July 18, 1996
* Graham County deputies surrounded the Santeetlah Lake campsite of murder suspect Kelly Samples, 25 and traveling companion Regionald Nabors. After Samples and Nabors were arrested, Samples told deputies where he had put the gun. Both were taken to Asheville and turned over to agents with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division the next day. The body of the victim was found after Samples told officials the location.
* The third annual Winston Cup Memorabilia Auction drew 100 people and raised $2,960 for the Rodney Orr Memorial Scholarship Fund. Jimmy Morgan was the highest bidder of the day, paying $300 for a Dale Earnhardt front end.
July 18, 1985
* The Graham County Board of Commissioners authorized sheriff A.J. Peterson to hire three jailers at a special-called meeting. The new jailers’ pay scale was set at $3.35 an hour for 40 hours, with emergency overtime. The board also set the regular EMT pay scale to $3.75 per hour and 60 hours per week with all overtime and a half. Update: Today’s certified detention officers and basic EMT employees in the county make anywhere from $14-$18.74 an hour.
* After an opening round victory over Andrews, the Graham County Senior League baseball team was undefeated and alone in the winner’s bracket of the district tournament.
In recent action, the squad had put away Sylva after a towering grand slam home run from catcher Steve Rogers. Eric Crisp aided in some brilliant defensive plays by Tommy Joe Martin, while Kip Adams and Lynn Hooper combined their efforts over the last six innings to allow just one hit. The rest of the team was comprised of Eddie Bowers, Billy Knight, Shane Holloway, Doug Key, Tommy Barlow and Dennis Williams.
July 18, 1975
* The Graham County Bicentennial Commission held its Old Timers Day on the courthouse lawn. Country music was provided in the morning hours, and gospel music in the afternoon and evening. All county residents in the age bracket of receiving social security benefits were special guests for the event. A special invitation was extended to all World War I Veterans residing in Graham County.
* In conjunction with Old Timers Day, local stores hosted themed specials. Ben Franklin’s Five and Ten offered a free ice cream cone; Texaco’s special was five cents off per gallon of gas; Gene and Jerry’s IGA provided 10 percent off on all tobacco; and the Graham County Cinema only charged $1.50 for adult tickets.
-Compiled by Diane West and Kevin Hensley