Nearly six years after they appeared on “The Biggest Loser,” a mother-duo from Bladen County reflects on weight loss and motivation.
Ivey Schofield
Ivey Schofield is a staff writer at Border Belt Independent.
Posted inEducation
How Bladen County is giving first-generation college students a head start
Bladen County Schools partners with Bladen Community College to offer free college-level courses, giving students a head start on degrees.
Posted inNews
Push for a public pool: How drownings have reignited an old fight 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.
Posted inNews
Columbus County nonprofit needs a new shelter for domestic violence survivors
Soon the Columbus County domestic violence shelter will be demolished, but one nonprofit is still fighting to keep survivors safe.
Posted inHealth
Abuse, neglect of children often goes hand-in-hand with parents’ drug use
Boys and Girls Homes President Ricky Creech and Case Manager Amber Payne pet Kara along with Boys and Girls Homes residents. Photo by Les High Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a multi-part series where the Border Belt Independent looks at what has changed since The News Reporter’s six-part series in 2017 that reported […]
Posted inHealth
Drug treatment options exist, but many don’t know where to find them
Vickie Pait, executive director at Families First, Samantha Adkins, shelter advocate, and Jennifer Cain, direct services specialist, make up a bed in the Families First shelter. Pait said the shelter is often a last resort for law enforcement officers seeking assistance for women experiencing a substance addiction or mental health crisis. Photo by Les High […]
Posted inHealth
Drug treatment program leads to sobriety, sisterhood
Women in Rose House hold a group therapy discussion. Photo by Les High Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a multi-part series where the Border Belt Independent looks at what has changed since The News Reporter’s six-part series in 2017 that reported on the opioid crisis and associated mental health issues. Today, Reporter Ivey […]
Posted inHealth
Sheriff: Columbus drug crime is a ‘bad situation’
Sheriff Jody Greene at a briefing before deputies conduct a series of weekend drug raids. Photo by Ivey Schofield Editor’s note: This is the second in a multi-part series where the Border Belt Independent looks at what has changed since The News Reporter’s six-part 2017 series on the opioid crisis and associated mental health […]
Posted inNews
‘We need to have a reformation:’ Opioid use continues to wreck lives across Columbus
Darren Mills, who co-leads Celebrate Recovery at Western Prong Baptist Church, says faith-based addiction treatment programs fill a large need in the county. Editor’s note: This is the first in a seven-part series that looks at what has changed since The (Whiteville) News Reporter’s series in 2017 that reported on the opioid crisis and associated […]
Posted inNews
Nonprofit helps build future leaders in southeastern North Carolina
By Ivey Schofield iveyschofield@borderbelt.org After her mother died in 2009, Alyssa Delts didn’t expect to find a new family. The next year, when she was 11, her social worker signed her up for a summer camp with Men and Women United For Youth and Families. That’s when Delts found a group of people that continues […]