By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      A Wilmington lawyer has been hired to represent Columbus County Commissioners in a lawsuit brought by former Sheriff Lewis Hatcher seeking to return him to his post as appeals in the November 2018 general election wind their way through the process.      A hearing on the lawsuit is scheduled for 11 a.m.…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      There will be no District Court session in Tabor City, those scheduled to appear there this Friday getting an eight-week reprieve thanks to a ruptured water line, Columbus County Clerk of Court Jess Hill said Monday.      All cases calendared for Tabor City this Friday have been rescheduled for Friday, March 15,…

     Prosecutors plan to pursue the death penalty against Chauncey Askew for the shooting of Trooper Kevin Conner.      Superior Court Judge Douglas Sasser ruled against defense attorney Richard Miller’s request for an additional continuance of a Rule 24 hearing Friday, The News Reporter in Whiteville reports. After a grand jury indictment, a Rule 24 hearing is…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Jody Greene “is a Usurper of authority and is unlawfully holding the Office of Sheriff of Columbus County,” a complaint filed by former Sheriff Lewis Hatcher on Friday says.      Hatcher, with attorney’s Oscar Blanks and Heath Nance, filed the complaint, demanding a jury trial, in Columbus County Superior Court on Friday…

Jeff Fowler took the oath of office as the new chief of the Tabor City Fire Department Wednesday morning, with Columbus County Clerk of Court Jess Hill officiating. Fowler was flanked by stepdaughter Elizabeth Strickland and his wife Tonya, holding the Bible. (Deuce Niven, TLT)