10 years ago
* About ⅓ of Robbinsville’s registered voters turned out to the polls and re-elected the town’s three incumbent aldermen. They also cleared the way for an unopposed mayoral elected candidate, Steve Hooper. “It will be a pleasure working with the board that’s been there,” Hooper said. Re-elected were alderman Bobby Smith, Jan Brooks and Jacky Ayers. Smith referred to Jan and Jacky as “the best two people ever.” The town had 572 registered voters and 182 cast ballots in this election. Update: Hooper served as mayor until 2021.
* The Black Knight Peewees capped off a perfect season with a big 20-12 win over Smoky Mountain with a win of 20-12 over the Mustangs. Kayden Lequire scored two touchdowns, Daylon Jones scored one touchdown and Bryce Adams scored a two-point conversion. The Peewees had a perfect 10-0 season.
* Robbinsville began its game against the Q Foundation struggling, but came through in the final minute of the game for a 45-40 victory. When an onside kick rolled out of bounds, it was a sure victory for the Knights, as they played out the clock. The Q Foundation scored 26 points in the fourth quarter, but was held scoreless in the first and third quarters. The Knights had third place sealed up in the conference.
25 years ago
* Democrats across the state may have done better than expected, but in Graham County, the Republicans swept every contested post in the county. They included Steve Odom, sheriff and Claudine Gibson, county commissioner – joining with two other Republicans, Lynn Cody and Dale Wiggins, who were re-elected to the board; Wanda Brooms for clerk of court; James Cable and Vaughn Odom for board of education; and Carolyn Stewart, who defeated her Democratic opponent Martha Menard by 48 votes to win the register of deeds. Update: Stewart served as the Graham County Register of Deeds until retiring in 2021.
* The state court of appeals upheld the conviction on the second-degree murder of Terrence Wright, found guilty in 1997 of the stabbing and death of Hoover Williams. The appeals court said, “Wright was indicted on armed robbery charges as a result of using his knife in taking keys and a wallet from Williams.” Wright was sentenced to life in prison following the murder conviction. He was also sentenced to 50 years on additional charges.
* The Black Knights won another game in the final minutes, traveling to Cherokee and coming out the winner, 25-20. Even though Cherokee got on the scoreboard first – by breaking through the Knights’ line for a 33-yard touchdown – Robbinsville came back in the second quarter when William Wayne Adams scored from the 35-yard line. The Knights’ defense held up, while Aaron Gross scored from the 12-yard line for a 13-7 halftime lead. After some wild passing and making first downs, Gross went over from the 1-yard line to cement the win.
-Compiled by Diane West