gastonia

The city of Gastonia has launched a new rideshare service to replace its bus system with an Uber-style app for local residents to use within the city. The new on-demand rideshare GoGastonia is available to customers Monday.

Gastonia, population 81,000, will be the biggest city in North Carolina to shift to on-demand vans, SUVs and sedans for public transportation.

The Confederate statue in front of the Gaston County courthouse can stay, if county commissioners choose to keep it there, Superior Court Judge Robert Ervin found. But doing so would send a message. He laid out options county commissioners could use to remove or alter the statue without violating the state’s 2015 law regarding objects of remembrance.

The city of Gastonia is cutting all of its regular bus routes and replacing them with on-demand service. Gastonia operates six bus routes that drew 144,000 riders last year. But starting in July, Gastonia will instead offer on-demand rides through a three-year, $1.65 million contract with River North Transit. That means instead of waiting at bus stops along set routes, riders will use an app, website or call center to schedule a ride directly where they’re going, similar to Uber or Lyft.

Dozens of people living in a homeless encampment behind a church in Gastonia began moving out Monday morning, one week after a man was shot and killed on the property, and as the church tries to defend itself from a city lawsuit.

There’s an effort in the North Carolina General Assembly to change the way Gastonia’s city council seats are elected. Rep. Donnie Loftis said the council’s Republicans asked for the change, but local officials say that’s not true.

Gastonia Police Department is investigating a $80,000 jewelry robbery at a local department store.

Federal officials and Gov. Roy Cooper toured a federally-funded flood control project in Gastonia Friday to promote two programs that help communities nationwide deal with the effects of climate change.

The city of Gastonia will continue operating fare-free through April 3, 2022.

A lawsuit has been filed in Gaston County seeking the removal of a Confederate monument outside the county courthouse, arguing that it violates several provisions in the North Carolina Constitution.