By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION — On June 21 October 27 stopped being just my birthday. It became a milestone because I simply get another birthday. This column isn’t about saying ‘it’s my birthday,’ it’s about being thankful that I’m here to celebrate what this birthday means to me. I get to complain and make jokes about turning 48 and most importantly, I get to wake up that morning... That’s a great birthday present. There was a time when I probably wouldn’t h

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column The Livermush Festival, Uptown Shelby, looking south down Washington St., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. OPINION — There were so many people at the 2026 Livermush Festival in Uptown Shelby (while I was there) on Saturday, Oct. 17, that in my opinion, it resembled something of a calm liver-mosh pit of organized chaos. You couldn't walk more than a few feet without somebody bumping into you, or you bumping into somebody else. Food lines were so

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column | Opinion OPINION – There are some topics that should never be a Sunday Column. Common sense, for instance, that should just be a given. And also, pedestrian accidents at the Cleveland County Agricultural Fair. This is the 102nd year. It’s one of those things that says fall has officially arrived in Cleveland County. I like the Fair. The rides, the food, livestock, people you haven’t seen since last year’s fair and, of course, the

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column Everyone needs a hobby. Some people golf. Some fish. Some people restore old cars, collect baseball cards, grow tomatoes or spend their Saturdays standing in a garage staring at a lawn mower they have no idea how to fix. I decided to start a magazine. Why? Oh, I don't know... Because for starters, if I was good at golf you wouldn't be reading this right now and apparently I don’t have enough to do as the founder, editor, reporter, adverti

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent OPINION / HUMOR — I think we have forgotten how to be bored. Not “I’m bored because there is nothing good to watch on 10 different streaming services” bored. I’m talking about the old-fashioned kind of bored. The kind where you sit there staring at a wall and actually contemplate why the wall is that specific weird color. The kind of bored where you look around the room hoping something—anything—will happen. The kind of bored where

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION — At first I thought I was probably asleep, having one of those lucid dreams where everyone and everything seemed as real as it does during the day, then I thought maybe I was on some sort of hallucinate drug - its chemical composition must be racing through my veins, having entered the cerebral cortex of my brain and caused such a horrible, weird, perception of a distorted reality. However, I had not been drinking and I don’t do

By Wayne King | The Sunday Column OPINION – As families across Cleveland County enjoy this Labor Day weekend, I hope we take a moment to remember what this holiday is really about: The American worker. Labor Day is more than the unofficial end of summer, a long weekend, or one last barbecue before school and fall activities take over. It is a day to recognize the men and women whose hard work, dedication, and determination have built our communities and continue to move our c

Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION — Have you ever worn the same color shirt into a store that the employees wear and everyone starts asking you where something is? I have a favorite forest green t-shirt that I (subconsciously) wear every chance I get. If it’s clean, it’s on. I just like it. It’s comfortable and unfortunately is very close to turning into a rag any day now since the holes showed up — but until then, it’s my favorite and I wear it almost every Saturda

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION — A few days ago, someone sent me a meme or poster / drawing – whatever you want to call it, and it was a complete fabrication that “newspaper” stood for some crap like “north, east, west, south past and present event report” and it doesn’t. That’s completely false, fake, made up and spread around the internet and we wonder why with all this information at our fingertips that people are somehow less informed than ever… it’s becaus

By Ron Humphries | Contributing Columnist for The Sunday Column OPINION — Growing up in an era defined by black-and-white TV news broadcasts, I vividly recall the authoritative voice of Walter Cronkite, whose signature sign-off, "And that's the way it is," epitomized his commitment to pure journalism. The role of the Press was pivotal in shaping democracy, and the Founding Fathers understood this, viewing a free press as essential for an informed citizenry and a healthy gover

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION — No, it’s probably not what you think, sorry; its much worse. If you like apples, then just stop reading this right now… this is your warning… because if you read the whole thing then you’ll never look at apples the same way again. And don’t comment about how you’re offended, or upset about this, because I warned you – this is your last chance. Anything you read past this is your own choice… Apple picking season in North Carolina

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION — There’s only so many “types” of people in politics. When I look at a local elected official or candidate I always see them as a local version of someone else in history. I’ll look at one person and say well there’s the Bill Clinton or the Ronald Reagan, The Julius Caesar or the John Adams of Cleveland County. Oh, look, there’s the Andrew Jackson of the school board; there’s the Kennedy, Carter, Taft, Hoover or the Honorius (an i

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION – After the Civil War (a name that incorrectly identifies this pivotal historical event), many of the former Confederate Generals waged a war of ink and paper against each other, many in Northern newspapers, accusing one another of treason (of all things), incompetence, and several other personal traits that go beyond the full measure of battlefield decisions. If only these 19th Century Southern celebrities, who held the populace’

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION – Maybe I should run for office. If the man in the dress running for U.S. SENATE in Maine can say the reason he’s running for US SENATE is because, “I ran for office, I didn’t win. I’m a songwriter … and I write my own books” is all it takes to qualify to run for U.S. SENATE then I don’t see why I can’t run for something much more important and distinguished, such as CCS school board. Why start small? Go for the gold. What’s that

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION — 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 illegal to

By Jeff Yates | The Sunday Column | Special Guest Columnist Cleveland County Crime Stoppers Inc is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation serving the residents of Cleveland County through our partnership with all four of our Law Enforcement Agencies: Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, Shelby Police Department, Kings Mountain Police Department and Boiling Springs Police Department. Our partnership is based on technology that allows a person (tipster) to anonymously provide inform

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 Lori Gordon Hendrick | The Sunday Column | Special to The Independent Opinion – In towns like ours, graduation season is more than a ceremony. It is a turning point that ripples through families, churches, ballfields, classrooms, and Main Street storefronts. We cheer as seniors cross the stage because we know the hard work behind that moment. But as we celebrate them, we should be honest about something too often left unsaid: there is no single right way to build a good li

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 Aaron Bridges | Guest writer for The Sunday Column OPINION – When you're a child, you often wish your life away. You can't wait to grow up because you want to do adult things and be able to make your own decisions without someone constantly telling you what to do. Then graduation arrives. You make it to 12th grade after traveling the long road from kindergarten through high school, and now you're preparing to graduate. When I think about graduation, I see it as the moment