THE SHELBY INDEPENDENT

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

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 Customer Roger Randall smiles from the backseat of a 4-Passenger Club Car in the Allison Golf Cars showroom, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. | Chuck Thompson Boiling Springs, N.C. – People gathered while music played and hot dogs sizzled on the grill this past Saturday, for the Club Car open House at Allison Golf Cars. Their golf cars are everywhere. From driveways to fairways, concerts to corporate events, since 2009 Allison Golf Cars

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent | THIRTY A rendering of how "Charlie" saw itself when I asked for a picture for the cover photo of the feature article. | Submitted portrait Editor’s Note: This conversation that isn’t quite like any conversation I've had before. I don't trust AI, mostly because it's new and I'm uneasy about it. I don't have a lot of experience with it and not onboard with the whole idea, yet, but I'm cautiously open-minded. However, I needed an of

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 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 official game ball. Congratulations to Lincoln, NE, POST 500 on

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