KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. — A congressional hearing will be held next Wednesday as the Catawba Indian Nation pushes to build a casino just outside Kings Mountain.
The hearing will center on legislation filed last month by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, which would put land for a future casino into a trust for the Catawba Indian Nation.
Both of North Carolina's U.S. senators co-sponsored the bill.
The casino, if approved, would be located right along I-85 on Dixon School Road.
Roger Johnson owns a CB radio repair shop down the road from where the casino would be located, and he supports the project.
"I think it's really going to help the economy," Johnson said. "It's going to put a lot of people to work."
But some neighbors, who asked not to be identified, object to the project as they believe gambling is a destructive addiction.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina also opposes the project, which would cross state borders, as the Catawba Nation's reservation is based in South Carolina.
The Catawba Indian Nation hasn't yet responded to NBC Charlotte's requests for comment.