THE SHELBY INDEPENDENT

By David Beasley | From our partners at The Center Square (The Center Square) – A new health insurance program for small businesses in North Carolina was unveiled Tuesday with the promise of lower group rates than are offered by individual policies. The program, called Carolina Healthworks, is described as a “multiple employer welfare arrangement” offered by Blue Cross North Carolina and the North Carolina Chamber. It was authorized by the Legislature and implemented with hel

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square North Carolina state flag file photo (The Center Square) – Savings of North Carolina taxpayer money over the next eight years is $10.75 million through the sale of limited obligation refunding bonds through an underwriting group led by San Francisco-headquartered Wells Fargo. First-term Republican Treasurer Brad Briner said the average of $1.34 million per year is another in the step of “always looking for ways to make the most of taxpa

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square The North Carolina Legislative Building, home to the General Assembly, stands on Jones Street in Raleigh, N.C. Photo: Alan Wooten / The Center Square (The Center Square) – State budget negotiations have stalled between North Carolina Republican leaders in the General Assembly and the calendar year appears headed to an end without a new two-year spending plan. The budget by state law was due July 1 and Wednesday represented Day 114. Lawmakers

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square A carton of large eggs rests on a kitchen stove. Alan Wooten / The Center Square (The Center Square)...

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square (The Center Square) – North Carolina has more than enough money to pay its outstanding bills and...

The FEMA Act of 2025 would restore original status as an independent agency, removing it from the Department of Homeland Security where critics say trouble brewed under the leadership of former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in the Biden administration.

The four-year graduation rate was the highest in a decade, increasing to 87.7%, from 87% in 2023-24.

Cleveland County residents have no reason to worry, and while it is uncertain where its path might turn, Erin will likely not affect the western part of the state.

Hurricane season begins.