By Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent Christine Hayes waves as others throw candy from the Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church wagon float during the Lattimore 4th of July parade OPINION – Lattimore is the small-town place to be. It really is. The 4th of July in Lattimore felt like one of those movie towns. It almost didn’t seem real – but it was, it is. Having just been less than two weeks out since I had a heart attack, I wanted to go to the parade but knew I had to take it easy

By Wayne King | Special Opinion Guest Columnist to The Shelby Independent Wayne King, special guest opinion columnist. Courtesy photo. OPINION – As we gather with family and friends this Independence Day, we celebrate more than fireworks, cookouts, and parades. We celebrate the birth of the greatest experiment in self-government the world has ever known. This year carries even greater significance as our nation begins commemorating America's 250th anniversary—a milestone that

By Wes Westmoreland | Special Guest Op-Ed Columnist for The Shelby Independent OPINION – Ink-stained hands methodically distributed lead soldiers into the wooden case. Robert Bell had known tough times in Scotland, and even tougher times in Dublin, but these times were different. It had been only five years since he arrived in Philadelphia and set up a press. In those few years, he had become a widely recognized printer and publisher, creating a market by offering low-cost

By Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent Opinion – Wow! it's been quite a year! The plan was to look back at the most memorable news stories from the past year, but a little thing called a heart attack prevented me from completing that special news story this past week. Maybe it’s best. Maybe I’ll get to it later this month. We’ll see... To say The Shelby Independent almost didn’t make it to its first anniversary is putting it lightly. However, today isn’t about what almost hap

By Wes Westmoreland | Special Guest Columnist for The Sunday Column Wes Westmoreland | The Sunday Column An excited John Adams wrote to his beloved Abigail: “The Second Day of July 1776… ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews (shows), Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever

By Wes Westmoreland | The Sunday Column Wes Westmoreland | The Sunday Column The Sunday Column – There may be nothing that swells the heart with a greater feeling of patriotism and pride than the Stars and Stripes. Immortalized in song and memory, will anyone forget the emotion brought on by the display of flags on September 12, 2001, the sound of the “Stars and Stripes Forever”, or standing for our National Anthem? Some generations ago, the flag that brought about similar pa

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION — Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start to summer, with trips to the beach, a lake, the mountains, or just having friends and family over to your home to grill burgers and hotdogs in the back yard, and while most people seem to forget the 1,200,000 Americans who died while serving during conflicts, but they seem to remember them more than first responders who, while maybe not in combat, definitely in conflict, died protect

By Ron Humphries | Special Guest Op-Ed Columnist for The Shelby Independent OPINION — Every morning, a familiar political ritual plays out. Lawmakers propose sweeping bans on classroom screens, restrictions on Artificial Intelligence, and demand a retreat to the "three R’s." This crusade frames digital technology as an unprecedented monster devouring young minds. Yet, declaring that technology has ruined education is merely the latest repetition of a script society has recite

By Chuck Thompson | OPINION | Shelby Independent OPINION – In something that came across like segment from the novel '1984' The City of Kings Mountain posted on its official Facebook account, Monday, warning the public to only trust official press releases and comments made by The City of Kings Mountain and to disregard untrusted and / or unverified sources. “The City of Kings Mountain would like to address and correct false information that has recently been circulated on so

By Gideon Simmons | Special to The Shelby Independent A bear is seen crossing Westlee Street in Lattimore on May 8, 2026. | Courtesy photo still frame from video. Town of Lattimore Facebook page. Photo credit: Rachael Metcalf. Lattimore — Who would have ever thought that the most viewed post on the Town of Lattimore’s Facebook page would have been about a bear wandering through the Town? Over a week ago, the mayor was sent a picture and a video by two residents that showed a

By Wes Westmoreland | The Sunday Column Wes Westmoreland Listen my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of… Captain Jack? It was late May in 1775 when Captain James Jack left Charlotte Towne, North Carolina, and set out on a long journey on horseback to meet fellow North Carolinians in Philadelphia. The document he carried, dated May 20th, stowed inside his coat for protection, was of the utmost importance. And it was treasonous. By carrying the document, he ca

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION — Happy Typhoid Fever Day! You can thank Typhoid Fever for Mother’s Day. As grim as that sounds, it’s true; to an extent. The holiday, where we honor mothers and grandmothers across the United States, we can trace the origins of the holiday back to a typhoid outbreak during The American Civil War. Ann Jarvis, the mother of Anna Jarvis, who would later be given credit for creating what we know as Mother’s Day, organized Mother's Da

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION – With the war in Ukraine and the War in Iran, we are just one step away from World War 12. At least according to one U.S. House of Representative Member from Minnesota. Most others have laughed in astonishment and joked, "Where's World War 3-11, I never learned about those?" And history scholars might say "4-11" but that's because they know that World War II (that's a two, not an eleven) was mislabeled and technically the 3rd wor

By Wes Westmoreland | The Sunday Column | Special to The Shelby Independent Westmoreland April 12 marks the 250th anniversary of a largely forgotten, but significant date in American history. On this date in 1776, the Fourth Provincial Congress of North Carolina met in Halifax and unanimously passed a measure instructing its delegates to the Continental Congress to vote to declare independence from Great Britain. With the Halifax Resolves, North Carolina became the first co

By Chuck Thompson | Opinion (Not the Sunday Column) OPINION – I’ve covered about a dozen different counties and a plethora of city and town councils in my career, but Thursday night was the first time I left any governing body public meeting so angry that I sent them a bill for my mileage and my time. They don’t have to pay it, it’s only a request, but I sent them one. (see photo below) I can promise you that the city has probably spent $48 on a lot of dumber and more pointl

By Ron Humphries | Special guest opinion | Press release Humphries In light of recent public statements and threats regarding my interaction with fellow School Board member Mr. Blanton after the Board meeting on January 12, 2026, I feel it is essential to address the situation with a focus on forgiveness and my desire to move forward. During our verbal exchange, Mr. Blanton angrily approached me closely and gestured towards my face. In a moment of instinctive reaction, I gent

By A thankful educator | The Sunday Column | Special to The Shelby Independent OPINION – Some days come and go without much notice. And then there are days that stop you in your tracks, days that remind you just how fragile and how strong life can be at the very same time. Recently, our community experienced one of those days. What began like any other quickly turned into something none of us ever want to face. In a moment, routines were interrupted, classrooms grew silent, a

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION – Feelings over facts seems to be the preferred way of doing things in media nowadays, but that's not journalism, although, that is what you see and read in the mainstream media every day and that is called 'propaganda' and 'activism' disguised as journalism, as many of you have learned over the years. Some seem to think journalism should be regulated based on what people do and do not like, because it actually does happen ever

Commentary | The Shelby Independent OPINION — It’s March 3, the day most candidates have been waiting for (those that have a primary) and it couldn’t be sweeter or finer than to be in Carolina during this election of attrition, as many candidates have continued to nuke each other into oblivion right up to today. In the local races, Tim Moore is facing off across the wolf in sheep’s clothing: Kate Barr, pretending to be a Republican. This race has only been vicious from her si

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION / HUMOR – Pants and politics go hand-in-hand. They do. It’s true. Pants and politics go “hand-in-hand,” even though you wear them on your legs; I guess one could say they sometimes can help get a leg up on the competition, and other times they’ll have you tripping over your own feet, so to speak. There’s so many sayings / puns / metaphors associated with pants: Caught with your pants down Keep your pants on. Fly by