Sampson Independent

Shirley Jones, owner of Sharon’s County Diner, serves hot breakfast plates early Saturday morning during a fund-raising to help her with efforts to re-open the downtown eatery.

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GARLAND — Nearly 30 children spent a week exploring their creativity through art, music, dance and hands-on activities during a summer arts camp made possible through state and local support for the arts. Helping Hands Change Makers, Inc. hosted the camp June 22-27 for children ages 6-13, providing creative enrichment opportunities to youth in the Garland community. The program served 27 participants over five days.

Some stories leave you shaking your head because there simply isn’t a winner. A person goes to work expecting an ordinary day. They’re there to earn a paycheck, help customers and head home to their family when the shift is over. Instead, they’re confronted by a robbery that instantly turns an ordinary workday into something they’ll likely remember for the rest of their life. For what?

GARLAND — Three people, including two juveniles charged as adults, have now been arrested in connection with a June 26 robbery at a local business that escalated into a vehicle theft, high-speed chase and eventual crash. Sampson County Sheriff’s investigator said the arrests come after an extensive investigation into the incident. On July 8, at approximately 3 p.m., deputies and detectives executed a search warrant at a residence on H.B. Lewis Road near Gordon Road in Clinton.

A recently adopted state budget, local school officials say, will impact funding for both Clinton City and Sampson County schools. Among the proposals was the reduction of funds provided to low-wealth/small counties. If a county doesn’t qualify for the funds, they will receive 30 percent of the amount of funds that they received the year prior. If the county is ineligible another year, then they would not receive any funds at all during this period of ineligibility.

South River EMC’s non-profit organization, the Community Assistance Corporation, recently awarded, this funding cycle, $58,375 in grants to local non-profit organizations and educational programs through Operation Round Up. The following non-profit organizations received grants for $5,000: Five N Two Food Pantry; Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas; Dunn Urban Ministries Assoc.; Transitions Life Care; Cry Freedom Missions; Fayetteville Operation Inasmuch; and Salvation Army of the...

Stephaine Graham stood before Clinton City Council Tuesday night to ‘sincerely’ thank members for their participation and support of the 2026 Sampson Juneteenth celebration. ‘This was one of our largest turnouts so far,’ Graham said. Over 2,600 people were in and around the Agri-Exposition Center.

The Turkey Volunteer Fire Department is selling tickets for its first annual Sportsman’s Raffle, a live fundraiser featuring cash and firearm prizes to help fund the department’s growing equipment needs. The drawing will be held live on the department’s Facebook page Tuesday, Aug. 11. The grand prize is $1,000 cash, along with nine additional prizes that include three rifles, three handguns and three shotguns.

A week four matchup inside the Clinton Parks and Recreation Co-ed Adult Softball league managed to give the audience a thriller between two teams earlier this week. On Thursday, NGNL (4-1) took on Splittin Gaps (1-3), the second game both teams had played against each other in league action this season. Back in June’s week two, NGNL managed to edge out the Gaps by just a run, winning 18-17. NGNL headed into this second game, getting back into the win column by defeating Thrown Together (0-4) 25-9.