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

By David Beasley | The Center Square file | The Shelby Independent (The Center Square) – North Carolina voters could get the chance to vote in November on a constitutional amendment that would give the Legislature marching order to put the brakes on rising property taxes. Dan Ettefagh, the director of the General Assembly’s bill drafting division, presented the proposed constitutional amendment to a committee in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. It would “impose by

Staff Reports | Cleveland Community College Cleveland Community College is one of two new regional partners in an initiative led by UNC Charlotte that expands STEM pathways for academically talented, low-income students. UNC Charlotte recently received $2 million as part of a $5 million National Science Foundation grant to grow the successful partnership across the region. The new award builds on the earlier SPARC 4 initiative and launches SPARC 6, a five-institution collabor

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square courtesy media file photo (The Center Square) CHARLOTTE – More than 100 flights were canceled and another 1,200 delayed over the weekend at North America’s seventh busiest airport for passengers. Charlotte Douglas International Airport, where 90% of flights are operated by American Airlines, needs hundreds of TSA workers for passenger, baggage and cargo areas. The Transportation Security Administration is within the Department of Homeland S

By David Beasley | The Center Square File graphic | The Shelby Independent NORTH CAROLINA – In just seven years, North Carolina could reach a demographic milestone: more deaths than births, according to new projections by the state’s demographer Michael Cline. “Unless fertility or life expectancy rise significantly, future population growth will depend entirely on domestic and international migration,” Cline wrote. “As the gap between births and deaths widens, population gro

By Allen Wooten | The Center Square file photo CHARLOTTE – Warnings for increased delays and possible cancellations reverberating through the airline industry because of the partial government shutdown include Charlotte, the world’s No. 6 airport in aircraft operations and North America’s No. 7 in passenger volume. Charlotte Douglas International Airport needs about 100 air traffic controllers in roles of actively working, managing coordinators, or administrative. The exact

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square A sign for the North Carolina Legislative Building stands outside the General Assembly on Jones Street in Raleigh. Photo: Alan Wooten / The Center Square (The Center Square) – Day 252 of North Carolina’s wait for a state budget included a brief gaveling in of the General Assembly, a $1.4 billion critical needs budget proposal from the governor, and a swift rejection from General Assembly leadership. While the Republican majority Senate was

Staff Reports | Cleveland Community College Cleveland Community College (CCC) has received a $10,000 community investment from AT&T to expand its Digital Navigator Program, further strengthening digital access and literacy efforts for adult learners and community members throughout Cleveland County. CCC is one of only eight colleges selected to receive this funding. On Tuesday, February 24, Kathleen Evans, Regional Director of External Affairs for AT&T, accompanied by Chrisy

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Some candidates watched the results at The Cleveland Volunteer Fire Dept. Tuesday night. Top vote-getters, Danny Blanton speaks to Republican primary commissioner winner Wayne King, March 3, 2026. file photo. Caroline Eason, July 2025. Shelby Independent. This news story has been updated to include Eason’s comments. SHELBY – Of the 68,699 registered voters in Cleveland County, 11,806 (17%) participated in an unbelievably historic ha

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square file logo The Shelby Independent (The Center Square) – Early in-person voting ended Saturday and primary Election Day finishes the 51-day voting window in North Carolina on Tuesday. Polls close at 7:30 p.m. and winners advancing to the U.S. Senate race are expected to be known quickly – Roy Cooper for Democrats, Michael Whatley for Republicans. Two other congressional primaries are garnering attention: the redrawn 1st Congressional Distric

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 Alan Wooten | The Center Square Whatley speaks at The Shelby Cafe in September 2025, with NC House Rep. Paul Scott next to him. Photo by: Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent (The Center Square) NORTH CAROLINA – Michael Whatley is favored by 38.3% for U.S. Senate and 80.9% of respondents give approval to the job done by second-term Republican President Donald Trump, a new poll released Thursday says. The sampling of 600 likely Republican primary voters was taken

By David Beasley | The Center Square The Shelby Independent (The Center Square) – In-state undergraduates in the UNC System for the first time in nine years will face tuition hikes next year, the Board of Governors said Thursday. The increase, raising average tuition from $4,684 to $4,809, takes effect next year for new students and won’t affect students currently enrolled in the system. The governing board also raised fees by an average of 1%. The board last year said it wo

Staff Reports | Gracie Davis, Congressman Tim Moore's Office U.S. Congressman Tim Moore, NC-14 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Tim Moore (NC-14) released the following statement after President Donald J. Trump delivered the State of the Union address Tuesday evening: “Tonight, President Donald J. Trump delivered a powerful message that the State of our Union is strong and getting stronger. Under his leadership, the United States has our economy back on track, renewed re

By David Beasley | The Center Square File graphic photo | The Shelby Independent (The Center Square) – A strong statistical case for home ownership over renting is made in a new analysis from the Office of State Budget and Management in North Carolina. From 2020 to 2024, the cost of rent in North Carolina rose 10% over the previous five years, according to the report's interpretation of newly released U.S. Census numbers. In contrast, the cost for homeowners with mortgage

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square The North Carolina Legislative Building, home to the General Assembly, stands on Jones Street in Raleigh, N.C. Photo: Alan Wooten / The Center Square (The Center Square) – Stalled recovery in Hurricane Helene is blamed on “stifling bureaucracy utterly lacking in common sense and resourcefulness,” say seven Republican members of the North Carolina House of Representatives in a statement directed at first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. This

Alan Wooten | The Center Square An electric substation with high-voltage power lines and equipment stands in North Carolina. Photo: Alan Wooten / The Center Square (The Center Square) – Six months in, the North Carolina Energy Policy Task Force is thinking about tariffs among its identification of nine recommendations. Included is large-load tariffs, says the administration of first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, so that large-load customers like data centers are ensured of

By David Beasley | The Center Square contributor Courtesy photo The Center Square (The Center Square) – For North Carolina residents struggling to buy homes, it’s not their imagination that prices seem to be going through the roof, according to a newly released study. The state as a whole had an average listing price in North Carolina of about $520,000, which is 20% below the national average of $647,000, the John Locke Foundation study notes. Even so, it can be hard to find

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