Scout changes not working
I have been a subscriber since relocating here several years ago. I appreciate all the work that your excellent staff has provided in keeping our community well informed and allowing feedback and opinions to be published.
Unfortunately, due to the new format and its shortcomings, I will not be renewing my subscription. I do understand that due to the recent ownership change this may not be in the control of the newspaper's existing management.
This is lamentable as reflected by the many negative comments that have been written and, even worse, will certainly impact the paper's financial status. It is hoped by many who support the paper that adjustments will be made to establish a better platform.
Thank you for your service to our community and best wishes for continued advancement.
Henry Saludes, Murphy
Thankful for your support
Our family would like to extend our greatest thank you's to the community, family and friends for the love and support over the past couple of weeks.
My grandfather, Harold Coleman, was diagnosed with a terminal illness and had a very short fight with his illness before passing. We were covered with love and support during this time, and are blessed to have so many people who poured into the care of our family during this tragic time.
Thank you to Ivie Funeral Home for the exceptional care they provided for my grandfather’s end-of-life wishes. In addition, Four Seasons Hospice for their compassionate and loving care during his brief illness.
My family, especially my grandmother, Jean, are just beyond grateful.
Michelle Bell, Murphy
How many help illegals?
I viewed a documentary on the invasion of Third World residents, in which several Jewish organizations were named as supporting illegal immigration. So I asked AI, "How many Jewish organizations in America help illegal immigrants with legal aid and financial support?"
AI's response: "There is a vast, interconnected network of Jewish organizations in America, numbering over 85 active in coalitions and more than 500 represented by leadership, that provide legal, financial and resettlement assistance to immigrants and refugees." "Legal services: Representation in immigration court, assistance with asylum applications, green cards, citizenship applications and family based petitions."
Some of these organizations have met illegals at our border offering bags of snacks, water and copies of border patrol documents, instructing how to fill out these forms, what to say and what not to say, instructing them to ditch their IDs. They've assisted illegals from India, Nigeria, Somalia, and the Middle East. They're also supporting illegal immigration in Europe.
These European countries are criminal hellholes of scammers, looters, rapists and murderers. Why are 85 Jewish organizations promoting mass immigration?
Illegal immigrants are creating a huge economic burden. Taxpayers pay for their housing, EBT, WIC, Medicaid and educate their children. Many can't read, write or speak English.
Illegals have taken Americans' jobs at low wages, increasing corporate profits. Many illegals have raped, murdered, and looted our homes and businesses. All while a growing number of Americans, especially elderly Americans and veterans, live in their cars or in homeless camps.
Jewish Zionist George Soros financially supports organizations that fight ICE agents. How many immigrants has Israel granted citizenship? Zero. To become a citizen in Israel, you must be the child of a Jewish mother, except for Jews who have converted to Christianity. Zionist Christians tell us, "God blesses those who bless Israel ..."
Are ya feeling blessed yet?
Mary Mason, Murphy
Every voice needs heard
“Every chair tells a story. Every voice shapes a community.”
Some tables don’t just serve food – they reveal what kind of people we are.
They were all invited to the same table. No explanation. No agenda. Just a long wooden table at the edge of town, patiently waiting.
Compassion arrived first. She carried bread and local honey. She arranged chairs so no one felt left out. She noticed who lingered, who hesitated and quietly made room.
Empathy slipped in next, carrying a jug of sweet tea. “Sorry I’m late,” she said. Shoulders heavy with every hurt she’d ever felt. She sank into a chair beside Compassion, letting warmth steady her.
Clarity arrived briskly. “Facts first,” she said. “Truth without decoration.” Papers and lists followed, laid out with precision.
Resilience entered slow but steady. Every step hinted at battles survived. At the head of the table, she was quiet. Unshakable. A reminder that endurance matters when stakes are real.
Reflection lingered near the window before taking a seat. Observing first. Weighing before speaking.
Accountability arrived last. Ledger in hand. Eyes sharp. “The ledger doesn’t match the story,” they said. “We need the truth – honestly.”
Closure waited outside. Patient. Present only when the moment demanded it.
The meeting began tense. Compassion softened edges, but old pain simmered. Empathy felt each bruise twice. Clarity demanded precision. Reflection asked hard questions. Resilience stayed grounded. Accountability would not allow evasion.
Then the crisis hit: the ledger was missing.
Silence.
Compassion: “I tried to keep it safe, not hide it.”
Empathy: “I felt it, but didn’t touch it.”
Clarity: “Feelings don’t move facts.”
Reflection: “Maybe it wasn’t the ledger missing, but understanding.”
Resilience: “Enough talk. We survive together — or we fail together.”
One by one, each admitted fault, fear, or oversight. Slowly, the ledger was found, tucked in a corner – never lost, only overlooked.
Closure stepped inside. No judgment. No hurry. “See what you are when you act together,” Closure said.
The table steadied. Not flawless. Not fully mended. But present. Every seat held. Every voice acknowledged. Every lesson recognized.
Communities are like this table. Different people. Different priorities. Different speeds. Some quick. Some slow. Some stubborn. Some soft. But honesty, patience, and presence can keep even the most fractured group connected.
Showing up. Listening. Staying with one another. That is what keeps a community alive.
Everyone still has a place at the table. Because a community grows strongest when we set aside personal differences, truly listen and work together for the place we all share and we all call home.
The table waits for you.
What should be the vision for the town's future?
Which seat at the table do you take most often?
Lena Gray, Murphy
Changes are not wanted
The Cherokee Scout has recently made a lot of small changes. Changes no one asked for.
The nameplate is smaller, the font is also smaller. There is one consecutive section just A and it has everything?
The sports page is next to the obituaries, although I'm sure you know.
On another note, why is everything crammed together after said pages? I don't enjoy that when I'm reading obituaries and then seeing track and golf as it cuts.
The page changes are sloppy and sad. It's disheartening seeing this, and I would like for you to take it into consideration.
Leeland Moore, Murphy
Thanks for the laughs
Thank you to Anngee Quinones-Belian for her spring cleaning article in the April 1 Cherokee Scout.
It’s the best yet with many unexpected twists and turns. She did a great job. Keep it up.
That little column brightened my whole day.
Janice Yancheson, Murphy
Folk school says thanks
On behalf of the John C. Campbell Folk School family, we would like to thank the Cherokee Scout for its generous donation of 5-6K pounds of newsprint to our blacksmithing studio.
For a century, the Folk School has welcomed people to gather, learn, create and discover more about themselves and one another. Your contribution helps carry this legacy forward, ensuring that our values of joy, kindness and non-competitiveness continue to shape every experience on our campus.
We couldn't do this work without you. Thank you for being an essential part of our story together. We make a great Folk School!
E. Lane Gresham, Brasstown
The writer is advancement director at John C. Campbell Folk School.
Not happy with Scout
I worked 43 years for a large newspaper in New Jersey in the production/distribution department and I have to voice several complaints. Up until the recent change in ownership I was more than happy with the Scout.
However, I am now totally a very unhappy subscriber. To start with this week, I did not receive my online copy until Wednesday morning (not Tuesday as promised). Secondly, the picture quality on both news articles and advertisements is terrible (too much black ink or a very outmoded press being used) or possibly a more competent pressroom foreman is needed. Thirdly, and most unbelievably, the layout of the paper was horrendous.
If the newspaper continues to be organized in such a manner, you will lose circulation and advertisers very quickly. I realize that when a buyout happens every cost-cutting measure is used, but the Scout has suffered maybe beyond saving. Saving newsprint by reducing size is one thing, but giving customers a terrible product will not be accepted.
Was this a one-week glitch or is this to be the "standard?" You once gave us very good product; seems those days are gone.
Henry Kachelriess, Murphy