County makes its way forward, as COVID-19 wanes
Robbinsville – These are some of the top stories covered by The Graham Star in 2022.
January
* COVID-19: The year started the way one would expect over the past couple of years — with an Omicron-led spike in COVID-19 numbers. The Graham County Board of Education begrudgingly resumed mandatory masks – and by month’s end, the county’s post-holiday COVID-19 spike was three times worse than the previous January.
* Beer and wine: Two months after Robbinsville voters approved the first legal sales of beer and wine in the town since 1948, the town was just getting started with the paperwork. It would be two more months before Ingles Grocery became the first out the gate.
* Speed humps: Ford Street residents and business owners – fed up with speeders – asked the town to install speed humps; the town agreed. The board of aldermen would continue to consider speed-hump requests for other town streets during the year.
* Graham County Land Company: Stricken by COVID-19, a declining economy and issues getting paid by its customers, Graham County Land Company collapsed and was liquidated to repay its own creditors. The process started in 2021 and culminated in an equipment auction and settlement agreement between key execs and Flexible Funding: Graham County Land Company’s biggest lender.
* Name in the hat: Debra Dinschel, a school-board gadfly, announced that she would be running for a seat on the board. Dinschel came in second for the two seats in the Republican primary and beat Democrat Maria Shook – barely – in the November General Election.
* Whistleblower complaint: Graham County Emergency Services was thrown into disarray before and during the sudden dismissal of its director following a whistleblower complaint about management practices. The department’s No. 2, Brian Stevens was named interim director for a short time before the promotion was made permanent.
February
* COVID-19: Wasn’t this how January started? Not exactly: just the opposite. With COVID-19 numbers in the county declining, the board of education voted to remove the mandatory mask requirement and make masks optional.
* Smoky Mountain Urgent Care: The Bryson City-based provider runs an urgent care clinic and imaging services in a facility it leases from the county, but the county was threatening to evict the practice for reasons the county was initially vague about. The practices filed a lawsuit against the county in February and obtained a restraining order preventing eviction. Court files showed that Smoky Mountain Urgent Care had a three-part contract and was in breach of contract in two of them. Smoky Mountain Urgent Care lost its lawsuit in August, but a stay was issued – pending appeal.
* Cable Cove Campground: The National Forest Service announced it would not reopen the Cable Cove Campground near Fontana Lake, following a seasonal closure. The facility was dilapidated, lacked electricity and much of it was subject to flooding, it was claimed. Then-county commissioner Dale Wiggins has been fighting to re-open the campground ever since.
* Graham County Land Company: The stricken company’s biggest lender, Flexible Funding, is enraged when it discovers that two key company officials sold a 32-acre parcel off of Tapoco Road for $1.313 million, without giving the money to the creditor. Controversy aside, the property – which is located on the banks of the Cheoah River – was purchased by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which plans to build an expanded Junaluska Museum along with other amenities that will have a huge, beneficial impact on Graham County.
* More books: The Nantahala Regional Library system – which includes the Graham County Public Library – becomes part of NC Cardinal, a system that links libraries throughout North Carolina and gives card holders access to millions of books, audio files and videos.
* The Hub: It happened in February, but wasn’t reported until the first edition in March: the retro-restaurant burns in an overnight fire. Formerly near the intersection of South Main Street and U.S. 129, the restaurant was razed and as of the end of 2022, did not reopen. The Hub was the second county restaurant lost to a blaze in six months, after the famed Stecoah Diner burned in August 2021.
* In sports: Robbinsville High School senior Aynsley Fink wins a state championship in women’s wrestling and Zoie Shuler wins an indoor-track championship in the long jump.
March
* Rock slide: A rockslide from a nearly-sheer cliff closes U.S. 129 on the Robbinsville side, just before Topton.
* Town of Lake Santeetlah: The first real confrontation between two town council incumbents and three new members – elected as a slate of write-ins – arises over the subject of whether the town needs a tourism authority. The new members think the town doesn’t, they hold the majority and they vote to de-fund the tourism authority.
* A visit: Singer and Graham County native Ronnie Milsap pays a visit to Graham County, visiting childhood places including Robbinsville and Meadow Branch, while dining at Lynn’s Place and Tapoco Lodge. Numerous county officials get their pictures taken with Milsap.
* A bridge named: The N.C. Hwy. 143 bridge over West Buffalo Creek was formally named after Dr. Patricia Johnson, a longtime physician in Graham County and – many times during her career – the county’s only doctor.
* 150th: The anniversary date of Graham County’s founding was Jan. 30, but COVID-19 delays planning until a group of volunteers gathered at the Graham County Community Building to get things started.
April
* Coffee to go: Graham County Schools receives a $511,500 Golden LEAF grant to fund renovations to the old VFW building on North Main Street. The building is being converted into a coffee/sandwich shop on one end and an imprinting shop on the other – all to be staffed by Robbinsville High School students.
* A barking dog: Neighbors argue over a barking dog, escalating to the point where the Graham County Sheriff’s Office got involved. It gets more convoluted from there, so read on.
* Tribal honor: The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians names retiring Robbinsville High School wrestling coach Todd Odom an honorary member.
* Town of Lake Santeetlah: The next real confrontation between the town council’s two factions erupted over zoning. During plans for the town budget, questions emerge over whether the town could afford proper zoning enforcement. The issue brews for a month.
* Graham County Land Company: A court-appointed receiver proposes a distribution of assets from the Graham County Land Company liquidation.
* A contender: Wendy Upright, school librarian, moonlights by making hand-crafted accessories for women with subtle Christian messages. Her business, Secret Blessings, was among 10 finalists in Barclays U.S. Consumer Bank’s Small Business Bigs Wins promotion.
* A forum: Candidates from all local contested offices appear at a candidates’ forum held by The Graham Star.
May
* In concert: Taylor Hicks performs live at Robbinsville High School to help raise funds for the Robbinsville High School band. Hicks performed despite intermittent rain, which kept most ticket holders at home.
* Election: One local incumbent loses in the May 17 primary – County Commissioner Dale Wiggins, to challenger Natasha Williams. Graham County School Board gadfly Hank Dinschel gets nominated. Sheriff Jerry Crisp and former sheriff Russell Moody go to a runoff for the Republican nod in November. Williams winds up winning the seat by one vote against the second-place finisher, Andy Lynn.
* Top athletes: Robbinsville High School’s Brock Adams is state track champion in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles, and Zoie Shuler is state champion in the long and triple jumps.
* Search and rescue: Search and rescue experts warn about a fork in the trail at Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, where going left keeps hikers on the trail, but taking a much more visible path to the right is the difficult Naked Ground Trail into the wilderness. After the National Forest Service adjusted signs, rescues on the wilderness trail dropped off sharply.
June
* Graduation: Robbinsville High School celebrates the graduation of the Class of 2022 – a class unlike any other, thanks to COVID-19, which dominated much of their time at the school. The Class of 2022 earned more than $2 million in scholarships.
* A barking dog, Part II: Michael Eddings, who was charged with a crime because of his dog’s barking, rejects a plea deal that would require him to have his dog’s vocal cords surgically removed. Assistant District Attorney Caleb Decker, who offered the deal, later resigns amid the controversy that arose.
* Dedicated to a war hero: Jacob Cornsilk was an Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribal member and U.S. Army soldier who died in captivity during World War II. A two-story community center in the Snowbird community was dedicated in his honor.
* One dog rescued: Donnie Burchfield, owner of BTAC on Snowbird Road near Robbinsville, rescues a dog trapped in a sludge-filled pit at the old Oak Valley Hardwoods facility, across the road from Burchfield’s business. Read on for what happened next.
* Tax money at work: County commissioners approve a $22.8 million budget – with no tax increase – but dig in deep to help Graham County Schools overcome a $620,000 budget gap of its own. County commissioners are advised that the county’s fire and rescue departments need more funding to replace worn-out equipment.
* Ronnie Milsap, Part II: The N.C. Department of Transportation installs signs on U.S. 129 proclaiming a section of it Ronnie Milsap Highway, which exists between Yellow Creek Road and Tapoco Lodge.
July
* Town of Lake Santeetlah politics: The Board of Elections holds a 3-hour preliminary hearing over contested votes from the town election in November 2021 in which a slate of three candidates was swept into office with write-in votes, many of which were cast by part-time residents. The board rules that there is sufficient evidence to proceed with an evidentiary hearing.
* Robbinsville: The Board of Aldermen votes to release Sonya Webster, the town’s finance officer. Shari Birchfield, the No. 2 person among Town Hall office staff, fills in while town leaders consider next steps.
* General Election, Round 2: Russell Moody beats incumbent Jerry Crisp for the Republican nomination for Graham County sheriff. Moody’s next challenge will be to defeat independent candidate Brad Hoxit. Read on.
* Justice Center: Plans emerge for a new facility to replace the county’s aging courthouse. An architectural rendering of a glass-clad facility – to be built on West Fort Hill Road – triggers criticism, especially from those who want the courthouse to remain downtown. County officials are looking for $30 million from the state to build the facility, which will combine a courtroom, magistrate, sheriff’s office and an expanded jail.
August
* Graham County Land Company: Executives for the company reach individual settlements with Flexible Funding, which had been Graham County Land Company’s biggest creditor.
* 150th: Graham County celebrates its sesquicentennial. The celebration spanned two consecutive weekends, one for Stecoah and Fontana Dam, followed by a weekend centered in Robbinsville, the county seat.
* Corridor K: The N.C. Department of Transportation announces that letting was to begin for construction on Corridor K, a project that will expand highways from Robbinsville past Stecoah and improve access to the state’s most-remote mountain county.
* Fire service: Despite a fleet of decades-old fire engines, the Graham County Fire Department earns respectable fire protection ratings from the N.C. Department of Insurance.
* Easing issues: Gas prices begin to east after spiking earlier in the summer, and North Carolina ends its COVID-19 state of emergency. The school year started under normal conditions for the first time since 2019.
* Talent: Graham County’s Got Talent raises $9,222 for the Graham County Cancer Support Group.
September
* Ride ’em, cowboy: Chase Lancaster, who ran for sheriff earlier in the year, organizes the first rodeo in Graham County in decades. His event, called Lost in the Mountains Bulls and Barrels Rodeo, attracted packed crowds over two nights.
* Two dogs die: Donnie Burchfield, who saved a dog from a sludge pit back in June, finds two dogs that had died in the same exact pit. A state environmental agency orders the property owner to fix the problem.
* Pitching in: Scores show up for a volunteer cleanup at Lake Santeetlah.
* She’s your queen: Destanee Shay Trammell is named Homecoming Queen at Robbinsville High School. The homecoming parade draws thousands.
October
* Corridor K: Some 57 years after it was conceived, Corridor K gets its groundbreaking during a ceremony at Robbinsville High School. The 12-mile project connects Robbinsville to the four-lane at Wolf Creek with a three-lane roadway and nature bridge at Stecoah Gap.
* Dismissed: After a 10-hour hearing, the voter challenge against Town of Lake Santeetlah Councilmember and Finance Officer Tina Emerson is dismissed.
* More trails: Two nature trails are dedicated near the south shore of Lake Santeetlah. One trail follows an old logging road and extends just over eight miles. The other celebrates the history of a Civilian Conservation Corps encampment that was nearby, as well as teaches children about nature.
* A barking dog, Part III: Saying that such things should not be treated as crimes, the district attorney drops charges against Michael Eddings, who faced charges stemming from his dog’s barking.
* More wrestling: Robbinsville launches a women’s wrestling team, comprised of middle-school grapplers.
* Appearances: N.C. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and retired University of Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer appear at an N.C. Faith & Freedom Coalition event at Robbinsville High School.
November
* Elections: Brad Hoxit is the new sheriff, Hank Dinschel gets a seat on the Board of Education and Natasha Williams gets the seat on the Board of Commissioners, as other incumbents win mostly comfortably. Dinschel won the seat after a razor-thin win over Democrat Maria Shook. Dinschel survived the two-step recount. In 2022 elections, three incumbents were unseated affecting the three top elected groups in the county – the Board of Commissioners, the Board of Education and the Sheriff’s Office.
* In memory: Gentry Trantham, a young man who inspired many despite severe health issues, dies. He was just shy of 21, but doctors had not expected him to survive his infancy.
* Remedial: Graham County Schools rolls out improvement plans following receipt of D grades at Robbinsville Elementary and Middle schools. Robbinsville High School received a C grade.
* A win: Robbinsville High School beats Cherokee High School 39-12 to reach the Sweet 16 in football playoffs. Robbinsville went on to lose against Eastern Randolph High School, 29-26.
* Emergency birth control: The board of commissioners votes for the Graham County Public Health Department to continue making available Ella, an emergency contraceptive that critics consider a form of drug-induced abortion.
* Names: Two previously unnamed waterfalls in Graham County have been formally named: Stewart Falls, named for the pioneer family that settled nearby and Santeetlah Bluff Falls.
* Bridges: Residents on Lower Mill Creek Road turn out in force at an informational meeting put on by N.C. Department of Transportation to persuade them that removing a bridge is better than replacing it. Lower Mill Creek Road is a ¼-mile loop road. Removing the bridge would result in two dead-end streets.
December
* Decisions: The new board of commissioners, including one new member, votes 2-3 for a motion to reappoint County Manager Jason Marino. The vote effectively removed Marino as county manager, who remained the county’s project manager.
* Hoax: A bomb threat called in to the district hot line closes schools in Graham County and triggers a massive law enforcement response. The threat turned out to be a hoax and a high-school student later confessed to making the call.
* Winners: Robbinsville Middle School wins the conference tournament title at the Smoky Mountain Conference Tournament.