10 years ago
* Corridor K funding was being watched closely for the diverting of any funding earmarked for this project. State Representative Roger West said he would vigorously fight any attempts to divert funds from this project. “I will fight against any attempt by anyone to take the funds, including I-26 in Asheville,” said West. A fiscal analyst with Research Division of N.C. General Assembly, had recently developed a brief on other potential uses of the $300 million, earmarked by the feds for the road.
* The JV Lady Knights were the only team to escape from Franklin with a hard-fought 49-44 win over the Panthers, thanks to their free-throw shooting skills. The girls hit 13-of-14 free throws to boost them to the win. Adara Crisp led the young Knights with 18 points; Kamri Beasley and Tapaingya Phillips added 11 points each. The JV Lady Knights were 5-1 for the season.
25 years ago
* A survey of 119 Graham County residents revealed that citizens were split when deciding if a 4-lane highway would bring new industry and jobs, as part of the Corridor K project. The other half was concerned about any negative impacts on the area’s natural beauty. More than half of the people were unaware that the proposed route crossed the watershed that served the Town of Robbinsville. In addition to protecting Graham County’s natural beauty, residents were also concerned about maintaining the mountain way of life. Update: As we know, Corridor K took 25 more years to begin work in Graham County and is still underway.
* The Robbinsville wrestling team defeated Rosman 37-25. The match was extremely close throughout the lightweight classes; Robbinsville clinched the victory with Jeremy Odom’s win in the 189-pound class. Robbinsville was set to host the Far West Invitational Tournament, a single-day tournament with 13 teams competing. Update: Today, the tournament continues under the title “James Orr Invitational.”
-Compiled by Diane West