Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInGASTONIA (WBTV) - A man was killed early Saturday morning in south Gastonia 39-year-old Jeffrey Carter was killed just before 3 a.m just off South York Road and close to West Hudson Boulevard but did confirm the involvement of a minor WBTV is working to learn more information. Download the free WBTV News app today for the latest details sent straight to your device Queen City News GASTONIA, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Interstate 85 is back open after a crash Friday morning forced the road to close according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation a crash led to all lanes of I-85 being closed near East Ozark Avenue (NC 7) Authorities have not said what led up to the crash or if anyone was injured about half an hour before officials estimated Drivers were advised to take one of these detours: these are the actual most popular baby names so far in 2025 Whether it’s a short vacation or they’re jetting off to begin their career show the future traveler you care with a meaningful graduation gift National Teacher Appreciation Week begins May 5 take advantage of these freebies and deals This website is unavailable in your location It appears you are attempting to access this website from a country outside of the United States therefore access cannot be granted at this time While they get it done in a different manner, few area high school basketball players — male or female — have filled the stat sheet quite like Stuart Cramer’s Oshauna Holland and South Point’s Amya Graham. Tuesday could be the last time they share the same floor their teams meeting in Cramerton for a key Big South 3A girls hoops matchup Holland has been a prolific scorer since she stepped on campus averaging 24 points per game along with eight rebounds she has scored 1,875 career points along with 627 rebounds in three seasons No one achieves more double-doubles than Graham earning 64 over the course of her high school career The South Point senior standout is averaging 17.6 points and 14.3 rebounds during her time in Belmont She’s also accomplished the rare feat of scoring 1,000 points and bringing down 1,000 rebounds Holland and Stuart Cramer have got the better of the rivalry the Storm defeating South Point each of their last five meetings STILL TICKING: Here's how Stuart Cramer girls hoops' Oshauna Holland is making an impact STAT STUFFER: South Point girls basketball following Amya Graham's lead, one double-double at a time The game also holds importance in the Big South 3A girls hoops race Stuart Cramer enters with an 18-2 (9-1 Big South 3A) a game behind Hunter Huss in the league standings 8-2) seeks to keep its conference title hopes alive Stuart Cramer girls hoops’ clash with South Point headlines this week’s matchups in Cleveland 4Ashbrook at Crest (boys): If the postseason started today 10-0 Big South 3A) would be NCHSAA 3A West’s top seed and home-court advantage until the regional semifinal round in Winston-Salem with the Green Wave holding a two-game edge over second-place Crest (15-2 a win by Ashbrook giving it a tie for the league championship and preferred seeding ahead of the state playoffs Kings Mountain at Hunter Huss (boys): At the start of play this week both teams were in position to possibly host NCHSAA 3A West first-round home playoff games Lincoln Charter at Pine Lake Prep (boys): Lincoln Charter and Pine Lake Prep (16-4 8-2) begin the week in a virtual tie for the Catawba Shores 1A/2A title Tuesday’s matchup is particularly important for these two as it could decide which receives preferred seeding in the NCHSAA 2A West playoffs 7South Point at Hunter Huss (boys and girls): No team has suffered more close losses than South Point this season six of them coming by eight points or less Friday provides another opportunity for a signature victory the Red Raiders taking on a playoff-bound Hunter Huss squad South Point seeks to bolster its NCHSAA 3A West RPI ranking The girls game could be equally intriguing On tap: This week’s scheduleGirls tip at 6 p.m. Langtree Charter at Mountain Island Charter Corvian Community at Mountain Island Charter Piedmont Community Charter at Queen’s Grant By Brandy BeardPublished: Feb 2025 at 12:50 PM ESTEmail This LinkShare on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInGASTONIA (WBTV) - One person was killed and another injured following a shooting in Gastonia Gaston County police said they found a car around York Highway by Hudson Boulevard around 1:30 a.m they found one person had been apparently shot to death and another person was assaulted [1 shot, killed in northwest Charlotte, Medic says] Officers said the shooting happened in the Goble Street neighborhood The person who was assaulted was taken to an area hospital Neither person’s name was made immediately available Anyone with information should call Detective J. Waldrop at 704-866-3320 or CrimeStoppers at 704-861-8000 If there were concerns that the quality of baseball in Gastonia North Carolina was going to suffer after last season’s team in the city was forced to fold the new kids on the block have put those concerns to bed the newest team in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is also arguably the league’s best team halfway through the 2024 season Gastonia has begun its inaugural season in the ALPB on fire capturing the first-half South Division championship (and the all-important clinched playoff spot with it) well before the final day of the first half approached during the week of the Fourth of July With players who have produced all over the diamond and a proficiency for stringing together wins Gastonia has firmly established that it’s not here to simply take part in the ALPB There’s still half of a season (plus playoffs) left to play but Gastonia won’t have to deal with many of the late-season pressures other clubs in the South Division will face over the coming weeks But if you’re expecting Gastonia to slow down now Here’s a look back at Gastonia’s first half of its first ALPB season and how it secured a playoff spot so fast: Despite sharing the same city and a ballpark there is no relation between Gastonia Baseball Club and the Gastonia Honey Hunters of last season with the latter ballclub’s ALPB membership terminated in the offseason after racking up unpaid debts to the league.  But in terms of building up a winner — like the Honey Hunters did when they made the ALPB Championship Series in their final season of play — the new Gastonia club has hit the ground running and gotten to work right away on pushing to bring an ALPB title to the city.  Ex-Honey Hunters coach Mauro Gozzo and general manager Brady Salisbury were hired by Gastonia Baseball Club upon the Honey Hunters’ folding giving the new Gastonia club much of the same front office core they had during their successful 2023 campaign And through one half of the 2024 ALPB season things couldn’t be going better for Gastonia as it clinched a playoff berth with a first-half South Division crown and holds on the Fourth of July the best record in the league at 44-17 overall dominating its competition throughout the final few weeks of the first half of the schedule (more on that later in this article) to roll to the title with an eight-game lead to spare over the High Point Rockers.  The Gastonia lineup is among the most potent in the league as it holds through 61 games the third-highest team batting average in the ALPB (.270) while the pitching staff has been about as strong with a 4.08 ERA to rank second in the ALPB at the first-half mark to give the team plenty of depth and production in its arsenal for the second-half slate.  Capturing the first-half trophy also importantly means that Gastonia won’t have to deal with any late drama for a playoff spot in a couple of months a huge advantage when the postseason looms late in the year and every team is trying to play its best level of baseball If Gastonia ends up winning the ALPB title in a few months’ time it will be able to point to the month of June as the reason why it got into the playoffs in the first place and where it found its identity as an elite ballclub.  Already in a good position record-wise as it was 22-11 entering June Gastonia turned on the jets ahead of the Fourth of July by going a fantastic 20-6 in June a run which included both an eight-game winning streak and a seven-game winning streak as the ALPB rookies ballooned their lead and subsequently cruised to the South’s first-half title A 15-2 mark from June 4-22 was the high point of Gastonia’s hot month seeing it sweep multiple teams in that stretch two of Gastonia’s star players utilized the club’s stellar month to help them secure deals with other professional organizations as a result one of the stars of the Honey Hunters for the past two seasons (including breaking the ALPB’s single-season stolen base record with 55 swipes in 2022) before moving to Gastonia’s new team saw his contract purchased by the Chicago Cubs organization late in June as the former major-leaguer with the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets was assigned to Triple-A Iowa right off of the bat.  right-handed relief pitcher Bryan Blanton also found a new home Wednesday with the Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League after a 3-2 mark with a 2.96 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 24⅓ innings pitched with Gastonia this season joining ex-Honey Hunter's pitchers Zach Mort and Alex Sanabia on the squad One thing has been for certain when Gastonia’s bats have come up to the plate this season — they bring the juice The club led the ALPB at the season’s halfway point with 107 home runs (being the first club in the league to reach the 100-homer mark in the process) and a .492 team slugging percentage to its name along with a .857 team OPS that ranked second in the league.  Gastonia has nine games this season as of Friday in which it’s tallied at least 10 runs (going 8-1 in those games too) and had four players at the halfway mark who had reached the 10-homer threshold in Justin Wylie no other team in the ALPB had more than three of its players hit at least 10 homers at the halfway point.  Gatewood and Stowers in particular each have 52 RBIs as of Friday ranking them tied for third among all ALPB players in the RBI leaderboard and Gastonia as a whole continued to crush the baseball in its second-half opener (a 7-6 win Thursday) against the High Point Rockers Stowers went 4 for 5 with two runs in that game and Hidekel Gonzalez each went yard and Marc Flores hit a go-ahead double in the top of the ninth inning to help give Gastonia its seventh straight win signaling to the rest of the ALPB that it has no plans to let off of the gas for the second half even with a playoff spot clinched.  Gastonia has earned a reputation as a feared lineup and as it now gets to sharpen its game even more without the pressure of chasing postseason play it could give the club a dangerous edge come postseason time Get the most important Baseball stories delivered straight to your inbox Hundreds of homes are expected to be built at the former Howe Dairy Road property in south Gastonia after the project won Gastonia City Council approval.  Phoenix-based real estate company, Suncrest Real Estate and Land, plans to build more than 700 single-family homes and 173 townhomes on 325 acres of land off Neal Hawkins Road City Council unanimously approved the company's land annexation and rezoning request at a meeting earlier this month “The city staff and Gastonia community members have been excellent to work with in this process,” said Sean Cooney a managing partner at Suncrest Real Estate and Land will also include a 7-acre pond and an amenities area with a clubhouse More:  Rooftop of the Esquire Hotel provides unique views of Gaston County The subdivision will have one homeowner's association for the entire development and include a trail that extends to Martha Rivers Park “There will be a lot of fun things to do here for folks,” said Chris Todd the senior project manager for the project’s civil engineering The property could have up to 877 homes including townhomes and individual single-family homes Townhomes could range from the $200,000 to more than $300,000 and the single-family homes could start in the $400,000 range like Riverwood Plantation Property Manager Lee Brooks hope  that developers can build the development and keep traffic congestion down the roads won’t be able to handle it,” said Brooks “I’m hoping they will do what’s right.” Brooks believes that developers should listen to residents when proposing projects in the area “Listen to the wants and needs of those who have to live here and take that seriously,” said Brooks “Communication is the biggest key.” Gastonia resident Jessica Underwood was disappointed City Council gave its OK “I think that the traffic is the biggest issue,” said Underwood “I’m just highly disappointed in our City Council I do feel like all they care about is bringing in tax money and not thinking about the residents that have to live close to this.” Underwood wishes that the developers proposed half the amount of homes that were approved “It’s just high density,” said Underwood “The things that are getting approved are really hurting out county." Development:  Chronicle Mill project nearing completion in Belmont The developers told City Council and community members at meetings that they will comply with any traffic study recommendations Gastonia City Council encouraged developers to prioritize alleviating new traffic from the development “This looks like one of the better projects that we’ve seen in a long time,” said City Councilman Robert Kellogg “I think this will be a beautiful community right next to Martha Rivers Park.” The project consists of a multiphase project with the first phase starting with more than a hundred homes Developers expect to start construction next spring Reach Janiya Winchester at 980-319-6819 or jwinchester@gannett.com The southbound lanes of I-85 have been shut down because of a suicide according to the Gastonia Police Department Traffic going south on the interstate through Gastonia is being rerouted near exit 21 The Department of Transportation recommends this detour: Motorists use Exit 21 (Cox Road) right to US 29/US 74 West Franklin Boulevard to I-85 South the interstate is expected to be shut down until about 3 p.m No further information was released as of noon Monday A Spartanburg, South Carolina-based real estate developer received the OK from Gastonia City Council this month to build an 852-unit self-storage facility in south Gastonia “Unlike many zonings that may come before you we are proposing something less intense than what was allowed under existing zoning,” said Bridget Grant a land use and zoning consultant with Moore and Van Allen The Charlotte-based firm Moore and Van Allen represented the developer for the project in its proposal to develop a self-storage facility along Riverwood Parkway in Gastonia Johnson Development Associates wants to build a climate controlled self-storage facility on three acres of land at 3010 Riverwood Parkway which intersects with Neal Hawkins Road on the corner where the Pelican’s Snoballs eatery sits Developers expect the facility to be no more than 120,000 square feet “The intention for this is to look and feel more like an office,” said Rob Rain the president of the industrial and self-storage divisions at Johnson Development Associates.  The 45-foot facility will be three stories have an on-site manager and spandrel glass use for windows to mirror office architecture The developers also want to create more walkability by adding more sidewalk to the northern and southern areas of the project extending to Neal Hawkins Road City Council and a few residents inquired about the storage facility’s entry points “We are very heavy on camera use inside and outside the facility,” said Rain “Staff on site is also trained to ensure that there won’t be any loitering.” Some residents shared mixed feelings about the project proposal “You can’t go anywhere in Gastonia without seeing forest clear-cut,” said Jessica Underwood “Just because land can be developed doesn’t mean that it should be and this will be too tall for the area." "It doesn’t belong at the entrance of our neighborhood," she said of the nearby Riverwood Plantation neighborhood.  a Gastonia resident for more than 25 years fears what alternative developments would be proposed if the self-storage project was not approved.  "We already take our lives into our hands trying to get out of the Riverwood neighborhood by going onto Neal Hawkins Road," said Ridgeway "I feel we are fortunate in getting this development proposed here rather than what could be on this site."  City Council approved the rezoning with a 4-2 vote.  Developers hope to start construction by the fall and complete construction within a year Reach Janiya Winchester at 980-319-6819 or jwinchester@gannett.com A food bank that has helped struggling families in Gastonia for more than two decades will be moving Blessings Received Each Appointed Day Inc. BREAD will have a move-in-day Saturday at its new location at 3803 Old York Road about four miles south of its current spot The group will announce its grand opening at its new site after meeting all permit and inspection requirements "We hope to keep most of our current members and add many more out of the great need in the South Gastonia area," said manager Jill Moore "We are moving to a larger facility which will enable us to serve greater numbers as well as share more food and supplies." BREAD had leased its now former location for more than a decade "We currently serve 90 to 100 families a week," Moore said Aside from providing food to community members in need BREAD also assists people with clothing and other home items depending on what they need Those in need can come to the food bank once a week to obtain necessary living resources BREAD also gives some a food box once a month depending on their need to support its moving and startup expenses related to relocation "The money will be used to help meet all the code and county requirements as well as help us through the extra operating expenses of the first year," said Moore The grant helped BREAD make some decisions about moving to a new building "It made it possible for us to accept the challenge of choosing the larger space bringing it up to code and functioning requirements as well as taking on the increased expense of a building that’s 50% larger," said Moore we trust God to supply our needs and he has so beautifully.  When we couldn't find a building to move into we just kept praying and trusting that he would provide The market is so tight, buildings sell or lease often the same day they go on the market When just the right building became available God worked it out so we could find one quickly We are thrilled to have a place that will allow us to expand and meet our needs so well." The bigger building will help BREAD increase the number of people they serve while providing groceries to other organizations that also assist the needy "We hope to keep most of our current clients while expanding services to meet needs in the south Gastonia area," said Moore Beatriz Guerrero can be reached at 704-869-1828 or on Twitter@BeatrizGue_ Portofino Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria has become somewhat of a local institution since opening nearly 20 years ago in Gastonia With its reputation firmly solidified within the Franklin Square shopping center two chefs from the business are now ready to expand with a second venue in a pocket of the city that they believe desperately needs it we always have overflow in Portofino,” said Tony Coppola “And a lot of the people are coming from the (U.S.) 321 South area and are really asking us to do something there.” The answer to those prayers will be Reginella Italian Pizzeria & Grill It will be set up in a building that housed a Kentucky Fried Chicken many years ago and was more recently home to an Asian food restaurant known as Thai Khao San Portofino owner Nunzio Petrone will be launching the new venue with Coppola who has been his general manager for a little more than a year The moniker they chose stems from a house dressing that Coppola created after his arrival His Reginella sauce has an Italian base with olive oil “It’s a house dressing and it goes well on every type of cuisine,” he said and it’s gluten free with no preservatives added Reginella sauce is offered on dishes at Portofino and also sold in 12-ounce containers for patrons to take home “We have a national company that sells it for us around the United States,” said Coppola “We’re looking to expand the selling more locally and in North Carolina.” One of Petrone and Coppola’s commonalities is that they both grew up in the same area of Italy Coppola’s family eventually came to New Jersey opened a restaurant known as Brothers Pizza in 1973 He would go on to open a total of seven locations in what became a successful chain He went to a successful career in the food industry before deciding to move south and partner with Petrone last year Coppola said they will pride themselves on providing fresh pizza dough made in house three rotating varieties of pasta prepared fresh every day Those ingredients will be used within a menu that includes staples such as pizza “The homemade cannoli I’m going to make is just like my grandma used to make,” he said The restaurant will have seating for 80 people and will generally be open from 11 a.m “It will be high-quality food with an average price,” he said You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or on Twitter @GazetteMike hail and a tornado came through Gaston and Cleveland counties Wednesday afternoon Cleveland County Emergency Management director confirmed that an EF-1 tornado moved through Cleveland County Wednesday afternoon Fallston and Waco with damage in other areas from the outer band of the tornado meteorologist with the National Weather Service said a survey team went out to Cleveland County Thursday morning to make an assessment on whether there was a tornado "There was a consistent enough path of damage it was likely enough that there was a tornado that we sent the team to do a survey," he said He said the damage was along a track with a number of trees down around Shelby Bessemer City and into Gastonia and widespread wind damage in both counties Wimberley said up to two and half inches of rain fell along the track of the heaviest rain He said he was not aware of any reports of tornado sightings ran and downed trees caused widespread power outages there were 3,201 Duke Energy customers without power Thursday morning The hardest hit areas were in the upper part of the county around Belwood and Casar Both Cleveland and Gaston county schools were closed Thursday as a result of the damage was driving south on South New Hope Road when the tree fell from the westbound shoulder of the road at about 4:30 p.m. was taken to Caromont Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries An emergency shelter was opened for Gaston County residents at the Adult Recreation Center located at 519 W “We’re working as quickly as we can to make sure our residents are safe and downed trees and debris is moved out of roadways so power crews can work on getting power restored,” Gaston County Board of Commissioners Chairman Brown said in a press release Over 1,300 911 calls came in during a brief period compared to 600 during a 24-hour period on a busy day according to Gaston County Emergency Management Deputy Director Scott Hunter Diane Turbyfill and Kara Fohner contributed to this report A commercial space that hosted a drug store in south Gastonia for more than two decades will soon undergo a multi-million-dollar overhaul before becoming a plasma donation center That planned future use for the building at 1519 S York Road has drawn the ire of some nearby homeowners who have raised concerns about everything from potential increases in crime to the exploitation of the poor And there appear to be no real hurdles to the project moving forward since the city approved a building permit in May that will allow the extensive renovation of the property Gastonia City Councilwoman Jennifer Stepp said she still hopes steps can be taken to ensure the new business is a reputable one “I’ve spoken with several people in that community as that is in my ward,” she said of the new plasma center site “I’m hoping maybe to set up a meeting with staff our city attorney and even police to see what we can do to make that situation the best as I understand there’s nothing we can do to prevent it “But I want to make a best-case scenario and make (nearby residents) feel more comfortable and safer in their neighborhoods.” Plasma is the essential ingredient for products crucial to treating patients suffering from many different life-threatening diseases and conditions immune deficiencies and other blood disorders CSL Plasma spokesman Glen Calder said a lot of people misunderstand the positive mission of donation centers and the precautions that are taken to ensure people can donate safely “People have misconceptions and don’t realize what it is and that it really does save lives,” he said York Road was constructed in 1996 and operated as a Kerr Drug until 2013 when Walgreens bought out the foundering competitor and shuttered that location but has decided to lease the 11,644-square-foot property to CSL Plasma which is one of the three largest plasma collection companies in the country CSL Plasma operates two donation centers in Charlotte and another one in Rock Hill said their plan is to move fairly quickly on debuting the Gastonia location a plasma protein biotherapies company headquartered in Pennsylvania “CSL Plasma is unique in that we don’t sell our plasma to other companies,” said Lehr Plasma that CSL collects is used to treat coagulation disorders including hemophilia and von Willebrand disease The company’s products are also used in cardiac surgery burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic disease of the newborn The building permit recently approved by the city calls for a $14 million project that will include interior demolition and a complete renovation of the former drug store Lehr said it will follow an established model seen at other CSL Plasma donation sites “We try to make it as uniform as possible from center to center,” he said “It’s not very often we get free-standing buildings It’s more common for us to be in a strip mall or connected to other businesses in some shape or form.” CSL Plasma donation centers are typically open seven days a week but always includes positions for high school graduates as well as for medical staff who are certified as everything from emergency medical technicians to licensed nurse practitioners Lehr said plasma collection takes two to three hours for a first-time donor then 70 to 90 minutes per visit as long as the donor provides plasma at least once every six months donors can earn about $400 a month for providing plasma “The incentive is to get people into that groove of understanding how often they can donate KEDPLASMA became Gastonia’s first plasma donation center to open at 588 N neighbors complained about increased traffic and other effects of the business’ presence Police responded to almost two dozen calls for service over those 12 months that ranged from vehicle wrecks to civil disturbances as well as domestic matters and an assault a shooting outside the donation center in broad daylight left one man dead The facility has since been acquired by Grifols a global health care company that is a competitor to CSL Plasma During a Gastonia City Council meeting on Tuesday husband and wife Matt and Shuree Correll of Westbrook Circle spoke on behalf of numerous residents who are unhappy about CSL Plasma coming to South York Road Shurree Correll said the business model of plasma donation centers is structured to prey upon the poor and disenfranchised “Gastonia was hand-picked like many cities that have an active drug economy,” she said “Poor communities are being targeted for placement of these donation centers.” Matt Correll referenced articles and various statistics that have called into question the safety of donating plasma particularly for people who donate once or twice a week “The bottom line is there are true long-term effects to taking plasma from people,” he said “The rate we take plasma from people today is absolutely harmful to them in the future.” You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or on Twitter @GazetteMike.