

What we’ve learned about the federal probe in Columbus County
By Carli Brosseau and Sarah Nagem By the time Columbus County Sheriff Jody Greene resigned in January 2023, it was clear that state investigators were chasing leads far beyond a recorded phone call in which he called his deputies “snakes” and “Black bastards.” District Attorney Jon David was prepared to argue in court that Greene should be stripped of his position due to “repeated acts …Read more Continue reading What we’ve learned about the federal probe in Columbus County

‘Worst’ year ever for farms in North Carolina
By Jane Winik Sartwell Carolina Public Press Tropical Storm Helene terrorized Western North Carolina’s farms in late September. Recovering is no easy task. And Helene was the not the first calamity that farmers across the state faced in 2024. Observations about what’s happened are bringing out strong words from the state’s farming experts. “The land is just physically not there anymore,” said Luke Owen, a Buncombe County extension …Read more Continue reading ‘Worst’ year ever for farms in North Carolina

Whooping cough cases spike in North Carolina
By Jennifer Fernandez North Carolina Health News Whooping cough cases in North Carolina have risen sharply in 2024. There have been close to 600 reported cases — 6.4 times more than last year at this time. Nationally, cases are 4.8 times higher, federal data shows. The highly contagious respiratory illness tends to rise and fall in cycles as vaccines wear off and new children are born without immunity, experts …Read more Continue reading Whooping cough cases spike in North Carolina

How Republicans gained ground in rural North Carolina
By Ben Rappaport and Sarah Nagem benrappaport@borderbelt.org This story is co-published by The Assembly and the Border Belt Independent. There was never any doubt Charles Ray Peterson would be a Democrat. His parents, grandparents—everyone he knew in Bladen County, really—were Democrats. Peterson, 70, served on the Bladen County school board for 12 years and has been a county commissioner for more than two decades. “When I got involved …Read more Continue reading How Republicans gained ground in rural North Carolina

Rebuild NC’s embattled director is no longer a state employee, a memo confirms
By Lisa Sorg Inside Climate News This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. Laura Hogshead, director of ReBuild NC, which mismanaged millions of dollars in hurricane recovery spending, is no longer employed with the agency, Inside Climate News has confirmed. Eddie Buffaloe Jr., secretary of the Department of Public …Read more Continue reading Rebuild NC’s embattled director is no longer a state employee, a memo confirms

Suspect pleads guilty six years after 13-year-old girl’s murder in Robeson County
By Sarah Nagem sarahnagem@borderbelt.org The man accused of kidnapping and killing 13-year-old Hania Aguilar in Robeson County in 2018 pleaded guilty on Friday, according to local District Attorney Matt Scott and Lumberton police. Michael McLellan, 40, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to first-degree murder, the Lumberton Police Department said in a news release. Superior Court …Read more Continue reading Suspect pleads guilty six years after 13-year-old girl’s murder in Robeson County

Segregation academies across the South are getting millions in taxpayer dollars
By Jennifer Berry Hawes and Mollie Simon, ProPublica This story was originally published by ProPublica. Read more in this series. Private schools across the South that were established for white children during desegregation are now benefiting from tens of millions in taxpayer dollars flowing from rapidly expanding voucher-style programs, a ProPublica analysis found. In North Carolina alone, we identified 39 of these likely “segregation academies” …Read more Continue reading Segregation academies across the South are getting millions in taxpayer dollars

Democrat keeps slight lead for North Carolina Supreme Court as counties finish count
By Gary D. Robertson Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A Democratic incumbent on North Carolina’s Supreme Court expanded a very small lead over her Republican challenger as the last counties worked late Monday to complete their official tallies from the Nov. 5 election. Associate Justice Allison Riggs had trailed on election night by roughly 10,000 votes to Jefferson Griffin, a state Court of Appeals …Read more Continue reading Democrat keeps slight lead for North Carolina Supreme Court as counties finish count

Annual fund drive begins; donations matched through Dec. 31
Stories with impact. That’s the mission of the Border Belt Independent as we write about the challenges and triumphs of the people of Bladen, Columbus, Robeson and Scotland counties. But we need your help to continue the kind of reporting you’ve come to expect from our dedicated journalists. NewsMatch, a national journalism philanthropy, will match your tax-deductible contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $1,000 through Dec. 31. …Read more Continue reading Annual fund drive begins; donations matched through Dec. 31

Bladen County spat could hinder progress at thriving industrial park
By Ben Rappaport benrappaport@borderbelt.org Bladen County and Elizabethtown have worked together for years to spur economic development with help from a local nonprofit aimed at bringing jobs and increasing the local tax base. But new plans for a mixed-use development of homes and businesses have strained the three-way partnership, raising questions about the project and future collaborations at the Elizabethtown Industrial Park. Bladen County gave …Read more Continue reading Bladen County spat could hinder progress at thriving industrial park