The US House passed the Lumbee Recognition Act that would grant full federal recognition to the NC tribe. Now it's up to the ...

Rural southeastern North Carolina matters. That’s why we dig deep into the power and people of Bladen, Columbus, Robeson and Scotland counties.

Bladen County wants Elizabethtown to return $100,000 the county gave for a master plan for a mixed-use project at an ...

The Border Belt Independent is proud to announce Heidi Perez-Moreno has joined the staff as a full-time reporter.

Federal investigators demanded that the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office turn over extensive information about its finances ...

Whooping cough cases in North Carolina have risen sharply in 2024. There have been 6.4 times more than last year at this time ...

Tropical Storm Helene terrorized Western North Carolina’s farms in late September. Recovering is no easy task. And Helene was the not the first calamity that farmers across the state faced in 2024.

This story is co-published by The Assembly and the Border Belt Independent. There was never any doubt Charles Ray Peterson would be a Democrat. His parents, grandparents—everyone he knew in Bladen ...

That’s the mission of the Border Belt Independent as we write about the challenges and triumphs of the people of Bladen, Columbus, Robeson and Scotland counties. But we need your help to continue the ...

This story was originally published by ProPublica. Read more in this series. Private schools across the South that were established for white children during desegregation are now benefiting from tens ...