THE SHELBY INDEPENDENT

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Boiling Springs Town Council during in session during the May 5, 2026 public meeting. | Chuck Thompson, The Shelby Independent. BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — With Budget Season soon coming to an end, it looks as if Boiling Springs is ready to move forward with approval of their budget next month. The May Boiling Springs Town Council meeting picked up in full swing after the cancellation of the April meeting. Local Scout Pack 117 were on

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square File graphic | The Shelby Independent (Affects Local) – More than 1 million active, inactive and retired North Carolina public employees in the state retirement system could get pension benefit improvements such as a cost-of-living increase or one-time supplement. The Board of Trustees for the North Carolina Retirement Systems voted for the change that takes effect in 2027 and runs through 2032. The board’s new policy will direct how to dete

Staff Reports | Grace Davis | Office of Congressman Moore The U.S. Capitol. File photo | Media by Wix WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the House passed legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security, the Senate Amendment to H.R. 7147, by voice vote. In this bill, Congressman Tim Moore secured $1,954,000 to build a new Cleveland County Emergency Operations Center. “Today, the House passed long-overdue funding for the Department of Homeland Security and made sure those who

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent City Council in chambers during the April 20 meeting. public livestream photo still The City of Shelby continues to grow as new residential zoning requests bring forth new housing construction but not all rezoning applications have been approved, just yet. A couple of rezoning requests were presented to the city council during their most recent public meeting last week. These included Audrey Godfrey, senior planner for the City of S

Staff reports | The Shelby Independent | Press Release | Cleveland County government File photo graphic | The Shelby Independent Cleveland County — In the wake of several unsettling bomb threats against various Cleveland County government offices, the county sent out a press release on Friday April 24, in regards to the specific incident on March 10, stating their findings and noting enhancements made to safety protocols. However, no other information has yet been made availa

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Denise Steffen walks away from the podium after addressing the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners Tuesday, April 21, 2026. | Screenshot of livestream public video Editor’s note: At the beginning of April 2026 The Shelby Independent published a news story on the firing of the county finance director by the county manager. Publishing the contents of a public record, such as a government employee's termination letter, is not sl

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Video still from the livestream of the public City of Shelby Council Meeting on April 20. While many residents across the state, county and local municipalities have felt the heavy hand of recent high property taxes, The City of Shelby passed a resolution opposing any official property tax reform that may come from the North Carolina General Assembly later this year. At the beginning of the council meeting, a proclamation was made de

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square Media by Wix EDUCATION – Three community colleges in North Carolina used a portion of $1.25 million for Hurricane Helene mental health funds for birdwatching, succulents and rhinoceros-shaped stress balls. Blue Ridge Community College, Gaston College nor Wilkes Community College provided the Office of State Auditor with documents explaining how the expenditures qualified to be charged to hurricane-related expanded mental health support fund

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent All CCS Board members unexpectedly raise their hands to vote 9-0 to the Marion Resolution presented Monday night. | CCS YouTube photo still Cleveland County Schools – It was a quiet uneventful vote Monday night, as the Cleveland County Schools voted on the resolution to move forward with the bid process to accept Jerry Allen’s bid on Marion School property. Unlike meetings in the past regarding Marion, it was a calm process, with

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 – Forecast to take weeks not days for significant movement, a modicum of relief for traditional transportation energy prices has blown in with North Carolina’s weekend pollen. Monday’s average price statewide for a gallon of unleaded gasoline, according to AAA, was $3.89. That’s down from $3.90 a day earlier, $3.94

Staff Reports | Pinnacle Classical Academy The $28 million in loans made the building's construction and expansion possible. | Submitted photo: PCA Pinnacle Classical Academy – Federal, state, and local officials joined Sen. Debbie Clary, co-founder and board chair of Pinnacle Classical Academy, at the official dedication of Pinnacle Classical Academy's grade 4-12 school building at its Joes Lake Road campus on April 10. Sen. Clary thanked the USDA for the $28 million in

By Wes Westmoreland | The Sunday Column | Special to The Shelby Independent Westmoreland April 12 marks the 250th anniversary of a largely forgotten, but significant date in American history. On this date in 1776, the Fourth Provincial Congress of North Carolina met in Halifax and unanimously passed a measure instructing its delegates to the Continental Congress to vote to declare independence from Great Britain. With the Halifax Resolves, North Carolina became the first co

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent File photo graphic | The Shelby Independent Kings Mountain – The City Kings Mountain government spoke out on what was potentially the possible, alleged, Scott Neisler censure proceedings currently in motion, but that remains uncertain at this time. This was followed a couple of hours later by another post about the leaking of the agenda for the upcoming April 14 meeting. Around end of business, on Friday April 10, City of Kings Mou

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent City of Kings Mountain City Hall, summer 2025. | Chuck Thompson, Shelby Independent Kings Mountain – As the Tuesday city council meeting creeps closer, so does a possible censure for Council member Scott Neisler. For what reasons exactly, still remains unclear. In the city council meeting agenda for Tuesday, April 14, 2026, under the regular meeting agenda section, it states, "Motion to authorize the Mayor to enter into

Staff reports | Kings Mountain Hometown Farmers’ Market Kings Mountain – The Kings Mountain Hometown Farmers' Market will kick off the 2026 market season on Saturday, April 25 with a special Grand Opening event. The market will operate at 313 S. Battleground Avenue from 8 am until 12 noon every Saturday morning through September 26. The Grand Opening on April 25 will include an Earth Day celebration that will provide attractions and activities for market shoppers of all ages.

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square The Shelby Independent (The Center Square) – Five county school districts of low wealth in North Carolina have lost the plan for potentially billions of dollars in improvements following Thursday’s vacating of the historic Leandro case by the state Supreme Court. A 2022 decision by the bench, consisting of different justices, authorized funding. The General Assembly, by state statute, has appropriation authority and legislative leaders and t

Staff Reports | Cleveland County Sheriff's Office A still-frame from a surveillance camera of the suspects CCSO needs the public's help in identifying or their whereabouts. courtesy photo One of the alleged suspects in question walking into a store. Courtesy photo, CCSO. Another bomb threat plagued Cleveland County Wednesday. On Wednesday afternoon, at approximately 3:04 p.m., the Cleveland County Clerk’s Office received a call stating a bomb was in the courthouse.

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square file graphic | The Shelby Independent (The Center Square) – Precedent setting cases at the U.S. Supreme Court and the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals guided a federal judge to upholding North Carolina’s photo identification voter requirement Thursday. North Carolina voters approved voter identification at the polls in 2018 through a constitutional amendment on the November ballot. In those midterms, 55.49% of nearly 3.7 million votes were

Staff Reports | City of Kings Mountain file photo graphic. The Shelby Independent. Kings Mountain, NC — At approximately 7:52 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, a call was received by the Kings Mountain Police Department’s Telecommunications Office reporting motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian struck. Upon arrival at the scene, responding officers determined that a fatality had occurred as the result of a hit-andrun incident. The victim has been identified as “Kenneth Ray Mill

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent The Cleveland County Administrative Building | Chuck Thompson An alleged botched protocol after a bomb threat and a late county audit put County Manager David Cotton in the hot seat last Tuesday evening. The March Cleveland County Commissioners’ meeting was going as expected until during the public comments section, Angelica Haslam spoke to the commissioners about the prank bomb threat made to the county administration building,