• Gaston County opened a new visitation center aimed at reuniting children in foster care with their families. • The renovated facility offers on-site therapy, resources for parents, and transportation assistance.

Local officials cut the ribbon on Gaston County’s new visitation center on Aug. 1, which some said is a big step in a new holistic approach to reuniting children in foster care with their families.

The visitation center, located at 1019 Fire Ranger Way in Dallas, has been in the works for about a year, according to Joseph Shepherd, Gaston County’s assistant director of social services.

The building belongs to the county, Shepherd said, and was formerly a receiving home for children entering foster care, but has been vacant for years.

“That program went away many, many years

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