- 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 - Elizabethtown needs to prevent flooding. But with little cash, options are limited
By Ben Rappaport benrappaport@borderbelt.org Stephen Duffy feels like he is constantly playing a game of Whac-A-Mole. The Elizabethtown public services director is stuck in a stormwater doom loop: filling potholes and sealing broken pipes as needed but never attacking the root cause of the damage caused by stormwater. That’s because the Bladen County town, like most municipalities across rural southeastern North Carolina, lacks any budget …Read more - Chemours asks federal appeals court to negate EPA health goal for GenX
By Lisa Sorg NC Newsline This story was originally published by NC Newsline. Chemours, the company responsible for polluting the drinking water of 800,000 people in the Lower Cape Fear River Basin with GenX, is asking a court to negate the EPA’s health advisory for the toxic chemical. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Philadelphia, heard arguments last week. There is not a timetable …Read more - Border Belt People: Ashley Lomboy brings Western science, Indigenous culture together
By Kerria Weaver kerriaweaver@borderbelt.org Ashley Lomboy of the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe took an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) from a young age. This fascination led her to become a Global Information Security Manager at Corning Optical Fiber and Cable, and later, founder of the Waccamaw Siouan STEM Studio. The Border Belt Independent spoke with Lomboy about her many accomplishments and how she …Read more - Border Belt People: A Q&A with Paul Valenti, historian and Lumber River diver
By Kerria Weaver kerriaweaver@borderbelt.org Paul Valenti, 69, works as the chief water plant operator in Lumberton, but he is also well known for being a historian and scuba diver. Born and raised in Lumberton, Valenti has explored the Lumber River, finding many historical artifacts from megalodon shark teeth to an 1,100-year-old canoe. The Border Belt Independent spoke with Valenti about his experience as a diver …Read more