By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Josh Biddix There’s the saying, “Once a Marine, always a Marine” but Josh Biddix is also aiming at being a county commissioner for the people of Cleveland County. A husband, father of two, and a former police officer (on top of his military service), Biddix sat down with The Shelby Independent to discuss the issues currently facing Cleveland County, concerns of his own, and the hope he has for the future of the county. A Crest High

Staff Reports | Press Release by Robert Queen Editor's note: This press release has been published as-is and not altered in any way whatsoever. This is a press release only; this is not an endorsement by The Shelby Independent of any candidates running for elected offices. Read it in its entirety below : As early voting begins Thursday, February 12, voters in Cleveland County have a clear choice: continue moving our schools forward with steady, proven leadership— or allow di

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Rep. Kelly Hastings EDITOR’S NOTE: The reporter for this article does not live in the 110 NC House District. Also, in a previous version of this article, a typo made it seem he had endorsed his opponent which he clearly stated he had not. This “was” has been changed to “wasn’t” - the correction has been made. Rep. Kelly Hastings grew up in Shelby; his wife, Anika, is from Cherryville , which is where they live today. Hastings is the

By Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent Dr. Caroline Eason EDITOR’S NOTE: The reporter for this article does not live in the 110 NC House District. Caroline Eason is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She is not only a third-generation independent community pharmacist, but also is a Republican running for the 110 NC House seat. The district is one of 120 districts in the North Carolina House of Representatives. Eason, an Upper Cleveland native, with a

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Brandon Bridges Brandon Bridges, 36, is running for school board . I sat across the table from him at a café, as he explained why he was running for the Cleveland County Board of Education. “I think I can make a difference,” he said as he chowed down on some French fries, relaxed, personable, answering any question thrown at him. It may not be the answer you agree with, but he didn’t hesitate in having a response. (Since two candidat

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Aaron Bridges Aaron Bridges is the youngest Republican currently on the school board , and the second youngest republican candidate currently running. (Since two candidates have the last name Bridges, Aaron Bridges will be referred to by his first name, as the customary way of referring to the subject of a print interview is to use their last name). Aaron currently sits on the Cleveland County Board of Education and serves as the vic

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Kate Barr Courtesy photo Kate Barr doesn’t hide the fact that she is a Democrat running as a Republican. She has made it clear several times in the past; I even asked her point-blank, “So, you’re a Democrat running as a Republican?” Her response, without hesitation – “Yes,” but then she explained that she feels more like “A woman without a partisan home.” Barr expanded her answer, stating, “I want America to work for everyone;

By Annie Dance | WCAB News State Auditor Dave Boliek  announced  the creation of the Modernization of Election Data Systems (MEDS) Commission on Feb. 5, a bipartisan 22-member panel aimed at guiding efforts to update North Carolina’s election management system. The commission will advise on the three-phase modernization of the Statewide Elections Information Management System (SEIMS), which is managed by the North Carolina State Board of Elections. The Office of the State Au

Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Cleveland County Admin Building where the county commissioners meet. Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent Is the school board political drama spilling over to the county commissioners race? The Shelby Independent could not verify that political drama is contagious because the CDC could not be reached for comment for this question, but in a google search, and it must be noted was not verified by any qualified experts, stated, "The C

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Grigg. Calm seas only last but so long in the dramatic ocean of politics. In the ongoing soap opera of the Cleveland County Board of Education, a new plot twist reared its head Friday, the day after the calm and professional school board candidate forum debate – call it a smear campaign, hit piece, attack, or just the truth – the focus was recently shifted onto current school board member, and candidate for the CCS Board of Education

The Board of Education Forum involved eight candidates from the CCGOP By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent The board of education candidates before the event began, seated left to right, Robert Queen, Brandon Bridges, Aaron Bridges, Shelia Canipe, Rodney Fitch, Ronnie Grigg, Stephen Self, and Danny Blanton. Sherry Yocum, standing in red shirt, and moderator Dot Cherry on right. Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent Thursday night’s Board of

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square Cooper’s campaign said it raised $9.5 million and Whatley’s team said it raised $5.1 million. (The Center Square) – Michael Whatley is 30 points clear of his nearest Republican rival and has pulled within 5% of Democratic front-runner Roy Cooper in the race to win a seat from North Carolina in the U.S. Senate. Carolina Forward’s sampling from Jan. 5-7 released on Monday is closer between Cooper and Whatley than the last poll in September (Co

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent The school board forum will involve eight of the candidates, all republican, on Jan. 29, at The LeGrand Center. UPDATE: Jay Carpenter will not be attending as previously reported. Stephen Carroll Self will be attending now. Anyone interested in listening to the school board candidates’ personal stances on local education issues, and wanting to ask them questions, will have their chance next week.   The Cleveland County GOP and Moms

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square State law permits unaffiliated voters to choose either a Democrat or Republican primary ballot, though not both. (The Center Square) – Switching parties by a deadline was the easy part. Fooling voters with a letter attached to a name on the ballot rather than actions? A half-dozen former Democrats will need more than luck after failing one of the first tests for any stripe of politician: trust. Six people now registered Republicans running

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Eason, left, and Rhoten announced their engagement last weekend. They will live in Cherryville, NC. Courtesy photo LAWNDALE – Last weekend Caroline Eason, candidate for the 110 NC House of Representatives announced her engagement to Matthew Rhoten on social media. Eason, a pharmacist, has been campaigning for the 110 seat since July of 2025. In a statement to the Shelby Independent, she said this blessing was unexpected and she

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent The Political Smackdown logo on C19TV, at Cleveland Community College. This week’s episode of Political Smackdown began with Betsy Wells (D) speaking first, honoring the life and legacy of Dot Roark, who passed away in late December. Roark helped bring C19 to life at Cleveland Community College. The panel discussed the school board, regarding the events following the meeting, “If anyone needs an intervention, it’s the school board,”

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