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

With the smell of white sage in the air, an American Bald Eagle flew over the Unity Field in Cherokee on the warm spring evening of Thursday, May 5.  Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) were present honoring missing and murdered women of the Tribe at a candlelight vigil held on the National Day of Awareness for MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women).

The color red, the official color of the MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) movement,  marked the day in the form of ribbon skirts, t-shirts, badges, and more as Cherokee community members took awareness of a crisis to the streets. 

EBCI (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) Tribal Council voted 70-30 during its regular session on Thursday, May 5 to move forward with a purchase of just over 85 acres of tribal trust land.

Thursday morning (May 6) came as a shock to the system for teachers and students at Swain County East Elementary School.