The News Reporter

08/10/2026

Once a familiar sight across Columbus County, a beloved truck is still turning heads — and carrying memories — after almost six decades. 🔗 Story link in the comments

📸 Diana Matthews | The News Reporter

This story first appeared in 954 magazine, a publication of The News Reporter.

08/10/2026

Why can leaving an abusive relationship be so difficult — and how can earlier intervention save lives? Families First Executive Director Vickie Pait discusses those questions, the organization’s local work and the funding cuts threatening victim services on this episode of “On the Record.”

📲 Watch the full interview -- link in the comments.

08/08/2026

Cut through the clutter and catch up on the local news that matters. Publisher Justin Smith runs through some of the stories you may have missed this week — including reporting you may find only in The News Reporter.

🔗 Links to the stories are in the comments.

08/08/2026

Fair Bluff Police Department expenditures over $1,000 must now be approved by town council, Mayor Billy Hammond said. Also, new officers must “come before the town board before they’re hired.”

Fair Bluff Police Department spending and personnel decisions will come under a new layer of scrutiny, following decisions by the town council Tuesday.

08/07/2026

House Majority Leader Brenden Jones is urging state officials to reconsider a plan that would place Columbus Regional in the Non-Preferred tier in 2027 and could make some care there more expensive for state employees.

House Majority Leader Brenden Jones is urging state officials to reconsider a new State Health Plan provider structure that could leave state employees and non-Medicare retirees paying higher deductibles and

08/07/2026

Months after a 16-year-old was killed earlier this year south of Chadbourn, two men have been arrested in connection with the case.

Two men recently charged with murder in the January shooting death of 16-year-old Autumn Spivey will remain held without bond pending probable cause hearings scheduled for later this month.

08/07/2026

Two men have been charged with murder in the January shooting death of 16-year-old Autumn Spivey south of Chadbourn.

The News Reporter’s Joseph Williams was in court Friday as the men joined virtually from the Columbus County Detention Center for their initial hearings.

More coverage to come at NRcolumbus.com.

08/07/2026

Mt. Tabor School, a one-room schoolhouse constructed in 1870, received a historical plaque Thursday through the Reuben Brown House Preservation Society.

Columbus County Schools Superintendent Eddie Beck said the historic school and its juxtaposition with the modern Tabor City School behind it stand as a testament to “the significance and the power of education.”

Former N.C. Rep. Richard Wright, who was instrumental in preserving the historic structure, was among those attending the dedication ceremony.

📹 Justin Smith | The News Reporter

08/06/2026

Keep up with Lake Waccamaw every Thursday with The Waccamaw Weekly, a free email newsletter from The News Reporter featuring local news, community updates and photos.

Sign up free: https://www.nrcolumbus.com/lake

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08/06/2026

A newly disclosed text message shows then-state elections liaison Dallas Woodhouse weighing in as Columbus County officials considered possible early-voting locations, calling five sites “overkill.”

Editor’s note: The News Reporter reported June 29 that Columbus County Board of Elections Chair Jillian McPherson-Edge had corresponded with Dallas Woodhouse about early-voting sites. McPherson-Edge said in an interview