Opportunity Zones deserve Burke County's attention Jun 13, 2026 Burke County residents need to speak up now about Opportunity Zone choices.Â
Budget work belongs in public Jun 6, 2026 Every year, local governments in Burke County go through a ritual that many residents never see, and few fully understand. That ritual is crea…
Why The Industrial Commons matters May 30, 2026 More than a decade ago, The Industrial Commons started with a mission that might have sounded overly ambitious for a county still feeling the …
Valdese has the public's attention now May 23, 2026 Budget decisions have a direct impact on residents and demand transparency. When Valdese chose not to livestream the budget retreat held in Ap…
Volunteers worth more than we can count May 16, 2026 The dollar amount can never fully capture the true worth of volunteer service. No calculation can measure the comfort of a hospice volunteer, …
Yes, teachers deserve more pay May 9, 2026 North Carolina says it values public education. Yet actions say the state expects our teachers to compete nationally while paying them at barg…
Burke County's challenge: Rebuilding civic life May 2, 2026 Burke County's young people must be given the opportunity to step up into roles of civic leadership.Â
Morganton's UDO Rewrite: Public input should come first Apr 25, 2026 Morganton is right to overhaul its development ordinances, but leaders erred by limiting early public access. Transparency and open engagement…
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Valdese leaders don't sugarcoat budget realities Angela K. Copeland Apr 18, 2026 Valdese’s budget retreat on Tuesday laid bare the difficult equation town leaders must solve. How can Valdese hold the line by maintaining cor…
What Burke can learn from Greenville Apr 11, 2026 With the emergence of delightful springtime weather, our residents and guests are likely to encounter more homeless people on streets, parks a…
Leaders' silence comes at a cost Mar 29, 2026 Trust in local government begins with open communication.
Burke should pursue data centers Mar 21, 2026 The question is not whether the next economy is coming. It is whether Burke County intends to participate in powering it or watch from the sidelines.
We must seize the opportunity Mar 14, 2026 Morganton is emerging as a regional hub where political, education, transportation, and business leaders gather to discuss Western North Carol…
Burke County's good and bad week Mar 7, 2026 Every weekly edition of The Paper brings a new collection of stories. Different issues, different meetings, different people making news acros…
Morganton's budget is a vision blueprint Feb 28, 2026 Is Morganton managing a budget — or building a future?
Let the game begin and winter end on Sunday Feb 7, 2026 This week's editorial takes a light-hearted look at Burke's ongoing winter woes and suggests a Super Bowl party may be exactly what the doctor…
Preparation a lesson learned the hard way Jan 24, 2026 The lesson Helene taught us was not simply that storms can be dangerous. It taught us something deeper and more uncomfortable: Nature does not…
When difference becomes strength Jan 17, 2026 At a time when division has become both profitable and performative, Burke County has been living out a version of that old promise, inside a …
Our future rests on the pipes beneath our feet Jan 10, 2026 It may not be glamorous or exciting, but infrastructure holds the key to growth in Burke County -- both residential and commercial.Â
Burke County’s 2026 challenge: Show up, vote, and be counted Jan 3, 2026 Burke County begins 2026 with a clear challenge: civic engagement. Vote, attend meetings, stay informed, and hold leaders accountable. Infrast…
2025 Top Stories: People, restaurants and accountability defined the year Angela K. Copeland Dec 27, 2025 The Paper and its readers agreed on the biggest Burke County stories of 2025, led by people profiles, restaurant news, and Ingles coverage. Ac…
When a School Board punishes scrutiny, the public pays the price Allen VanNoppen Dec 20, 2025 Burke County Board of Education voted to restrict The Paper’s media access, raising First Amendment concerns and limiting campus reporting. Th…
A $4.5M reckoning for Burke Schools Dec 6, 2025 After learning that Burke County is now ranked among the most economically distressed counties in North Carolina last week, we returned from T…
Transparency without the bloat Nov 29, 2025 Valdese’s Town Council opened its new term Monday with a packed chamber, a slate of newly sworn-in leaders, and a consequential first vote: th…
Burke deserves better than online rumors about ICE activity Nov 22, 2025 Speculation driven by social media posts has caused concern in the community, with rumors of ICE raids circulating in Burke County.Â
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