Ben Rappaport
@brappaport.bsky.social
Reporter at Border Belt Independent | Previous reporting at Chatham News + Record, WCHL, Daily Tar Heel Opinion | UNC 2021 | Email: benrappaport@borderbelt.org
We dug deep into the closure of St. Andrews University, and what remains in Laurinburg now that it’s gone. College closures are always full of heartbreak and questions about the future. In Scotland County, the now-empty campus is forcing the community to reckon with the school’s complicated legacy.
July 31, 2025 at 5:33 PM
We dug deep into the closure of St. Andrews University, and what remains in Laurinburg now that it’s gone. College closures are always full of heartbreak and questions about the future. In Scotland County, the now-empty campus is forcing the community to reckon with the school’s complicated legacy.
I have loved the stories and the people of rural southeastern North Carolina. I’m forever grateful for the time and trust you all placed in me to bring vital news and information to this region. There is such rich community in the Border Belt, and I’ll carry it with me wherever I go.
July 17, 2025 at 3:34 PM
I have loved the stories and the people of rural southeastern North Carolina. I’m forever grateful for the time and trust you all placed in me to bring vital news and information to this region. There is such rich community in the Border Belt, and I’ll carry it with me wherever I go.
Talking with the congregation at Merry Oaks was one of the first big projects I did as a professional journalist that made me feel like I could tell big stories. I am thinking of Merry Oaks today, may its memory be a blessing.
chathamnewsrecord.com/stories/desp...
chathamnewsrecord.com/stories/desp...
Despite threats, Merry Oaks community persists - The Chatham News + Record
In Merry Oaks, the past is part of the present. Few places in the rural South still exist where you can find a preacher whose grandfather grew up a quarter mile from the church. A place where one of t...
chathamnewsrecord.com
June 19, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Talking with the congregation at Merry Oaks was one of the first big projects I did as a professional journalist that made me feel like I could tell big stories. I am thinking of Merry Oaks today, may its memory be a blessing.
chathamnewsrecord.com/stories/desp...
chathamnewsrecord.com/stories/desp...
The congregation advocated for change and kept praying. But not all stories have a happy ending.
On Monday, 2.5 years after reporting on Merry Oaks, the church was demolished. It's heartbreaking to see a community lose one of its last remaining pillars.
On Monday, 2.5 years after reporting on Merry Oaks, the church was demolished. It's heartbreaking to see a community lose one of its last remaining pillars.
Despite threats, Merry Oaks community persists - The Chatham News + Record
In Merry Oaks, the past is part of the present. Few places in the rural South still exist where you can find a preacher whose grandfather grew up a quarter mile from the church. A place where one of t...
chathamnewsrecord.com
June 19, 2025 at 2:32 PM
The congregation advocated for change and kept praying. But not all stories have a happy ending.
On Monday, 2.5 years after reporting on Merry Oaks, the church was demolished. It's heartbreaking to see a community lose one of its last remaining pillars.
On Monday, 2.5 years after reporting on Merry Oaks, the church was demolished. It's heartbreaking to see a community lose one of its last remaining pillars.