THE SHELBY INDEPENDENT

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

Staff Report | The Shelby Independent SI's Week in Review for Aug. 16-22, 2026. CLEVELAND COUNTY — Welcome to 'SI's Week in Review' where we sum up the week's headlines that were covered in The Shelby Independent and on social media. The ALWS wrapped up this week with a grande finale of Veteran parachutists landing on Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium, and a couple of HELOs landing in the outfield to hand off the offical game ball. Congratulations to Lincoln, NE, POST 500 on t

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Tickets for 'Echoes From the Void' can be purchased by clicking / tapping on this movie poster or the link at the end of this article. ENTERTAINMENT – This Saturday Aug. 8, 2026 (today) An indie film ‘Echoes from The Void’ will premier at Don Gibson Theater. What makes this movie so special is that it was produced by a local filmmaker and shot mostly here in Cleveland County. Brad Hord, writer, producer and composer of the film, is a

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent It may not be a secret, but the county government was not posting, promoting or talking publicly about the line-by-line cost of the new furniture for the new $210 million Justice Center, when Cleveland County Commissioner candidate, and front-runner, Wayne King filed a formal public records request for the cost of the new furniture near the end of July. In the documents, he discovered one floor of Cleveland County’s Justice Center wi

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Shelby police Chief Brad Fraser with some of the dedicated officers of The Shelby Police Department | Photo by Chuck Thompson Shelby City Park – Once again, the rain showed up for National Night Out as it did last year, but that didn't keep first responders and families away from the fun at The Shelby City Park. Less than perfect weather caused vendor and organization booths to be moved indoors, but the rain dwindled to a sprinkle

Overcoming the fear of public speaking and building the confidence to seize the speech By Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent Toast of the town: The local Toastmaster chapter helps people overcome their fear of public speaking. From left, Mike Whitt, Emily Lesalle, Bill Jobe, Rich Taylor, Cynitra Stewart, Kim and Rod Powell. | Chuck Thompson Feature – Some may not think twice about it, but public speaking is a real fear for many people. Toastmasters is an international organi

Making a difference one tip at a time By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Cleveland County Crime Stoppers Board poses for a photo after their July meeting. | Chuck Thompson CRIME / FEATURE – Rebooted in 2022 after a dormant period of several years in Cleveland County, Crime Stoppers has been making a difference across the county by encouraging people to call in tips that lead to arrests, making the streets safer for residents across all four corners of Cleveland Count

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent OPINION — In the wake of a legal letter written by the county, earlier this week the county held a tour of the long-anticipated new Justice Center, the largest and most expensive project ever conceived and constructed by Cleveland County government. However, in its intent to rein in public scrutiny, after having the panel of a local political show first try to cover for an embarrassing reveal of information, the county then published

Staff reports | Cleveland County Government press release SHELBY, NC – As the largest and one of the most significant capital investments in County history, the Cleveland County Justice Center represents a major commitment of public resources. As such, since 2019, the Justice Center has been a topic of discussion on the Board of Commissioners’ meeting and work session agenda(s) twenty-six (26) times; since 2021, the Justice Center has appeared twenty-three (23) times as a new

By Chuck Thompson | Exclusive to The Shelby Independent The Justice Center construction rises from behind the current courthouse, still far from completed, on July 20, 2026. | Chuck Thompson Editor’s note: This legal letter dated July 8, 2026 was discovered in a public records request by The Shelby Independent. This is a developing news story about the information within a letter and the information researched from other documents and previous news reports. A second part wi

Staff Reports | Cleveland Community College S. Post Rd entrance of Cleveland Community College | Chuck Thompson Shelby, NC — Cleveland Community College is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to support the expansion and renovation of the Bailey Allied Health and Science Center, increasing the college’s capacity to train the next generation of healthcare professional

Staff Reports | Cleveland Community College North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein takes a photo with CCC students. | Courtesy photo, CCC SHELBY, N.C. — North Carolina Governor Josh Stein visited Cleveland Community College on July 13 to tour the Careers Electric Summer Electrical Academy, one of only 12 academies being hosted on community college campuses across the state this summer. The governor's visit spotlighted the innovative workforce development program, which provides local

Originally published July 29, 2025 By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent The logo for the podcast seen on podcast platforms. Editors note: This feature was originally published July 29, 2025. Since this was published during the infancy of The Shelby Independent I thought now would be a good time to share this feature again for those readers that missed it the first time. Other articles from last year will be published again from time to time, due to the large number of n

By Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent and staff reports | Cleveland County Government A tragic accident on Highway 74 on Monday morning claimed the life of a Cleveland County EMS paramedic, who also served as a field training officer. According to reports, the accident happened sometime around 8 a.m. this morning, in Gaston County, near the Gaston-Cleveland County line. Paramedic / Field Training Officer Ashley Moore, 37, was killed in the accident. Cleveland County governme

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 Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent County Commissioners in session, June 16, 2026. Cleveland County – A swift breeze through the consent agenda filled with budget amendments and other items, along with a recognition for service, a grant for upper Cleveland and an educational historic gift were the focus of Tuesday night’s Cleveland County Board of Commissioner’s meeting. May 2026 collection report, May 2026 abatements and supplements, late applications for exemption /

By Chuck Thompson | the Shelby Independent Dr. Stephen Fisher is awarded the honor of The Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Jack Copeland, Executive Director of NC School Superintendents Association. | Chuck Thompson Education – Monday’s Cleveland County Schools (CCS) Board of Education meeting was Dr. Stephen Fisher's last official regular scheduled public meeting as superintendent. At the June 8 meeting Dr. Fisher gave his last superintendent update to the board. On Feb. 27, 2

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Allen Langley, CCC Board of Trustees, wishes Tony Berry a happy birthday before addressing the CC Board of Commissioners Monday night. | The Shelby Independent It was a packed room at the Cleveland County Commissioner public meeting earlier this week as the board voted on the budget package for the upcoming fiscal year. There was the usual business to attend to, which included the consent agenda of budget amendments and resolutions.

Staff reports | Pinnacle Classical Academy Pinnacle Classical Academy Class of 2026 Education – Sixty-eight seniors graduated from Pinnacle Classical Academy on May 30 in a ceremony in the school's gymnasium. Twenty-two of the 68 were part of the school's first kindergarten class in 2013, and 75% of the graduates received an associate's degree or certificate from Cleveland Community College along with their high school diploma. Commencement speaker Jeremy Tate, CEO of the C