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Volume 117 • Issue 40
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
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GCS’s results show progress toward improving academic achievement Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gaston County students score higher on state tests by TODD HAGANS Chief Communications Officer Gaston County Schools
As of September 2023, state testing and accountability data for the 2022-2023 academic year indicates that school districts across North Carolina, including Gaston County Schools, continue to recover from learning loss that occurred as a result of
the COVID-19 pandemic, according to information released by the N.C. State Board of Education and N.C. Department of Public Instruction. The statewide trend is that school districts are making progress on the various accountability and testing measures, including in the areas of student proficiency and academic growth. In comparison of the 2022-2023 year to the 20202021 year when students returned to school following the COVID-19 shutdown in March 2020, the percentage of students in Gaston See GCS, PAGE 9
A ribbon cutting, held at the new Felicia Bowman Photography Studio. Felicia, her husband, Ed, and their daughter, Lauren Craig, are in the front and center, holding the remnants of the newly-cut ribbon, signifying her studio is officially open for business. The actual studio is upstairs at 711 E. Main St., Cherryville, a.k.a. the Johnson Building. Helping her celebrate the opening, are a host of family members and friends, as well as Cherryville city and Chamber staff and officials. (photo by MEP/The Eagle/CF Media)
New photography business opens on Cherryville’s Main Street Felicia Bowman Photography is located upstairs in the Johnson Building, at 711 E. Main Street by MICHAEL E. POWELL Editor michael@cfmedia.info
Cherryville photographer Felicia Bowman, along with many members of her fam-
A frontal view of the damage a fire did to an outside storage building located at 416 N. Pine St., Cherryville last week. (photo provided by the Cherryville Fire Department)
Sept. 24 fire totally destroys outside storage building on Pine Street Chief said CFD vehicles, personnel arrived “…within a few minutes” and “controlled the fire…” by MICHAEL E. POWELL Editor michael@cfmedia.info
The Cherryville Fire Department was dispatched to an outside building fire last week involving a storage building on N. Pine Street. The building was completely destroyed. According to Chief Jason Wofford, “We were dispatched to a storage building fire located at 416 N. Pine Street, at 9:09 p.m., on (Tuesday) Sept. 24, 2023.” Chief Wofford noted fire department vehicles and personnel arrived “…within
a few minutes” and “controlled the fire within four minutes.” Chief Wofford also noted it was reported that a victim could have been in the building, but, he added, “…a search and rescue effort showed no victims. The alleged victim was located a few minutes later.” CFD officials said the fire is under investigation by the Cherryville Police Department, with Chief Wofford adding, “The fire cause has been deemed undetermined by the Gaston County Fire Marshal’s Office.” Fire Chief Wofford and Assistant Fire Chief Colby Heffner noted Capt. Jason Ledbetter and Engineer Phillip Smith were on duty and did an excellent job in answering the call. Said Chief Wofford, “We received mutual aid from Hugh’s Pond VFD, and Tryonota VFD. Twelve members of the Cherryville See FIRE, Page 2
ily and many of her friends, gathered on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, at her new studio, to cut the ribbon to her new business, Felicia Bowman Photography. The studio is upstairs in the Johnson Building, located on East Main Street; 711 East Main Street, to be exact, and, as Mrs. Bowman noted, is just a short walk from where she lives. Bowman said she would
often come by the office building whenever she was out for a walk and saw an office space was for rent. “So, I took a chance and called about it, and now, here I am,” she said, with a smile. Bowman, who works at Dellinger Electric, is no novice when it comes to her art and passion – photography. As a matter of fact, she is highly skilled and talented, with a keen eye not only to
detail and spatial layout, but to design as well. Anyone who looks at her web site galleries or views her work on her Facebook page will see she is a master photographer. As for how she got started, she said she started doing family photos previously, but decided to get seriously involved with it around 2015. As for what originally got See PHOTOGRAPHY, Page 6
Aldridge’s to dedicate mural honoring them with a concert by MICHAEL E. POWELL Editor michael@cfmedia.info
Chamber officials said recently Cherryville’s own bluegrass stars, Darin and Brooke Aldridge, will help dedicate a downtown mural honoring them. As per a press release from the city, the well-known duo will do so on Thursday, Oct. 5, with a free concert in Cherryville’s Mini Park from 6 to 8 p.m. The park is located on Main St., in downtown Cherryville. According to their website, Darin and Brooke Aldridge have achieved nationwide stardom and have performed over 50 times at
A promotional photo of Cherryville’s Darin and Brooke Aldridge performing. (photo from the Aldridge’s web site) the Grand Ole Opry. They have a string of critically acclaimed Number 1 singles.
Most recently, the Aldridges were named “Bluegrass Artists of the Year” at the Abso-
lutely Gospel Music Awards in Nashville. See MURAL, Page 3
Poll: Two-thirds of North Carolinians worried about crime in neighborhoods by DAVID N. BASS Carolina Journal
A new Civitas poll finds that 66 percent of North Carolina voters are concerned about crime and safety in their neighborhoods. The results drop as a number of cities in the Tar Heel State have experienced crime surges after the COVID-19 pandemic. Crime has plagued downtown Raleigh in recent months, while Asheville and Wilmington have experienced their
own crime challenges. Across the state, the number of juvenile offenders is also up. Drug-related crime tops voters’ list of worrisome trends, with 54 percent of respondents to the poll saying it was the most pressing issue. Property crime came in at 40% and violent crime at 35 percent. “As North Carolina continues to experience a population and invest- Two-thirds of NC voters are worried about crime in their communities, according to a new Civitas ment boom, municipalities will (photo provided) See POLL, Page 6 poll.
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