Gaston County aiming to fill more than a dozen 911 telecommunicator openings: Thursday, June 23

Gaston County 911 Communications is looking for more people to answer the call for service.The unit is currently short 20 telecommunicators, which is about a third of its total workforce.“It’s very important for us to get these positions filled with qualified applicants so that we can serve the community in the way that they should be served,” Suzanna Mauney-Smith, assistant chief of police with the Gaston County Police Department, said.Kaela Kiser has served as a 911 telecommunicator in Gaston County for nearly six years. She said it’s a high-stress job, but it’s also highly rewarding.READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/gaston-county-911-telecommunicator-openings/275-b4deb7be-7b7b-474b-9a84-3a2a192d7279The Jan. 6 committee will hear from former Justice Department officials who faced down a relentless pressure campaign from Donald Trump over the 2020 presidential election results while suppressing a bizarre challenge from within their own ranks.The hearing Thursday will bring attention to a memorably turbulent stretch at the department as Trump in his final days in office sought to bend to his will a law enforcement agency that has long cherished its independence from the White House. The testimony is aimed at showing how Trump not only relied on outside advisers to press his election fraud claims but also tried to leverage the powers of federal executive branch agencies.READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/jan-6-panel-thursday-hearing-trumps-pressure-on-justice-department/507-fafdaaef-dfbe-430c-9027-9bd8f5287167Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!