Tapoco – The latest Cheoah River Release was marred by tragedy.
Around 3 p.m. Saturday, Graham County Emergency Management Services and Rescue Squad personnel responded to a possible drowning neat Bear Creek Falls on the Cheoah River.
A kayaker – attempting to brave the rapids brought on by the release – was pulled from the water after going off the falls. Responders initialized CPR efforts, but the 46-year-old man from Elizabethton, Tenn. – whose identity was not released by officials – did not survive.
Publisher/editor Kevin Hensley also contributed to this story.