Regional

Pictured is a mobile hotspot that Graham County Schools will check out for free use by those without internet. Though 300 are available, only 15 have been checked out. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Pictured is a mobile hotspot that Graham County Schools will check out for free use by those without internet. Though 300 are available, only 15 have been checked out. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Group working to improve county’s digital access

West Fort Hill – The Southwest Commission is researching ways to improve rural internet access – with Dogwood Health Trust grant money available – and is conducting scoping meetings to identify specific needs in North Carolina’s westernmost counties including Graham County.

Settlement reached in land company lawsuit

Tallulah – Two key executives at Graham County Land Company reached settlement agreements with a lender that claimed to be owed millions of dollars by the bankrupted company, and all claims were dismissed against a third company officer.

Slickrock Rescue ends after 18 hours

Getting an injured person out of the woods is never an easy task. This is especially true of the Slickrock area of Graham County. Around 7:23 p.m. July 20, Graham County 911 received a call about a hiker with a fractured ankle, who had been injured six hours earlier.

Reach opens Graham County office

Robbinsville – More help for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault is now available in Graham County. The Cherokee County-based Reach organization has opened an office in Robbinsville, inside the Liberty Missionary Church (300 Five Points Road, Suite 2).
State Rep. Karl Gillespie (R-Macon), the Rev. Eric Reece, Graham County Commissioner Lynn Cody, and AdventistHealth representative Graham Fields (from left) discuss AdventHealth’s proposal to build a 67-bed hospital in Buncombe County. Graham County is within Buncombe County’s hospital service area. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

State Rep. Karl Gillespie (R-Macon), the Rev. Eric Reece, Graham County Commissioner Lynn Cody, and AdventistHealth representative Graham Fields (from left) discuss AdventHealth’s proposal to build a 67-bed hospital in Buncombe County. Graham County is within Buncombe County’s hospital service area. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

AdventHealth pitches new hospital

Robbinsville – One-of-three hospital companies vying to fill an identified need for 67 more hospital beds in Buncombe County held a “listening session” Monday in Graham County, 1-of-3 outlying counties identified as within the hospital region’s service area.
Jay Patel of Jonesboro, Ga., Chris Meaker of Charlotte, Jeff Millsaps of Graham County Rescue Squad and Mayur Malde of Sewanee, Tenn. (from left) attend a check presentation at Blue Waters Resort on Lake Santeetlah on Saturday. The group, Smokies GT, donated $5,000 to the rescue squad. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Jay Patel of Jonesboro, Ga., Chris Meaker of Charlotte, Jeff Millsaps of Graham County Rescue Squad and Mayur Malde of Sewanee, Tenn. (from left) attend a check presentation at Blue Waters Resort on Lake Santeetlah on Saturday. The group, Smokies GT, donated $5,000 to the rescue squad. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Car club donates $5,000 to county rescue squad

Lake Santeetlah – A car club of Porsche GT enthusiasts that regularly raises money for cystic fibrosis research donated $5,000 to the Graham County Rescue Squad on Saturday at Blue Waters Resort, where members of the group were staying.
Graham County Jail Adminstrator Marlon Jackson (left) looks on as Bryan Aaron Berryman turns in his necklace and watch in Graham County Superior Court on July 13. Berryman had just been sentenced to between 11-15 ½ years in prison for a litany of charges obtained in an April 2021 arrest. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Graham County Jail Adminstrator Marlon Jackson (left) looks on as Bryan Aaron Berryman turns in his necklace and watch in Graham County Superior Court on July 13. Berryman had just been sentenced to between 11-15 ½ years in prison for a litany of charges obtained in an April 2021 arrest. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

‘3 strikes’ and you’re out

Robbinsville – A 52-year-old Robbinsville man with a long criminal history from his youth was convicted of theft-related felonies from last year and will spend up to 15 ½ years in prison.
Appalachian Road Show will perform as a part of Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center’s “An Appalachian Evening” series at 7 p.m. Saturday. Photo courtesy of Erick Anderson Photography & Design

Appalachian Road Show will perform as a part of Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center’s “An Appalachian Evening” series at 7 p.m. Saturday. Photo courtesy of Erick Anderson Photography & Design

‘Authenticity never goes out of style’

Stecoah – To sit back and enjoy a performance by Appalachian Road Show is to sit back and enjoy a trip through musical history. In today’s market, it’s a challenge to be unique enough to stick out from the rest of the pack.
Traffic was blocked in both directions just after 4 p.m. June 29, when a disabled three-wheel motorcycle being towed by a Good Samaritan rolled over on Sweetwater Road about two miles east of Rodney Orr Bypass. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Traffic was blocked in both directions just after 4 p.m. June 29, when a disabled three-wheel motorcycle being towed by a Good Samaritan rolled over on Sweetwater Road about two miles east of Rodney Orr Bypass. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

3-wheeler rider injured while being towed

Sweetwater – A Kentucky man suffered a broken arm and other injuries, after losing control of his three-wheeler motorcycle on N.C. Hwy. 143 (Sweetwater Road), about two miles east of U.S. Hwy. 129 (Rodney Orr Bypass) on June 29.