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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Gastonia home health care business has reached a settlement following several allegations of Medicaid fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Family First Home Health Care Inc. — now known as Gaston Piedmont Health Care Inc. — and its owner Marion James were accused of knowingly violating the Federal and North Carolina False Claims Acts from Jan. 1, 2015, through Jan. 9, 2020, by allegedly submitting thousands of fraudulent claims to Medicaid for reimbursement, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Family First and its owner agreed to collectively pay $600,000.

United States and N.C. officials alleged that Family First and James billed Medicaid for personal care services that were never performed, such as billing for in-home services on days when patients were hospitalized. Further, Family First and James allegedly billed for years of personal care services purportedly provided to patients in their homes by James’ daughter while she was instead attending college as a full-time student.

“Medicaid beneficiaries qualifying for personal care services are those that require assistance with daily living tasks, often the elderly,” said King. “This settlement demonstrates that those who would profit from defrauding government healthcare payors while taking advantage of vulnerable patients entrusted to their care will be held accountable.”

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by former Family First employee Heather Coleman. The settlement amount was based on Family First and James’ ability to pay.

“Submitting false claims to Medicaid undermines the integrity of the program and wastes valuable taxpayer dollars,” said Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles at the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Working closely with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG remains committed to investigating providers who allegedly defraud federal health care programs.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Johnson and Investigator Cathleen Hollowell of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte investigated the matter, in conjunction with the N.C. Attorney General’s Office and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Jim Connolly, the owner of the museum, says he has almost 80 games for patrons to enjoy.

GASTONIA, N.C. — Ready to take a trip down memory lane?

If you grew up with classic pinball and arcade games, there's a new place to stroll in Gastonia: the Classic Arcade and Pinball Museum, located along Union Road in the south part of town. For about $15, visitors can play nearly 80 games that span the decades, from the mid-60s through some of today's latest offerings.

Jim Connolly, the museum's owner, says he wants visitors to enjoy their time as they level up and game on.

"I always enjoy watching other people play," he told WCNC Charlotte photojournalist Donald Fountain, "almost as much as I like playing them myself."

Connolly said there's still room for more machines. Collecting the classic games is something that just happened to him naturally.

"I had a small collection at home, and when I decided to do this, I just started acquiring games," he said.

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While some of Connolly's games are newer, he says don't expect games like Fortnite or Fall Guy to be popping up.

"I try to do games that you can't do on a PlayStation, things like pinball or driving games," he said. "You just can't do that at home."

Carrie Morrison brought her sons to the museum during a visit, and she said the experience took her back in time.

"I feel like I'm 12 again," she said. "This is wonderful."

Morrison said it's always nice to get out and about, but connecting with her kids over the museum's offerings makes it all the more special.

"If I have any opportunity to do something with my kids outside of the house, we definitely want to do it," she said. "It's good to see that I can do something, they can do something on my level, that I can actually compete against. We are very competitive as a family."

Chuck McCarter and his son David also visited. Both had fun going head-to-head and playing competitively.

"It's both satisfying and really fun to play," said David.

"I might be enjoying it a little more than he is," added Chuck.

The chance for father and son to connect over games both classic and modern is something Chuck said he really valued since it came to him naturally.

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"[David] likes games and I've always been a gamer," he said, "so for us to kind of be able to sit down and play something like this together in an atmosphere I grew up in is pretty cool."

Morrison's thoughts were similar.

"This is really their first opportunity to see what we did growing up, and it's kind of like a blast from the past for them," she said.

"This is like nostalgia for me," said McCarter, "so to come in here and see all these that I kind of grew up with, hearing all the sights and sounds and do all those things -- it's been pretty fun."

Connolly says visitors will be able to make those nostalgic trips all while experiencing something different regularly; the games in the museum are never the same.

"The place will be different every month you come in," he said. "You're gonna see something you hadn't seen before. Come on, play some games, and have a good time."

The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday. The hours per day are as follows:

It's promised to work like private rideshare apps such as Uber and Lyft, meaning passengers don't need to rely on fixed bus routes.

GASTONIA, N.C. — Transit in Gastonia is set to pivot from fixed bus routes to on-demand microtransit in 2024 with the approval of a new contract by the Gastonia City Council.

On Wednesday, the city government announced the council had approved a 36-month contract with River North Transit to provide the new service to riders. It's set to launch on July 1, 2024, and is expected to cost $1.65 million in the contract's first year.

"We saw a need to provide on-demand microtransit transportation to our residents as our city continues to grow,” Mayor Richard Franks says in a statement. “This move away from fixed-route buses will provide cost savings and will increase accessibility for everyone in our community.”

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The city touts the new microtransit service as a cost-effective option to tackle issues tied to limited service areas, long wait times, an aging fleet of buses, and lack of access to bus stops. Rather than working with fixed-route service, passengers are promised on-demand, curb-to-curb access similar to private rideshare services like Uber or Lyft.

“We see this as a way to provide equitable transportation, mobility options across our city," Gastonia Department of Transportation Director Randi Gates said.

The city said those who need a ride can book and pay for it online via computer or mobile device and then be picked up at a place of their choosing to go directly to where they want to go. Additionally, the city says riders can take spontaneous trips and not be dependent on fixed bus routes.

“Residents will experience more efficient, convenient, and personalized public transit services,” Gates said. “We are confident that this model will better serve our current transit customers and others who desire to use public transportation.”

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Right now, Gastonia Transit runs six fixed routes within the city that are characterized as a "pulse" system. Most routes start and end at the Bradley Station on North Oakland Street at regular intervals. The agency covers about 295,000 miles per year and served more than 144,000 passengers in 2023. The system currently averages seven passengers per vehicle hour across all routes.

“We see empty buses," Gates said.

The goal is to provide access to even more people. It's something Charlotte's Transit System is also working towards for people who live in Huntersville, Davidson and Cornelius.

A CATS spokesperson tells WCNC Charlotte, they're hoping to launch their micro-transit system sometime later this year.

“They offer the best balance between convenience and cost effectiveness, for both the transit agencies, the cities, and the passengers that provide them," Eric Zaverl, the Urban Design Specialist for Sustain Charlotte, said.

But Zaverl says there can be a downside to this form of transit.

“I think replacing all your traditional bus routes with micro transit could result in more vehicle trips and increased traffic and congestion," Zaverl, said.

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When it comes to price, Gastonia officials say it's unclear at the moment. As for the people who currently drive the buses, they're looking to put them into other city jobs. The ride share service will also host a job fair in the future.

Zaveral also states it's critical to not leave certain populations behind who rely on public transit.

“Make sure that it’s actually being effective and it’s not contributing in a negative way," Zaveral said.

The City of Gastonia notes the new microtransit service will not displace paratransit services as covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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GASTONIA, N.C. — The company behind the Gastonia Honey Hunters baseball team has officially filed for bankruptcy. The filing stalls Gastonia’s plans to take the team to court over unpaid debt.

According to a court filing obtained by Channel 9 on Tuesday, NC Gas House Gang LLC filed for bankruptcy protection in Maryland. The LLC is the company that owns the Honey Hunters.

Last month, Channel 9 learned the Honey Hunters had been forced out of the Atlantic League. In a lawsuit, the City of Gastonia said it wanted the court to force the team out of their stadium over its unpaid debts.

Court documents obtained by Channel 9 this week show that the team owes the city thousands of dollars for naming rights and utility bills.

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The unknown future of the the Honey Hunters stadium is putting local businesses on alert. Some operators called the stadium the crown jewel of Gastonia. City leaders told Channel 9′s Ken Lemon it anchors a district that has seen about $100 million in new investments.

Now that the operators of the stadium are bankrupt, the city wants a new team. But the bankruptcy filing means they have been blocked for now.

The team has a long list of creditors that it owes money to, with a balance of liabilities adding up to $4.08 million, according to bankruptcy filings.

The largest debt is to BKK Sports for $1.1 million, but the team also owes the Atlantic League a little over $291,000.

According to court filings, the team also owes the North Carolina Department of Revenue $140,000 in back taxes and the Internal Revenue Service another $126,402 in federal back taxes.

The bankruptcy filing also shines a light on the team’s operating expenses. According to the court documents, the team lost $704,610 in 2021 and lost another $478,617 in 2022. From January until October of this year, the team had already lost $299,652.

The team actually brought in significantly more revenue between 2021 and 2022, going from about $2.03 million to $2.83 million; but expenses also rose significantly, specifically in food and beverage operations.

Business operators told Lemon this is so much more than a game. Timothy Caudill is the manager of Cavendish Brewery, which is just blocks from the stadium.

“They, we, and Gastonia deserves a little better than what happened,” Caudill told Lemon.

The team’s money problems frustrate him.

“There’s a lot of confusion about what’s going on,” he said.

Over the summer, police stopped working games because the team didn’t pay the off-duty officers. Then, Lemon learned the team also owed money to paramedics and even to players.

Last month, the Atlantic League kicked the Honey Hunters out of the league for failing to pay dues. Then, the city sued to kick the team out of the stadium.

Richard Cogdill is the manager of R.O.’s Bar-B-Cue restaurant. He said business is up about 25% on game day.

“Hopefully they’ll get somebody else in there and just keep going,” he told Lemon.

It worries Cogdill that the team has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

“It’s brought growth here,” he said. “People starting to build houses on this side.”

He said home prices have almost tripled for property near the stadium, but he fears that could change if there is no one to manage the ballpark.

The team’s chief operating officer sent a statement to Lemon saying the team is “filing for reorganization in order to continue our operations. We remain committed to providing family-friendly and affordable entertainment in the region.”

City leaders apparently don’t trust them to do that because they want a new team moved in as soon as possible. It’s not clear when they resume efforts to get that done.

Channel 9 has previously reached out to the Honey Hunters for comment, but the team’s representatives say they won’t comment on legal affairs.

The lawsuit seeks to have the Honey Hunters vacate the stadium where they used to play before being kicked out of the American League of Professional Baseball.

GASTONIA, N.C. — The City of Gastonia can continue legal action against the owner of the Gastonia Honey Hunters, NC Gas House Gang, LLC. A Maryland bankruptcy judge ruled Tuesday in favor of the city.

NC Gas House Gang, LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this month, after the city sued the ownership group, hoping to kick them out of Caromont Health Park.

A Gaston County baseball team with a long trail of financial issues has been kicked out of its league and is facing a lawsuit from the city it plays in for millions of dollars of unpaid debt.

The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) has chosen to terminate the Gastonia Honey Hunters and NC Gas House Gang, LLC, the company that owns the team, from the league, officials confirmed to WCNC Charlotte on Wednesday. The league still plans to field a team in Gastonia in 2024.

The Honey Hunters and its ownership team are also facing a lawsuit from the city of Gastonia for allegedly breaching a contract between the two sides and failing to pay millions of dollars of owed money.

Gastonia officials say a letter was sent to the Honey Hunters in August warning the team that they were in violation of ALPB guidelines, according to the lawsuit. Another letter was sent to the Honey Hunters in September about a defaulted loan owed to the ALPB. The lawsuit estimates the Honey Hunters owe the ALPB $1.1 million on the loan.

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With the Honey Hunters now kicked out of the ALPB, the city of Gastonia believed the Honey Hunters showed no incentive to meet requirements set by a joint agreement between the team and the city. One of the stipulations of the agreement concerned maintaining CaroMont Health Park, which is owned by Gastonia but leased by the Honey Hunters.

The city claims in the lawsuit that the team failed to address stadium issues relating to plumbing, kitchen cooking equipment, and cleanliness. The excessive issues threaten the stadium's life expectancy, the city claims in the lawsuit.

Because of these issues, the city of Gastonia is looking to void the agreement between the two entities and force the Honey Hunters to leave CaroMont Health Park.

The Honey Hunters chose not to comment on the ongoing litigation but have confirmed they have hired an attorney to handle the matter.

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Honey Hunters owners made headlines earlier this year when it was learned that the team owed roughly $22,000 to Gaston Emergency Medical Services (GEMS) and was late on several other payments to the county.

Despite the financial issues, the Honey Hunters still put up a winning product on the field. Gastonia finished second in the ALPB South Division standings with a 79-47 record before winning the ALPB South Division Series three games to two over the High Point Rockers before falling in five games to the Lancaster Barnstormers in the ALPB Championship Series.