LUMBERTON — The Lumberton City Council Wednesday voted to approve a conditional rezoning request for the construction of a Hwy 55 restaurant on two adjacent lots at North Roberts Avenue and North Walnut Street.

LUMBERTON — Since we last reported two more donors reached deep into their pockets this week to give toward the Empty Stocking Fund.

RED SPRINGS — “They aren’t doing active collections on the people who aren’t paying,” said Red Springs Finance Director Sharon McFarland of the county, which is charged with collecting the town’s taxes.

LUMBERTON — Local electric utilities providers say they have no reason to believe there is any increased threat to their substations after the attack on substations in Moore County Saturday which left about 45,000 Duke Energy customers in that county without power, with many still in the dark as of late Tuesday.

LUMBERTON — The Robeson County Health Department will discontinue its weekly reports on the number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths after next week, the department announced Monday.

DURHAM — For the 123rd year, the National Audubon Society is organizing the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, tens of thousands of bird-loving volunteers will participate in counts across North Carolina and the Western Hemisphere. The twelve decades’ worth of data collected by participants contribute to one of only two large existing pools of information notifying ornithologists and conservation biologists of what conservation action is required to protect birds and the places they need. Find your local count here.

LUMBERTON — Robeson County’s unemployment rate increased nearly a full percentage point from September to October, according to information released Thursday by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

PEMBROKE — S. Preston Douglas & Associates’ John Masters delivered to council members here the annual audit report for Pembroke’s 2021-22 fiscal year Monday despite findings not being formally approved yet by the Local Government Commission.

LUMBERTON — Hope Alive Inc. took another loss Monday this time with the rejection of a request for a special-use permit.