Area Upfront News

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Columbus County’s current tax rate won’t change under an $81.5 million budget proposal presented to county commissioners Monday, but many property owners will see higher tax bills this fall under the plan.      County Manager presented the spending plan for the year beginning July 1 to commissioners Monday, recommending no change in…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Shaken by gunfire at the Nolan Avenue park Thursday as children were getting set for youth softball play, a parent and league leader pleaded with Columbus County Commissioners to establish a sports complex in a safer area.      Commissioners, who listened empathetically, responded quickly, agreeing to appoint a committee to explore options…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      “A big step forward” in the continuing COVID-19 pandemic has been taken in North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper said Friday, ending mask gathering limits and mask mandates for those who have received vaccinations for the coronavirus.      South Carolina health leaders largely echoed those orders Friday, concurring with the state’s Department of…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Men and women from Tabor City, Loris, Chadbourn and Whiteville are among those facing felony drug and weapons charges following an operation by the Tri-County Community Impact Team (C.I.T.) Task Force on May 7, a news release Wednesday from Columbus County Sheriff Jody Greene said.      “Specially trained deputies from Bladen, Robeson,…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Conservation and patience are key recommendations from Columbus County government as gas stations throughout the region struggle to keep up with demand in the aftermath of a ransomware attack impacting the east coast’s major gas pipeline.      Despite the shortage, “the County is prepared to provide continued availability of emergency services,” a…

Mother Nature could not have been more kind to the inaugural Spring Has Sprung Festival sponsored by the Greater Tabor City Chamber of Commerce Saturday. Clear sky and near perfect temperatures greeted patrons, vendors, car show participants, and those taking part in the festival’s parade. Chamber President Mary Lou Molina said she was pleased with…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Federal charges have been filed for the Marion man already accused in the murder and kidnapping of Mary Ann Elvington, an elderly Horry County woman taken from her home and killed in late March.      A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a three indictment charging Dominique Devonah Brand, 29, of Marion, with kidnapping…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Stephen Jacobs has been named warden at Tabor Correctional Institution, the assignment from the NC Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice bringing the Lumberton Correctional Institution warden back to Columbus County.      Jacobs, 53, served as warden at Columbus Correctional Institution near Brunswick from 2018 until last year, a NC Department…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Abandoned and without electricity, an arsonist is believed responsible for fire that gutted one West 3rd Street home Sunday night, and heavily damaged another, Tabor City Fire Chief Jeff Fowler said Monday.      “We got them both out,” Fowler said. “The first one was gutted, the other burned the outside, we got…

Story & Photos By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Career Day at South Columbus High School was an outdoor affair for 2021, a brisk breeze keeping students, staff and vendors comfortable Friday.      Static displays from the Tabor City Police Department, Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, NC State Highway Patrol, NC Wildlife Resources Commission; an ambulance with advanced life…