Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent property taxes Today (Monday, Jan. 5, 2026) was / is the last day for Cleveland County property owners to pay their property taxes before fees and penalties. The Shelby Independent took a trip to the county tax office on the last day of 2025 to interview residents paying their property taxes in person before the deadline; as one person noted, who wished to remain anonymous, he feels better paying it in person and getting a receipt right

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square The North Carolina state flag. file photo (The Center Square) – Of the state’s more than 7.6 million voter registrations, 38.8% are not choosing any of the lawful parties with which to register – Green and Libertarian are the others, each with less than 1%. Democrats gained 290 voters, have a 30.3% share and are a mere 604 ahead of Republicans. The Grand Old Party picked up 339 voters and has a 30.2% share. The unaffiliated bloc – gaining

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Political Smackdown logo on C19TV, recorded in the John O. Harris Jr. studio Cleveland Community College C19TV’s Political Smackdown, hosted by Mike Philbeck -R, Betsy Wells -D, Wes Westmoreland -R, and Andy Dedmon -D, had their last regular episode of the year on the last Friday before Christmas. Former Shelby Mayor Mike Philbeck began the show by mentioning former North Carolina Governor James B. (Jim) Hunt, who recently passed aw

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent A sign outside the CC Board of Elections, pointing the way to the main entrance. Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent As the Friday Dec. 19 deadline looms for candidates to file for the 2026 primaries, the Cleveland County Commissioner race is crowded with seven hopefuls running for two seats, and a board of education race that so far has five republicans one democrat, and an unaffiliated candidate all running for four chairs. On t

Staff reports | contributions by Town of Lattimore Lattimore Town council members from left, Brandon Ruppe, Vickie Jones, Mayor Pro Tem Jackson Martin and Mayor Alton Beal took their oaths of office Monday evening, officiated by Attorney Tom Martin. Courtesy photo Oaths of office, sewer lines and refreshments, were the highlight of the Lattimore town meeting, Monday night. The meeting began at 7 pm with the Board of Aldermen for the Town of Lattimore was sworn in

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Gaining five times more in the last week, Republicans have moved to the cusp of eclipsing Democrats in voter registrations in North Carolina for the first time. Consolation prize as it may be, the change is historic and coincides with another unprecedented benchmark in 15 years of Republican majorities in the General Assembly. Context for the matter, however, is that voters choosing to register are consistently – about

The Sunday Column, by Chuck Thompson OPINION / HUMOR – Recently, I learned that in North Carolina it is illegal to play bingo for more than 5 hours in a row… My question is, why would anyone play bingo more than 5 hours in a row and what happened at the 5 hour mark to come up with that rule?  So at 4 hours and 55 minutes, everything is fine, but at five hours Gertrude had a fit of rage and flipped the tables over?  What’s with the 5 hours… Personally, I think it should be ill

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Dr. Tim Sims, (center right) Senior Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, Shelby, leads a group of Wayne King’s supporters in a moment of prayer. Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent With candidate filing well underway, many Cleveland County residents, both current elected officials and new hopefuls have stepped forward to throw their hat into the ring for elected office. Wayne King, a Cleveland County native and lifelong Kings Mountai

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent In an exclusive local interview, Congressman Tim Moore, of the 14 District, spoke with the Shelby Independent, discussing issues that affect both the district (especially Cleveland County) and the entire nation. From the the topic of the government shutdown, to the murder of Iryna Zarutska, holding judges and magistrates accountable for allowing violent repeat offenders back on the streets – an issue that can affect any of us here in

By David Beasley | The Center Square The North Carolina state flag is shown flying against a blue sky. Photo: Mark Stebnicki (The Center Square) – With 2025 drawing to a close, the North Carolina Legislature still hasn’t approved a state budget, making it only the state in the nation without a full budget for fiscal 2026, according to the National Association of State Budget officers. This year may seem unusual, but in recent years, operating without an approved budget has b

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Tuesday's elections across municipalities in Cleveland County brought about new changes, familiar faces retained their seats, and also some questions, such as who won the Lattimore mayoral race? The town of Lawndale held a mixed beverage election, which resulted in a tie, with exactly 31 votes for, and 31 votes against. But the startling, yet somewhat expected, story about Tuesday was the low turnout of for local elections. Only 7% o

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Phil Dee file photo Editors note: Phil Dee is one of the several at-large candidates running for city council, along with Bruce W. King, Jason Nail, Scott Neisler, and Curtis Pressley. Candidates for K.M. Ward 2: Mike Butler, Tyler Fletcher, and Tim Sanders. The candidates for Ward 3: Heather Lemmond, Chris Pullen and Ke'Shawn A. Strong. The Shelby Independent wishes all these candidates the best of luck Tuesday.   Phil Dee h

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Davis Editors’ note: Marty L. Thomas and Patrick Litton are also candidates for town council; both are running for reelection. On Tuesday, Nov 4., registered municipal voters will cast their votes for the candidate(s) of their choice. Justin Davis, a Boiling Springs native and candidate for Boiling Springs Town Council, is one of those determined few that will find out after the election on Tuesday if he has the honor of serving on t

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Moore praised the Boy Scouts from Matthews who were traveling through Cleveland County on their way to Camp Grimes when they saw flames coming from the side of Cavalry's Cross Church. Courtesy photo In his weekly newsletter, U.S. Rep. Tim Moore, 14th Congressional District, which includes Cleveland County, lauded the quick reaction of boy scouts traveling through Upper Cleveland on their way to Camp Grimes. The teenagers saw flames

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Rep. Kelly Hastings, N.C. House 110 -R, recently had the honor of being recognized as a 2025 Defender of Public Safety by the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association. "I am extremely thankful to be recognized as a Defender of Public Safety by the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association," Hasting said. "It is an honor to have leading law enforcement officers in North Carolina trust me in my role as a member of the North Carolina General Ass

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square October municipal elections will hold canvasses Tuesday, early voting for those in November begins Thursday, and North Carolinians continue to trend toward independence of the major parties. Fifty-five weeks away from the 2026 midterms, the unaffiliated bloc gained 4,220 voters in the most recent seven-day period measured ending on Saturday. Republicans added 912 and Democrats lost seven. The more than 7.5 million registered to vote are spli

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Don Brown. U.S. Senate candidate - (R) North Carolina CHARLOTTE — Don Brown, former U.S. Navy JAG officer, author, and Republican candidate for the United States Senate, today issued the following statement in honor of the 250th Birthday of the United States Navy, adding a special word of gratitude for navy veterans and current Sailors from Cleveland County. “On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress established what would become

U.S. Rep. Tim Moore, District 14 Cleveland County’s U.S. Representative, District 14, Time Moore said he won’t accept his paycheck while...

Hastings calls for Brockman's resignation; Eason condemns behavior By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent N.C. Rep. Cecil Brockman...

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Don Brown, pictured at the Fair, with several candidates, some currently in office. From left,...