TOP 10 NEWS STORIES OF 2025

Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent

From left, Crest's Thompson hurdles over a Hunt player, a CCS School Board meeting, former Boiling Springs Mayor Daniel Thomas.

It’s hard to believe that it’s the end of the year. The Shelby Independent might have only launched in June, publishing its first original piece on July 1, but with 250 articles published, it only makes sense to highlight the year in review with the TOP 10 LOCAL NEWS STORIES OF 2025, in Cleveland County.

This wasn’t easy… picking a local top 10 when so many could have qualified. Several factors were considered for this, such as views on the website, shares, controversy, email and other messages regarding the story and social media interaction also played a role. The Shelby Independent’s TOP 10 LOCAL NEWS STORIES are listed here:

1.      School board tables sale of Marion until later date – in a stunning move, Vice-Chair Aaron Bridges made a motion to table the selling of the Marion property until a later unspecified date, stating more research was required.

2.      Chipotle is coming to Shelby – This piece by contributor Lauren Becatti almost broke the website. It’s amazing how many people can’t wait or at least were just curious to know about Chipotle coming to Shelby.  

3.      School board votes on calendar year – CCS school board voted to buck the state calendar law and set their own calendar so students will complete the fall semester before Christmas break.

4.      CCS board votes to move forward with sale of Marion to One More, One Less nonprofit – School board OKs sale of Marion to the chagrin of some of local residents in the neighborhood, and few dissenting school board members.

5.      Sunday column: Keep winning after football – written in the wake of both Shelby High School’s and Crest High School’s double state victory title wins, the column was in reference to the game and the sibling rivalry between schools and to carry their success off the field through life.

TOP 10, numbers 6 - 10 listed below local advertisers...

6.      138 lbs seized during traffic stop – As one of the largest busts in North Carolina’s history, The Cleveland County Sheriff’s office pulled over a car with Mexican plates which was discovered to be hauling 138 pounds of drugs.

7.      Exclusive interview: Tim Moore – The Shelby Independent Interviewed Congressman Tim Moore for an exclusive local interview covering topics from Iryana’s Law, to immigration action in N.C., local high school football, tax reform and homeownership.

8.      Arrest made in Casar church fires – The arson events that shook the county. The affected churches were Tabernacle Baptist Church on Corinth Church Road and Calvary’s Cross Baptist Church on Mt. Zion Church Road but were put out thanks to the reaction of local residents and a group of Boy Scouts passing through the area. Craig Vegh, 40, of Casar, was charged with two counts of Burning of Church/Religious Establishment, Possession of Methamphetamine and Destroying/Altering Evidence.

9.      Thomas gives farewell address – Outgoing Mayor Daniel Thomas praised his hometown and warned against open partisanship on the Boiling Springs Town Council.

10.  Shelby dog park opens – Contributor Lauren Becatti covered the opening ceremony for the new Shelby Dog Park.

Honorable Mentions: They almost made the Top 10, and are worth noting below...

(below local advertisers)

Walmart fulfillment center coming to KM – This stirred up a lot of views, but until this comes to fruition it’s just an announcement.

On the social media front, it must be noted that the photo of Crest’s #1 Namajay Thompson hurdling over Hunt’s #15 during the state championship game on The Shelby Independent's Facebook account made waves, and had it been a story, it absolutely would have made the TOP 10 LOCAL NEWS STORIES OF 2025.

Thank you for being a reader of The Shelby Independent! You are all appreciated; and wishing you many blessings in the new year.

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Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.