Author: Border Belt Independent

Columbus County, Justice, News, Recent Stories

US attorney resigns, leaving Columbus County corruption probe in limbo

By Sarah Nagem and Carli Brosseau On Wednesday, Eastern North Carolina’s top federal prosecutor, Michael Easley Jr., announced his resignation as part of the Trump administration transition. Easley, who President Joe Biden appointed to be the U.S. attorney for the region in 2021, said he will step down February 3.  While stepping down has become standard practice when a new president takes office, Easley’s departure …Read more Continue reading US attorney resigns, leaving Columbus County corruption probe in limbo

Border Belt Independent
Bladen County, Columbus County, News, Recent Stories, Robeson County, Scotland County

Check out scenes from a rare snow day in North Carolina’s Border Belt

When it snows in southeastern North Carolina, it’s a really big deal. In the Border Belt counties of Bladen, Columbus, Robeson and Scotland, social media users posted images from their communities. While the snow might be an exciting opportunity to experience a winter wonderland, state officials are urging caution on the roads. “During winter weather, just like in any severe weather situation in our state, …Read more Continue reading Check out scenes from a rare snow day in North Carolina’s Border Belt

Border Belt Independent
Bladen County, Columbus County, News, Robeson County, Scotland County

Stories that mattered most in NC’s Border Belt in 2024

Looking back at 2024, the Border Belt Independent brought readers in-depth news coverage about the election, the economy, education, health care and so much more. Most importantly, we told stories about people who are making a difference in the community. Here are some of the stories that mattered most to our readers over the past year. ‘Feel more pain’: Southeastern NC is at the heart …Read more Continue reading Stories that mattered most in NC’s Border Belt in 2024

Border Belt Independent
Heidi Perez-Moreno (Photo by Ira Wilder)
News

Journalist Heidi Perez-Moreno joins Border Belt Independent

The Border Belt Independent is proud to announce Heidi Perez-Moreno has joined the staff as a full-time reporter. Perez-Moreno is a graduate of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media. As a student, she wrote for The Daily Tar Heel, helping to produce breaking news, features and long-form pieces. She also assisted with the publication’s weekly newspaper production.  Perez-Moreno comes to the BBI from …Read more Continue reading Journalist Heidi Perez-Moreno joins Border Belt Independent

Border Belt Independent
Columbus County, Politics / Government

What we’ve learned about the federal probe in Columbus County

By Carli Brosseau and Sarah Nagem By the time Columbus County Sheriff Jody Greene resigned in January 2023, it was clear that state investigators were chasing leads far beyond a recorded phone call in which he called his deputies “snakes” and “Black bastards.” District Attorney Jon David was prepared to argue in court that Greene should be stripped of his position due to “repeated acts …Read more Continue reading What we’ve learned about the federal probe in Columbus County

Border Belt Independent
Economy

‘Worst’ year ever for farms in North Carolina

By Jane Winik Sartwell Carolina Public Press Tropical Storm Helene terrorized Western North Carolina’s farms in late September. Recovering is no easy task. And Helene was the not the first calamity that farmers across the state faced in 2024. Observations about what’s happened are bringing out strong words from the state’s farming experts. “The land is just physically not there anymore,” said Luke Owen, a Buncombe County extension …Read more Continue reading ‘Worst’ year ever for farms in North Carolina

Border Belt Independent
Health

Whooping cough cases spike in North Carolina

By Jennifer Fernandez North Carolina Health News Whooping cough cases in North Carolina have risen sharply in 2024. There have been close to 600 reported cases — 6.4 times more than last year at this time.  Nationally, cases are 4.8 times higher, federal data shows. The highly contagious respiratory illness tends to rise and fall in cycles as vaccines wear off and new children are born without immunity, experts …Read more Continue reading Whooping cough cases spike in North Carolina

Border Belt Independent
News

Rebuild NC’s embattled director is no longer a state employee, a memo confirms

By Lisa Sorg Inside Climate News This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. Laura Hogshead, director of ReBuild NC, which mismanaged millions of dollars in hurricane recovery spending, is no longer employed with the agency, Inside Climate News has confirmed. Eddie Buffaloe Jr., secretary of the Department of Public …Read more Continue reading Rebuild NC’s embattled director is no longer a state employee, a memo confirms

Border Belt Independent
Education, News, Politics / Government

Segregation academies across the South are getting millions in taxpayer dollars

By Jennifer Berry Hawes and Mollie Simon, ProPublica This story was originally published by ProPublica. Read more in this series. Private schools across the South that were established for white children during desegregation are now benefiting from tens of millions in taxpayer dollars flowing from rapidly expanding voucher-style programs, a ProPublica analysis found. In North Carolina alone, we identified 39 of these likely “segregation academies” …Read more Continue reading Segregation academies across the South are getting millions in taxpayer dollars

Border Belt Independent
Elections, Politics / Government

Democrat keeps slight lead for North Carolina Supreme Court as counties finish count

By Gary D. Robertson Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A Democratic incumbent on North Carolina’s Supreme Court expanded a very small lead over her Republican challenger as the last counties worked late Monday to complete their official tallies from the Nov. 5 election. Associate Justice Allison Riggs had trailed on election night by roughly 10,000 votes to Jefferson Griffin, a state Court of Appeals …Read more Continue reading Democrat keeps slight lead for North Carolina Supreme Court as counties finish count

Border Belt Independent