Two companies will receive millions of dollars in grants to bring high-speed internet access to more people in North Carolina’s Border Belt region. Read more Continue reading Is your neighborhood getting high-speed internet access in NC’s Border Belt? 

A group of Border Belt-area residents and UNC Pembroke students told journalists Thursday evening that reliable news is hard to come by. Organizers say the forum helped them understand how people get their news, what the barriers are, and what types of stories people want. “To extend better service to communities, news organizations first need to spend time listening to people, understanding their habits, and …Read more Continue reading Journalists hear that people want better access to local news and more stories that focus on solutions

Internet providers in southeastern NC are counting on state and federal grants to expand access in the region. Read more Continue reading New round of grants could help expand broadband access in southeastern North Carolina

The Border Belt Independent, a digital, nonprofit news organization in southeastern North Carolina took home several awards. Read more Continue reading Border Belt Independent wins 10 journalism awards

In Bladen County, where tourism intersects with conservative values, voters will decide whether to allow alcohol sales. Read more Continue reading Alcohol is on the ballot in this rural NC county, where tourism meets conservative values

Join us on Thursday, Sept. 1, at UNC-Pembroke to share your thoughts on the news stories that matter most to you. Read more Continue reading Join the Border Belt Independent and other news outlets for a community forum Sept. 1 

Men and Women United for Youth and Families, which serves Bladen and Columbus counties, is part of the Carolina Across 100 initiative. Read more Continue reading Local nonprofit chosen for statewide program to help ‘opportunity youth’ in NC

The director of the Small Business Center at Southeastern Community College in NC helps entrepreneurs start businesses in Columbus County.Read more Continue reading Her mission: Help small businesses get started and succeed in Columbus County

Grace Episcopal Church in Columbus County built a free food pantry that is stocked with free canned goods and home supplies. Read more Continue reading ‘Really make a difference.’ Roadside food pantry helps fill need in Columbus County

Two people have drowned in Lake Waccamaw in the last month. Their deaths have reignited the push for a public pool in Columbus County, NC.Read more Continue reading Push for a public pool: How drownings have reignited an old fight in Columbus County

Soon the Columbus County domestic violence shelter will be demolished, but one nonprofit is still fighting to keep survivors safe.
Read more Continue reading Columbus County nonprofit needs a new shelter for domestic violence survivors

Maria Carthen has dealt with trauma and an addiction to crack cocaine, Now the NC mother is desperately trying to get her kids back.Read more Continue reading One NC mother’s journey to overcome addiction and bring her family back together

An investigation by NC Policy Watch found the state’s disaster recovery office changed its own rules and awarded Rescue Construction Solutions with contracts worth $80 million.Read more Continue reading NC awarded troubled company millions as Hurricane Matthew survivors remained displaced

By Les High Publisher There’s a line from the Apple TV series Ted Lasso in which Ted is told: “The truth will set you free, but first, it will really piss you off.”  The truth, however, is hard to come by today. That’s one of the reasons why we founded the Border Belt Independent in May, and why we need your continued support. Newsrooms like …Read more Continue reading Subscribe to our free newsletter and never miss a story

Some are calling for the removal of the Confederate monument in front of the courthouse in Robeson County, one of the most counties in NC.Read more Continue reading What should become of a Confederate monument in diverse Robeson County?

Bladen County has a new strategic plan meant to guide the rural county in southeastern North Carolina for the next decade.Read more Continue reading Bladen County, shrinking but hopeful, creates a plan for its future

Scottie Deese, a former Robeson County sheriff’s deputy, says a state law that prevents him from running for sheriff is too harsh.Read more Continue reading He was convicted of a crime at 18. Now he says he should get to run for sheriff in NC

North Carolina counties will get millions of dollars from the $26 billion opioid settlement. In the Border Belt, how could it be spent? Read more Continue reading NC’s Border Belt counties will get millions from opioid fund. How should they spend it?

EMS agencies in rural North Carolina say they are struggling to recruit paramedics, EMTs and volunteers. Low pay and high stress, particularly during the COVID pandemic, are likely factors. Read more Continue reading Low pay, high stress: EMS agencies in rural NC struggle to recruit workers and volunteers

In Robeson County in southeastern North Carolina, the wounds of racism run deep for the Lumbee Native American tribe and African Americans.Read more Continue reading In one of America’s most diverse counties, the wounds of racism run deep

Violence has plagued the Sandy Ridge apartment complex in Whiteville, NC. Residents say they’re stuck in the middle. Read more Continue reading Violence at affordable housing complex in rural NC raises question: Who’s to blame?

The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina said it bought 75 body-worn cameras at a cost of more than $220,0000.Read more Continue reading Robeson County sheriff’s deputies get body-worn cameras

Fair Bluff, NC, has been mapping out what it hopes will be a more hurricane-resistant future after hurricanes Matthew and Florence.Read more Continue reading This North Carolina town is mapping a more hurricane-resistant future, brick by brick

Laurinburg, NC, wants to build a new fire station after its North Side Station was damaged by Hurricane Florence. But the rising cost of building materials is yet another barrier. Read more Continue reading Laurinburg’s quest for a new fire station after Hurricane Florence still isn’t over

At least 14 people have been shot in Robeson County, NC, since Aug. 1, including a 9-year-old girl. Recent shootings mark a violent end to summer. Read more Continue reading Shooting of 9-year-old girl is latest in string of gun violence in Robeson County

By Sarah Nagem sarahnagem@borderbelt.org When Matthew Oxendine used drugs or had too much to drink, he would sometimes call 911 or the local sheriff’s office and say he was going to kill himself.  He began making the calls years ago, long before he spent about a week in a psychiatric unit in 2016, said his brother, Greg Oxendine. Doctors diagnosed him with depression.  So when …Read more Continue reading Family calls for change after deputies shoot NC man struggling with mental illness, drugs

By Rebecca Woltz Young Dakoda Cribb was struggling in elementary school, earning C’s and D’s on his report cards.  Then, in the third grade, he joined a program through Partners in Ministry in Scotland County that aims to help children improve their reading and math scores.   Three years later, Dakoda is getting A’s and B’s, and he says he understands the importance of learning.    “When …Read more Continue reading New community center will serve Scotland County families in need

Laura Dial left Robeson County decades ago in search of new job opportunities.  But Dial, 72, travels nearly 250 miles each year to attend Lumbee Homecoming, a celebration of family, food and Native American traditions that draws thousands of people to southeastern North Carolina.  “This is always home,” said Dial, who now lives in Anderson, S.C.  Some say this year’s event, which wrapped up Saturday …Read more Continue reading At Lumbee Homecoming, a celebration of culture and a look at a community in need