by Tina Neeley | Aug 7, 2025 | Feature
FAYETTEVILLE HIGH School’s Class of 2025 turned their tassels this spring, but for Za’Lea Hampton and Akeelah Pullen, the milestone marked a new beginning, not an end. They graduated with cheer scholarships in hand. According to their coach, Rose Murray, they were...
by Tina Neeley | Aug 7, 2025 | Feature
THE GYM fell quiet for a split second — just long enough for Olivia Honey’s three-point shot to arc toward the basket. It was the kind of moment you dream about but also carry on your shoulders. When the ball dropped through the net, the crowd erupted. Honey had...
by Tina Neeley | Jul 10, 2025 | Feature
DEPUTY SAM Smiley stood at the front of the fifth-grade classroom, feeling the weight of expectant eyes. As he asked the students to name responsibilities at home or school, some answered eagerly, others fidgeted with pencils or shifted in their seats, glancing...
by Tina Neeley | Jul 10, 2025 | Feature
ANITA ASHWORTH pulled open the door to the Warrior Exhibit. Outside, traffic circled the square, everyday life in motion — its freedom preserved by those remembered within these walls. Time slowed as she passed the faces and memorabilia honoring Lincoln County...
by Richard Klin | Jun 12, 2025 | Feature
TIFFANY AND Liam Calvert are the owners of Magic Athletics. They have been anchored in the community for years and began their business at the old cotton mill. It was a space they quickly outgrew within six months as enrollment soared. Their next location also proved...
by Tina Neeley | Jun 12, 2025 | Feature
WHILE THE fields no longer stretch unbroken to the horizon, what remains is rooted deep. The land carries the weight of generations — hands that cleared the first fields, feet that walked familiar paths, lives shaped by war, drought, and the steady rhythm of harvest....
