10 years ago
* About 40 percent of Graham County’s registered voters turned out for the primary voting, with about 59 percent casting republican ballots and 41 percent casting Democratic ballots. Democratic voters gave 89 percent of the vote to Hayden Rogers for the 11th District Congregational seat to replace retiring Congressman Heath Shuler. Rogers was very humbled after hearing the results from Graham County, as Robbinsville meant a lot to him.
* The Lady Knights placed third as a team at the Regional Track meet. They won first place in five events and took second in one event. The star of the meet was Senior Katie Williams. “I jumped the winning jump on my third attempt,” Williams said. Her efforts earned her the national elite status for MileSplit, a website dedicated to high school track and field. Williams had a good chance of being first or second in her jumping events at state. In both jumps, only the mid-west region had a better record than Williams.
25 years ago
* Local search and rescue workers units were called out to assist the U.S. Forest Service in rescuing an injured hiker from Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness Area. Ellen Wilder of Atlanta cut her ankle and planned to walk out for treatment the next morning. When the deep cut became infected, her hiking companion walked out and notified officials. The rescue mission took more than six hours due to rugged terrain and severe thunderstorms. Wilder was transported to District Memorial Hospital in Andrews.
* The Lady Knights traveled to Murphy bringing home a 7-6 victory, handing the Lady Bulldogs their first loss of the season. Natasha Smith was the winning pitcher. “It was the best defensive effort of the season by the entire team,” said Robbinsville coach Judy Nichols.
50 years ago
* Cheoah District Ranger John Derks announced that all Graham County National Forest Recreation sites were officially open for use. They included four campgrounds: Tsali (four units), Cable Cove (26 units), Cheoah point (23 units) and Horse Cove with (17 units). Picnic sites were available at Cheoah Point, Joyce Kilmer and Snowbird. These recreation sites were provided by the U.S. Forest Service for public enjoyment as part of the Multiple-Use Program.
* The first-prize winner of $1,000 – given by Fontana Village Resort, in its annual Bass Fishing Tournament – was Billy Westmoreland of Tennessee. Westmoreland was congratulated by Ken Elrod, Tennessee’s Conservationist of the Year.
-Diane West