Staff Reports Odoms On Jan. 13, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office arrested 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐫 𝐎𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐬 following a narcotics investigation conducted by CCSO investigators. The investigation led to a vehicle stop and the execution of search warrants on both Mr. Odoms’ vehicle and his residence. As a result of those searches, investigators seized approximately 𝟖𝟑𝟎 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 (𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐟 $𝟐𝟓,𝟎𝟎𝟎.𝟎𝟎), 𝟗

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent City Council listens as new City manager Justin Merritt gives his first public report as city manager, Jan. 12, 2026. courtesy photo. Shelby City Council kicked off 2026 with their first meeting of the new year. It was Justin Merritt’s first public meeting as the new City of Shelby Manager. The first order of business was to adopt the agenda as presented, which passed unanimously. Next was the public comments. A Shelby resident s

Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent CCS School Board in public session, Jan. 12, 2026. Editor’s note: The Shelby Independent encourages anyone, any elected official to write and oped to be published in The Shelby Independent, or any news publication. That is your right and it shouldn’t be infringed upon by fear of retaliation of your peers. However, there are certain guidelines to follow, and we don’t want you or anyone else to get in trouble for speaking to the media. Pe

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square File photo, courtesy of The Center Square (The Center Square) – Review of North Carolina’s non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses shows 54% were illegally issued. ( Non-domiciled is a person living in a country, such as the U.S.A., but their permanent home (domicile) is another country, mostly for tax purposes ). The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration analysis sets up withholding of $50 million in federal funding by the U.S. De

Staff reports | The Shelby Independent In public documents obtained by the Shelby Independent, Kings Mountain City Council Member Scott Neisler, 71, of Kings Mountain, was charged in Cleveland County with one count of alleged common law forgery. While the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty, public documents show Neisler received a criminal summons on Dec. 10, 2025. The document alleges that on Oct. 10, 2025, Neisler, “On or about the date of offense shown and

Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION / HUMOR – As English speakers (heirs of the English language, regardless of your ancestry, this is about the language itself) our names technically do not follow the traditional oath of English names, which is fine; we should be all about unique and beautiful names, whatever your parents picked for you should be honored and celebrated; I hope you like your name — but traditionally, we (in the terms of historical usage as English lang

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Sara Tongel at Norris Merchandise, is a captain at Number 3 VFD and a sitting board member at Shanghai VFD. Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent If you don’t know Sara Tongel, you’ve more than likely seen or spoken to her if you have ever been to Norris Merchandise on S. Lafayette, just south of Shelby. “I'm Secretary of State,” she laughed, when asked what her title is, when it comes to Norris Merchandise. “We’re a small family bus

The Arts Council’s largest fundraiser is back on Jan. 31 Staff reports | Cleveland County Arts Council The Cleveland County Arts Council proudly presents the 2026 Big Chill Casino Night and Silent Disco! Tickets are $125 per person, and the event will be held on Saturday, Jan. 31 from 7 - 11 p.m. at the Cleveland Country Club, located at 1360 E. Marion St., Shelby, N.C. Join in on the fun and games including black jack, craps, roulette, Texas Hold 'em, and a poker tournament.

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