Upon returning to Cherokee from a business trip late one evening last summer, my girlfriend gave me a small box wrapped in simple white paper. Expecting a book or some other ordinary gift I opened it without much thought. Inside, I discovered only a smooth white plastic stick laid neatly on a piece of cotton. Printed on one end were three purple letters “EPT”. It took me a moment to snap.

A lawsuit against the EBCI Investment Committee and Principal Chief Michell Hicks has been dismissed in Tribal Court.

It may not have been as cold as International Falls, Minn., but Cherokee and the surrounding area was hit with bitterly cold weather starting on Sunday, Jan. 5. Temperatures dipped below zero on many parts of the Cherokee Indian Reservation causing pipes to freeze and power to go out in places.

Cherokee had a blast of winter weather on the week of Jan. 6. These photos are from various places on the reservation including the Oconaluftee River, Mingo Falls, etc.