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CDiioRihK&opiriion'j
Page 4Af Thunday, May 5, 1977
We hope Billings
wUl be a go-getter
The smell of spring
• ••
Kinks Mounts now hu • bustnsu development director, courtesy at ths
Community Development (undIns profrem.
! The director’s Job, as we understand It, Is to work In close association with the
small businessmen and minority businessmen In the central business district to
‘crsate new methods of stlmulatlnf the economy and customer traffic In the cl^’s
(Ed. Note - Editor tom moatjn Is oa
We also i
I that the dlrsetor will also woiic on possible grant
y.)
assistance to help In the downtown area.
Just what the dlrsetor has In mind at this point In die way of creating this
business stimulus Is known only by the director. However, If he has any Ideas at
aU we are sure ttiey will be received with (qwn arms.
Another area the director will work Inis wooing new retail business to locate In
the downtown area. In this he has his Job cutout for him.
Ihe new municipal paiidng lots, constructed throu^ last summer, was
thought to be a way of encouraging more shoH>lng downtown. However, that has
not proven to be the ease. The majority of the spaces have been and are being
used as a parking fOr employes in tte downtown stores. This was one of the things
that wss to be avoided.
Another means of stimulating downtown business was for the CBD merchants
to enter Into a facelifting project. Tbe one or two meetings to look over ar
chitectural plans for creating a mall type atmosidiere were enthusiastic — to a
point. But It now appears that endiuslasm died shortly after each meeting.
Some of the downtown merchants cannot enter Into renovation work simply
because they are hampered by adjacent substandard buildings, which were
contracted out to be demolished, but as yet have not been.
So, If the time was ever rlg^t for a go-getter type to help pump some of the old
sing Into downtown business. It Is now. We trust Mr. Larry Billings, KM's
director of business development, will be well received as he assumes his duties.
Out beyond the pavements the earthy
smell of j^rtng plowing Is underway.
Ihe seedbed tor the foofstuff of the nation
Is being prepared tor plowing.
rlty though
e seasonal chores on
TOM
McltTTVRC
Spring plowing Is the age-old part of the
year’s denumds, the beginning of the process
Members of the dty’a Downtown BuUding
end Revitalisation OonunlttM got a chance
to meet Larry BUltogs. ST, new director of
the newly-created Kings MounUln
Development Office Monday morning Just
before the . North WUkeeboro native was
hired by the city board of oommlaaloners.
Ouurles Blanton, chairman of the com
mittee, said he was aUted to meet him and
hear that the now offloaa were to open In the
new Depot building which la now being
rafurblahod, commenting that the total ef-
toct U really a boost to the dty and the hiring
at a director to assist in aU phases of
developing new buelneaaes and expanding
Fbumers are of a long line of people. Those
furrows are his algnature and he wrltee It
carefully, even proudly.
On a recent trip to Eastern North Carolina
attending the asnd of 3S dlstrlet meetings 1
8PUNO NOTES
Chief of PoUce Bari Lloyd la a firm
believer in classified ads In the newspaper.
He was placing hla ad and ploture of hla
straying “Oypay” at about the same time
TUeaday that his neighbor, Tim Taylor, eras
advertising that he had found a silver gray
Blanton said his customers eranted one
area whore they could receive all aervlces
Area citizens urged
to have pressure checked
Itseemed to me that spring planting, and 1
observed tt a lot during my swing through
the eastern part of toe state during April,
that springplowlngls more than a chore, but
almost a ritual.
The farmer stirs the earth, plows hla
furrows and In a sense demonstrates num’e
dependence and cooperation with the soU
The Chief aald his family Is probably the
h^ipleet family In town today since the five-
yeeur-old Qetman puppy missing since last
Wertoesday, U back at home.
clothing and that downtown Is the loglcel
place to develop this concvt at service.
“Our pblloaophy Is that we can understand
larger eltlos beduning so dlverelfled BM '
we’re getting more disused than what our
customers want us to be,” aald Blanton.
BUllngs said he was ready "to dig In and go
towork.” "Our door wUl always be open,” he
Bhlksat atyHaUUke to have fun with A1
Motets and last week during National
Secretary Week, A1 received the flowers,
and incidentally the dalalea were from the
two secretartoa In Mayor Jbhn Moos’ office,
Kaly WUkes and BooU McDaniel.
High blood pressure plagues one of every
seven adults in America.
A leading cause of heart disease, kidney
failure and strokes, high blood pressure
often goes undetected because It has no
symptoms.
Area residents will have a chance to have
their blood pressure checked at a tree clinic
Saturday, May 7, at Eastrldge MaU,
Gtostonla. Between the hours of U a. m. and 7
p. m., trained hospital personnel will con
duct the clinic sponsored by Qaston
Memorial Hospital, Inc., and the Qaston
County Heart Association.
This community service project Is being
held in observance of National Hospital
Week, May 8-U, and National Blood
Pressure Month.
A person with hi^ blood pressure may
look and feel healthy until tt erupts suddenly
causing premature sickness, disability, or
death. For years, this massive health
problem has been overlooked because of the
lack of symptoms.
High blood pressure can be controlled,
with proper medical treatment. But first It
must be detected.
A check of your blood pressure at the free
cUnlc May 7 will be a check of your health.
Locally, blood pressure screening will be
conducted at TOAY and at Kings Mountain
Community Center on Friday, from 13:80
until 4:80 p. m. at TOdcY and from 8:80 until
lua. m. acme community Center; on May 18
and May 37 at K-Mart In Shelby and on May
30th at Mack's In Kings Mountain.
Tom Dula hanged
wee
R€t\D€R DIMOGUe
Let’s ask ourselves,
who is in control?
The town’s saloons and public buildings
were cloeed for the event and a crowd <tf.
over three thousand was In attendance,*
including a large number of newBpto;>er
rspoitere. Tom did not disappoint them. He
rode to hU execution sitting on his coffin and
— according to legend — playing on his
fiddle. He was under extra-heavy guard
because of his else of the crowd and the fact
that he had made an "escitoe” attempt the
friends In the crowd, and iriien ^ven time
tor a final statement, made a one-hour
speech from the steps of toe gallows!
eD
^MITH
For some reason, this sordid story of a n-
er-do-well, young Confederate veteran who
To the editor.
What’s happening to our downtown face
lifting? If anything.
Out of etc., timllllons of federal funding to
our city within the past several years, how
mudt progress has been really been made In
restoring our downtown business as an
added attraction to the shoppers of not only
those within our city, yet to those who would
wish to shop In our city.
What are the thoughts of those out of
towner’s and out of state, thinking m they
pass through our city?
What’s happened to progress? Same old
town, same old look, same old street, nothing
Who really controls our elected afflclals?
Who makes the decisions as to what
building goes where?
A hundred years and our city hasn’t ad
vanced too greatly.
Bislness yes, but with controlling outside
Merest.
Anew city haU and a pubUc woriu buUdIng
In the malring, great!
But what about our (
Perhi^s It’s Just as weU toe throughfare or
bypass, which ever one may prefer to call It,
Wholes your opinion?
What Is holding back progresa ‘Special
Interest?’ The new Blaser building was a
great Idea, but whore do we go from there?
An election Is forthcoming within the very
near future, and there will be three offices up
tor grab. Will this be another year for
change?
Three upaeated could make a great dl^
farence. Just periisvs there should be
another ward or dlstrlet added, to break ths
power structure.
Perhaps It’s.tlme for a change back to ths
two year term, as the four year terms will
lead to excessive power and the people wlU
have no voice.
It’s time to take another look and to
examine and to re-evaluate as to whore the
The Mirror-Herald welcomes
letters from readers eiqiresslng
your opinions on any subject you
choose, or rebutting any
^tortol opinion we express.
All letters must be signed by
writer with address Included.
Unsigned letters wlU not be
published.
Address aU correspondence
for this page to Reader’
Dialogue, Mirror-Herald, P. O.
Drawer 7B2, Kings Mountain, N.
C., 28086.
LM’s take another look at the tran-
qNirtatlon system of wmcn we once naa.
’The City Bus System.’ There would perhaps
be more shopping for our liner shopping for
the downtown shopping as to where ths
pubUc were given a choice of tranqiortatlon.
Perhsps It would help to alleviate some of
the traffic and conjestlon. As ths way tt now
stands, our downtown business has to keep
Its prices
successfully defended In court by the famous
Zeb Vance had caught the entire nation’s
lifierest. Dula’s two trials and execution
were faithfully recorded, and the next day.
May 3, papers as far away as New York City
devoted an imusual amount of space to his
death. Within afew years, the Ballad of Tom
Dula (Dooley) was a familiar one to
mountain folklore.
Tb toe last Dula protaated Ms innoooace,
yet he left a written statement absolvlngt
that day, of any part In the murder of Laura
Fprier. The prosecution a^ his trlM ^
contended Dula killed her In revenge for
Infecting him with veneral dlaeaao. His
supporters believed that Ann Melton had
kfiled Laura out of Jealousy and that Tom
had taken the blame for her. Dula wont to hla
grave without ever tolling what had rsallyr
The Poet’s
Corner
brigadier A. C.
LOOKIMG
Bl^Ck
Yes, by all means lot’s take another good
look at our city and euik ourselves, ’Whole la
eontnri of our city?
EVERETTE PEAB80N
ISYEAB8AOO
•M THE FILES OF 7
KINCM MOUNTAIN HERALD
MinonlMLD
ToeesMiNTvaa,
>. es mwMm swen rsa tm mm m
TUman Pearson became the fifth can
didate for Ward Two Commleslonsr this
week as he posted hla flung fee. Mr. Pearson
opposes A. Dowltte ComweU, Boyce Oault,
toiyant Wells and J. C. Clary.
Kings Mountain will tangla with the
powerful Shelby Uons Tuesday In the South
western AA Conference basebaU opener.
-oOo-
The simple art of klndiMSs
Ths souls refoasber mist.
Is like toe fragrance of a rose
Or alove that brings sweet bUss.
Tb the Bpliitlt Is the seune
Nelaler Division of Massachusetts Mohi
Phish Co. handed lay off notloos to 70 ei
ptoyes during toe past week.
Delbert Dtacon was olectod president of the
Kings I Mountain Jaycees Tbesday night
ihe eampeUpi speeches and voting required
SOaAL AND PERSONAL
Miss Etha Hawkins and Donald
Bumgardnar were married Sunday af
ternoon In a 4 p. m. wadding In Grace United
Metoodlst Church.
Practiced by angaUc souls
Tb golden tbit the hours.
Judy Rae Ware, daughter of Mr. andMrs.
Ersklne Ware, celebrated her third birthday
Saturday. March 30th.
Anda brasas from paradise.
Jerry King was graduated March iSth
from Western ChroUna CoUegs with B. S. In
business administration.
Mrs. Alvin Yarbrough entertained
Saturday afternoon at her home on Shelby
Rd. at a birthday party tor her daughter,
Janice, on her 13th birthday.
This rimpla llttla courtesy
Like a fragrant spring bouquet,
Isa klaa of benediction
But where have you fled, I pray?
n 10
years ago, said hla chUdren on the drive
hwnriM to ttw mountains voted unanimously
not to move from Asheville.
Now they all want to stay, he said Tuesday
after a luncheon hosted by Ms staff.
Federal troops In western North Carolina,
defeating them In several times In a cam
paign that Is largely neglected In N. C.
Several days later, on May 9, a force of
OaipUna mlUtla under CM. J. R. Love would
Mriiinlah briefly with Union Cavalry near’
Waynasvllle, and the last shots would ||e'
fired on North Carolina aoU. Only one other
Southern force would surrender at a later
data, on May 18 In Alabama.
Because there was no longer any central
military command, and becauae news
travelled so slowly than, there would be no
one overall surrender of Confederate forces.
The last shots of the war, would be fired at
sea. In the Paciflo Carolinian, James:
WaddeU, of FayettevlUe.
Ctoarlas Manley, the last WMg governor of’
the state (1848-50) died on May 1, 1871.
sfanley was also bom during this month, on
May 18, 1790. He was the last governor of*
North Caroltoa to be born In the 18th Cen-
Tbe princpal achievements of Manley’s
term were In furthering the causes of public
education and toaneportartlon, as weU as In
passing the act establishing ths first state
Manley was defeated In his bid for
reelectlon to another two-year term by
David a. Reid, the etate’s first Democrat
governor. In those days, the Qovemor eouiu
succeed Mmself, but was limited to tour
years In office during any fix-year period.
How sweet tMs charm flowing naturally
The beauty of being nice.