Author: Rachel Baldauf

Rachel Baldauf is a reporter at the Border Belt Independent. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where she helped produce in-depth stories for the Medill Investigative Lab.
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Bladen County, Columbus County, Education, Robeson County, Scotland County

Here’s how high schools in NC’s Border Belt performed in latest rankings

By Rachel Baldauf rachelbaldauf@borderbelt.org  Scotland Early College High School in Laurinburg is the 70th best public high school in North Carolina, according to new rankings from U.S. News & World Report. The school far out-ranked other public high schools in the Border Belt region of Bladen, Columbus, Robeson and Scotland counties. PSRC Early College at Robeson Community College ranked 168th. All others fell below the …Read more Continue reading Here’s how high schools in NC’s Border Belt performed in latest rankings

Rachel Baldauf
Columbus County, Economy

‘Red Whiteville and Blue’ film follows fight for income equality in Columbus County

By Rachel Baldauf rachelbaldauf@borderbelt.org  Patriotic Millionaires, a political advocacy group run by a group of wealthy Americans who want higher taxes for the rich, went to the N.C. Pecan Harvest Festival in Whiteville in November 2022 to ask fairgoers a question: What do you think about the economy? The group was in the midst of launching a pilot program aimed at engaging local voters in …Read more Continue reading ‘Red Whiteville and Blue’ film follows fight for income equality in Columbus County

Rachel Baldauf
White medicine pill tablets on a soft blue background.
Health, News, Robeson County

Robeson County is doling out opioid settlement money. But the process isn’t always easy

By Rachel Baldauf rachelbaldauf@borderbelt.org  When Tamiko Murphy first heard that Robeson County would get millions of dollars from opioid settlement cases, she was excited about what it could mean for her nonprofit, Tae’s Pathway, which serves children who use drugs. Since she founded the organization, which she named for her son who died in a car accident 2013, Murphy says she has paid most expenses …Read more Continue reading Robeson County is doling out opioid settlement money. But the process isn’t always easy

Rachel Baldauf
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Public Safety

At UNC Pembroke, frustrations about safety reach fever pitch following shootings

By Rachel Baldauf  rachelbaldauf@borderbelt.org  Their faces illuminated by electric candlelight, students at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke wept as they gathered for the second time in less than a month to remember a friend who was shot and killed.  Cameron Taylor, 22, was killed in a March 2 mass shooting when a fight broke out at The Commons at Pembroke, an off-campus apartment …Read more Continue reading At UNC Pembroke, frustrations about safety reach fever pitch following shootings

Rachel Baldauf
News

Daylight saving time remains controversial in southeastern N.C.

By Rachel Baldauf rachelbaldauf@borderbelt.org Last Sunday, clocks across most of the country sprang forward an hour, marking the start of daylight saving time. The practice of shifting clocks forward an hour in the spring and back an hour in the fall is intended to make the most out of the amount of sunlight the Northern Hemisphere receives. But the practice has long been controversial. A …Read more Continue reading Daylight saving time remains controversial in southeastern N.C.

Rachel Baldauf
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News

How can Bladen, Columbus and Robeson counties gain better access to food?

By Rachel Baldauf rachelbaldauf@borderbelt.org Four open-house forums about the future of food access in southeastern North Carolina will take place across Bladen, Columbus and Robeson counties this month. The events, organized by N.C. State University’s Visioning Our Food Future project, will gather community input on how to improve residents’ access to healthy and affordable food. Visioning Our Food Future brings together N.C. State researchers with …Read more Continue reading How can Bladen, Columbus and Robeson counties gain better access to food?

Rachel Baldauf
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News

Despite efforts, Robeson County ranks last for traffic deaths. What needs to happen?

By Rachel Baldauf rachelbaldauf@borderbelt.org  The N.C. Department of Transportation had an idea in 2018 to reduce traffic deaths in Robeson County, which has ranked the worst in the state for traffic safety for the past 20 years.  The goal was to assemble a task force of community leaders to brainstorm solutions to traffic problems and educate drivers on how to stay safe on the roads. …Read more Continue reading Despite efforts, Robeson County ranks last for traffic deaths. What needs to happen?

Rachel Baldauf
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Justice

How a man charged with murder was released on bond and shot two Robeson County deputies

By Rachel Baldauf rachelbaldauf@borderbelt.org Robeson County sheriff’s deputy Jonathan Walters had an uneasy feeling as he and his partner set out to arrest a suspect who was out on bond and cut off his ankle monitor.  “It was just pretty much like a sixth sense,” said Walters, who has worked for the sheriff’s office since 2020 but was marking his one-year anniversary on patrol that …Read more Continue reading How a man charged with murder was released on bond and shot two Robeson County deputies

Rachel Baldauf
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News

Southeastern North Carolina counties will be the last to transition to eCourts

By Rachel Baldauf rachelbaldauf@borderbelt.org Counties in southeastern North Carolina will not transition to the eCourts digital record management system until 2025, according to the state Administrative Office of the Courts. Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Mecklenburg and Wake counties transitioned last year to the $100 million eCourts system. The state has announced plans to expand the program to 44 more counties within the next year. But nearly …Read more Continue reading Southeastern North Carolina counties will be the last to transition to eCourts

Rachel Baldauf
Dr. Melba McCallum, Partners in Ministry, Laurinburg, United Methodist Church Sticky post
Profile

Partners in Ministry helps kids become ‘change agents’ in their communities

By Rachel Baldauf rachelbaldauf@borderbelt.org The hallways of Partners in Ministry’s building in Laurinburg are covered in inspirational sayings: “Put first things first.” “Begin with the end in mind.” When Executive Director Melba McCallum first dreamed the idea for the nonprofit in 2003, she couldn’t have known all that it would grow to become. Today, the group runs an afterschool program for about 300 students, provides …Read more Continue reading Partners in Ministry helps kids become ‘change agents’ in their communities

Rachel Baldauf