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morning to its 20009. Volume 121 © Is.ue 3 ®* Wednesday, January 21, 2009 Kings Mountain awoke Tuesday first snowfall of 2009 INAUGURATION etsy Wells witnesses day in history By ELIZABETH STEWART Staff Writer WASHINGTON, D.C. - Kings Mountain's Betsy Wells, shivering in 21 degree weather a football field away from where newly-installed President Bar- rack Obama took the oath of office Tuesday, could not hide her excitement at being a part of the history-making event. "It is wonderful," she said by telephone to The Herald. Wells and Linda Gunner, President of N. C. Electoral College, left their hotel at 4:45 a.m., both elated to be a part of history as it was being made, Hart Wells, son of Betsy and Steve Wells, met his Mom in the nation's capital along with his fiancee, Kelly, and they were ready to get Eetay Wells ment D. C. for handling this crowd," said Betsy, who esti- mated the throngs in the millions. "There is an air of-exhilaration everywhere," said Betsy, who attended the Lincoln Memorial concert this week and stood in line for tickets to various events. Former chairman for many years of the Cleveland County Democratic Party, Wells described the crowds as a mixture of people excited to hear the new President talk about the real challenges facing America, acknowledging that the nation is in the midst of crisis now well understood. "On this day," said the 44th U. S. President, "we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord." Betsy said she liked Obama's speech and his promises to America with his challenge, "Start- some lunch and view the parade, get warm and then attend ing today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and an inaugural ball Tuesday evening."I just have to compli- begin again the work of remaking America." Gone fishin’. Karen Bess closes antique shop - 8A Gateway Trails ready to begin construction of Phase 1 - 4B Photo courtesy of DePauw University PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA Companies cut back hours to avoid layoffs By EMILY WEAVER Editor Most companies are affected by the drought of today’s economy but not all of them are laying off workers to weather the storm. At least two businesses in and around Kings Mountain have decided to cut back hours of oper- ation to avoid layoffs. Gilbert Patrick, owner of Patrick Yarn Mills, said that they have cut back the work week from six days to five days at his two KM plants. » “We're avoiding laying off people and (trying to) keep a good steady workforce,” he said. “So far, we've been successful.” Although a cut in hours means a cut in pay, em- ployees are still able to keep their jobs and all of their benefits. Eaton Corp.’s truck transmission plant, in Grover, has decided to go into “idling mode” for two or three days a week to avoid laying off any more employees, according to Mayor. Robert Sides, who said he spoke with Plant Manager Mike Iezzi before the recent Grover council meet- ing. The Ohio-based company had to lay off 51 em- ployees in Nov., reducing its workforce to 400, to make up for a reduction in demand. Sides said that he was told the Mount Holly Freightliner plant, one of Eaton’s customers, has had to cut back hours of operation and may have to layoff work- ers. The mayor said that Eaton may not need to go into “idling mode” for two or three days every week, but only when necessary. He added that Iezzi told him they hope to avoid any future lay- See LAYOFFS, Page 3A What goes down must come up? State talks about mileage tax to recoup $316 million budget shortfall By EMILY WEAVER Editor Gas prices are down. Motorists are driving less and buying fewer cars. But with less expenditures, comes less revenue received through the state's gas and vehicle sales taxes. To make up for a $316 million shortfall pre- dicted for the Highway Trust Fund and Highway Fund this year, a proposal for a mileage tax may soon be on the table for returning state representa- tives. Instead of paying taxes at the pump, motorists would be taxed on the miles KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE photo by EMILY WEAVER Shana Adams sings "The Lord's Prayer" at Monday night's tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Joy Theater. Tribute celebrates historic time, remembers Dr. King By EMILY WEAVER Editor It was 35 years ago when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and shared an important dream with thousands of Americans. His dream was one of unity, peace and love, spoken with pas- sionate eloquence. It stirred the hearts of the public, the minds of leaders and the pens of history scribers. On Monday night, on the eve of another historic moment for our nation, Kings Mountain gathered to keep the dream alive at the Joy Theatre. Donna Huie Brooks, emcee of the tribute, said that MLK’s dream has “come to a bit of fruition” as the nation is read- ied for its first African-American president. Keeping with the buzzword of the Barack Obama campaign, the city decided to “change” the tribute this year. Instead of having a contest in honor of Dr. King, this year’s tribute offered no cash rewards. What it did offer was a message of hope and a charge for all to remember that we are one in Christ. In his keynote address, Rev. William Thompson, pastor of St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church, reminded the crowd of Dr. King's words: “I have a dream that one day my children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Character transcends race, gender and social standing, he said. Character is the legacy people leave behind. “Jesus was not Anglo. He was not African. He was Jewish,” Rev. Thompson said. “We follow Jesus not by the color of his skin but because of the content of His character.” See TRIBUTE, Page 3A Petition for LBTD challenged By EMILY WEAVER Editor Citizens for Progress had 90 days to gather enough signatures to call for a referendum on mixed beverage sales in Kings Mountain. The group of over a dozen business professionals hit its target. But the mark could soon be challenged by two men. Rev. James Lochridge, pastor of Second Baptist Church, and Keith Miller, a Sunday school teacher and deacon at First Baptist Church, were going door- to-door on Friday making sure the ones who signed the petition knew what they were signing. A few more have been manning the phone, going down the list of petition signers with phone book in hand. They have 15 days now to try to collect enough sig- natures for removal to cancel the petition. On Mon- day, Miller said they were shy by about 50 names. Their efforts, which began shortly after the peti- tions were turned in on Jan. 5, were fueled by citizens who complained that they were misled. “We’ve run into a lot of folks, more than we ex- pected, that felt like they were duped. They were de- ceived, pressured or misled,” Rev. Lochridge said. A few voters at the Second Baptist polling site on Election Day questioned volunteers why they had to sign something outside before they could come in to See PETITION, Page 3A } Ry D.C. - : Yoninges Asin : Kings 1 a, a blast at the Pre ential SV Fs "Blind Faith" oe the World, A Blind Mans Jour- they drive. The miles would be recorded whenever a vehicle comes up for its annual inspec- tion. Earlier, it was proposed that GPS-like systems be installed in cars to track the number of miles and times of day a mo- torist has driven to calculate Alliance Bank& Trust Building Communities Visit us today at 209 S. Battleground Avenue Kings Mountain See TAX, Page 3A [Lo FREE £.739.5411 * www.alliancebankandtrust.com MEMBER FDIC The Faces of Homelown Banking
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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