Body found in Valdese identified, awaiting autopsy Jun 16, 2026 On Sunday, June 14, around 8:30 p.m., officers with the Valdese Police Department located a deceased individual in the parking lot behind Rock…
18-year-old found dead near Linville Dam Jun 15, 2026 Nearly two and a half hours after emergency responders were called to the rock face west of the Duke Energy water intake at Linville Dam, wate…
+3 Murder, exploitation cases move ahead in Burke court By JACOB CHRISTOPHER jacob@thepaper.media Jun 13, 2026 Burke County’s Superior Court was back in session this past week, with new and returning faces appearing from behind the “Court Officials Only…
One of Burke's most wanted arrested Jun 11, 2026 A man previously on Burke County’s Most Wanted List was arrested on June 7, when deputies with the Burke County Sheriff’s Office worked with L…
SBI contacted after inmate dies at Burke County Jail Jun 9, 2026 On the morning of June 9, detention officers and medical personnel at the Burke County Jail initiated life-saving measures on an unresponsive …
+4 Evidence at issue in Moretz capital murder case By JACOB CHRISTOPHER jacob@thepaper.media Jun 6, 2026 Michael James Moretz, the man accused of murdering Joseph Byrd and Michael Hallyburton on Aug. 31, 2025, appeared in Superior Court on Tuesday…
+4 Burke's Annual Recovery Summit brainstorms for the future By JACOB CHRISTOPHER jacob@thepaper.media May 30, 2026 On May 19, the Burke County Opioid Advisory Committee met at Western Piedmont Community College to present their first year of progress during…
Man arrested for death of child after six-month investigation May 22, 2026 The Burke County Sheriff’s Office arrested Samuel James Hensley, 29, Thursday on second-degree murder charges for the death of a 14-month-old …
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18-year-old killed in southern Burke shooting Angela K. Copeland May 19, 2026 One person was killed and another injured Tuesday after a shooting on Mount Olive Church Road in Morganton, according to the Burke County Sher…
+3 Pinwheels and a problem: Guardian ad Litem needs volunteers By JACOB CHRISTOPHER jacob@thepaper.media May 9, 2026 There are approximately 200 children in foster care in Burke County. There are less than 60 people available to stand up for them in court.
+2 New Burke Reentry Council helps former inmates rebuild their lives By JACOB CHRISTOPHER jacob@thepaper.media May 9, 2026 When Randall Williams left incarceration, all he had was the white uniform they released him in. If it hadn’t been for a group of men at a loc…
Morganton man arrested on child sex assault charges May 4, 2026 On April 21, officers arrested Michael Gavin Smith, 40, of Morganton, in Catawba County. A week earlier, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office iss…
+2 Burke seeks design firm for planned crisis center in Morganton By JACOB CHRISTOPHER jacob@thepaper.media May 2, 2026 Burke County opened a request for bids on Monday, searching for architectural and engineering services to design and renovate the former NCWor…
+5 Reentry simulation gives a taste of leaving prison By JACOB CHRISTOPHER jacob@thepaper.media Apr 25, 2026 The 12-minute timer ended. The host announced “Time’s up!” and most of the Reentry Simulation participants dejectedly returned to the area of …
Morganton man arrested on trafficking charges Apr 23, 2026 When a Burke County Sheriff’s Office deputy recognized James Robert Lee Hughes, 42, of Morganton, as he drove with a revoked license on Monday…
+3 Travis Stancil felony case continued until June By JACOB CHRISTOPHER jacob@thepaper.media Apr 15, 2026 A Burke County superior court judge on Monday continued the case against Stanley Travis Stancil, the former organizer of “Dancing with the Bur…
Morganton man receives probation in child exploitation case By JACOB CHRISTOPHER jacob@thepaper.media Apr 11, 2026 Frank Wayne Campbell, 67, of Morganton, avoided a total maximum sentence of 272 months, or about 22 years and eight months, of incarceration b…
+3 Travis Stancil felony case continued until June By JACOB CHRISTOPHER jacob@thepaper.media Apr 11, 2026 A Burke County superior court judge on Monday continued the case against Stanley Travis Stancil, the former organizer of “Dancing with the Bur…
Drexel man faces federal charges for FEMA fraud Apr 10, 2026 A federal grand jury indicted a Valdese man late last week on charges of defrauding Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of nearly $21,0…
Man arrested for attempting to burn an occupied building Apr 10, 2026 Around 8:25 on April 3, a man allegedly entered a business on U.S. 70 West in Valdese, ready to burn the place to the ground, according to officials.
+2 Two arrested in Morganton on possession charges Mar 23, 2026 On March 20, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office allegedly seized about 21 grams of methamphetamine and a “trafficking amount of fentanyl” while…
Man shot on Brown Mountain Beach Road Mar 23, 2026 A man died on Sunday after being shot on Brown Mountain Beach Road in Morganton.
+3 Opioid Advisory Committee plans for new building and budget By JACOB CHRISTOPHER jacob@thepaper.media Mar 21, 2026 Burke County officials are planning to convert an $800,000 building at 720 E. Union Street into a 16-bed crisis and detox center using opioid …
+2 Breaking False shooter threat at NCSSM prompts fast response By JACOB CHRISTOPHER jacob@thepaper.media Mar 20, 2026 A fake active shooter call resulted in an immediate response from officers earlier today.
Body found near Rutherford College on I-40 Mar 18, 2026 Around 1:10 p.m. on Wednesday, first responders discovered a deceased male in the tall grass beside the interstate near the Rutherford College…
+2 Burke invests more in public safety as crime, overdoses decline By JACOB CHRISTOPHER jacob@thepaper.media Mar 14, 2026 Drug overdoses in Burke County dropped to their lowest level in five years in 2025, while the sheriff’s staffing shortages have nearly disappe…
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