Researchers are trying to recruit 900 people across North Carolina who misuse drugs to study the impact of xylazine.

This story was produced with The Assembly. The Border Belt Belt Independent is part of The Assembly’s statewide network of ...

Schools across the Border Belt in rural southeastern North Carolina are preparing for cuts in federal funding as President Donald Trump moves toward dismantling the U.S. Department of Education.

Sgt. Maurice Devalle was listed as on duty in the North Carolina State Highway Patrol’s dispatch system when a captain knocked on his front door one evening in late 2016. Devalle came to the door in a ...

Most school districts in North Carolina’s Border Belt experienced more learning loss than the state overall since the start of COVID-19 pandemic, a new report shows. Students in the Bladen, Columbus ...

As a Baptist youth minister, L.S. is used to kids opening up about their hopes and dreams—and their fears. A Latina girl recently told the youth group she was scared federal immigration officials ...

This story was originally published by The Assembly. Two former St. Andrews University students are suing the Laurinburg school, alleging that it knowingly admitted the convicted sex offender who ...

Ninety-five people in Bladen, Columbus, Robeson and Scotland counties were identified as homeless in 2024, a 90% increase from the prior year. The local numbers, released by the U.S. Department of ...

News of President Donald Trump’s move to grant full federal recognition to the Lumbee tribe was met with joy and caution. “It shows that this is more than a campaign promise,” John Cummings, a Robeson ...

Republican Jarrod Lowery cruised to a win on Tuesday to represent most of Robeson County in the N.C. House. Lowery won nearly 61% of the vote against Charles Townsend, a Democrat and former mayor of ...

Executive orders from President Donald Trump calling for increased deportation of immigrants are stoking fears across rural southeastern North Carolina. Sheriff’s offices in Bladen and Robeson ...