Gaston County

Piedmont Lithium will begin mining next year, but not at its controversial proposed mine in northern Gaston County. Instead the company has lined up mines outside the country.

The Belmont City Council has voted to support the controversial "Red Raider" mascot at South Point High School, finding it to be a "positive reflection of the city" and a "welcome reminder of the contributions of American Indians."

James Ijames, a native of Bessemer City in Gaston County, won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for drama for his play "Fat Ham," an interpretation of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" that is set at a North Carolina barbecue.

A company seeking a state permit for a lithium mine in northern Gaston County has until mid-July to answer state regulators' questions about the project's potential environmental effects.

Gastonia’s police department is bringing on a person to help those experiencing homelessness when police are involved.

Piedmont Lithium says its proposed mine and processing operation in northern Gaston County will create more than 1,000 jobs and generate $3.9 billion in economic activity in its first six years. But those predictions got a cool reception Tuesday from county commissioners and residents.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation says one of the first permanent traffic systems in the state is officially up and running on Interstate 85 in Mecklenburg and Gaston counties.

Most speakers at a public hearing in Gastonia on Monday night urged state environmental regulators to deny a permit for a lithium mine on about 1,500 acres in northern Gaston County. Their main concerns: air and water pollution and losing their quality of life.

All but a handful of Democratic caucus members left their desks for the exits as Rep. Donnie Loftis of Gaston County took the oath of office Monday evening.

Gaston County commissioners on Tuesday night unanimously approved updates to the county development ordinance that allow new mining operations and spell out how they are regulated. The rules affect Piedmont Lithium, which wants to build an $840 million lithium mining and processing facility in northern Gaston County.