From the editor: Impactful journalism highlights year of audience growth for Gazette
Not as many journalists work at The Gaston Gazette as they did when I started here in April 1996 as part of a team of reporters, editors, photographers and page designers. For faithful, and even occasional readers, that does not come as news.
Right now, the newsroom includes myself, reporter Kara Fohner, photographer Mike Hensdill and sportswriter Joe Hughes. Former Gazette Life Editor Will MacDonald continues to help plan our pages, along with many other things to help get our product to you. Together, the five of us produce dozens of stories each week that appear at GastonGazette.com and in our printed product Sunday through Friday. We make a great team.
In the past year, and in some cases much longer, The Gaston Gazette also has had regular contributors to our news product from Nan Kirlin, who writes on environmental matters, thought-provoking opinion pieces by Mick McMahan, humor columns by Rick Dominy, and stories about happenings in Belmont from Rotarian and former newspaperman/Montcross Chamber leader Ted Hall. I try and remember to thank these four each time they write something for The Gazette, but also want to say "thank you" publicly.
We also have regular contributors to our Sunday Debate page. We wish we had more people write letters to the editor, because we want our opinion pages to be full of different viewpoints. We especially encourage letters from people who feel voices from their community or group may be getting overlooked or unheard. Thank you to our regular contributors, you are too many to name, and I fear I would leave someone out.
In 2023, The Gazette will continue to have an impact on Gaston County. Our journalists will come to work each day because we want to provide news that makes a difference in the community. And The Gazette provides news that our readers can find no where else, not from the Charlotte TV stations, social media or various other channels of communication.
Here are just a few examples of impactful journalism our talented staff produced in 2022:
Teacher pay
Gaston County Schools has been experiencing widespread problems with pay since the district went live with a new payroll system from Oracle.
Gaston County Schools was a guinea pig for the system, which is meant to be implemented statewide. Since Gaston County went live with the new payroll system in January 2022, teachers and other school staff members have complained that their paychecks have been incorrect, money taken from their paychecks didn't make it to their retirement accounts, and paychecks for some didn't arrive at all.
The Gazette staff will continue to report on this story in the coming year.
Murder charge dismissed
Belmont resident Mark Bradley Carver no longer faces a first-degree murder charge in the 2008 death of UNC Charlotte student Ira Yarmolenko.
Carver spent eight years in prison and several more under house arrest until Gaston County District Attorney Travis Page, who inherited the case when he took office on July 1, 2021, formally dismissed the charge against Carver on Aug. 12.
Jail deaths
Four Gaston County Jail inmates have died since August: 47-year-old Jason Lane Pettus, 29-year-old Dillon Teague, 52-year-old Keith Elmore, and 31-year-old Jordan Moses.
Teague died from methamphetamine toxicity, while Elmore's death was a suicide. Pettus' and Moses' causes of death have not yet been released.
The Gazette staff, led in reporting by Kara, will continue to follow this story in the coming year.
New trails
A 20-plus mile linear trail will soon allow people to start walking, jogging or bicycling from the South Carolina state line, follow the South Fork River by Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, pass through parts of Belmont, Cramerton, McAdenville, Lowell and then end atop Spencer Mountain in Ranlo.
The trail, some of it paved, other parts natural, will be known as the Matthews-Belk South Fork River Corridor and be a part of the Carolina Thread Trail. About eight miles of the trail is already finished, with the remaining 12 miles to be completed or under construction in the next four years.
More in 2023
Several stories − ranging from a lithium mine planned in the west to rapid development in the east − will continue to be covered in the coming year.
Belmont Abbey College has big plans for its nursing program, while CaroMont's new hospital nearby seems closer to opening everyday. It seems like every community in Gaston County has developments either already started or in the planning stages.
Gastonia has a major apartment building under construction downtown and continued development of its FUSE District.
There are plenty of reasons to continue to support The Gazette. If you already subscribe, thank you. If you are considering the purchase of a subscription − either online or in print, please do. Print subscribers get full access to the online content.
Your support helps The Gazette provide the impactful journalism Gaston County deserves.
You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-201-7016 or email him at Kellis@GastonGazette.com. Support local journalism by subscribing here. Editor's note: This column was originally scheduled to run Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in The Gazette's printed product.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Impactful journalism highlights year of audience growth for Gazette
