Katherine O'Kane for Gaston County Public Office

06/11/2026

What is Gaston County yo address Urban Sprawl? 😡

Rapid population growth has triggered concerns over urban sprawl, which threatens to accelerate the loss of open land, strain local resources, and pollute community waterways (not safe to swim in Lake Wylie).

06/09/2026

06/08/2026

WHAT?????? Your kids education isn’t important in Gaston County 😢😡

EDUCATION Gaston County Schools will face layoffs without more money.

Just months after eliminating 174 positions, Gaston County Schools is headed for another round of layoffs if it doesn’t get more county funding. Gaston County commissioners voted on its full budget plan for next year May 12 and opted not to increase local funding for operating its public schools.

Commissioners did, however, vote to ask the North Carolina General Assembly for permission to levy a quarter-cent sales tax specifically for Gaston County Schools. If approved, it would be on the ballot in November.

County Commission Vice Chair Bob Hovis said the sales tax would generate somewhere between $9.5 million to $11 million for the school district if passed, the Gaston Gazette reported. A May 28 financial report from an independent consulting firm hired by the school district also showed the county is spending less of its revenue on public education than its peers. The report contested, “The district cannot continue operating at the current level without additional funding from the county.” It came amid tense budget negotiations between the Gaston County Board of Education and commissioners. The May 12 vote did not fully fund the school board’s budget proposal for the 2026-27 school year, which called for a county contribution of about $60.5 million to the district’s operating expenses, up from $54 million this school year.

But two members from each body – Ron Hovis and Scott Shehan of the county commission and school board members Josh Crisp and A.M. Stephens III – held a closed-door meeting last week to discuss funding. Shehan told The Charlotte Observer last week was the first of “many meetings” to come, and it’s too soon to say whether the county will pony up more cash. “However, all sides are committed to continue working through this to find a feasible and sustainable solution for a path forward,” Shehan told The Observer in an email Friday. Neither Crisp nor Stephens responded to attempts to reach them for comment on the meeting. Without more funding, Gaston County Schools Superintendent Morgen Houchard told the board the district needs to slash 75 more positions next fall.

Read more at:

County commissioners and school board members are holding meetings to discuss additional county money.

06/02/2026

The Current Administration ❤️ Women as long as they know their place:

Pete Hegseth Blocks Black and Female Navy Officers from Receiving Promotions:

"Military promotions are given to those who have earned them," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote in an X post in response to The New York Times' report
By Ingrid Vasquez Published on June 1, 2026 08:07PM EDT

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly blocked promotions of seven Navy officers, including women and minority officials, citing merit-based decisions

Critics allege Hegseth's actions reflect a broader pattern of targeting leaders who challenge his views or policies

The Pentagon denies race or gender bias in promotions, calling The New York Times' report "race-baiting garbage"

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly blocked the recent promotion of at least seven Navy officers, including two women and two Black men, according to a New York Times report published on Monday, June 1.

05/31/2026

Expanding the lifespan of trash:

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - The Gaston County landfill could be getting bigger.

A county proposal that’s in the early permitting stages would triple the current lifespan of the dump to 15 years as the area tries to keep up with rapid growth.

The expansion of the landfill by 35.3 acres and an increase in height of 50 feet in its current footprint would mean 10 million cubic yards of trash more could be deposited there.

“We are not going anywhere else in the county for a new facility,“ said Dan Ziehm, the Director of Public Works for Gaston County at a public input meeting on Thursday.

Neighbors and property owners who spoke to WBTV are split on whether or not this is a good idea.

“I think they’re going about it in a very good and planned way,” said Don McGinnis, who owns land nearby.

“I think it’s time for that landfill to move on,” said Jimmy Propst, who owns a home close to the landfill. “You can go into that meeting and everybody I asked ‘Do you live around here?’ not one of them lives around here. If it was in their backyard it’d be different. But it’s not it’s in mine.”

Some of Propst’s concerns are an increase in traffic from dump trucks and buzzards meaning a decrease in his quality of life.

County officials say this project must be done to keep up with a growing population. U.S. Census data shows a 2.8% increase in Gaston County’s population every year.

We need to provide an environmentally sensitive and compliant facility for our residents and businesses. We have to provide them with an economically reasonable place to dispose of their trash,” said Ziehm.

There is no completion date for the project at this time.

Copyright 2026 WBTV. All rights reserved.

05/26/2026

No Swim Advisory Issued For Lake Wylie Cove After Raw Sewage Spill
By Charlotte Stories - May 25, 20265379

A No Swim Advisory has just been issued for Lake Wylie after a raw sewage spill contaminated part of the lake.

According to CharMeck Storm Water, visitors should avoid the Island Cove area around Island Point Drive and Woody Point Drive after a private sewer leak released wastewater into the water.

05/25/2026

The 122-page decision both affirms and dissents from the decision to raise rates on North Carolinians. The majority of the court, according to the decision, upheld the rate increases for both Duke …

05/25/2026

Honoring the Brave, Remembering the Fallen
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Today we pause to remember the heroes who gave everything for the freedoms we cherish.
Their courage, sacrifice and love of country will never be forgotten.

May we honor their legacy not just today, but everyday by living with gratitude and kindness.

05/25/2026

Thank you Dad for your 3 tours during the Vietnam War and your military career while working for DOD.

Thank you Uncle Mike for your service in the Vietnam War and your lifetime service in the Army as a A "full bird colonel” and my heart aches from your painful death from agent orange during the Vietnam War.

Thank you Grandfather for your service in the Navy during WWll.

Thank you Uncle Dan for your lifetime career in the National Guard.

My Great Grandfather Ray x 3 who served in the war of 1812.

My Great Great Grandfather x 6 and x 5 Ray who both took the Oath of Fidelity and served in the American Revolution.