The sounds of people laughing, games being played, songs being sung, and the Cherokee language being spoken filled the valley at Kituwah on Saturday, May 21 as the three federally recognized Cherokee Tribes – the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), the Cherokee Nation, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma (UKB) – came together to celebrate the Mother Town being back under Cherokee control. 

The Tribal Foods Distribution Program of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) will move into its new home next summer.  A groundbreaking was held on the warm afternoon of Thursday, May 19 for a project that will see a part of an existing building renovated and part of it torn down and rebuilt as a two-story, nearly 8,000 square feet addition for the Program. 

After a formal dedication ceremony on Friday, May 13, the Henry Owl Building is officially named and now houses UNC (University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill) Student Affairs.

After a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cherokee Indian Fair will be back in action this year, but it will be in a different location. 

A man and his wife, former Swain County residents who now live in Caldwell County, pleaded guilty Wednesday, May 11 to neglect and child abuse charges stemming from severe injuries inflicted on a four-year-old boy in their care, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers responded to a report of a body in Little River approximately 1-mile west of Metcalf Bottoms at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Monday, May 9.

Following is the quarterly report from the Cherokee Tribal Court for January to March 2022: 

The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Tribal Council approved $75 million during its regular session on Thursday, May 5 for Phase I of ”The 407: Gateway to Adventure” in Sevierville, Tenn, including the development of a spectacular immersive show produced by Puy du Fou