Local

Donnie Orr (left) reads to children at Robbinsville Elementary School’s media center on Friday, as his sister Debbie Orr (right) waits his turn. The siblings were at the school to dedicate a reading nook in honor of their late mother Maxine Orr, who was a teaching assistant at the school for 30 years. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Donnie Orr (left) reads to children at Robbinsville Elementary School’s media center on Friday, as his sister Debbie Orr (right) waits his turn. The siblings were at the school to dedicate a reading nook in honor of their late mother Maxine Orr, who was a teaching assistant at the school for 30 years. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

‘Castle’ dedicated to teacher

Randy Foster
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Robbinsville – Maxine Orr was a teacher’s assistant at Robbinsville Elementary School, whose presence will be felt at the school for years to come – thanks to a reading nook. Orr worked at the school for 30 years as a teaching assistant and occasionally – when needed – school librarian.
Graham County Commissioner Dale Wiggins (left) cuts the ribbon at a re-dedication ceremony of the Santeetlah Lake Trail South on Sept. 27. Photos by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Graham County Commissioner Dale Wiggins (left) cuts the ribbon at a re-dedication ceremony of the Santeetlah Lake Trail South on Sept. 27. Photos by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

‘Nature at its best, everywhere’

Randy Foster
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Lake Santeetlah – County Commissioner Dale Wiggins cut the ribbon for a trail re-dedication that he has been working on since 2000. The Santeetlah Lake Trail South is 8.5 miles long, with Carver Cemetery at one end and the intersection of Snowbird and Santeetlah roads at the other.
Patsy Owens Rogers (center) goes over high school yearbooks with Mountain View High School alumni Nahala Ayers Nichols (left) and Judy Williams Biddix during a reunion on Saturday. Rogers started the annual reunion in 2019 along with her late brother, Richard. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Patsy Owens Rogers (center) goes over high school yearbooks with Mountain View High School alumni Nahala Ayers Nichols (left) and Judy Williams Biddix during a reunion on Saturday. Rogers started the annual reunion in 2019 along with her late brother, Richard. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Keeping memories alive

Randy Foster
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Meadow Branch – More than 30 alumni of Mountain View School gathered for their annual reunion at the Meadow Branch Volunteer Fire Department on Saturday. Mountain View School didn’t exist for all that long. It opened in 1953 and operated only as an elementary school during the 1953-54 school year.
Dignitaries participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Corridor K highway project in Graham County at Robbinsville High School on Monday. From left are Ronnie Keeter, Wanda Austin, Brian Burch, John Sullivan, Eric Boyette, Chris Peoples, Dirk Cody, Connie Orr and Jacob Nelms. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Dignitaries participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Corridor K highway project in Graham County at Robbinsville High School on Monday. From left are Ronnie Keeter, Wanda Austin, Brian Burch, John Sullivan, Eric Boyette, Chris Peoples, Dirk Cody, Connie Orr and Jacob Nelms. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Corridor K breaks ground

Randy Foster
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Robbinsville – Fifty-seven years in the making, the ceremony to mark the start of the ‘Corridor K’ highway project in Graham County on Monday morning was delayed by another hour and a half.
This line of garbage debris was sitting just outside the former entrance to the Sweetwater Road (N.C. Highway 143) Convenience Center on Monday, but has since been cleaned up. Visuals like this are becoming more common in Graham County. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

This line of garbage debris was sitting just outside the former entrance to the Sweetwater Road (N.C. Highway 143) Convenience Center on Monday, but has since been cleaned up. Visuals like this are becoming more common in Graham County. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Convenience centers may become less convenient

Randy Foster
Friday, September 30, 2022
Bear Creek – The household waste convenience center off Tallulah Road – near Bear Creek Junction – is at the center of a complex problem.
Graham County Health Director Beth Booth displays her Ron Levine Public Health Award, which was given to all directors in North Carolina. Photo by Kevin Hensley/editor@grahamstar.com

Graham County Health Director Beth Booth displays her Ron Levine Public Health Award, which was given to all directors in North Carolina. Photo by Kevin Hensley/editor@grahamstar.com

‘God put me here’

Kevin Hensley
Friday, September 30, 2022
Tallulah – It is a very distinguished award, but this year’s winners might be the most deserving yet. Helping wade through the murky waters of the COVID-19 pandemic, local health directors – 85 to be exact – across North Carolina were recently presented with the Ron Levine Public Health Award.
This photo shows a 5-foot-deep pit filled with a mix of hydraulic fluid and water, where two dogs drowned earlier this month.

This photo shows a 5-foot-deep pit filled with a mix of hydraulic fluid and water, where two dogs drowned earlier this month.

State comes down hard on owner of Oak Valley

Randy Foster
Friday, September 30, 2022
Robbinsville – The owner of an unused industrial site in Robbinsville – where two dogs drowned in a pit of industrial waste earlier this month – has been put on notice by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality about serious violations and has 30 days to fix problems or face mounting penalties.
Nothing was going to erase the smile off Destanee Shay Trammell’s face Friday, after the Robbinsville High School senior was announced as the 2022-23 Homecoming Queen. Photo courtesy of Miranda Buchanan/Robbinsville High School Yearbook

Nothing was going to erase the smile off Destanee Shay Trammell’s face Friday, after the Robbinsville High School senior was announced as the 2022-23 Homecoming Queen. Photo courtesy of Miranda Buchanan/Robbinsville High School Yearbook

Destined to be Queen

Kevin Hensley
Friday, September 30, 2022
Robbinsville – Ten members of the senior class experienced a whirlwind Friday. Hair. Nails. Make-up. A parade. Pause for five seconds, then don a dress for photos. Before you know it, halftime arrives and it is time to await the outcome of a vote from your peers.

Second Corridor K contracts opened

Kevin Hensley
Friday, September 30, 2022
Raleigh – Six companies were in the mix when the first round of Corridor K letting took place Aug. 16. Just two pitches were received for the second segment – and for good reason: it is the most daunting task in the process. At an estimate of $83,824,722.