SCOOP: UNC-Chapel Hill Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts is among 4 finalists for the permanent job, multiple sources told @TheAssembly. Ahead of the Board of Governors' vote tomorrow, here's a look at Roberts' time as interim and what it says about how he'd lead. theassemblync.com/education/high…

for The Atlantic, i make the argument that we should be funding our urban public pools -- which have declined over the last half-century -- as climate infrastructure. (this includes what i am pretty sure is the highland park pool's atlantic debut.) theatlantic.com/health/archive…

Ahead of Tropical Storm Debby, Whiteville residents organized to blow up a beaver dam that was impeding waterflow through Soules Swamp — an undertaking they believe helped avert major flooding in Whiteville. nrcolumbus.com/news/citizen-l…

Tropical Storm Debby was the first real test for the new downtown districts in Bladenboro and Fair Bluff. borderbelt.org/fair-bluff-bla…

The mayor of the Town of Brunswick was relieved from his position in what he deemed a surprise vote by his fellow commissioners. nrcolumbus.com/news/brunswick…

Murky water, overgrown weeds and hundreds of waterbugs. Swimming pools have been left to become eyesores across Columbus County. The lack of access to a pool is a reflection of racism, rural decay and lost opportunity.  For The Assembly and Border Belt Independent borderbelt.org/the-abandoned-…

Columbus County no longer has any public and community swimming pools—a reflection of racism, rural decay, and lost opportunity. theassemblync.com/place/abandone…

“In some ways, the swimming pool situation sums up the white supremacy movement and its impacts,” he said. “Because what refusing public access really means is that the kids at the country club will still have their pool.”

Quick note: Our Border Belt email server was down from Friday until this morning (Tues). If you tried to send me an email between now and then and received an error message, we apologize! Please feel free to reach out anytime at [email protected]

Columbus County no longer has any public and community swimming pools—a reflection of racism, rural decay, and lost opportunity. The Abandoned Pools of Columbus County theassemblync.com/place/abandone…

It’s been nearly five years since Fair Bluff had a full-service grocery store. The town is “almost a food desert as far as buying your supplies,” said Rep. Brenden Jones. Here's how officials are hoping to change that. nrcolumbus.com/townnews/food/…

Here’s the link to the full interview: wunc.org/show/due-south…

On Due South, Border Belt Independent's Ben Rappaport talks about his reporting on how there are no public pools in Columbus County, NC. His piece, "The Abandoned Pools of Columbus County," with The Assembly, is a story of economics, rural decay, and racism. wunc.org/show/due-south…

welcome to my newest obsession and one of the coolest sports ever: wheelchair basketball. Here's everything you need to know about the women's paralympic tournament: sportsgirlsclub.com/post/women-s-w…

Lumberton says a city employee underestimated utility customers' power usage. Now residents are facing skyrocketing bills to make up for the error, and some say they shouldn't have to pay for the city's mistake. borderbelt.org/lumberton-nc-r…

I've been writing about Robeson County for more than three years now, and one of the biggest complaints I hear from Lumberton residents is that they pay way too much for electricity. Reporting by Ben Rappaport for Border Belt Independent. borderbelt.org/lumberton-nc-r…

Kamala Harris has opened a campaign office in Robeson County, where many voters have switched to supporting GOP candidates. #ncpol borderbelt.org/kamala-harris-…

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, one of the most diverse colleges in the South, dissolved its diversity office to comply with a new UNC System policy. borderbelt.org/unc-pembroke-e…