10 years ago
* A new recycling program was set to launch, which hoped to ease the burden on the $700,000 it cost Graham County to remove garbage. Recycling was planned at the county level, as well as in Robbinsville, Lake Santeetlah and Fontana Dam – though in the case of the latter, a location had not been determined.
* A 400-ton, 300-foot crane was going to deter traffic hoping to use the U.S. 129/Knight Street interchange for a week. The crane was going to be brought in to aid with the construction of the new Robbinsville wastewater treatment plant.
* The West Wilkes Black Hawks once again halted Robbinsville’s postseason-duals run, trumping the Black Knights on their home mat 48-21.
25 years ago
* The Town of Robbinsville was getting mixed signals from the county about the implementation of a contract with the sheriff’s office. Mayor Bobby Cagle, Jr., said commissioner Raymond Williams came into town hall and said the county would be approving the contract – but Cagle, Jr., received a conflicting report just two hours later. Then-town attorney Zeyland McKinney estimated that it would cost Robbinsville $150,000 annually to have its own police force.
* Graham County native Tom Odom and the town struck a deal to allow Odom to lease the upper plant on Fort Hill and open a Prostitch manufacturing plant. The Cleveland, Tenn.-based operation specialized in producing cloth, vinyl, leather luggage and handbags.
* Robbinsville finished ninth overall at the 1A individual tournament. The highest Black-Knights placer was Sterling Crisp, who finished second in the 145-pound weight class.
50 years ago
* The only local news on the front page covered the Stecoah Lady Tornadoes’ postseason berth. Stecoah had finished as runner-up to Cherokee in the Smoky Mountain Conference tournament, but had recently knocked off Highlands 44-37; the No. 1 Western team, Andrews, 41-34; and Sylva-Webster, 50-38. Patricia Jenkins and Martha Crisp had respective 23- and 21-point showings against Sylva-Webster. The Lady Tornadoes were set to face Brevard at Cherokee in the District 8 playoffs.
* In a sign of the times, an inside ad for Ghormley’s I.G.A. in Robbinsville had tomatoes for sale at 19 cents a pound; cured ham, 69 cents a pound; and a 50-pound bag of potatoes cost $2.95.
-Compiled by publisher/editor Kevin Hensley