Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) in Gastonia, NC

Trace Casanova has auditioned for American Idol four times. While his first three tries were in front of producers, his last audition was for the show's panel of judges, and he made it onto TV.

The Gastonia native's audition for American Idol will air on ABC Monday, Feb. 2, at 8 p.m. and on Hulu on Feb. 3.

"It felt very validating, just to be in the room, and to be there, and working with the people," Casanova said in an interview Feb. 2.

Trace Casanova is a stage name ― Casanova's true last name is Casanave, which he tweaked to perform.

Casanova, now 23, has been playing guitar since he was a student at Forestview High School, but he started singing in the seventh grade.

"I started taking it seriously in high school, doing the musicals," he said.

He said he was performing as Judd in "Oklahoma" his junior year of high school when he came to a turning point. The character was different than a more comedic character that he played in the musical "Footloose."

"It was showing a completely different side, and people loved it just as much," he said. "That's when I knew that this was what I was made to do."

Casanova, who grew up in Gastonia but now lives in Charlotte's NoDa community, works full-time as a musician. He said he's tried other jobs, but they didn't stick. He lasted one day working as a waiter before he was fired.

"I worked at The Golden Palace when it was still open. You couldn't read my handwriting, I was all over the place," he said. "I've had other jobs where like, it's always a different reaction. I had coworkers that didn't like when I was tap dancing at the Food Lion. I was practicing."

Casanova said he grew up with biker parents who listened to a lot of heavy metal. He rebelled by putting on jazz, and now, that's often what he often performs, playing at hotels, nursing homes, and other venues. He also hosts open mic night at downtown Gastonia's music venue, The Rooster.

"I'm very performative. I put on a suit and a nice microphone," he said. "It feels like me."

He said he enjoys doing the kind of covers that meld genres, like a jazz rendition of a Snoop Dogg song. He feels that kind of music brings people together.

"I think that's what America needs now more than ever," he said. "That's what we need: togetherness."

More than 80 people are losing their jobs in the Charlotte region at two textiles plants as the company moves to outsource part of its work.

Firestone Fibers and Textiles is cutting 81 jobs between two manufacturing sites in Gastonia and Kings Mountain in Gaston County, west of Charlotte, according to an N.C. Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act report filed Tuesday with the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

Firestone operates under Bridgestone Americas, based in Nashville, Tennessee, according to the WARN letter filed with the Commerce Department.

The company is reducing its output and workforce due to the changes in the global market and supply chain, Bridgestone said Wednesday in a statement to The Charlotte Observer.

Bridgestone will now be outsourcing a product it formerly produced in North Carolina that was then shipped to Joliette, Canada, the company said. A spokesperson declined to identify the product or say where the outsourcing will happen.

It’s the second round of layoffs this month by a Gaston manufacturer. Parkdale Mills in Gastonia, once the world’s largest manufacturer of spun yarn, is closing its factory in Walnut Cove on March 13, cutting 72 jobs.

The majority of the layoffs, 77, will affect workers at the 100 Firestone Lane, Kings Mountain, plant. The majority of jobs are direct cable, as well as production workers, weavers and material handlers.

The layoffs will begin March 27, with 46 jobs cut, with the final separation date on April 28.

All but six salaried employees are represented by United Steeleworkers Local 1133L in Kings Mountain. The Kings Mountain plant currently has 261 employees and Gastonia has 28, Bridgestone said.

Recent fire at Gastonia textile plant

Firestone Fibers in Gastonia recently experience another setback.

On Dec. 31 after 9 p.m., a fire erupted at the Gastonia plant at 315 S. Dalton St. No injuries were reported. Firefighters determined the blaze was unintentional, but the cause remains under investigation.

Bridgestone declined to provide an update or more information about the fire.

In September 2014, the same Firestone plant in Gastonia also had a fire, blamed on pieces of insulation surrounding the chimney that ignited, which caused debris inside the chimney to catch fire. No injuries or major damage was reported.

About Firestone Fibers and Textiles

Firestone opened its first plant in 1935 in Gastonia, according to the company’s website. The Kings Mountain plant opened in 1992.

Firestone makes tire cord and industrial fabrics for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, Firestone Airide and other commercial businesses.

The business, which once touted itself “Gastonia’s first and only local brewery,” hosted a final farewell Wednesday, Jan. 7, and was officially shuttered Jan. 8, the Gaston Gazette first reported.

Sugar Creek Brewing Company is set to take it over, owner Scott Cavendish told the newspaper, though it’s unclear when the brewery will reopen under the new brand.

CharlotteFive reached out to Sugar Creek Brewing for more information but didn’t hear back.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Business Journal reported that Sugar Creek Brewing and restaurant industry veteran Martin Sprock have teamed up to purchase the 2.75-acre site in Gaston County for $2 million. Plans call for a new Sugar Creek location, along with a barbecue restaurant called Dixon’s and production facilities, brewery co-founder Eric Flanigan told the outlet.

Charlotte Prunet, a former taproom manager at Cavendish Brewing, had confirmed to CharlotteFive on Thursday that Sugar Creek Brewing had purchased the land and brewery from Cavendish.

“There had been rumors going around for months that he (Cavendish) was selling, but we didn’t know to whom or what that would look like,” Prunet said in a phone interview.

The abrupt move came a day after Cavendish shared news of his retirement and invited the community to celebrate his final farewell at the brewery.

“It’s been real. It’s been fun. It’s been real fun!” he wrote in a now-deleted message shared on the business’s Facebook page. “Come stop by and give me a high five before I head out into the sunset! I love you all. Thank you for supporting my small business these last 10 years.”

The morning after, Prunet said she and roughly a dozen other employees learned they were out of a job.

So what’s next? The shuttered brewery will undergo repairs and renovations before eventually reopening as Sugar Creek Brewing.

“We’re not sure if (Sugar Creek) is going to reach out to previous staff to be employed,” Prunet said, adding that Cavendish has encouraged the new owners to rehire the former workers. “We were hoping there would be little change ... but it ended up being an official turnover.”

News of Cavendish Brewery’s closure came as a shock to employees and local residents who often gathered at the hangout “when they needed some love and support, a hug after a bad day” or just heartfelt advice, Prunet said.

“Over the practically 8 years I worked at Cavendish, I watched that place become a second home to so many people of the community,” she told CharlotteFive.

As the transition gets underway, Prunet said she hopes the new owners will continue to build on what Cavendish had created.

“Please, if you can, bring as much of the staff back and try to keep our vibe,” Prunet said. “The community will come back, rebuild and find our second home once again.”

Cavendish Brewing Company

Location: 207 N Chester St, Gastonia, NC 28052 (permanently closed)

Cuisine: Beer + light bites

Instagram: @cavendish_brewing

Add yet another feather to the cap of Gastonia basketball icon Leonard Hamilton.

The former Division I basketball coach will take his place among other sporting legends of the “Old North State,” Hamilton selected for the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame’s 2026 induction class.

Hamilton is part of a class including former PGA Tour player Chip Beck; three-time Winter Olympian and four-time world champion Heather Bergsma; former all-NFL selection with the Cincinnati Bengals Louis Breeden; University of North Carolina basketball national champion Tyler Hansbrough; Winston-Salem State football legend and former NFL player Richard Huntley; American tennis player and 2012 Olympian John Isner; late basketball coach and NCHSAA Hall of Famer Norvell Lee; MLS Cup champion and High Point native Eddie Pope; Houston men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson; and legendary Cary High wrestling coach Jerry Winterton.

The group will be inducted Friday, May 1, at the Sheraton Four Seasons Convention Center in Greensboro.

Hamilton retired as a college basketball coach following the 2024-25 season, leading programs at Oklahoma State, Miami (Florida) and Florida State to 660 wins over the course of his career. His footprint was particularly immense at Florida State, where the Gastonia native had a program-record 456 wins, as well as ACC regular season (2020) and tournament (2012) titles. Hamilton’s 1999-2000 Miami team earned a share of the Big East championship.

During his career, Hamilton was named UPI National Coach of the Year (1995), two-time Big East Coach of the Year (1995, 1999) and three-time ACC Coach of the Year (2009, 2012, 2020). He was also the recipient of the 2021 Ben Jobe Award, an honor annually presented to the top minority head coach in Division I basketball.

The Gastonia native also served as coach of the NBA’s Washington Wizards (2000-01).

Part of the first all-Black graduating class at Gastonia’s Highland High in 1966, Hamilton cut his teeth as a player at Gaston College, scoring 971 points during his two-year career before moving on to Tennessee-Martin to finish his college career.

A traveler may have exposed fellow diners to measles at a restaurant in Gastonia, state health officials said Saturday.

Anyone at Constantine’s Restaurant, 1825 S. New Hope Road, after 8:30 p.m. Dec. 26 may have been exposed and should monitor for symptoms until Jan. 16, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

Those with symptoms should immediately contact their local health department and stay at home unless seeking medical care, officials said.

Call ahead before visiting a doctor or an emergency room so the provider can take steps to prevent exposure to others, the state said.

Officials didn’t say how many diners and workers at the restaurant may have been exposed. The restaurant is popular for its Turkish, Greek and Italian cuisines.

“To protect the individual’s privacy, no additional information about this case will be released,” the department’s news release stated.

The infected person also visited Christmas Town USA in the eastern Gaston County town of McAdenville but did not go indoors there, NC health officials said.

That means the risk of transmission of measles is low to others who attended the annual display of holiday lights and decorations, according to a news release by NCDHHS.

NC health officials also recently reported a child in Polk County contracted measles late in December, the second detected case in North Carolina during 2025 until Saturday’s announcement.

The Polk County case is believed to stem from an ongoing outbreak in upstate South Carolina, which has seen 179 measles cases since July, according to the NC Department of Health and Human Services, the News & Observer reported.

Meanwhile, the state urges measles vaccinations for all children 1 and older. Infectious disease experts around North Carolina have warned that an outbreak similar to South Carolina’s is a matter of time.

“Getting vaccinated against measles continues to be the most important step we can take to protect ourselves and our loved ones,” Dr. Zack Moore, epidemiologist for DHHS said recently. “It is important to check with your health care provider to ensure you are current with all your vaccines.”

In December, DHHS reported that a person traveling through Raleigh-Durham International Airport had contracted measles, potentially exposing nearby in Terminal 2.

How to recognize measles

Symptoms for measles can show up seven to 21 days after exposure.

They include:

The Centers for Disease Control reported more than 2,000 measles cases in 44 states nationwide as of the end of December.