The N.C. Division of Forest Resources is urging residents in Western Carolina to be  careful with fire, especially during the upcoming fall fire season.
Fall fire season typically lasts from mid-October until mid-December. During the fall, people do a lot of yard work that includes burning leaves and yard debris. Sometimes, those yard fires escape and [...]

Contractors have installed a pulley system and moved two drills into place on the face of the mountain slope and will drill holes in preparation to begin blasting rock tomorrow afternoon. On the ground, crews continue to break up the largest boulders lying in the road. This work will continue to take place over the [...]

A lot of improvements have been made to the town
By Frank Bradley
Sentinel writer
On Monday, the eve of the municipal election, Mayor Bill Hughes took a few minutes to thank the council members for all of the good work that has taken place to make the Town of Murphy a better place to live.
Listing some of [...]

More help needed for small businesses Shuler says
By Frank Bradley
Sentinel writer
In a media teleconference last week, Congressman Heath Shuler spoke of his efforts to help small businesses, many of whom are struggling in the current economy.
“Serving on the Small Business Committee of the House of Representatives, he said he is looking for ways to make [...]

Congressmen Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) and Phil Roe (R-TN) organized every member of the North Carolina and Tennessee Congressional delegations to advocate for a speedy repair of Interstate 40 after the devastating rock slide last weekend.   Reps. Shuler and Roe wrote the Federal Highway Administrator today requesting federal emergency funds to clean-up and repair the main [...]

The House Democratic leadership unveiled a health care reform bill last week that, if passed, will make dramatic changes to the health care industry.
The 1,990 page bill currently being discussed is significantly different from H.R. 3200, the health care legislation approved by the Energy and Commerce Committee in July.  I am pleased to see some [...]

By Jim Fitzgerald
Columnist
I have said it before and I will say it again. Insurance companies push as much risk onto the government (you and me) as they can and then do not want the government to compete with them for the less risky population.  For example, do you have a disability policy? If you do, look [...]

By Emolyn Liden
Sentinel Writer
Writer Tipper Pressley, the maker behind the Blind Pig and the Acorn website, says she stumbled upon the idea to start an online blog.  Whether happenstance or not, the site has began to turn the heads of readers worldwide.  “I designed a business plan and began from scratch,” said Pressley.  “I always [...]

Forward by: Bryan Hughes
Sentinel Writer
It’s no secret that art programs are failing in schools everywhere. Every year the amount of funds allocated for art classes dwindles.  Band students are using instruments from 1985, art classes are given nothing more than a few new sets of colored pencils, and maybe some secondhand paint sets.  It seems [...]

As of now the unofficial results for the Town Elections in Cherokee and Clay Counties are as follows:
Andrews Mayor: Johnny Brown – 62.45% of the Vote
Andrews Aldermen (4 Elected) : Alvin Adams -19.58%  Jim Bristol-17.99% Steve Jordan-23.38% & James Reid 22.03%
Town of Murphy Straight Party: Democratic – 76.74%
Town of Murphy Mayor: Bill Hughes – 96.35%
Town [...]