THE SHELBY INDEPENDENT

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 Eddie Holbrook and Robert Farrow go over final details before the event. SPORTS / FEATURE — The American Legion World Series (ALWS) Host City Welcome is the ceremonial event that marks the official kickoff to the series. Robert Farrow, this year's overseer of the event, was followed around by the Shelby Independent before the dinner to take a look inside the event. To say Robert Farrow is difficult to keep up with is an understatemen

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent From left, King's son Noah, his wife Nikki, Lucy and Wayne King at their home in Kings Mountain. | Chuck Thompson FEATURE — Sand squished underneath his shoes. The sound of the crunch with each step was heard as he took one step and then another until he found himself standing next to his wife, Nikki, on the sand of Kure Beach. A simple act that many of us never think twice about, but for Wayne King it was a victory more important

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 Wayne King | Guest Opinion OPINION — The debate over funding for Cleveland County Schools should not end with the adoption of the county budget. In fact, North Carolina law provides the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners with the authority to revisit and amend the budget if they determine changes are necessary. North Carolina General Statute § 159-15 states that, "Except as otherwise restricted by law, the governing board may amend the budget ordinance at any time aft

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Chief Financial Officer of CCS, Rob McDaniel, center white shirt, talks about the concerns of operating with $500,000 less than what the county gave CCS last year with state mandated pay raises during the Finance and Personnel committee meeting last Wednesday. However, the state did not supplement more money to the school systems to cover the raises this school year. | Chuck Thompson, Shelby Independent. Education — As summer ends

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

By Wayne King | Special Opinion Guest Columnist to The Shelby Independent Wayne King, special guest opinion columnist. Courtesy photo. OPINION – As we gather with family and friends this Independence Day, we celebrate more than fireworks, cookouts, and parades. We celebrate the birth of the greatest experiment in self-government the world has ever known. This year carries even greater significance as our nation begins commemorating America's 250th anniversary—a milestone that

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.

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent The town of Boiling Springs Mural is composed of 2,000 tiles each printed from hand painted tiles by individuals to create the mural mosaic called "Reflection" BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Boiling Springs unveiled their mural mosaic "Reflection" on Wednesday, June 3, at 11 a.m. to a large crowd of town residents, Boiling Springs Town Council members and other local leaders and elected officials from across Cleveland County. People all t

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION – Feelings over facts seems to be the preferred way of doing things in media nowadays, but that's not journalism, although, that is what you see and read in the mainstream media every day and that is called 'propaganda' and 'activism' disguised as journalism, as many of you have learned over the years. Some seem to think journalism should be regulated based on what people do and do not like, because it actually does happen ever

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Some candidates watched the results at The Cleveland Volunteer Fire Dept. Tuesday night. Top vote-getters, Danny Blanton speaks to Republican primary commissioner winner Wayne King, March 3, 2026. file photo. Caroline Eason, July 2025. Shelby Independent. This news story has been updated to include Eason’s comments. SHELBY – Of the 68,699 registered voters in Cleveland County, 11,806 (17%) participated in an unbelievably historic ha

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Pres. Donald J. Trump and Wayne King courtesy photo Editor’s note: This interview was first published on Dec. 5, 2025. For the candidates willing to participate that have interviews released / being released before the March 3 primary, it was deemed only fair to re-release this feature with all other “Facing the voters” articles. Wayne King, a Cleveland County native and lifelong Kings Mountain resident , is no stranger to wheels o

Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent property taxes Today (Monday, Jan. 5, 2026) was / is the last day for Cleveland County property owners to pay their property taxes before fees and penalties. The Shelby Independent took a trip to the county tax office on the last day of 2025 to interview residents paying their property taxes in person before the deadline; as one person noted, who wished to remain anonymous, he feels better paying it in person and getting a receipt right

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Dr. Tim Sims, (center right) Senior Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, Shelby, leads a group of Wayne King’s supporters in a moment of prayer. Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent With candidate filing well underway, many Cleveland County residents, both current elected officials and new hopefuls have stepped forward to throw their hat into the ring for elected office. Wayne King, a Cleveland County native and lifelong Kings Mountai