Area News

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Prosecutors will seek the death penalty in at least one of two men charged in the Oct. 17 murder of Master Trooper Kevin Conner of the North Carolina Highway Patrol, District Attorney Jon David announced Wednesday.      Chauncey Demez Lamar Askew, 18, of East Third Avenue in Chadbourn was indicted by a…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com UPDATE: Wednesday      It’s too soon to for a victory toast in the highly competitive race for Columbus County Sheriff, or a very close vote on allowing the sale of mixed alcoholic beverages in Tabor City.      Provisional ballots that won’t be considered or counted for more than a week could sway the…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com UPDATE – 5:30 p.m. Tuesday      Voting hours will be extended in Tabor City because some voters were turned away from the polls early Tuesday, the NC Board of Elections has decided.      Voting at South Williams Precinct will end at 9:20 tonight, a response to the lack of ballots for voters who…

     One of this season’s most anticipated varsity high school football games has been pushed back a day, South Columbus at Whiteville now set for Saturday.      Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m.      Threatening weather prompted the move, Whiteville officials said. Forecasts call for plenty of rain with the possibility of thunderstorms this evenings.      Games this week…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      “Human error” that resulted in the improper release of Whiteville area resident held on a parole violation charge has the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office on the hunt of a felon, Sheriff Lewis Hatcher said Thursday.      Andre Delmas Shipman was arrested Monday and charged by Whiteville Police Department for possession of a…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Shots were fired during the armed robbery of a Dollar General in Old Dock Monday night, a sheriff’s deputy slightly injured in a vehicle pursuit that followed, Columbus County Sheriff Hatcher said in a Tuesday morning news release.      Two men, both with guns, entered the store on Dock Road just off…

UPDATE 9 a.m.      Swampfox Hwy East (NC 904) reopened to traffic just before 9 a.m. Friday, two and a half hours after a two-vehicle wreck at New Life Church Road shut it down, the Tabor City Fire Department reported.      There were injuries in the crash, none believed to be life threatening. 6:30 a.m.…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com UPDATE: Wednesday Bond has been denied for Chauncey Demez Lamar Askew, the second of two men charged with murder in last week’s shooting death of Master Trooper Kevin K. Conner of the North Carolina Highway Patrol. Arrested early Tuesday in Horry County, Askew, 18, waived extradition and was returned to North…

Story & Photos By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Hundreds of people were in line for visitation preceding the funeral of Master Trooper Kevin Keith Conner at South Columbus High School Sunday afternoon.      Conner, 38, was killed in the line of duty during what seemed to be a routine traffic stop for speeding on U.S. 701 in…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      A body found in the Hallsboro area on Oct. 13 has been positively identified as Austin Buck Long, 22, a Nakina man who had been missing since Sept. 25, Columbus County Sheriff Lewis Hatcher said in a news release Saturday.      An autopsy conducted at the Office of the State Medical Examiner…