Fair Bluff, NC, has been mapping out what it hopes will be a more hurricane-resistant future after hurricanes Matthew and Florence.
Sarah Nagem
Sarah Nagem is editor of the Border Belt Independent. She previously worked for The News & Observer and currently attends graduate school at Duke University.
Posted inNews
Laurinburg’s quest for a new fire station after Hurricane Florence still isn’t over
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.
Posted inHealth
Don’t let your guard down as COVID cases drop in southeastern NC, health experts say
By Sarah Nagem sarahnagem@borderbelt.org COVID-19 cases are falling across southeastern North Carolina, and fewer people are hospitalized with the virus. But now is not the time to stop taking precautions, health officials say. “I don’t believe for a minute we can let our guard down,” said Renae Taylor, vice president and chief nurse executive at […]
Posted inPolitics & Government
NC candidate for Congress recalls KKK rally – and Jan. 6 riot
Charles Graham, a Democrat running for NC’s 9th congressional district, gaining attention for a campaign video in which he recalls the night in 1958 when the Ku Klux Klan planned a rally in Robeson County, where he grew up in a Native American community.
Posted inHealth
‘Lean on God, but lean on science as well.’ Lumbee medical workers push for vaccine
Doctors and nurses who are members of the Lumbee tribe are urging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and some are evoking faith and science in their message.
Posted inCourts & Justice
Murders increased across southeastern North Carolina in 2020. Here are the numbers
Parts of southeastern North Carolina saw a spike in homicides and other violent crimes in 2020, while fewer property crimes were reported.
Posted inCourts & Justice
Robeson County man in distress was shot ‘multiple’ times by SWAT team, autopsy shows
Matthew Oxendine, who was shot and killed by a Robeson County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, sustained “multiple” gunshot wounds, autopsy results show.
Posted inHealth
Teaching resilience in hurricane-battered southeastern North Carolina
Resilient Columbus, part of the Columbus County Partnership for Children, works to help communities better understand trauma.
Posted inNews
Shooting of 9-year-old girl is latest in string of gun violence in Robeson County
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.
Posted inNews, Education
UNC Pembroke wants to ‘grow our own’ business and health care workers, chancellor says
Dr. Robin Gary Cummings, chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, recently sat down with the Border Belt Independent to talk about what’s happening on campus and beyond.