EDITOR'S PICKS

Dec 12, 2025

Carolina College of Biblical Studies receives generous stock gift

Carolina College of Biblical Studies is pleased to announce the receipt of a generous gift of stock from a longtime supporter of the college. This significant contribution reflects the donor’s enduring commitment to the mission and ministry of CCBS—t ...

Dec 12, 2025

Local Time Brewery celebrates opening of second location in Lillington

The Lillington Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the business on Dec. 11. Photos by GFBJ.Owners of Local Time Brewery Chris and Kelly Gallagher are excited to welcome guests into their newly opened taproom located at 6 W. ...

Dec 12, 2025

Robeson Community College receives transformational $24M gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott

President Singler standing with members of Robeson Community College Board of Trustees. Photo by RCC.Robeson Community College recently announced a historic $24 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the largest single gift in the college’ ...

Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
holmes-security-systems luke-wheeler headshot

Luke Wheeler
Holmes Security Systems

The Hidden Costs of Poor Security: How Small Vulnerabilities Create Big Losses for Businesses

Posted Dec 2, 2025
Security failures rarely show up clearly on a business’s financial statements, yet they quietly chip away at the bottom line every single day. When most business owners think about security risks, they immediately think of break-ins, burglaries, or c
  ...read entire article
Dec 12, 2025

Snow Globe of Hope event provides support to Fort Bragg soldiers during the holiday season

Jamila Ford (left) and Alise Menchaca (right), Fort Bragg Suicide Prevention Program Coordinators, at the Snow Globe of Hope tabling event Dec. 10.As the holiday season quickly approaches, the Army Substance Abuse Program’s Suicide Prevention team ho ...

Dec 12, 2025

First Bancorp announces cash dividend payable for Jan. 2026

The Board of Directors of First Bancorp (NASDAQ: FBNC) (the "Company"), the parent company of First Bank, has declared a cash dividend on its common stock of $0.23 per share payable on Jan. 25, 2026 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 31, 2025."Duri ...

Dec 11, 2025

CCF’s GivingTuesday campaign sets new record with over $4M raised this year

The CCF GivingTuesday Team Leaders: L-R – Maddie Kellogg, Tara Martin, Kendra Murray. Photo provided by CCF.Cumberland Community Foundation has announced record growth in its annual GivingTuesday campaign with $4.1 million raised in 2025 versus $2.88 ...

Dec 11, 2025

Campbell University to offer free tuition for Harnett County residents

Campbell students - Photo provided by CU.New first-year, full-time students who reside in Harnett County will have 100% of their undergraduate tuition covered by Campbell University beginning in 2026.The Campbell University Tuition-Free Guarantee for ...

Dec 11, 2025

Hemp hemp hurray: Local farmer and business man seeks to educate the broader community about the many uses for hemp

Keith Dunn began farming hemp in 2017. A few weeks later he founded East Carolina Hemp Supply. After years of slow but steady growth, Dunn hopes to one day be able to build a hemp processing plant in North Carolina to boost the industry and local eco ...

Dec 11, 2025

Editor's note: Just keep holding on

I know that the end of the year is here and it’s hard, but I need our local business community to just hold on and stay focused for these last few weeks of 2025!We’ve come to this, our second to last issue for the year, and it really tickles me that ...


In The Current Issue

Hemp hemp hurray: Local farmer and business man seeks to educate the broader community about the many uses for hemp

Keith Dunn began farming hemp in 2017. A few weeks later he founded East Carolina Hemp Supply. After years of slow but steady growth, Dunn hopes to one day be able to build a hemp processing plant in North Carolina to boost the industry and local eco


Australian manufacturer to launch North American operations in Bladen County, investing more than $6M in Elizabethtown

Photo provided by Bladen County Economic DevelopmentVectorTex USA, LLC, a product developer and technology company, will create 44 new jobs in Bladen County. The company will establish its first North American manufacturing facility in Elizabethtown.