Scroll to the bottom for: 

1) Online Link to take survey, or

2) A .pdf that you can download and print.  You can leave completed survey in the Drop Box outside WKRK's office door at 90 Tennessee Street, Suite B, Murphy, NC (no later than December 22, 2017.)  We will get the paper copies into the right hands to make sure they are included. 

Please share this with those who may be having issues with internet service or have no internet at all.

Information about the survey:
The Southwestern Commission, in conjunction with MountainWest Partnership, is asking local citizens and businesses to participate in a broadband assessment for the region. To participate, please start by entering your home or business address to the right and clicking the "Search for My Address" button. 

This survey will verify availability of services in our counties, identify actual speeds available, and collect information on demand for services from respondents. While some counties have conducted individual broadband surveys already, this regional effort gives all counties the chance to participate. We hope residents in all seven counties will participate in this effort so the entire region will have uniform data. Data from the county-specific demand surveys (such as Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain) will still be considered in our overall broadband planning.

Initial data collected will provide valuable information to the Southwestern Commission and MountainWest Partnership, as well as state and local partners working towards broadband and Economic Development planning for the region. Anonymized data may be shared with broadband providers or planning partners with the goal of improving Internet services throughout the region.

The Southwestern Commission is one of the 16 regional councils of government for North Carolina and represents Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties. MountainWest Partnership is the Economic Development Partnership for the seven counties in the southwestern region and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Link to the survey:  http://mountainwest.baat-campaign.com/campaigns/master#Main

​For questions on the survey, please contact Sarah Thompson at sarah@regiona.org.

YOUNG HARRIS, Ga – Young Harris College recently received an extensive comics collection valued at more than $10,000 from Murphy, N.C., resident Andy Rowe. The Andy Rowe Comics Collection was presented during YHC’s annual Family Weekend on Oct. 21 in the Student Organization Loft of the Rollins Campus Center on the YHC campus.

Upon retirement, Rowe moved to Murphy, N.C., and began looking for an institution that would treasure his prized comics collection as much as he does. While settling into his new home, he encountered a service provider who took interest in his collection while installing a new internet connection. After further conversation, he explained to Rowe that his son, a YHC student, would be very interested in viewing the comics.

Rowe had the opportunity to invite that YHC student, senior communication studies major John Lyle Moore, of Rabun Gap, Ga., along with senior religious studies major Emily Todd, of Coral Springs, Fla., and junior art major Khalid Johnson, of Decatur, Ga., to his house to talk about the collection.

As he reflected on his encounter with the three YHC students, he remembered how incredible that time was and how much he admired these students’ passion. Through this connection, Rowe was able to meet Assistant Professor of Communication Studies and Chair of the Department Dr. Chris Richardson, who teaches courses at the College focusing on comics. Dr. Richardson explained that today’s comics are similar to retellings of Homer’s “Odyssey” to ancient Greeks in that they carry on storytelling traditions focusing on heroes, adventures, and overcoming social conflicts.

“Comics are a wonderful tool for acquiring deeper media literacy skills that allow us to better understand the messages we’re constantly dealing with—whether through advertisements, political campaigns, social media apps, streaming videos, or virtually anything else we see daily,” said Dr. Richardson.

​During the unveiling ceremony, Rowe explained that before he and his brother learned how to read, he remembers looking through the comics and paying close attention to the pictures. Rowe first read these comics as stories, but later realized that they were developing his character. Rowe recalled that when he was younger, reading comics was looked upon negatively. He shared stories of his mother being criticized for letting her kids read comics. Her response was simply, “At least they are reading.”
 
Rowe enjoyed reading comics at such a young age and credits them with shaping him into the man he is today. These heroes would always do the right thing and they would never misuse their powers. This message was reinforced every day, every week, every month.
 
During a conference Rowe attended one year, he encountered someone wearing a Thor costume. Rowe went up to him and said, “How does it make you feel wearing that?” The young man stood up straight, held his hammer high and responded by saying he felt like a “true hero.” This encounter still moves Rowe and reminds him of the influence these heroes have on people.
 
Rowe’s collection was beneficial not only to him, but also to his family. His daughter was diagnosed with severe dyslexia at a young age and they were told that she would never be able to read. Today she holds a master’s degree and was recently named “Teacher of the Year” by her school. She gives credit to her father’s comics collection for helping overcome dyslexia. For her, it was exhausting to have to focus on words on a page for too long, but with her father’s collection, she was able to look at an image and read some words for short periods at a time.
 
Before donating the comics collection to the College, Rowe wanted to make sure the collection was going to be used to academically benefit students. “This collection provides academic opportunities for textual and visual analysis that will assist students in a variety of disciplines, including English, communication studies, popular culture, art and graphic design, gender studies, and many more,” said Dean of the Division of Humanities and Professor of English Dr. Mark Rollins. “The College is extremely fortunate to receive such a generous and valuable gift from Mr. Rowe.”
 
Students also understand the significant impact a collection like this will have on YHC in their own studies.
 
“I am most excited for this collection because I think it will give the community a chance to see the value in comics,” said Moore, who acknowledges how unique this collection is to the College. “We live in a relatively small community and to be given such a massive collection gives the school a particular image. As a liberal arts college, we value having diversity within each major. Because comics are applicable to most disciplines, we get to really show that positive image off at YHC.”
 
The Andy Rowe Comics Collection will be housed in YHC’s Zell and Shirley Miller Library outside of the special collections room. Students will be able to check out these comics throughout the year to use for their research.
 
“This comics collection can be used to trace story arcs, graphic designs, perform content analyses, and examine the works as material objects,” said Dr. Richardson. “It’s an incredible experience to behold this huge addition to our library. They reveal much about our culture, aspirations, social norms, and ideals. It’s thrilling to have a piece of that history here at Young Harris College.”
 
Many students, faculty, and staff have reflected this same genuine gratefulness for Rowe’s gift. Dr. Rollins said, “We are fortunate to have such generous donors as Mr. Rowe, as well as talented faculty like Dr. Richardson to spearhead the acquisition of this collection. This will benefit students and faculty for years to come.”

The following press release has been issued by Cherokee County Sheriff's Office.  All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Murphy, NC — Sheriff Derrick Palmer announced that November 20, 2017 arrest of Lilyaunna Helene Kiff-Hall, a 17-year-old Murphy, North Carolina woman for charges involving injuries to an infant .

On or about November 15th , 2017 the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a Physician at TC Thompson who stated that earlier in the day an infant was flown from the Martins Creek Community of Cherokee County to their hospital as the child was experiencing breathing issues. The physician further explained that after examining the infant there were injuries that were consistent with child abuse. The information provided was given to Investigators with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Cherokee County Department of Social Services.

Upon receiving the information, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office commenced an investigation that included search warrants for the residence of the infant. During the search, items of evidence were collected which included at least one cellular device .

Lilyaunna Helene Kiff-Hall was arrested at the Cherokee County Detention Center on November 20th , 2017 and presented to the North Carolina Magistrate who set a $50,000.00 secure bond for Felony Child Abuse Inflicting Serious Injury. Lilyaunna Helene Kiff-Hall is expected to be in Cherokee County District Court December 5th , 2017 at 9 am .

Sheriff Palmer stated, “This is a very sad situation, especially this time of the year. We appreciate the cooperative effort of the Cherokee County Department of Social Services who are partnering with us. Our investigation is far from over and we expect additional charges as we progress .”

Sheriff Palmer asks if you should have any information concerning this case or any other case to report suspicious activity and suspected violations of the law to please call 828-837-3144 or submit a tip at crime.tips@cherokeecounty-nc.gov .      

On Friday November 17, 2017, law enforcement officers and their K9 partners from surrounding agencies in Western North Carolina converged on the Warne Community Center for a day of training and information sharing hosted by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.  The training combined both indoor and outdoor scenarios of vehicle and building searches. The searches were for narcotics, articles (such as firearms or property), and tracking. 
 
There was also classroom discussion that consisted of legal updates and court room testimony presented by a representative from the District Attorney’s Office.  Policy, procedure, training and recertification were also a classroom topic discussed by participants of the training. 
 
The focus of this event was not only the training but to also create an opportunity to bring K9 officers together from around the 30th Judicial District (the seven western counties) to share knowledge, experience, and resources for the benefit of everyone. 
 
Ed Able, of P.A.W.S. K9 in Young Harris, volunteered his time to help with the training scenarios. Ed has extensive experience in law enforcement and K9s and helped to provide valuable, practical training.
 
This was a first of more training to come for Clay County K9 officers as they continue working to improve their skills.  Since March, twenty seven arrests have been made on drug related charges resulting from traffic stops and the use of Clay County K9s.  
 
Special thanks to Ed Able of P.A.W.S., the Warne Community Center, Warne Fire Department, and Charlie Shelton of Southern Auction for their help and support to make this regional training a success.

The following press release has been issued by Clay County Sheriff's Office.  All suspects are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

On November 25, 2017, at approximately 8:15 PM, a Clay County Sheriff’s Deputy encountered Dustan Dee Barnard at the Big D on Hwy 64 West. The deputy knew Barnard to have warrants and placed him under arrest.
 
Sheriff Davis said while the deputy was searching Barnard, Barnard pushed pass the deputy and attempted to flee. After a brief chase behind the building, Barnard fell into some bushes. Another deputy had arrived at this point and they got Barnard under control and placed him in a patrol car.
 
During a search of Barnard’s property more than 19 grams of methamphetamine was discovered, along with some marijuana, and scales.
 
Barnard was arrested and charged with Felony Possession with Intent to Manufacture Sell or Deliver Methamphetamine, Felony Possession of Methamphetamine, Felony Possession of a Controlled Substance in a Jail, Possession of Paraphernalia, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Marijuana Paraphernalia, and Resisting Public Officer. He was also served a warrant for Misdemeanor Larceny.
 
At the time of this release he had already made a $12,500 bond and has a December 11, 2017 court date.
 
Sheriff Davis said this is another example of something that was seemingly “routine” that turned out to be something big and got more drugs off the streets.

The following press release has been issued by Hiawassee Police Department.

On Wednesday, November 22, 2017 at 8:25 pm, two Hiawassee Police officers were dispatched to an armed robbery at the Save-A-Lot grocery store located at 236 North Main Street. The officers were on scene within one minute and began searching the area for the suspect who had fled on foot.

It was reported that after the store was closed, a white male, approximately 6’ 03” with a slim build, appeared from the rear of the store wearing a mask and brandishing a handgun. One employee was locked in a cooler while the other was lead at gunpoint to the safe. An undisclosed amount of cash was stolen from the safe, and the suspect fled the store on foot. The employees were not harmed during the incident.

Towns County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the search with bloodhound Copper, but the suspect remains at large.

​If you have any information about this armed robbery, please call the Hiawassee Police Department at 706-896-2888.