Good morning Gaston County... it's David. Today is April 23rd, 2024Okay, so definitely not in Gaston County. But this is so cool we had to share it.For the first time since November, Voyager 1 is communicating with NASA. The 46-year-old pioneering probe, now some 15.1 billion miles from Earth, has continually defied expectations for its lifespan as it ventures further into the uncharted territory of the cosmos.To put that in perspective, it was the summer of 1977 when the Voyager 1 & 2  probes launched from Earth. Star Wars was number one at the box office, Jimmy Carter was the president, and Elvis Presley had just diedThis just in: Gaston County's Highland School of Technology named best high school in the Charlotte Metro area by the U.S. News & World Report! Congrats! Well done you!

Today's weather:Today will be mostly sunny, pleasant and warmer. The high will be 74.Tonight will be partly cloudy, The low will be 51.

Runners-take note!

2024 MHCDF 5K/10K RunSaturday April 27, 2024Mount Holly Run400 E. Central Ave. Mount Holy , NCSignup

Gastonia approves sprawling mixed use developmentGastonia's City Council has approved a 70 acre mixed use development in Southeast Gastonia. It will run south of Union New Hope Road between Wilson Farm Road and Union Road. The project is slated to include: 200 townhomes over 27 acres, 250 (2 story) apartments over 18 acres, and 140,000 square feet of commercial space.The commercial space will be anchored by an unnamed grocery store, a gas station, and several restaurants. The townhomes will be be "rear loaded", which means they will be serviced by a rear lane or alley.The developer has agreed to additional landscaping between the grocery store parking lot and Union New Hope for additional screening.

Pulte's Del Webb Community in Belmont moving aheadPulte held an event over the weekend for prospective home buyers at their  new project called Del Webb Carolina Riverside. The new community is located on a 462 acre site off of Armstrong Ford Road in Belmont.The project was started in 2022, and will eventually include 809 single family homes.The community is intended for age 55 and up. Currently 6 model homes are complete, and about a dozen more homes are underway. Homes will range from 1200 to 2700 square feet; prices will start in the $400,000's.A resort style clubhouse and amenity center is expected to begin construction in 2025.The center will include event spaces, indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center, as well as pickleball and bocce courts There will also be access to the Catawba River, walking trails and a dog park.

Carolina Riverside, an active-adult community in Belmont, will include a 19,000-square-foot, resort-style amenity center.

Gaston Aquatics has chosen the Town of Dallas for our home and couldn’t be more excited to make some waves along 321. Our site is ideally situated behind Ingles Market and beside Carr Elementary School. We can’t wait to make 642 W. Carpenter St. the home for a Total Aquatic Solution for all of Gaston County. 

In March of 2016, Gaston Aquatics was founded as a 501 (c) 3 with the goal of fulfilling the long-time need for an aquatic center in Gaston County. The current plans for the 34,000 sq. ft. project include a cool water 50-meter pool, a warm water programming pool with zero degree entry for classes, therapy, and aquatic safety instruction, elevated spectator seating for 1,200+, clinical rooms, a weight room, and a hospitality suite. Find out more...

What's happening with the "1776 Gastonia" neighborhood for patriots?Seems like 1776 Gastonia may be off to a rocky start. There is a housing crunch, but homes in 1776 Gastonia don't come cheap- a 1370 square foot townhouse starts around $450,000.Only three homes show as being sold on the developers website. Under the "Available Homes" tab, nothing comes up. Neighbors have complained about lack of activity, and that the land is now "overgrown" and an "eyesore".You may recall that the Gastonia  1776 covenant requires homeowners to fly the American flag-and no other- year round. An American flag is included with every home purchase. 1776 Gastonia’s covenant  includes an enforcement clause that states “all remedies under applicable law” can be taken if any of its provisions are violated.

Opening Day is this Thursday!We're excited-Thursday is opening day! The Game starts at 6 PM against the Maryland Blue Crabs. You get can get tickets here...Name our baseball team!The Gastonia Giraffes? The Gastonia Ginormous? JK

Here...

Gaston County's Donnie Loftis one of 8 GOP lawmakers urging NC Supreme Court to take forced vaccination caseEight GOP lawmakers are asking the NC Supreme Court to take a  case involving the forced vaccination of a 14 year old boy in 2021. They are filing the case a " a friend of the court" brief. A unanimous state Court of Appeals panel ruled in March that a federal law called the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act blocked the suit brought by the mother and teen involved.The Old North State Medical Society and the Guilford School Board filed separate documents Friday asking North Carolina’s highest court not to take the case.“[T]he direct issue before the Court of Appeals is not a substantial constitutional question — rather, it is a straightforward application of federal statutory immunity, which applies to the same degree to state law claims and state constitutional claims, and which is not at all an issue of first impression,” the Guilford schools’ lawyers wrote. “In fact, the idea of federal law overriding contrary state constitutional provisions appears in the U.S. Constitution itself, which expressly states that federal law supersedes both contrary state laws and state constitutions.”The case is being brought by the Thomas More Society.More... 

Gaston Day School wins $1000 in creativity contestGaston Day School was a top 10 finalist in a creativity contest sponsored by the Harlem Globetrotters and Jersey Mike's Subs.

The school received a $1,000 prize for their entry to the Court of Creativity contest, which encouraged students to put their creativity to work in making a basketball related photo or video. Gaston Day 3rd graders constructed towers out of tape and newspapers that could hold the weight of a basketball up to 20 seconds. The artwork crated and some basketballs were donated to the Boys and Girls Club.

Nail salon stays open after car smashes storefrontA car smashed into the iColor Nail Bar in the Harris Teeter shopping center in  Belmont last Friday. “My son looked at my phone, and said, ‘Dad, there’s a car in the window, stuck in the window,’” said owner Steve Nie. Evidently a shopper at Harris Teeter stepped on the wrong pedal and crashed through a glass window. No one was hurt, and the driver was fine.Instead of closing,  Nie decided to stay open. “Because I know today is a very tough day for all the high school girls,” Nie said. “They have a high school prom.”   “Lots of young girls are going to prom this weekend,” said customer Rose Planer. “So, they’ll be thrilled that it’s still open, and they can get their nails done for prom.”  

Kings Mountain man wins $100k on Cherryville scratch-offAdrin Anthony of Kings Mountain won $100k on a scratch-off ticket he purchased at the Southern Store 101 on East Church Street in Cherryville last week.

“We are planning to take our kids to Disney World,”  said Anthony.. “We can use this win to help pay for that.” 

“At first I just stopped in to buy a drink,” he said. Anthony shared he always told his wife he would win big one day.“I’ve been telling her for years I was going to win,” Anthony laughed. Anthony took home $75,514 after state and federal taxes.

Northlake Mall losing another storeExpress Inc. is closing their store in Northlake Mall, after the chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The closing is part of a 100 store closing across multiple brands.Northlake has struggled with retailers leaving before their leases were up.  Apple, American Eagle Outfitters, Chico's, Soma, White House Black Market and Michael Kors have all left.Express Inc. was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange last month.

At Oak Ridge Dental Arts, we are dedicated to caring for your family as we care for our own families. With years of experience and state-of-the-art dental technology we help you achieve the healthy, beautiful smile you deserve. We ensure the best possible dental experience with friendly, personalized care in a comfortable environment. If you haven’t been to the dentist in the past six months or you are interested in enhancing your smile, give us a call. With one visit you’ll see why so many families in your neighborhood trust Oak Ridge Dental Arts with all their dental needs.

Miami Fusion Cafe

We serve breakfast too!

Join us this Friday for an Arbor Day Celebration from 10-2pm at the Municipal Complex in Mount Holly!

free tree saplings

free lunch provided by Harvest Church food truck

story time with the Mount Holly Library

seed packets and activity from the Mount Holly Community Garden

Gaston County Bee Keepers

Gaston College's beach volleyball team finished third in the first Region 10 championships ever hosted on the school's campus on Saturday.

The Rhinos, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, lost in the semifinals to Sandhills Community College before bouncing back to win the third-place match over Spartanburg Methodist that earned an invitation to the National Junior College Athletic Association championships May 2 through 4 in Huntsville, Ala.

"We're obviously very disappointed by not advancing to the championship game," Gaston College coach Rachel Noreika said. "It was still a good finish and great conference regular season finish. And I'm very pleased with how we bounced back against Spartanburg."

Gaston College's softball team was impressive on Monday as it recorded a doubleheader sweep at nationally-ranked Surry Community College by 7-0 and 18-2 scores.

The sweep improves the Rhinos' overall record to 43-7.

"We hit the ball really well up and down the lineup," said Gaston College head Mike Steuerwald, whose team received votes in Monday's National Junior College Athletic Association poll for the eighth time in the last nine weeks. "And Abby G pitched really well in the opener and we got some time for Brew and Ghorley in the circle in the second game."

With a four-game series against a top five nationally-ranked opponent looming this weekend, it would've been easy for Gaston College to look past its Tuesday afternoon road trip to Rockingham Community College.

The Rhinos didn't do that as they rolled to a 14-2, 5-inning road win that improved them to 44-5 overall.

It marks the 27th time Gaston College has scored in double figures this season and third game in a row.

"We've talked as a team about how we wanted to play our best baseball of the season the rest of the way and get out of that little funk we were in there for a little bit," said Rhinos head coach Shohn Doty, whose team is ranked No. 2 in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll and No. 1 in the Dream Big Athletics poll. "And we were very businesslike in our approach today and had some really good at-bats and we were good defensively and on the pitcher's mound and that's our recipe for success."

If you haven't checked out  Shelli's She Shed  in Stanley- what are you waiting for!

Shelli's She Shed is a home decor boutique full of floral stems & arrangements and unique, vintage, antique, retro, farmhouse styles and the perfect gift items.Open on Thurs, Fri & Sat 10am-4pm980-318-3816106 W Dallas Rd., Stanley, NC 28164Check us out!

Hosting an event?Let us help you get the word out- purchase an event listing!

 Gaston County JobsPhysical Therapist $70-$100k, Park Ranger $14- $24 hr, Admissions Coordinator @ Rehab Ctr $55k-$70k, Carpentry Production Associate $17-$28 hr  and more...Info...

Hosting an event?Let us help you get the word out- purchase an event listing!