Home divided between NC, SC after law redraws border
On Sunday, several dozen South Carolina residents became North Carolinians after a boundary change took effect, but not everybody is happy about it.
Jeff Clemmer said that he stops to buy a lottery ticket twice a week, but a law that took effect on Jan. 1 put an end to the 32-year tradition.
“I tried to cash in my ticket and they told me the store is in North Carolina now,” Clemmer said.
Thanks to an executive order signed by former Gov. Pat McCrory that moved the state line about 50 to 100 feet in areas east and west of Charlotte, Clemmer will now have to drive a little further down Highway 274 to South Carolina to see if he has the winning ticket. The good news is that gas prices will stay the same, according to the store clerk.
The change from South Carolina to North Carolina is having a much greater impact on other families, including the Ingolds, whose house is divided between the two states.
“Our living room and kitchen are in the South Carolina side, where our children sleep is in North Carolina,” said Angie Ingold. “Where the kids eat is in one state, where the kids sleep is in another state. Where we go to the bathroom, it literally splits right down our bedroom.”
The division means there is now a question about where Ingold’s children will attend school.
Facing the direst situation in the switch is elderly couple Dee and Glenn Martin.
“He has many chronic ailments, including an untreatable lung disease. His care has come from Providence Care, licensed in South Carolina. Now we need to find him a doctor by the end of January or there will be no one to fill his prescriptions,” said Dee Martin.
Among some of the more mundane changes the residents face is the need for a new driver’s license.
“Just being his caregiver is a full-time job. It will be very difficult to make all the legal changes that have to be done; changing our deed, house insurance, car insurance, everything,” Dee Martin said.
In all, about 50 homeowners from South Carolina became North Carolina residents.
