- UNC Pembroke partners with NC State on sustainable protein research center
By Rachel Baldauf rachelbaldauf@borderbelt.org The University of North Carolina at Pembroke is partnering with N.C. State University to open a new research center that will focus on the production of sustainable protein sources, including plant-based products and meat grown from animal cells. The Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein that launched last month on N.C. State’s Raleigh campus is funded by a $30 million grant from …Read more - Former St. Andrews student serving more than 23 years for on-campus sexual assaults
By Sarah Nagem sarahnagem@borderbelt.org A former St. Andrews University student-athlete accused of sexually assaulting three women on campus in 2022 and 2023 was sentenced to serve more than 23 years in prison. Mison Mickle, 24, pleaded guilty in March to four felony counts of sex offenses and failure to register as a sex offender. The Border Belt Independent recently learned of Mickle’s conviction and sentencing …Read more - Get to know three Laurinburg artists
By Kerria Weaver kerriaweaver@borderbelt.org How would you define art? Can it really be defined? The Border Belt Independent spoke with three artists from Laurinburg who show that there is an art to everything we do and how you can make a career out of it in the process. Keith Stephens, 42, is an art teacher at Scotland High School. Stephens has always been interested in …Read more - Schools in NC’s Border Belt say they need more county money to replace COVID funding
By Ben Rappaport benrappaport@borderbelt.org School boards in rural southeastern North Carolina are asking for increases in local funding to increase employees’ pay and fill gaps left by the loss of federal COVID-19 relief money. School leaders in Bladen, Columbus, Robeson and Scotland counties have asked county commissioners to bump up funding for the fiscal year that begins July 1. In North Carolina, the General Assembly …Read more - SparkNC brings a new way of learning to Scotland High School
By Ben Rappaport benrappaport@borderbelt.org While his peers spend their mornings in math or English class, Trevon Wall connects wires to circuit boards for the robotic car he’s building and coding from scratch. Wall, a senior at Scotland High School, is one of the first in the state to experience SparkNC, a new curriculum aimed at teaching high-tech skills. “I like to be hands-on,” Wall said. …Read more