THE SHELBY INDEPENDENT

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Daniel Thomas addresses the Boiling Springs Town Council Oct 6, 2026. | Chuck Thompson BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Former Boiling Springs Mayor Daniel Thomas complimented the town’s leadership and defended its long-term planning during Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, acknowledging residents’ concerns over rising water bills while arguing that maintaining aging infrastructure comes at a cost. Thomas, who served on the Town Council fro

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 / State – North Carolinians and others filling up at the state’s pumps for gasoline and diesel fuel are getting a break on the 41 cents per gallon tax. Effective immediately through Nov. 30, Relief at the Pump (House Bill 3 of first extra session) was signed into law on Friday by first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein

By Dustin Turner | Cleveland County Agricultural Fair | Press Release Cleveland County Fair — The Southern Steel Demolition Derby brings metal crunching, engine-roaring excitement to the Cleveland County Agricultural Fair for one night only. Be sure to catch the powerful collisions, battered cars, and nonstop thrills as drivers battle to be the last car running. The family-friendly, action-packed derby begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct.10. Demolition derby tickets are $8 for

Press Release | Gabriel Thomas, Communications Specialist, City of Kings Mountain and Lance Hamrick, Asst. Chief, Kings Mountain Police Department | Cleveland County Schools Kings Mountain, N.C. — At approximately 1:37 p.m. today, the Kings Mountain Police Department (KMPD) received an initial report of a bomb threat directed toward Kings Mountain High School. Upon arrival at Kings Mountain High School, KMPD began evacuating students to the school's football field while law e

Dustin Turner | Cleveland County Fair | Press release Bailey Jackson stands next to her community mural at the Fair. | Courtesy photo. CLEVELAND COUNTY FAIR – Shelby resident Bailey Jackson is leaving her mark at this year’s 102nd Cleveland County Agricultural Fair. “I saw the Facebook post looking for someone to do a mural at the fair, and I just love the fair,” she said. “I’ve been going since I was a kid. I'm volunteering this year anyway, so I jumped at the chance.” As th

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Chief Brian DiYorio, Boiling Springs Police Department, standing in front of the town's mural. | Photo by: Officer Talley BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – On Oct 1, 2026, Brian DiYorio, 39, celebrated his first anniversary as Chief of the Boiling Springs, N.C., Police Department. The Shelby Independent sat down with Chief DiYorio for a one-on-one interview, looking back at the past year, some of the highlights and changes, and also toward the

Record-Breaking Crowd Celebrates Peers, Engages in Professional Development, and Discusses Ways to Prevent Burnout By Chris Cowperthwaite, CAE, APR | North Carolina Nurses Association Christina Liverman, of Lawndale, was among the graduates of NCNA’s Leadership Academy. | Courtesy photo LAWNDALE / RALEIGH – A record-breaking crowd of nurses gathered in Concord last week to celebrate the nursing profession, give valuable continuing education, and map out strategies to prevent

Staff Reports | Pinnacle Classical Academy EDUCATION — Pinnacle Classical Academy's proficiency rate on required state tests in 2025-26 exceeded the proficiency rate of 111 of the state's 115 K-12 local school districts, according to data released by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Pinnacle Classical Academy's proficiency rate also exceeded that of all five UNC system laboratory schools. Pinnacle Classical Academy had a higher proficiency rate than every

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent The Shelby City Council hears from both Kristen Boggs Jaeger and CathFord's Bob Englander, Monday night, Sept 21, 2026. | City of Shelby video still The Webbley House, as pictured in June 2025. | Chuck Thompson GOVERNMENT — Bed and breakfast, anyone? At Monday night’s Shelby City Council meeting, the council voted in favor of moving forward with for the CathFord plan, a Virginia based firm, to turn the historic Webbley House in

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent From left, Rev. Anita Ware, Bishop Carolyn Briggs, the Rev. Jamaal Edwards, Council Member Andrew Hopper, Sr., City of Shelby Manager Justin Merritt and Council Member the Rev. Dr. Charles Webber applaud the unveiling of the markers Saturday morning, Sept. 19, 2026. | Chuck Thompson SHELBY / SUNSET CEMETERY – “We remember all those people who may not have a grave marker… today we remember them and we will continue to honor them thr

Staff Reports | Shelby Police Department CRIME — On Friday, September 18, 2026, at approximately 8:09 pm, officers with the Shelby Police Department responded to the 2100 block of Green Oak Dr., in reference to reports of an individual being shot. Upon their arrival, officers located a male victim suffering from a single gunshot wound, lying in a driveway. Officers on scene, along with emergency medical personnel from Cleveland County EMS and Shelby Fire & Rescue, attempted

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent President Donald Trump, in red cap, standing under NC state flag, greets those in attendance as he enters the stage at the 'Make America Safe Again' event at the Gastonia Airport on Wednesday. | Chuck Thompson A wider view of the event while President Trump speaks from the podium as the sun sets in the distance. | Chuck Thompson Local, State and National / GASTONIA - President Trump showed up in Gastonia on Wednesday to campaign

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Cleveland County Board of Commissioners in public session, Sept 15, 2026. | County video feed screenshot Government and Education — At Tuesday evening’s September public meeting, the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners restored the $500,000 originally pulled from Cleveland County Schools in the FY2026-27 County Budget. Never mentioned, but buried in the consent agenda, Chairman of the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners sai

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

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Shelby Police Chief Brad Fraser shakes hands with District Director for U.S. Congressman Tim Moore (NC-14) as Cleveland County Sheriff Alan Norman looks at the American Flag presented to him that flew over the Nation's Capitol. Sept 1. 2026. | Chuck Thompson Boiling Springs Police Chief Brian DiYorio and Sgt. Chris Williams at the appreciation lunch Sept. 1, 2026. | Chuck Thompson Feature Story / CLEVELAND COUNTY — It was a

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Bobby Floyd and Logan Clark were given the honors of washing down Tanker 24 from the old tanker it is replacing. | Chuck Thompson POLKVILLE — Polkville residents and the volunteer fire department had a lot to be thankful for this weekend, as they dedicated a new 3,000 gallon water tanker truck, Tanker 24. After 42 months, or about three and a half years of waiting on the arrival of the new tanker, Polkville Volunteer Fire Department

Republican nominee for the North Carolina Court of Appeals By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent FEATURE — Judge Craig Collins, 54, was driving from the Carolina Coast to the North Carolina mountains when I spoke with him on the phone as he traversed from the eastbound and down area of Brunswick County to the Northwest region of the state, encompassed by the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Alleghany County. (He was not driving at the moment) Collins was traveling from

By Rod Powell | Guest Opinion OPINION — A young couple trying to buy their first home in Cleveland County already has plenty working against them. Home prices are high. Interest rates are high. Insurance isn't cheap, and saving enough for a down payment can take years. Then they finally find a modest house they can afford and discover they're competing against a large investment company with cash ready to go. That's happening in North Carolina. Around Charlotte, corporate inv

By Ashley Reep | Wise News Network Shelby Independent Editor's note: The video above was an informal podcast-style conversation about the importance of local journalism. I didn't feel great that day and kept my talking to a minimum, but I want to thank Brandon Bridges of Cleveland County News for stepping up and covering the time while I stayed comparatively quiet. Also, a BIG thank you to Rusty Wise, and his team, for inviting us to the WNN studios for a really great convers

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square A USPS mail truck parks along a residential street as the postal carrier makes deliveries. | Joel Moysuh / Unsplash AFFECTS LOCAL / STATE – On-time delivery of the mail by the U.S. Postal Service in North Carolina was among the worst in the nation in the second quarter, a report from the agency’s dashboard says. North Carolina was No. 44, with on-time service percentage of 78.2%. That’s well below the target of 87% and the national norm of 8