Area News
Guilty verdict, life sentence in 2012 murder
By DEUCE NIVEN One of three men charged with murder in the 2012 shooting death of a Tabor City man outside his home was convicted of first-degree murder late Wednesday afternoon and handed a life sentence without parole, District Attorney Jon David said Thursday. Napoleon Richard Cooper, 35, of Grace Street in Tabor…
Read MoreFormer Fair Bluff cop pleads to child porn charge
By DEUCE NIVEN A former Fair Bluff Police Department officer arrested on secret peeping charges in 2014 has pleaded guilty to manufacturing child pornography, an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Eastern North Carolina said Wednesday. Donald Bryan Beauchaine, 40, of Lake Waccamaw, entered the guilty plea before U.S. District Judge James…
Read MoreSAT testing at SCHS off or Saturday, SCC closed, too
SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) testing scheduled for Saturday at South Columbus High School has been cancelled, due to the threat of winter weather. That testing session has been rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20, South Columbus Guidance Counselor Sheryl Dameron said. All Saturday classes at Southeastern Community College have also been cancelled. Whiteville…
Read More‘You make a deposit,’ Civil Rights veteran tells MLK gathering
By DEUCE NIVEN “You make a deposit,” Dr. Shirley Jarrott Barnes said during Tabor City’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration Monday. Barnes, a native of Horry County, recalled frequent visits to Tabor City in her youth, because soft drinks and other goods were cheaper. She also talked of her family…
Read MoreGround broken for Veterans Memorial Park
By DEUCE NIVEN A rifle volley and the playing of “Taps” preceding ground breaking on the Veterans Memorial Park of Columbus County site on a bright, brisk Thursday morning. “What’s happening right here can not happen all over the world,” project chaplain Michael Clemmons told more than 200 people gathered on clear ground…
Read MoreNew mayor promises new era
Story & Photo By DEUCE NIVEN With his wife Veda holding the Bible, Henry Nichols was sworn as Loris’ new mayor before an overflow hall in council chambers at Loris City Hall Thursday morning. Promising change that comes with the times, Nichols said citizens will see some improvements quickly, others over time, as…
Read MoreOne vote makes Nichols Loris mayor-elect
By JOYCE GRAHAM By a vote of only one, Henry Nichols was declared the winner of the election for Mayor on Thursday morning, after a run off election on Tuesday that was too close to call. Seven provisional votes told the tale, and proved that everyone’s vote always counts. Several members of…
Read MoreCocaine suspects trail was long
By DEUCE NIVEN A wide-ranging investigation into cocaine sales in several sections of Columbus County has resulted in the arrest of a Whiteville man, Lt. Steven Worthington of the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday. Heriberto Ciprian Noyola, 21, of 49 Brittany Lane in Whiteville, has been charged with four counts of trafficking…
Read MoreMayoral race too close to call
By JOYCE GRAHAM Tuesday night update With seven outstanding provisional ballots that won’t be considered until Thursday, a razor-thin four-vote lead by Henry Nichols in the race for Loris Mayor was anything but solid Tuesday night. Nichols, in his first bid for elected office, claimed a 245 to 241 lead over current city…
Read MoreMayoral race too close to call
By JOYCE GRAHAM Tuesday night update With seven outstanding provisional ballots that won’t be considered until Thursday, a razor-thin four-vote lead by Henry Nichols in the race for Loris Mayor was anything but solid Tuesday night. Nichols, in his first bid for elected office, claimed a 245 to 241 lead over current city…
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