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Mount Holly Man Charged With Theft Of Chicken Parts

2005-06-20T21:14:00.000-04:00

A man who neighbors reported was selling frozen chicken pieces from the back of a trailer at his home was charged in connection with the theft of a $100,000 trailer-load of chicken parts in May, police said. Walter Hicks Petty, 46, was arrested Saturday and charged with two counts of receiving stolen goods, arrest warrants said. Police who responded to the neighbors' call last month found a trailer that had been reported missing by Colonial Freight Systems, valued at $44,500. Inside the trailer, police recovered about 20 pallets containing 1,854 cases of assorted frozen chicken parts, according to warrant affidavits. Neighbors told police Petty would've been able to sell more of the chicken parts if it had truly been "finger lickin' good."

County Commissioners Asked to Avoid Expo Scandal

2005-06-05T00:15:00.000-04:00

Some Gaston County residents have begun a campaign to stop county commissioners from attending a conference in Honolulu this July. Four county commissioners regularly attend the National Association of Counties Annual Conference and Expo, but this year's exotic location—coupled with recent budget cutbacks—is causing greater scrutiny from the public. In addition to the financial questions being raised, commissioners have had to deny they are going to Hawaii to "get lei'd."

Gastonia Store Owner Accused of Killing in His Underwear

2005-04-07T15:37:00.000-04:00

Kevin Blake Moore, 53, was charged Wednesday after police said he fatally shot Tommy Lee Long, a convicted felon who broke into Moore's business last weekend. Long wasn't armed and hadn't stolen anything, when Moore fatally shot him as he ran out of the store into a parking lot, police said. Moore said Wednesday that he had been living at his store, Mac's M & M Auto Parts of Gastonia on Franklin Boulevard, and was asleep when he heard someone break several windows that morning. Moore said, "I wasn't (just) defending my store. I live here. This whole incident happened with me in my underwear." Despite the underwear defense, Gaston County District Attorney Mike Lands decided to charge Moore with second-degree murder.

Gastonia On the Map As Global Spandex Headquarters

2005-03-23T12:45:00.000-05:00

RadiciSpandex, a major supplier of Spandex to the world's joggers and '80s hair metal bands, has announced it will base its primary headquarters in Gastonia. The sprawling Spandex compound which overlooks Interstate 85 is already home to some other Radici Group operations, including its global distribution warehouse. Former global product manager for Fashion Applications Preston Kelly says, “Gastonia will see the addition of an entire staff of accounting, planning, and customer services jobs in the community. All of these measures are aimed at making us the preferred spandex supplier in the western hemisphere.” Gastonia residents are being encouraged to wear more Spandex in support of the company's investment in the community.

Christian Groups Not Urged to See New Jesus Docu-Drama

2005-02-28T20:39:00.000-05:00

Local evangelical groups are expressing ambivalence about local filmmaker Earl Owensby's new docu-drama about the life of Christ. Unlike last year's sweeping support for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, Owensby's film—built around his collection of religious paintings—has yet to gain widespread support from the faithful in Gaston County. "We're waiting for [James] Dobson or somebody to really get behind this," says Rev. Clay Faitken, Pastor of Mass Mobilization at Gastonia's Bethlehem Baptist Church. "If [Rick] Warren recommends this then we'll do it for sure. We always do whatever he tells churches to do." While local congregations recently joined together to distribute free copies of The Jesus Film on DVD to area homes, no such campaign is being planned for the Owensby project. But it could still happen, says Faitken. "Whenever there's an evangelical bandwagon, we're right on it."

Local TV Ads Powerfully Promote Illiteracy

2005-02-21T19:05:00.000-05:00

Two recent ads on local television have successfully promoted illiteracy by using prominently placed misspellings to communicate their marketing messages. First, an ad on cable access promoting Hunter Huss High School's "FREE!!!" tutoring in math, science, and English was followed by this statement: "Tranpartation is available." The second ad came from perennial favorite Sonny Hancock car dealership, advertising its new 10-year/100,000-mile warranty on select vehicles. Replete with dramatic voiceover and large type on screen, the ad declares: "Now that's piece-of-mind!"

'Garden Parkway' To Be Renamed 'Billy Graham Parkway'

2005-02-18T23:34:00.000-05:00

A proposed toll road through Gaston County got a boost this week when the N.C. Turnpike Authority endorsed the project along with three others. The so-called "Garden Parkway" would connect a 20-mile stretch between I-485 (near the Charlotte/Douglas Airport) to I-85 in Gastonia. Some have suggested the name of the toll road be changed from "Garden Parkway" to "Billy Graham Parkway," in honor of the world-famous evangelist and North Carolina's favorite son. "I know there's a 'Billy Graham Parkway' in Charlotte already, but that's no big deal," said John Culbertson, a Turnpike Authority board member. "We've got lots of roads around here that have the same name. In fact, we kind of enjoy naming different roads the same thing whenever we can."

Secret Starbucks Subject of Scrutiny

2005-02-11T22:17:00.000-05:00

An investigative report earlier this week revealed top secret plans by the multi-national Starbucks® Corporation to infiltrate the Gaston County region by opening a covert coffeeshop on the campus of Belmont Abbey College. Reaction around the region was mixed. "It seems like a slippery slope," said one Belmont resident. "They start by offering Starbucks® coffee at one location, and before you know it, there's a full-blown Starbucks® on every block! But then again, with those Grande Caramel Frappucinos®, it could be a very delicious slippery slope ..."

Local Merchants Vie for Free Internet Consumers

2005-02-10T22:02:00.000-05:00

The free Internet market in Gaston County has some new competition. According to signs and literature at the Panera Bread location which opened earlier this week on Franklin Boulevard in Gastonia, Internet access is available through a free wireless network, referred to as a "wi-fi hotspot" by some technologically savvy individuals. Fortunately for other "wi-fi"-enabled businesses, this location has not yet been added to some online directories. According to Yahoo!, other "hotspots" in Gaston County include both UPS Stores, the Fairfield Inn on Remount Road, and the Shogun Japanese Steak and Seafood Restaurant on Garrison Road. Only time will tell which businesses offering free "wi-fi" Web access will succeed, and which will fall by the techno wayside.

Radio Ads Help Reinforce 'Redneck' Stereotype

2005-02-04T23:13:00.000-05:00

Gaston County's "redneck" reputation got a little help recently from a radio ad campaign for the upscale new Catawba Mills luxury loft condominiums in Belmont. The radio spots feature the interaction between an announcer and a "redneck" who is apparently looking to move out of the double-wide into something a little nicer. In one commercial, Catawba Mills' luxurious amenities such as individual patio/balcony for each condo are described by the "redneck" as "a great place to stick my plether couch." County officials believe this type of advertising serves to reinforce stereotypes about Gaston County residents. No sign yet as to whether the radio ad campaign was successful to overall sales at the new property.

Drag Racers Could Cause Thousands to Drive Off Franklin Boulevard

2005-02-03T16:58:00.000-05:00

Kathey McCally claims she was nearly driven off the road Tuesday morning by two young drivers drag racing on Franklin Boulevard. Gastonia Police Sgt. Michael Lari says young drag-racing hoodlums will travel from 30 to 40 miles away to race on Franklin Boulevard. No word yet as to how many drivers on Franklin Boulevard are actually drag racers from outside of Gastonia, but some estimates say it could be as high as 13,000 a day.

13,000 Cars a Day Threaten to Drive Franklin Boulevard Into the Ground

2005-02-02T22:27:00.000-05:00

According to research published today in the Charlotte Observer "about 35,000 cars travel daily on the road in front of [Franklin Square mall]. Franklin Boulevard was built to handle only 22,000 car trips per day in that area." Statisticians estimate that this study suggests Franklin Boulevard is potentially being overrun by 13,000 cars per day. If this dangerous trend continues, more than 4.7 million cars will have pounded the pavement in front of Franklin Square—literally driving it into the ground.

Scout Troop Rescued from Snowstorm, Can't Escape the Obvious

2005-01-25T09:02:00.000-05:00

Eleven Scouts and leaders in a troop with the First Presbyterian Church of Gastonia were rescued and treated for frostbite and hypothermia Sunday after being trapped by a blizzard on a mountain in Virginia's Grayson Highland State Park. Scout leaders say if they'd known what they were getting into, they would not have gone. Anxious parents of the young scouts say, "Duh!"

Gastonia Officials Deliberating How to Waste $700,000 of Taxpayer Money

2005-01-23T22:21:00.000-05:00

Gastonia city officials have decided against building a new civic center, so the $700,000 raised from a 3% hotel/motel tax will have to be spent on something else. Local officials insist the money has to be spent on a tourism-related project that would put "heads in beds" in local hotels. Some hotel proprietors—who feel the 3% tax actually discouraged potential patrons—are not holding their breath that the city will just give them the money. Other taxpayers have no such similar hopes.

Gaston College Radio May Commit Week of Airtime to Limp Bizkit

2005-01-23T22:17:00.000-05:00

Gaston College radio station WSGE (91.7 FM) will celebrate local music this week with its second annual Grassroots Music Tribute, featuring only artists from the Carolinas. Ben Dungan, the station's development coordinator, did not elaborate on how much of the playlist would be dedicated to Limp Bizkit tunes.

Elvis Cup to Appear at Fundraiser January 25

2005-01-22T23:17:00.000-05:00

Wade Jones of Belmont has become an international celebrity, following two successful eBay auctions related to his 27-year-old styrofoam cup used by Elvis Presley. First Jones auctioned off the water from the cup on eBay for $455, then he auctioned off a "viewing" of the cup itself, which snack food company Nutballz™ purchased for a January 25 fundraising dinner. The dinner will raise money for the Center for Celiac Research, a division of the University of Maryland that is dedicated to research, awareness, consultation, diagnosis, and treatment of celiac disease. Researchers say they have not yet determined if there's a correlation between celiac disease and styrofoam viewing.

Panera Bread Not Opening Soon Enough

2005-01-22T22:26:00.000-05:00

A new Panera Bread bakery/cafe is opening February 8 on Franklin Boulevard in Gastonia (located next to the new Circuit City and Blockbuster Video). They're hiring now if anybody's interested. No word yet on whether the new Panera will be offering free wifi along with their sinful desserts and delicious coffee.

Hollywood Video May Soon Stock Porn

2005-01-22T22:20:00.000-05:00

Hollywood Video in Gastonia may soon be setting up a backroom of XXX-rated videos. That's according to the American Family Association who says that Hollywood Video's merger last week with Movie Gallery could lead to Movie Gallery's porn business being transferred over to Hollywood Video. There are at least three Movie Gallery locations in Gaston County, but the Spectator has not learned whether they currently rent porn. Conservative groups do not yet appear to be mobilizing to address this potential threat. The Spectator will keep you abreast of any developments in this breaking news story.

Welcome to the Gaston County Spectator

2005-01-22T22:18:00.000-05:00

Charlotte and Raleigh have their Observers. Gaston County now has The Spectator. Written by real people who really live in Gaston County, the Gaston County Spectator will occassionally make observations—like our "big city" counterparts—but mostly we'll just spectate. And sometimes we'll prognosticate. We'll possibly even expectorate. All for you, our faithful readers in Gaston County, North Carolina (and across the webosphere). Boo-ya!