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VOL. 96 NUMBER 2
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA
LISTING TAXES - The busiest place in town this week is the
lobby of the Governmental Services Facilities Center, where
citizens of Number Four Township are listing their personal
and real estate taxes for 1983. Citizens have the rest of this
1983 Should Be Better For
By GARY STEWART
Editor :
The new year should bring an
upswing in industrial activity,
giant steps toward repairing the
leaking dam at Moss Lake and
serious consideration of develop-
ing plans for a hyrdo-lectric
plant, Mayor John Henry Moss
predicts.
Food Lion
Opens Here
Food Lion opened Monday in
the West Gate Shopping Plaza in
Kings Mountain.
Formerly operated as Food
Town, the store is in the process
of reducing prices and resetting
the store to match Food Lion’s
assortment of goods, Tom
Smith, president of the company
said. Smith said grand opening
will be in about two weeks.
The store is located in the
building which formerly housed
Key Warehouse Foods, which
closed Saturday. : ’
The Kings Mountain store 1s
the 183rd for Food Lion, which
is headquartered in Salisbury.
Food Lion operates Stores: in
North Carolina, South Carolina,
Virginia and Georgia and plans
to expand into Tennessee.
Chamber Fete
Is Scheduled
The annual Chamber of
Commerce-Merchants Associa-
tion banquet will be held
January 18 at 7 p.m. at the Holi-
day Inn.
Rev. Russell Fitts, former
pastor of Bethlehem Baptist
Church, will be the guest
speaker.
Tickets are $8 each and may
be obtained by calling the
Chamber of Commerce-
Merchants Association at
739-5051.
Moss looks for more people to
return to work in ‘83 as the city’s
industrial committee works
harder to attract new industry
and as existing industries expand
their operations.
The city was successful in
recruiting two new industries in
December, and Moss also ex-
pects Reliance Electric, which
"FIRST BABY - Pamela H. Walker of Bessemer
City holds her 10 pounds, 10% ounce baby
boy. Rodney Thomas Walker, who was the
Photo by Gary Stewart
. month to list their taxes. Those unable to list in person may re-
quest forms from the County Tax Supervisor and list through
the mail.
located here in 1981, and Com-
- mercial Shearing, which recently
announced an expansion pro-
gram, to add to their workforce.
Moss said the committee will
© also continue its efforts in
locating industries for the vacant
Phenix, Margrace and Pauline
plants. He has a meeting planned
this week with representatives of
first baby born in 1983 at Kings Mountain
a firm interested in the Margrace
building.
“We also have a company
looking at the old Phenix Plant,
and have two seriously consider-
ing Kings Mountain sites,” he
said. “Both are excellent com-
panies and would employ
around 450 people each.”
The city, which recently
y
Photo by Gary Stewart
Hospital. He entered the world at 1:13 p.m.
Monday. He is the secon
John Phillip Walker Jr.
d child of Pamela and
SA Banquet
onday Night
The Kings Mountain Jaycees
will honor citizens for outstan-
ding achievements during 1982
at their annual Distinguished
Services Awards banquet Mon-
day at 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn.
Presentation of the coveted
Distinguished Service Award
will highlight the awards presen-
tation. Carl Stewart, former
Speaker of the North Carolina
House of Representati vill
the Masons, Bethware Pro-
ho
) Tum To Page 4A
KM Area
received approval from the
Department of Housing and Ur-
ban Develop to use over
$400,000 in surplus federal
funds to repair the Moss Lake
dam, will focus a lot of its atten-
tion on Moss Lake this year.
The city plans to open bids for
the dam repairs Thursday after-
noon. Bids will be presented to
CARL STEWART
the Board of Commissioners.
Monday night and the bid that is
approved will be forwarded to
HUD for its approval. If approv-
ed by HUD, the bid will be
awarded on January 24 and
work should begin within 30
days. It is estimated the project
Turn To Page 2-A
Deputy Wilbur Benton
Dies At Age Of 55
Lt. Wilbur Benton, veteran
Cleveland County Deputy, died
Tuesday at Cleveland Memorial
Hospital. He was 55.
Benton, who formerly lived in
Grover, lived on Leslie Drive in
Shelby. He was the father of
Kings Mountain policeman Billy
Benton. :
Benton joined the Sheriff’s
Department in 1956 as a jailer.
He later served as a road deputy,
patrol sergeant and detective. He
was transferred to the narcotics
division in 1977 and was pro-
moted to head of the narcotics
division in 1981.
He was a memeber of the
Fraternal Order of Police and
the Cleveland County Law En-
forcement Association,
He was the son of the late
George and Pearl Love Benton.
He is survived by his wife, Mary
Sue Putnam Benton; two
daughters, Mrs. Diane Powell of
Shelby and Mrs. Tina Bowen of
Blacksburg, S.C.; three sons, Sgt.
Larry B. Benton of the Shelby
Police Department; Pil. Billy
Gene Benton of the Kings
Mountain Police Department
and Seaman Gary Dean Benton
of Orlando, Fla.; two sisters,
Mrs. Paul Poplin of Charlotte
and Mrs. Maudie Leonhardt of
Wake Forest; a brother, Thomas
Benton of Blacksburg, S.C., and
five grandchildren.
Services will be conducted
Thursday at 2 p.m. at Clearview
Baptist Church in Grover. Burial
will be in Sunset Cemetery.
Loose Leaves
A No-No!
Kings Mountain citizens
are reminded that loose leaves
are not to be placed on the
curbside for pickup after
December 31.
Jim Downey of the Sanita-
. tion Department said the leaf
machine will make one more
pass through town to pickup
loose leaves, but loose leaves
will not be picked up after
January 15. :
Any leaves should be in
bags and placed at the corner
of the lot, Downey said.
Any persons raking loose
leaves onto the curbside will
be in violation of city codes
and could be penalized.
J