Oct. 17, 1996
* Over 500 people flocked to the dedication ceremony for the Cherohala Skyway, which was held at Unicoi Crest Overlook. Wayne Carringer, a veteran that survived the Bataan Death March, presented the flag that was used as part of the ceremony. Update: The road still thrives today, serving as a scenic path between Graham County and Tellico Plains, Tenn.
* The trial for Terrence Wright was scheduled to be held in Graham County, but with a panel of Cherokee County jurors. Wright had already been tried twice for the first-degree murder of Hoover Williams in August 1993 and yet again for first-degree burglary in relation to the murder. Wright was convicted of the burglary charge, but the upcoming trial was set to try Wright for second-degree murder, which did not carry the death penalty.
Oct. 17, 1991
* Construction on the new Robbinsville Middle/High School had made significant strides, with over 90,000 concrete blocks already laid by masons. Additionally, 2,245 cubic yards of concrete flooring had already been poured. Update: The school opened in January 1993 and continues to serve grades 6-12 to this day.
* A new book, Snowbird Cherokee: People of Persistence, had just been published by anthropologist Sharlotte Neely. The book was promoted as the “first ethnographic study of the Snowbird community of Cherokee Indians.”
Oct. 17, 1985
* Ned Nichols, 36, was killed after a .308 rifle was fired and struck him in the upper chest during a dispute at a cookout. The fatal shooting took place at a mobile home in the Mill Creek community. Robbinsville resident Freeman Carver was being held in the Swain County jail on suspicion of murder, in connection with the incident. Authorities said when Carver was asked to leave the cookout, he allegedly went outside and took the rifle from a pick-up truck; Nichols was not involved in the argument itself.
* New thermapane windows had been installed at Stecoah School. Trade and industrial teacher Walt Hyde worked alongside students to get the job completed over the summer. “It is unbelievable that the windows could make such a difference,” said superintendent Lowell Crisp, who added that the savings on heat in the winter would be “substantial.” Update: The windows had barely lost any of their glimmer when the school was closed and consolidated with Robbinsville High just two years later.
-Compiled by publisher/editor Kevin Hensley