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VOL. 95 NUMBER 50 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1982 - KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORT] 2 z
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Commissioners
Go To Meeting
Federal revenue sharing
money will probably be con-
tinued but small cities may see a
continuing decrease in Com-
munity Development grants,
Kings Mountain commissioners
Jim Childers and Norman King
learned at last week’s annual
meeting of the National League
of Cities in Los Angeles.
Principal speaker during the
week-long meeting and seminars
was President Ronald Reagan.
The commissioners also heard
several other speakers, including
Congressmen, and attended
numerous seminars and
workshops.
President Reagan virtually
assured the city representatives
that federal revenue sharing
would continue. “But,” Childers
said, “one thing he made very
clear was that the coffers are
empty as far as federal dollars
coming back.”
Many small cities, Childers
said, don’t want Community
Development monies anyway
because of the federal red tape
involved. “They’re concerned
with all the dos and don’ts at-
tached to them,” he said. “But
the large cities have to have
them because they have so many
slum areas.”
There was a lot of discussion
and a lengthy seminar on tax-
exempt property, the KM com-
missioners pointed out. Many
cities are hurting financially
because they get no tax money
{rom state and federal property.
“Therell probably be Some,
ype of lob to get. some type ¢
funds from state and federal
governments for tax-exempt pro-
perty,” Childers said. “I never
really thought about it before,
because we don’t have that
much tax-exempt property ex-
cept for churches and non-profit
organizations. But a lot of the
larger cities that have military
bases want the property either
taxed or some type of in-kind
money back for it.
“] was talking to a commis-
sioner from Portsmouth, Va.,
and he said 45 percent of the
property in Portsmouth is tax-
exempt,” Childers added. “The
Mayor of Richmond said they’re
faced with the same problem.
They’re forever scrambling
around trying to find money.”
ps sanitation,
There was also much discus-
sion on the proposed fivecents
per gallon federal tax increase on
gasoline, which will probably
pass, Childers said.
“On the surface, five cents
doesn’t sound like much,” he
said, “but the states are going to
have to match it.” Four cents is
scheduled to go toward highway
and bridge construction and one
cent to mass transportation.
“The was a lot of discontent
on the breakdown,” Childers
said. “The one-cent is only going
to benefit the ‘larger cities. It’s
not . going to benefit. us, but
they’re going to take our penny
too.”
Congressman Morris K. Udall
of Arizona and Ernest Hollings
of “South Carolina told the
gathering that the number of
jobs to be created by the increase
is misleading.
“The jobs would be very
minor compared to the number
of jobs needed,” Childers said.
“Neither Udall nor Hollings
committed themselves on how
they’ll vote on the issue, but they
both said it was just a stop-gap
measure. It won’t do what
everybody says it will do. But it
you listen to the administration
you’d think every bride in the
United States is going to fall
down.”
Childers and King sat in on
numerous workshops at the re-
quest of the Kings Mountain
Board of Commissioners. Some
of those included adi and
Torn To Page 3A
Prayer Request Doied
The Kings Mountain Board of
Education, meeting in special
session’ Wednesday afternoon,
denied a request from a Grover
woman that a special time be set
aside daily for silent prayer in
‘the schools.
Gertrude Mitchem, a member
of St. Peter’s Baptist Church of
Grover, asked to meet with the
board. She had earlier written a
letter to Superintendent William
Davis. :
Electric Boom Contract
Awarded By KM Board
The Kings Mountain Board of
Commissioners awarded a con-
tract to Power Equipment. Com-
pany of Charlotte for a boom for
the electrical department’s
bucket truck during a special
meeting Wednesday at noon.
Power Equipment submitted a
low bid of $29,273. Baker Equip-
ment of Richmond, Va., submit-
ted a bid of $37,761 and USI
Equipment
Charlotte submitted a bid of
$42,124.
Corporation ' of
In another matter, the board
awarded a contract to Chris
George Sale Company, Inc., of
Knoxville, Tenn., for a Mueller
tapping and stopping machine
for the gas system. The bid was
$6,133.73. Poe Corporation of
Greenville, S.C., submitted a bid
of $6,146.59.
The board authorized Mayor
John Henry Moss to advertise
for bids for a lease-purchase of a
backhoe for the gas department.
Mabel Kurfees Griffin
Dies At Age Of 87
Mabel Kurfees Griffin, 87, of
310 West Mountain Street,
Kings Mountain, died Saturday
morning at Kings Mountain
Hospital following a brief illness.
A Davie County native, she
was the daughter of the late
Rufus Walter and Luzene Max-
well Kurfees. She was married to
the late E. Wilson Griffin Sr.
She was a native of Davie
County and a former teacher in
the Gastonia City Schools. She
was a member of Central United
Methodist Church, where she
was chairman of the Women’s
Missionary Society, and was past
president of the Kings Mountain
Woman’s Club. She served as
state safety chairman during
Clyde Hoey’s administration as
pa sp Sentai
Governor and through that of-
fice was instrumental in drawing
up legislation to license drivers in
North Carolina and in forming
the safety patrol in North
~ Carolina public schools.
She is survived by two sons, E.
Wilson Griffin Jr. of Kings
Mountain, and Walter K. Grif-
fin of Spartanburg, S.C.; one
daughter, Mrs. Robert S. Bargar
of Jamestown, N.Y.; seven
grandchildren; and three great:
grandchildren.
Graveside services were con-
ducted Monday at 2 p.m. at
Mountain Rest Cemetery by the
Rev. Ivan Stephens. Memorials
may be made to Central United
Methodist Church, Kings Moun-
tain.
Ca
SE Os EAN SN Nn rn AB MSN re pS ew
Photo by Gary Stewart
BELL-RINGING TIME - Rev. Oscar Stalcup. pastor of Fours-
quare Gospel Church and chairman of the Kings Mountain
Ministerial Association's Christmas bell-ringing project, gets
ready to solicit funds for the Food Bank during the Christmas
holidays. Area ministers will be in front of Harris-Teeter,
Winn-Dixie and TG&Y on December 16, 17 and 18 and
December 23 and 24 from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. All funds receiv-
ed will go toward purchasing food for needy families in Kings
Mountain.
“We would like to thank the management of
Harris-Teeter, Winn-Dixie and TG&Y for cooperating in help-
ing with this needy project, and would like to encourage the
citizens of the Kings Mountain area to give to the project.
With so many people out of work and the economy in the
state it's in, we have had’a lot more demands than usual and
aid.
Davis, in turn, wrote Mrs.
Mitchem on October 12, ex-
plaining that there is no way
schools can prohibit students
from praying, but setting aside a
certain time for prayer would be
in violation of the Supreme
Court’s ruling of the Constitu-
tion of the United States..
* The School Board and Davis
told Mrs. Mitchem the same
thing in the meeting Wednesday.
Davis pointed out that
students have several oppor-
tunities during the course of a
school day to pray, either in-
dividually or in groups.
“But when we start specifying
a time and place, we run into dif-
ficulties with the law of the
land,” Davis said. “Anyone who
wants to pray can do so. That’s a
perogative anyone has.”
The Rev. R.E. Devoe, pastor
of Shiloh Baptist Church in
Shelby, said he interpreted’ the
Supreme Court ruling as being
that silent prayer can be held in
school as long as no one en-
Chorus
Groups
To Sing
The Kings Mountain High
School Chorale, Ensemble and
Women’s Ensemble, and the
Kings Mountain Junior High
.School Ninth Grade Chorus will
present a free Christmas concert
Thursday at 8 p.m. at B.N.
Barnes Auditorium.
The groups will be under the
direction. of Eugene Bumgard-
ner. Accompanists will be Jerry
Patterson, Angel Allen, Karen
Penner and Deia Parker.
Selections will include “White
Christmas”, “We Need a Little
Christmas”, “Carol of Bells” and
“Good Tidings.”
reglly’ need ihe Seppo of th a Community Rev. Staieun J on
courages or discourages it.
The School Board agreed that
designating a time would be en-
couraging prayer.
Davis suggested that children
be told in church and at home to
take advantage of breaks and
free time during school and use
those times for prayer.
Davis pointed: out that all
members of the School Board
have Protestant backgrounds
and would personally like to see
prayer again become part of the
opening exercise of each school
day. He suggested that Mrs. Mit-
chem contact her representatives
in Washington.
KM’s Tessne
Coroner’s Aide
Dwight Tessneer, co-manager
of Harris Funeral Home in
Kings Mountain, was named
Monday as assistant coroner of
Cleveland County.
He was appointed to the post
by the Cleveland County Board -
of Commissioners upon the
recommendation of newly-
elected coroner Ralph Mitchem
of Shelby.
Mitchem noted that it has
been tradition that either the
coroner or assistant coroner be
from Kings Mountain. Mitchem
won the coroner’s post in the
November election over Bennett
Masters of Kings Mountain.
Commissioner Coleman
Goforth of Kings Mountain ob-
jected to appointing someone in
the funeral home business,
noting that someone in the
funeral home business could
have influence as to which
funeral home a body would be
sent. ;
Mitchem said finding so-
meone not in the funeral home
business to serve as assistant cor-
oner is difficult because one
must have some medical
knowledge and be able to leave
his job at any time.
Goforth made a motion to
delay the appointment for 60
DWIGHT TESSNEER
days to give Mitchem time to
find someone not in the funeral
home business. Commissioner
Hugh Dover seconded.
Jack Palmer Jr., chairman of
the board, asked for an executive
session and following the session
Goforth withdrew his motion,
and Tessneer was appointed.
Goforth did not vote on the mat-
ter.
Kidnappers
Are Sentenced
Two men charged with the
October 26 kidnapping of a
Kings Mountain man were
sentenced to prison by Judge
Woodrow Jones in federal court
Tuesday in Rutherford County.
Robert Thomas Green, 33, of
Gastonia, received a 22-year
prison sentence and Ronald
Jerry Hedrick, 21, of Haynes Ci-
ty, Fla., received a 25-year
prison sentence after being
found guilty of the kidnapping
of 36-year-old Bobby Ray Con-
ner of Kings Mountain.
The two men reportedly kid-
napped Conner at gunpoint on
October 26 at McGill’s Store at
the intersection of South
Carolina Highways 161 and 5
near Y ork.
Conner was transported
across ‘the North Carolina state
line in a pickup truck. He
escaped near Reel’s Auto Parts
south of Kings Mountain after a
struggle with the two men.
Green and Hedrick were stop-
ped by Sgt. Bob Hayes of the
Kings Mountain Police Depart-
ment on Highway 161 near
Radio Station WKMT, and
then arrested.
BAND CONCERT
- The Kings Mountain District
Schools bands will present a
winter concert Thurs., Dec. 16
at 8 p.m. at B.N. Barnes
Auditorium.
The Kings Mountain Junior
High eighth and ninth grade
bands and the Kings Mountain
Senior High blazer bands will
perform. The program will con-
sist of traditional and seasonal
band music.
The public is invited to attend.
There is no admission charge.
BACK HOME -
The simple message
“Welcome Home, Mom”, created by Aneita
Sanders’ sons Jimmy and Shannon, says it all
for Mrs. Sanders, who returned home Tuesday
following a 3% month stay in Kings Mountain
and Winston-Salem Baptist hospitals. Mrs.
Sanders was critically injured in a shooting
Tuesday.
accident on August 25 and has undergone
several life-saving surgeries since. She is pic-
tured sitting on the front porch of her mother’s
home on the Grover Road with Kings Moun-
tain rescuer Roy Hammett, who transported
her from Winston-Salem to Kings Mountain
Photo by Gary Stewart
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