Regional

Pair of big amendments struck down at meeting

Robbinsville – Tuesday’s meeting of the Graham County Board of Commissioners included a presentation by Rose Bauguess of the Southwestern Commission Council of Governments and Wanda Austin of Division 14 of the NCDOT.
Tatham Gap Road was built as part of the Trail of Tears in 1836. Photo by Art Miller/amiller@grahamstar.com

Tatham Gap Road was built as part of the Trail of Tears in 1836. Photo by Art Miller/amiller@grahamstar.com

Rough road, dark history

Robbinsville – There is an alternative route between Andrews and Robbinsville: one not burdened with traffic, but fraught with history.  Tatham Gap Road, known to sports enthusiasts as the “Gravel Dragon,” is a U.S.
Surrounded by a pack of Wildcats – six to be exact – Robbinsville senior Rylee Anderson trucks ahead during Friday’s 28-7 win over Andrews. Anderson broke the all-time Black Knights rushing record in the fourth quarter of the game. Photo by Byron Housley/The Graham Star

Surrounded by a pack of Wildcats – six to be exact – Robbinsville senior Rylee Anderson trucks ahead during Friday’s 28-7 win over Andrews. Anderson broke the all-time Black Knights rushing record in the fourth quarter of the game. Photo by Byron Housley/The Graham Star

5,614 steps to history

Robbinsville – Rylee Anderson entered Friday’s regular-season home finale against Andrews just 152 yards shy of rewriting the record books. Anderson broke free on the third Robbinsville snap from scrimmage for a 68-yard rushing touchdown.

WNC offers admission to community college graduates

Cullowhee – Western Carolina University Chancellor Kelli R. Brown and Southwestern Community College President Don Tomas established the Catamount Compass Program on Oct. 1, which guarantees admission to Western Carolina for all Southwestern graduates who meet certain criteria.

Governor forms council to expand film industry

Wilmington – Governor Roy Cooper signed an executive order creating the Governor’s Advisory Council on Film, Television and Digital Streaming on Oct. 22. The 15-person council will spearhead efforts to expand the state’s film industry.

Cleaning up the town

One month removed from worried citizens strategizing in a public forum with the Graham County Sheriff’s Office on the rampant drug problem plaguing the area, law enforcement officials are holding up their end of the bargain.

Renowned suicide expert to speak at Western Carolina

Cullowhee – Western Carolina University will welcome Thomas W. Joiner Jr., one of the world’s leading authorities on suicide, to speak as part of its doctor of psychology program’s speaker series. Joiner’s talk, “Why People Die By Suicide,” will be presented at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov.

Shaped-note singing lecture in Swain

Bryson City – “A History of Shaped-Note Singing and the Shaping of Church Music In Appalachia” is the title of the presentation by Curtis Blanton for the Nov. 7 meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society. Shaped-note singing took on its American form in the 1790’s.
Deer TB Graphic

Deer TB Graphic

Be wary of TB in deer

Earlier this month and in the thick of deer season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that deer “can transmit certain strains of tuberculosis to hunters.”  The danger comes during the field-dressing process.