10 years ago
* Graham County’s legendary retired moonshiner, Jim Tom Hedrick was set to be featured on Discovery Channel’s television show, “Moonshiners” in 20 episodes In the summer. Hedrick and Jeff Waldroup signed a contract with a New York production firm. Hedrick, who had been featured in numerous videos said that unlike previous ventures, he expects to get paid for this one.
* Senior guard Katie Williams earned her 1,000th career point against the Murphy Lady Bulldogs. She was averaging 19.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 1.3 assists, per game. Williams was completely shocked when the announcement was made during the game. She was presented with the game ball the following day at the high school by her coaches, Elle King and Eddie Howell, along with principal, David Matheson and assistant principal Tonia Walsh.
25 years ago
* Nantahala Village Lodge, an area landmark, was completely destroyed by fire. Several area fire departments responded, but were unable to save the main building. Four vehicles that were parked in front of the inn were damaged by extreme heat.
* The Junior Varsity Lady Knights took a victory over the Hayesville Lady Jackets on their home court. Lou Jenkins was high scorer with 12 points, 12 rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot. Kala Matheson followed with 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and one blocked shot. Tara Birchfield scored nine points, four steals and three assists. The Knights’ record was 8-3 and their conference record stood at 3-1.
50 years ago
* An issue of using the clear-cutting system in Graham County had brought out an angry outcry from many locals. The people objected to the great land damage to the existing forest area, loss of wildlife habit and a waste of natural resources. This operation along a scenic roadway looked like a fleet of 52’s had bombed the area at the edge of Joyce Kilmer Forest.
* The Robbinsville Black Knights beat Nantahala, 71-49, as Tony Howell paced the scoring for the local boys with 15 points and Jacob Jackson with 14 points. Also scoring for Robbinsville were Larry Williams with nine points, Nicky Jenkins and Phil Orr with eight points, and Randall Phillips with 6 points.
– Diane West