By Alan Wooten | The Center Square file image (The Center Square) – Taxpayers in North Carolina have new levels in three areas impacting everyday life. Arguably the most times transacted against least noticed will be at the gas pumps. Starting on New Year’s Day and running to Dec. 31, the motor fuels and alternative fuels excise tax rate is 41 cents per gallon or gallon equivalent, the state Department of Revenue says. Individual and corporate income tax rates are also droppi

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Cleveland County Schools logo Crest Middle School – A firearm was discovered in a vehicle at Crest Middle School on Wednesday. According to school and law enforcement officials, a firearm was visible in a vehicle belonging to an employee of Crest Middle School. After concerns were lifted that someone who did not belong on school grounds might be on the property, it was determined the firearm did in fact belong to an employee, accordi

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Boiling Springs Town Hall, late summer 2025. File photo Chuck Thompson Boiling Springs, N.C . – Councilmember Justin Davis was sworn in Tuesday night at the beginning of the meeting. He was sworn in with his family by his side.  Mayor Tommy Greene recognized the Crest High School Football team, reading a proclamation for their outstanding achievement winning the 5A State Championship. President of Gardner-Webb University, Nate

Staff Reports Kings Mountain, NC - Monday evening, Jan. 5, officers with the Kings Mountain Police Department responded to a reported armed robbery in the parking lot of Kentucky Fried Chicken, located at 409 E. Kings Street. During the incident, two dirt bikes were taken by the suspects. Responding officers quickly located the stolen dirt bikes and attempted to intercept them. During the encounter, one of the suspects intentionally laid down the dirt bike, causing it to col

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 Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Steven Robinson, owner of Angelos Pizza, stands in the kitchen of his business as he talks about the escaped convict he captured in 1983. photo by Chuck Thompson PATTERSON SPRINGS – Have you ever found a convict hiding in your car and then held him at gunpoint until the police arrived? If one thing is certain, it doesn’t happen often – at least not to most of us; not around here. But for Steven Robinson, owner of Angelo’s Pizza

Staff Reports | Cleveland County Government Courtesy photo Construction at the Midpines Convenience Center, located at 615 Margrace Rd., Kings Mountain, has been successfully completed following ongoing renovations that began on October 6, 2025. The project was finished on schedule, and the facility will reopen to the public on Monday, Jan. 5, at 7 a.m. “Thank you to our residents for their patience during this renovation. Working with our contractors and county staff, the re

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column The Sunday Column's new logo for 2026 OPINION / HUMOR – Looking back, how many times were we encouraged to set a new year’s resolution, either in school, from friends and family, news / TV shows or via social media. I can’t recall, but it seems to be quite often. What a nice thought, isn’t it? That’s really all it is, for most people, a thought. But, after doing research, according to several websites, such as Forbes, Pew Research Center,

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 Alan Wooten I The Center Square Courtesy file photo (The Center Square) – Answers are being sought for why overall percentage of contributions from the North Carolina Education Lottery to public schools has slid from 23% to 16% in the last three years while total revenues have increased by more than $3 billion. The annual statutorily required audit, delegated to Cherry Bekaert by the state auditor, were found “free from material misstatement.” First-term Republican state

Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent From left, Crest's Thompson hurdles over a Hunt player, a CCS School Board meeting, former Boiling Springs Mayor Daniel Thomas. It’s hard to believe that it’s the end of the year. The Shelby Independent might have only launched in June, publishing its first original piece on July 1, but with 250 articles published, it only makes sense to highlight the year in review with the TOP 10 LOCAL NEWS STORIES OF 2025, in Cleveland County. This w

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent (Originally published 09/07/2025) When I was a kid, maybe early teens, I had a soccer coach tell me that when I’m 40 I’ll feel all the aches and pains from playing sports one day. 40? I didn’t care. That was a thousand years from now. Whatever, maybe — I believed him, but when I pictured a 40 something year old they looked the same as a 75 year old. “I’ll worry about it then,” I shrugged. Tonight was one of those rare nights I wante

Staff Reports | The Shelby Independent, press release The Spy and the lady of the Night by J. Charles Thompson (kindle edition book cover) click or tap on the photo to go directly to the link SHELBY / WILMINGTON, N.C .  – A murder, a mysterious woman, a young private detective back from the Pacific Front, a newspaper reporter with a strong southern drawl – What do all these characters have in common? They’re part of a new novel written by J. Charles Thompson, set in 1944 W

Staff reports Shelby Independent created logo image file photo Cleveland County Register of Deeds Betsy Harnage announced that beginning Jan. 1, 2026, Registers of Deeds across North Carolina will be authorized to issue certified copies of adoptive birth certificates under provisions of Senate Bill 248, Birth Certificates for Persons Adopted. Senate Bill 248 (SB 248) was enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly in June and signed into law by Governor Josh Stein on Ju

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

The birth of Jesus

Staff Reports | The Shelby Independent, North Pole Media Office Stocking hung, by the chimney with care. Santa's got a brand new sleigh! Recently, The Shelby Independent was able to obtain some inside information regarding Santa replacing his sleigh. While the reports remained unconfirmed from October, when we received the alleged information, The North Pole did send a press release confirming that Santa did indeed replace the sled that he has used since 1937. In the stateme

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Law enforcement volunteers and 17 local kids participated in shop with a cop on Friday. Courtesy photo, BSPD (For photos from 'Shop with a Cop' event, scroll to the end of the news story) BOILING SPRINGS – The annual Shop with a Cop was held the past Friday in Cleveland County, with kids and law enforcement officers from across the county. The happy faces of kids and cops gathered at The Boiling Springs Town Hall before rolling out

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Boiling Springs Police Officer Anthony Fields and Chief Brian DiYorio at Operation Secret Surprise, in the Boiling springs Town Hall. Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent When a child wants to give their parents a Christmas gift, it holds a special meaning that a child takes the time to think of their parents during the holiday season. That’s why Officer Anthony Fields and the Boiling Springs Police Department held their fir

OPINION – I’ll go ahead and tell you now, this will be this last new Sunday Column for the year; next week’s will be a rerun, because like everyone else, I need time off for the holidays, too. I don’t have a staff of employees to fall back on. For 98.5% of the work, it's only me. Even if it’s a wire news story, or not, or my amazingly talented freelancer Lauren Becatti, who has contributed a few news article to build her portfolio, has quite simply been a big help and I hope