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Believe it or not, we have completed another 365-day revolution around the sun that marked the year 2022. However, just when we thought Cherokee County couldn’t produce more news than in 2021, last year simply said, “Hold my beer.”
So before more news gets created tomorrow that makes us forget about yesterday, let’s take a month-by-month look at the top stories in 2022 from the pages of the Cherokee Scout.
January
The first edition of the new year started with – what else? – Cherokee County seeing a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases. My wife and I were sicker than our dogs from the virus but, thankfully, those numbers declined as the year went on. In that same edition, a former county officer was arrested on DWI charges as a result of an incident at Andrews High School.
We later learned about the miraculous recovery of 3-year-old Dallas Wilson of Andrews, who was seriously injured in a fall. The month ended with the 115-year-old Andrews Volunteer Fire Department coming to an emotional end.
February
The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners considered a land use ordinance and noise ordinance as the battle against excessive noise from unenclosed crypto mines continued, while Clay County instituted a moratorium on that specific industry. A week later, loyal sheriff’s K-9 Deputy Bane, a 4-year-old Dutch Shepherd, was laid to rest.
Suzzanne Swartz Hogsed was charged in the shooting death of her brother, Jyson Swartz, in Martins Creek. James Tyrone Smith was charged with murder in the mysterious death of Shirley McClure of Culberson. A body was found in a wooden area near Little Brasstown Baptist Church, and 27 people were arrested as part of Operation NARCAN in Cherokee and Clay counties.
March
Lawsuits against the Cherokee County Department of Social Services were adding up, with lawyers for the other side granted $1,789,290 in fees and an additional $5,015.56 in expenses. Plus, truancy took on a different meaning with children learning at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Elsewhere, Andrews secured its first certified K-9 officer with Kiera, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois. County commissioners voted to build a new Emergency Medical Services Station 1 at a cost of $2,452,115. Stacey Lynette Neal, 37, of Andrews, was accused of embezzling more than $6,600 from the Andrews Youth Basketball Association. And a fire burned more than just land for a man from Wales living in Hiwassee Dam.
April
Two Murphy residents – Jamie Willis Whitener and Natalie Lynn Scogin – were charged with trafficking heroin in Ellijay, Ga. Also across the state line, Jack Earnest Smith of Blairsville, Ga., was charged with multiple local breaks-ins.
Bear sanctuaries proved to be a popular talking point during a public hearing
at Tri-County Community College in Peachtree. Jalen Bichette Jones of Atlanta was charged with shooting into an apartment in Murphy. While Cherokee County Schools Superintendent Jeanie Conley announced her retirement, she would soon be back in the public eye running as a write-in candidate for county commissioner.
May
A mother and daughter from Murphy were rescued in Joyce Kilmer Forest, but that unfortunate incident finally led the U.S. Forest Service to improve sign locations. While storm winds wiped out the Big Gospel Tent on Casino Parkway, revival services continued at Murphy First Baptist Church.
Andrews Police Chief Rocky Burrell broke up an incident described as a bar brawl. There were few surprises in primary election results. And The Learning Center charter school in Murphy was closing due to “financial irregularities.”
June
Cherokee County Board of Education
members said critical race theory has “no place” here. Dan Adams talked about selling 1,172 acres in Hiwassee Dam for $9,900,000, which may be a new record for the county.
Meanwhile, the outgoing and incoming sheriffs were not thrilled that they were not considered in the county’s plan to move E-911 Dispatch. Old cells were discovered at Tri-County Community College, site of a former prison camp. And Hayden Drake Norris, 24, of Andrews, was charged with murder in the death of Erick Lowe in Marble.
July
The second half of the year started with a bang, as county commissioners settled the more than 20 remaining lawsuits against DSS for $48.5 million, half of which will be paid by the county’s insurance provider. To pay for our end, the county’s millage rate went up 11 cents – from 50 to 61 cents – which is expected to remain in effect for most of the next decade.
Food trucks were allowed in Murphy, just not in the middle of downtown. Storms took out bridges, culverts and power in Marble, destroying one family’s home. And Michael Jason Solar, 38, of Murphy, drowned while snorkeling at Lake Nottley in Blairsville, Ga.
August
The Andrews office of the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles was running more than two months’ behind in appointments. A former National Football League cheerleader helped Murphy School of Dance hold a Cheer Camp. Andrews Town Administrator Sandy Dobson resigned after more than two years in the role.
Former county attorney Scott Lindsay’s criminal trial was delayed again. The largest seizure of meth in the county’s history was recorded, with fentanyl also recovered. A Hayesville man helped rescue a Murphy woman who was having a medical event at a traffic light. Ricky King of Marble received 44 years for drug trafficking and conspiracy. And some local folks wanted to convert old rail lines into new trails.
September
County residents were being billed $100 per EMS visit, but commissioners later decided to stop charging for the service. Murphy was officially designated a Main Street Community. With Dustin Smith and Justin Jacobs soon moving to the sheriff’s office, Tim Lominac was hired as Murphy’s new police chief.
Later, Joe Radford of Friendship was killed in a shootout with law enforcement officers, and a male student was taken into custody after a social media post led to schools being locked down. The Cherokee County Board of Education named Kevin Woody superintendent of schools. And the county fair returned in Andrews.
The busy month ended with the school board canceling girls volleyball games against Highlands High School after one of their players was called a “safety concern.” And the N.C. Department of Public Instruction approved a $50 million grant for Cherokee County to build a consolidated high school.
October
Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel announced a $275 million expansion project; the original facility in Murphy only cost about $110 million to build. The Valley River Arts Guild purchased the former Entegra Bank building for the new Murphy Art Center in the middle of Murphy.
Later in the month, county commissioners declined to extend a fixed base operator lease with Garland Trull to operate Western Carolina Regional Airport in Andrews. One woman was shot, and two men were caught, after a high-speed chase. The month ended with the revelation that the two previous DSS directors wanted to fire Lindsey, who also served as DSS attorney, but commissioners declined to support their decision.
November
Andrews defeated Murphy to win the Smoky Mountain Conference football championship; the Wildcats beat the Bulldogs again in the third round of the state 1A playoffs a few weeks later. Facing death requires lots of preparation. A local youth was charged with shooting into a home in Murphy. And O’Malley Salinas, a freshmen at Andrews High, took first place in the state 1A cross country
championships.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree stopped for a spell in Murphy. General election results shifted power to a “new triad.” Murphy planned a new stage at Konehete Veterans Park. And during the same meeting when a $2.5 million local match was approved to accept the $50 million state grant for a unified school, a citizen was escorted from the building.
December
The Murphy council vetoed the idea of having a social district where people could take drinks containing alcohol from one store to another in a specific area. Murphy High School was the target of an online shooting hoax.
The new board of commissioners voted to remove the match for the school grant, effectively giving the state back $50 million. A SWAT team shot a Murphy man during a potential hostage situation. And the year ended with frigid temperatures causing a record power surge.
What does 2023 have in store for us? Don’t miss a weekly edition and find out soon.
David Brown is publisher of the Cherokee Scout. You can reach him by phone, 837-5122; email, dbrown@cherokeescout.com; or on Twitter @daviddBstroh.