Local

Members of the Graham County Department of Public Health helped with a mobile pharmacy visit Friday. Seated in front are Jessica Yates (left) and Rosie Roessler. Standing in back are director Donna Stephens (left) and Shawn Turpin. Photo by Latresa Phillips/The Graham Star

Members of the Graham County Department of Public Health helped with a mobile pharmacy visit Friday. Seated in front are Jessica Yates (left) and Rosie Roessler. Standing in back are director Donna Stephens (left) and Shawn Turpin. Photo by Latresa Phillips/The Graham Star

MedAssist rolls mobile pharmacy into county

Latresa Phillips
Friday, May 2, 2025
Robbinsville – A sense of belonging is important to every human being – regardless of sex, social status or background.
Adjacent to the Graham County Recycling Center on Snowbird Road, this sanitation site has faced criticism regarding water standing in front of many of the dumpsters. Photo by Kevin Hensley/editor@grahamstar.com

Adjacent to the Graham County Recycling Center on Snowbird Road, this sanitation site has faced criticism regarding water standing in front of many of the dumpsters. Photo by Kevin Hensley/editor@grahamstar.com

No timetable for sanitation site repairs

Kevin Hensley
Friday, May 2, 2025
Milltown – It might not appear as such on the surface, but county officials are well aware of the drainage issues at the Snowbird Sanitation Center.

Meth found during stop

Kevin Hensley
Friday, May 2, 2025
Fires Creek – A pair of Robbinsville men were recently pulled over for a set of vehicle violations, but what authorities discovered proved to be a much-larger set of charges. At 6:59 p.m., April 21, a pair of Clay County deputies stopped a red Chevrolet truck at the intersection of U.S.

After the fire

Marshall McClung
Friday, May 2, 2025
Graham County has experienced one of its busiest spring fire seasons this year, as firefighters were constantly busy with brush fires in March and April – with several of those threatening structures.

Schools facing budget woes

Kevin Hensley
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Robbinsville – A combination of untimely windfalls has put Graham County Schools into dire financial straits. The federally-backed Secure Rural Schools program was not authorized by Congress before the December 2024 adjournment, even after the U.S.
Robbinsville High School students Melissa Drouin (left) and Myley Hyde launched a project last fall that recently was afforded the Rho Pharmaceuticals Innovator Award at the state science and engineering fair.

Robbinsville High School students Melissa Drouin (left) and Myley Hyde launched a project last fall that recently was afforded the Rho Pharmaceuticals Innovator Award at the state science and engineering fair.

Like peas in a pod

Latresa Phillips
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Robbinsville – The spring planting season began early for two students at Robbinsville High School.
On-ground personnel worked to combat the Haoe Lead Fire inside the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest by creating a burn Monday. The smoke from Monday’s start can be seen in the center of this photo from the Obadiah Overlook on the Cherohala Skyway; to the left is smoke from the original fire, which started April 12. Photo courtesy of Joe Leak/U.S. Forest Service Safety Officer, Southern Area Gray Incident Management Team

On-ground personnel worked to combat the Haoe Lead Fire inside the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest by creating a burn Monday. The smoke from Monday’s start can be seen in the center of this photo from the Obadiah Overlook on the Cherohala Skyway; to the left is smoke from the original fire, which started April 12. Photo courtesy of Joe Leak/U.S. Forest Service Safety Officer, Southern Area Gray Incident Management Team

Fire burns 3,103 acres

Marshall McClung
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Santeetlah – The Haoe Lead Fire started from an April 12 lightning strike, around 4,000 feet in elevation and near the intersection of the Jenkins Meadow and Haoe Lead trails.
Rescuers descend off the Appalachian Trail with an injured hiker at Yellow Creek Gap on Friday.

Rescuers descend off the Appalachian Trail with an injured hiker at Yellow Creek Gap on Friday.

Injured hiker rescued off Appalachian Trail

Marshall McClung
Thursday, April 17, 2025
Yellow Creek – For the second time in a span of 2 1/2 weeks, a hiker had to be rescued from the Appalachian Trail in Graham County. Personnel from Graham County Fire and Rescue, Stecoah Fire and Rescue, and U.S. Forest Service responded to a report of an injured hiker around 5:45 p.m., Friday.
A helicopter flies over the Haoe Lead Fire, preparing to drop water from nearby Lake Santeetlah onto the widespread flames. Photo courtesy of Tory Lynnes/U.S. Forest Service

A helicopter flies over the Haoe Lead Fire, preparing to drop water from nearby Lake Santeetlah onto the widespread flames. Photo courtesy of Tory Lynnes/U.S. Forest Service

Fire consumes 500 acres

Marshall McClung
Thursday, April 17, 2025
Santeetlah – Around 5:30 p.m., Saturday, a hiker reported a fire near the junction of the Jenkins Meadow and Haoe Lead trails, which sit around 4,000 feet in elevation; 3 ½ miles above Maple Springs Road; and inside the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest.  U.S.