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Center field at the FUSE stadium looking towards home plate (thanks Go Gaston!)

Good morning, it's David. Today is Tuesday February 2nd. Is it spring yet? Can't wait for warmer weather and watching some baseball in the new FUSE stadium!

Today we'll have sun and some clouds, with a high of 44. Tonight we'll have patchy clouds, with a low of 27.

Super Bowl Snacks!

So do you look forward to the Super Bowl because of the football, or the food (or the commercials!) Actually, I love all of the above.. Here are 100 yummy party food ideas...

Are you a GameStop millionaire?

David vs. Goliath?

You're not a GameStop millionaire? Me either...In case you have been living under a rock recently, or just don't give a crap about the stock market, here's what happened in a nutshell.
A bunch of small time traders on a platform called Reddit got together to buy shares of GameStop. Turns out that institutions like hedge funds had shorted GameStop (they were betting that the price would go down).

With the combined activity of these small time traders, the stock price started going up. Eventually it went up to the point that the large institutions had to buy as well, to close their positions (basically to get out of this mess) And because they were buying, the stock went up even more. The little guys made a literal fortune, and "Big Money" got crushed.

So now big money is crying foul, because they got spanked by the little guys.They are saying it's not ethical, as if they actually know what that means. It's okay when big money clobbers the little guys, because they are the "smart money"...supposedly.

Actually this is probably an over-simplification, as institutional money was on both sides, and other trading platforms halted trading (E Trade, etc.).
Stay tuned to see how all of this shakes out.

Valentines Day is 12 days away!

Valentines gift ideas from right here in NC!

Get your sweetheart something different or special for Valentines Day...everything you see below is made in North Carolina

For Him

Men's ring, oxidized Silver and Copper Inlay, $160, from DogsKin Jewelry in Boone.
Order here...

For Her
Leather tote bag/purse by inblue in Asheville, $96, can be ordered with a cross body strap. Order here...

For Him

Leather and starling silver bracelet by HappyLizardBoutique in Charlotte, $32

Order here...

For Her

Check out these cool rings from Susan Lambert Designs in Mount Holly. They are just $50 each,and there are several to choose from. Want something special? You can email Susan here: [email protected]

Artist rendering of the lobby of The new Tru Hotel

Construction underway again of new HIlton

Construction that had been paused for a year due to Covid has once again resumed. The new Tru by Hilton property is located at North New Hope and Remount Road in Gastonia. Ashwin Shah, owner, hopes the hotel will be open by 2022.

Carowinds to open May 22

Winter can't last forever, right? Carowinds was closed most all of last season due to Covid. They will reopen May 22 with limited capacity, ticket reservations and masks required. Get tix here..

About 6000 NC voters leave GOP after Capitol riot

About three weeks after the Capitol riots, the North Carolina Republican Party lost 5855 voters, with most registering as unaffiliated. This follows a similar pattern in other states.
During the same time period, 210 Democrats left the Democratic Party.

Covid-19 Stops With You!

Covid-19 vaccinations continue at the Gastonia Farmers Market

NC opens vaccines for 65 plus

Find out which group you are in with this graphic.

Get added to the list , or call 704-866-3170.

Get more info here...

Worried about which vaccine to get? So far, research shows that any of the five vaccines can save your life. My sister is a nurse practitioner, and I asked her which shot to get. She said "the first one available".

Cocktails to go

Governor Cooper has extended the cocktails to go program until
March 31. But is it really helping local restaurant owners revenue? Sometimes...and not so much. Restaurant owners say sometimes it can double the check total, but overall it's not making a big difference.

Belk plans to file for bankruptcy

We told you last week that Belk was in the financial news, and not in a good way. They have plans to declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which will reduce or renegotiate their debt by $450 million. In the per-negotiated deal nearly 300 Belk stores will remain open.

9335 deaths in NC since March 2020

Wear a mask!

15 Gaston County people have died of Covid-19 since last Tuesday

We have had 21,506 positive tests to date, and 349 people have died in Gaston County due to the virus. 57 people are hospitalized with Covid, and 1 person on a ventilator. The largest group affected is ages 25-49. See interactive graphic here...

Kings Mountain Approves Rezoning for Casino Project

The Kings Mountain City Council has approved the rezoning of 82.7 acres in what will be the Catawba Village development. The proposed development, which will include apartments, town-homes, and single family homes, will be near the Catawba Indian Nation's Casino project.

Gaston County Jobs

Rural mail carrier $19hr, Executive Director children $54k-$84k, Automated Assembly Operator $25hr, Animal Placement Coordinator $14-$22 hr, and more.

Gaston jobs here...

Looking for employees? Did you know that our "Who's Hiring in Gaston County?" is consistently one of our most clicked links? Contact us to find out more...

Only $20 mil? Cry me a river...

Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf received $20.3M in pay in 2020 — a 12% drop from a year earlier, according to a regulatory filing. In 2020, Scharf received $2.5M in base salary, a cash incentive compensation of $4.4M and $13.5M in long-term incentive compensation.

Scharf wants to cut Wells Fargo's annual expense base by 20% or about $10 billion. The bank is expected to layoff thousands-some estimates say tens of thousands-, shutter branches and cut spending on consultants and other outside services.

In addition to the plunge in the value of their Wells Fargo shares last year, stockholders also saw their quarterly dividend fall from 51 cents per share to a 10 cents per share.

Interested in becoming a featured partner and reaching people all across Gaston County? Our advertising team can help. Contact us today to talk about how we can help your business thrive.

What a happy boy!

Meet Zeke, he an 1 1/2 year old pointer mix. He weighs about 30 pounds. This sweet boy is looking for an active home with a fenced yard. Zeke is good with bigger dogs but has alpha issues with little dogs. He is housetrained and crate trained. Zeke is neutered, microchipped and up to date on vaccines.

Email [email protected] for an application.

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