Staff Reports | Cleveland Community College Because construction of the Beam Student Center is fully funded by the North Carolina General Assembly, these private donations will be used to support student scholarships. | Courtesy photo. Cleveland Community College – CCC marked a historic milestone on Friday, May 1, with a ceremonial groundbreaking for its long-awaited student center, a transformative project designed to centralize and enhance services for students across camp

By Adrian Hamrick | AWLS | Dir. of Operations The Jim Horn family gathered for a photograph at home plate. | ALWS courtesy photo SHELBY, N.C. — The American Legion World Series (ALWS) Executive Committee once again delivered a memorable evening of baseball at Keeter Stadium as Wake Forest University defeated Appalachian State University 3–2 in the annual Jim Horn Tribute Game on Tuesday night. After a brief morning shower cleared, fans were treated to a beautiful evening f

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square File graphic | The Shelby Independent (Affects Local) – More than 1 million active, inactive and retired North Carolina public employees in the state retirement system could get pension benefit improvements such as a cost-of-living increase or one-time supplement. The Board of Trustees for the North Carolina Retirement Systems voted for the change that takes effect in 2027 and runs through 2032. The board’s new policy will direct how to dete

By Philip Jackson, public information officer | N.C. Forest Service N.C. Forest Service N.C. Forest Service – The N.C. Forest Service has lifted a ban on all open burning for 81 counties effective 8 a.m. Sunday, May 3. The statewide ban on open burning went into effect March 28 due to hazardous forest fire conditions, and the ban remains in effect for Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, Ran

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Boiling Springs Town Hall and Police Department sign out by College Ave. | Chuck Thompson BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Have you checked your wallet for funny money lately? Counterfeit bills have shown up in Boiling Springs, and the Boiling Springs Police Department want you to be on the lookout for anything funny, or fishy when it comes to currency, as it could spread across the county. In a statement released earlier today, Thursday, Apr

Staff Reports | Grace Davis | Office of Congressman Moore The U.S. Capitol. File photo | Media by Wix WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the House passed legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security, the Senate Amendment to H.R. 7147, by voice vote. In this bill, Congressman Tim Moore secured $1,954,000 to build a new Cleveland County Emergency Operations Center. “Today, the House passed long-overdue funding for the Department of Homeland Security and made sure those who

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Video still from the livestream of the public City of Shelby Council Meeting on April 20. While many residents across the state, county and local municipalities have felt the heavy hand of recent high property taxes, The City of Shelby passed a resolution opposing any official property tax reform that may come from the North Carolina General Assembly later this year. At the beginning of the council meeting, a proclamation was made de

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square Media by Wix EDUCATION – Three community colleges in North Carolina used a portion of $1.25 million for Hurricane Helene mental health funds for birdwatching, succulents and rhinoceros-shaped stress balls. Blue Ridge Community College, Gaston College nor Wilkes Community College provided the Office of State Auditor with documents explaining how the expenditures qualified to be charged to hurricane-related expanded mental health support fund

Staff Reports | The Shelby Independent Westmoreland Printers, Inc. staff. | Courtesy photo Charlotte, NC — The Printing Industry of the Carolinas (PICA) announced that Westmoreland Printers, Inc. in Shelby, NC, won the coveted Athens Best Printing (Division A) Award. This is the highest award given to a printing company of its size. In addition, Westmoreland Printers received four Best of Category awards. The awards were announced on Saturday, April 18, at the 60th Diamo

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square A vehicle is refueled at a gas pump as evening light reflects off its surface. | Alan Wooten, The Center Square Affects Local – Forecast to take weeks not days for significant movement, a modicum of relief for traditional transportation energy prices has blown in with North Carolina’s weekend pollen. Monday’s average price statewide for a gallon of unleaded gasoline, according to AAA, was $3.89. That’s down from $3.90 a day earlier, $3.94

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 Alan Wooten | The Center Square file graphic | the Shelby Independent Education – Fifty-four percent of North Carolina public school high school graduates passed at least one-college level course while still in high school, education officials said Thursday. “For those who have been around a moment and have gray hair or less hair, understand the magnitude of that number, that percentage,” first-term Democratic Superintendent Mo Green told members of the state school bo

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square The Shelby Independent (The Center Square) – Five county school districts of low wealth in North Carolina have lost the plan for potentially billions of dollars in improvements following Thursday’s vacating of the historic Leandro case by the state Supreme Court. A 2022 decision by the bench, consisting of different justices, authorized funding. The General Assembly, by state statute, has appropriation authority and legislative leaders and t

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square The Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters is seen in Washington, July 29, 2025. Andrew Rice / The Center Square. (The Center Square) – FEMA, in the 11th hour of a two-week deadline, says it will comply with an order to reinstate $200 million in disaster prevention projects in North Carolina. The litigation is tied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency canceling the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program.

Free Admission for Community Celebration at Keeter Stadium Staff Reports | Adrian Hamrick | ALWS Executive Committee Wake Forest University takes on Appalachian State University on Tuesday, April 28 at 6 p.m. at Keeter Stadium SHELBY, N.C. – The American Legion World Series (ALWS) Executive Committee will once again bring top-tier college baseball to Shelby as Wake Forest University takes on Appalachian State University on Tuesday, April 28 at 6 p.m. at Keeter Stadium, the ho

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square file graphic | The Shelby Independent (Affects local) NC Politics – With North Carolina’s primary work in the rearview mirror, voter registrations are rebounding following four weeks of declines overall and in each of the three major voting blocs. All had gains for the most recent seven days as reported Saturday by the State Board of Elections. The 13,400 increase had an 81.4% share bolster the unaffiliated bloc. Republicans gain 12.8%, or

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square Airline passengers are seated inside a cabin of a commercial plane. | Oxana Melis / Unsplash CHARLOTTE — Cancellations and delays at North America’s seventh busiest airport were down 90.7% and 35.5%, respectively, for the Friday-Saturday-Sunday weekend compared to the one before, analysis by The Center Square shows. The spike March 13-15 at Charlotte Douglas International Airport coincided with the f

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent The Cleveland County Administrative Building | Chuck Thompson An alleged botched protocol after a bomb threat and a late county audit put County Manager David Cotton in the hot seat last Tuesday evening. The March Cleveland County Commissioners’ meeting was going as expected until during the public comments section, Angelica Haslam spoke to the commissioners about the prank bomb threat made to the county administration building,

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square file graphic | The Shelby Independent AFFECTS LOCAL – North Carolina has joined antitrust litigation filed in California seeking to block Nexstar’s $6.2 billion acquisition of rival Tegna, a move Attorney General Jeff Jackson says will send cable and satellite bills rocketing higher while local newsrooms are gutted. The first-term Democrat says eight northeastern counties, and the markets around Charlotte and Greensboro have 2 million cons

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square A CCSO deputy's vehicle assists with an accident, closing the lane for safety measures on Highway 74 eastbound, west of Shelby as commuters pass by in the left lane. | Chuck Thompson NORTH CAROLINA – From first to fourth, North Carolina’s administrative ratio remains among the best in the country in the Reason Foundation’s Annual Highway Report. The Tarheel State was among the most cost-effective road systems, measuring condition, s