of.
Not having Christy in the office makes things a lot quieter, but a lot less fun, too. How will we know what movies and television shows deserve watching? We will always miss her, but she’ll always be part of our work family.
David Brown is publisher of the Cherokee Scout. Call him at 828-837-5122, email dbrown@cherokeescout.com or hit him up on Threads.