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Good morning, it's David. Today is Tuesday, April 20th. Today is National Lima Bean Respect Day. That's Lima Bean R E S P E C T (did you just say that out loud?) Day. It's also National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day.
Today will be cloudy, with a high of 74. Tonight will be partly cloudy, and a low of 53.
Roger Self, 65, sentenced to 50 years in prison
Self, the Gaston county man who crashed his SUV into the Surf & Turf Lodge, killing two family members back in May of 2018, has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.An issue at trial was Self's mental health leading up to the incident.
Kings Mountain casino full speed ahead?Last Friday the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia struck down a lawsuit brought by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians seeking to stop the King's Mountain casino. The Cherokees operate two casinos in NC, and were claiming that the Rock Hill based Catawbas were infringing on Cherokee land.
"Interior did not violate the Settlement Act or IGRA by taking the Kings Mountain parcel into trust for the Catawba," U.S. District Judge James Boasberg wrote in his opinion. "The agency properly applied its IGRA regulations; it did not act arbitrarily by failing to consider the background of Wallace Cheves; Plaintiffs lack standing to press their NHPA claims and those NEPA claims that overlap; and their remaining NEPA claims fail."
New session starts May 2nd!
111 W Central Ave, Mt Holly, NC 28120
Churches respond to local hunger “They’ll line up at midnight or before midnight just so they can be the first in line.,” Pastor Rodney Freeman with Bountiful Blessings Food Pantry said. “That just tells you the need that some of them would be willing to sleep in a car all night long just to get a box of food.” Bountiful Blessings Food Pantry is sponsored by Mt. Zion Restoration Church. Info...Living Water Community Worship Center has been hosting monthly food giveaways monthly for the past 13 years.They serve about 500 families a month, assisted by Second Harvest Food Bank. Last Friday they offered a Covid-19 vaccine along with the groceries, and will provide a second shot next month.Call
704-271-9613 for further information, or here...
Varner ties for 2nd at RBC HeritageGastonia's Harold Varner lll finished 15 under at the Hilton Head tournament-good enough to tie for 2nd. Varner brought home $631,900 for his efforts. Varner says he "feels good" heading into the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte.Congrats to the Gastonia native and Forestview grad!
Charlotte's Hester Ford dies at 115Or was it 116? Records are unclear. To put her age into perspective, she was the mother of a WWII veteran, and survived the flu pandemic of 1918 and Covid-19 in 2020.She lived in Charlotte in the same house most of her life, and had 68 grandchildren, 125 great-grandchildren, and 120 great-great-grandchildren.Mrs. Ford died peacefully at home surrounded by family.
The Mount Holly and Gastonia Farmer's Market's will be open again Saturday.
Not Dairy Queen- but still ice cream
Starting in May, the DQ in Belmont will still be serving ice cream, but not Dairy Queen ice cream. They will still serve food, and a different ice cream. No word on the other DQ's in Gaston County.
Ready for some baseball?
I don't know about you, but after the last year and a half, I could use a little time at the ballpark. We have a new stadium, a new team, and hopefully a new attitude about downtown Gastonia! Can't wait! More...
Mac's Speed Shop Coming to Gastonia?
So far it's just a rumor, but Mac's Speed Shop could be coming to Gaston County-either in the old Ruby Tuesday's space, or in the new ballpark. We'll let you know when we know.
Your own beautiful 7 acre Gastonia retreat-see to appreciate!$934,900 Enjoy your very own secluded 7+ acre retreat with running creek, long winding drive with bridge, over 1000 ft of golf course frontage on the Gaston Country Club course! This custom home was built for the builder himself with too many upgrades to list.Contact John Bolin
Southeast vacations make a comeback:Resort properties in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina were more full last month than they were in March 2019. Occupancy was up 5% in March, compared with the same month before the pandemic, and bookings are up 16% between March and August 2021 compared with the same period in 2019. (Travel Weekly)
Small businesses make communities feel like home. They do more than sell products, they foster a sense of community. It's no secret that many small businesses have been struggling.Has a small business, shopkeeper, or employee been especially kind to you, or gone the extra mile when they really didn't have to? Tell us about it, and we'll share in an upcoming newsletter.
Tried renting a car lately?Thinking of finally getting out of the house and renting a car for vacation? You might want to start your search a little early. We had a rental car reserved recently and when we arrived were told there would be an hour and a half wait, or we could do a $100 upgrade not to wait.Rental car companies say cars are limited because they sold off inventory during COVID when they were struggling = fewer cars to rent. Also because consumers finally feel safe enough to travel, and may not want to use Uber of Lyft.
North Carolina economy recoveringNorth Carolina added 17,300 jobs in March and has recovered 73% of the jobs lost since the start of the pandemic. “Hiring appears to be revving back up,” economists at Wells Fargo wrote. They project the state will add 176,000 jobs this year, more than making up for the jobs lost since March 2020.
0 Gaston County people have died of Covid-19 since last TuesdayMoving in the right direction-slowly!We have had 25,706 positive Gaston County Covid19 tests to date, and 416 people have died due to the virus. Currently 28 people are hospitalized, and 3 people are on a ventilator. The largest group affected is ages 25-49. See interactive graphic here...The global death toll from Covid-19 exceeds 3 million
Read more here: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article250107519.html?ac_cid=DM411837&ac_bid=-170303867#storylink=cpy
Gaston County JobsPurchasing agent from $16hr, Student Affairs Specialist at Gaston College, Academic Advisor at Gaston College, Production Operator at Blue Ridge Biofuels $35k-$65k, and more.
