SEABROOKS SAYS:  Most in Gaston County know about our poverty situation.  Do you? Read about solutions proven to work at other places.  Are you willing to address our poverty issue in some way?  Now that you know, what will you do?  With its roots in Scott Miller’s national Circles movement, the Gaston County NetworX Initiative is coming to Gaston County. Having secured the Gaston County Family YMCA as its “lead agency,” Gaston NetworX is connecting with local stakeholders, including members of the faith community,… Read More »

SEABROOK SAYS: Let your imagination run wild! Can you predict the results if 800 churches collaborated on one service to our community? Read on please. For many of us in Christian traditions, some fascination develops about the ways our particular strains express the life of faith in the world. The conscious interaction of Reformed Protestants with the world in transformational ways is perhaps peculiar to its roots in medieval Europe. The rise of cottage industry (particularly textiles), the emerging middle… Read More »

SEABROOK SAYS: Earl Mathers, our county manager, is a straight shooter. He reports with lots of optimism! Gaston County is making progress. Question for you: Are you and/or your organization taking positive actions to assist in assuring we continuously improve? NOW THAT YOU KNOW, WHAT WILL YOU DO? Despite the success of our industrial recruitment efforts, robust residential development, high occupancy rates in local hotels and new retail openings, there is a lingering perception that Gaston County’s economy is in… Read More »

SEABROOK SAYS: GGDC writes about two prime goals: growing jobs and growing the tax base. Every citizen can help everyday: talk up our positives, build our image, make our Gaston a better place. The Alliance for Growth plan developed by over 100 Gaston County leaders late in 2014 embodies two fundamentally important goals for Gaston County: 1) grow jobs and 2) grow the tax base through greater investment. These goals are premised on the conviction that growth is a positive… Read More »

The Board of Advisors of Digging Deeper would like to have your feedback about Digging Deeper’s efforts to educate our readers about issues affecting Gaston County.  Please take a few minutes to complete this quick survey:   http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HBB9XXB Thank you!

SEABROOK SAYS: Matt Kuiken is not just the lead pastor at First ARP, he has vast experience with mentoring school kids. When you read his remarks, ask: “Now that I know, shall I volunteer as a mentor? For the first five minutes we stared at one another. His name was Michael. He was a seven year-old African-American student from a single parent home, and he had requested a mentor. So here I was. I had no idea what to do… Read More »

By James Buie, Chief of Gaston County Police The topic of fear and crime has generated significant interest over the years and research has not come to any one single conclusion on what actually is the fear of crime. The fact that more people experience the fear of crime than victimization is a debatable topic. Maybe we can at least accept, to some degree, that when we separate fear and crime, fear can be summarized as an unpleasant emotion and/or perception derived from experiences… 雷光PVN