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VOL. 96 NUMBER 31
It’
THURSDAY, July 28, 1983
. registration books,
The Kings Mountain Board of
Elections granted the Kings
Mountain Citizens for Legal
Control a recount of votes in last
week’s beer, wine and’ liquor
referendum but the Thursday
night recount did not change the
outcome.
However, Wayne Russell, a
registered voter, has lodged a
protest of the election with
Luther Bennett, Chairman of
the City Elections Board,
because the number of votes cast
(2,850) in the ABC portion of
the referendum were more than
the number of voters (2,817) that
the precinct registrars recorded
as voting last Tuesday.
Bennett said the numbers
don’t have to equal out, since
many of the persons who voted
were not listed in the city
but were
registered in the county election
books. Bennett said when per-
sons came to vote last Tuesday
and their names could not be
found in the registration books,
he called the Cleveland County
Board of Elections to make sure
they were registered. Those who
were registered with the county
were then allowed to vote.
Bennett is trying to find out
from county and state election
officials how to handle Russell’s
request.
BREAKDOWN
Due to a computer
malfunction, some of the
r
us at 7
articles to us again at our
office on Canterbury
news articles for this
citizens
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH Ci
...And Dry
The recount last Thursday
night at the Community Center
resulted in only minor changes
in each part of the election. The
wet forces gained three votes in
the wine and ABC portions and
lost two votes in the beer count.
The official recounted results,
with the firstcounted totals in
‘Tul sbutry
*9AY IUOWPDTJ
AIReIqTT TeTAOWIN Aauney
9808¢
t
|
| 4
parenthesis, included
*For the off-prem |
malt beverages, 1,382 (1,384).
* Against the off-premises sale
of malt beverages, 1,414 (1,414).
*For the off-premises sale of
unfortified wine, 1,358 (1,355).
Turn To Page 3-A
Ronnie Franks To Run
For District 3 Seat
Ronald L. Franks has an-
nounced his candidacy for the
Kings Mountain Board of Com-
missioners District Three seat.
A native of Kings Mountain,
Franks graduated from Kings
Mountain High School in 1967.
He later graduated from Gaston
College and Gardner-Webb Col-
lege with a degree in business ad-
ministration.
Franks is employed by First
Federal Savings and Loan
Association of Kings Mountain.
He currently holds the title of
vice president and treasurer. Ac-
tive in civic affairs, he is past
treasurer of the Jaycees, and has
served as treasurer, secretary,
vice president and president of
the Kings Mountain Rotary
Club.
“If elected, I will work to
spend the taxpayers’ money
wisely,” he said. “Problems are
not always solved by spending
more money. Our city is a
business, owned by the citizens
“thei
in a responsible
manner,” he said. “I will never
RONNIE FRANKS
for it. A dollar spent should br-
‘ing a dollar’s worth of results.
and be assured that a vote for
Ronnie Franks will be ap-
preciated and rewarded. I will
not let you down.”
IT'S HOT—Kings Mountain area residents have been hot and dry for the past several weeks, as
pointed out by this 101-degree reading at Home Savings and Loan. Many old timers say they've
seen it as hot and as dry. but never at the same time. Kings Mountain's last measurable rainfall
turn my back on the people and
I will try to make our city
government worth what you pay
Road. We apologize for
_ this inconvenience.
came early in July and the long dry spell has resulted in major crop damage.
Bob McRae Resigns
Bob McRae, principal at
Kings Mountain High School for
the past four years, resigned
Thursday morning to accept an
assistant superintendent’s posi-
tion with the Randolph County
School System.
The Kings Mountain Board of
Education accepted his resigna-
tion during a special meeting
Thursday afternoon and began
the search for a new principal.
The board has scheduled a called
meeting for Monday at 7 p.m. to
discuss McRae’s opening and
several teacher positions which
have come open at the high
school and junior high because
of recent resignations.
McRae will be in charge of in-
structional services for the mid-
dle grades at high schools at
Randolph County. His resigna-
tion will become effective in ear-
ly to mid-August, depending on
when a replacement is found for
him here.
“I feel this is an excellent
BOB McRAE
career opportunity,” he said,
“but I leave here with mixed feel-
ings. During my four years here,
everybody from the town and
the school system have been
very kind and helpful to me.
This has been an outstanding ex-
perience for me and I enjoyed
Kings Mountain very much. I
feel like I'm leaving a lot of good
friends here. My biggest wish is
that Kings Mountain High
School will continue to grow and
prosper, and I’m sure it will.”
McRae, a native of Anson
County, was principal at Pied-
mont High School in Union
County before coming to Kings
Mountain.
“This has been a successful
four years,” said Superintendent
William Davis of McRae’s term
here. “We’ll all miss him but
wish him well in his new position
at Randolph County.”
In accepting McRae’s resigna-
tion, the school board
unanimously approved a resolu-
tion of appreciation for his four
years of service.
The resignations of McRae
and several teachers during the
past few weeks have created a
Board Adopts UR Policy
The City Board of Commis-
sioners Monday night adopted a
new policy which will put urban
renewal property in the city up
for sale to the highest bidder.
Mayor John Henry Moss, in
recommending the action, said
the city “has been very suc-
cessful in returning urban
renewal property back to the tax
base”, and the new method of
sale will “create mew business
construction and urge the
revitilization of the areas.”
In the past, the city has sold
UR property at the appraised
market value. Under the new
policy, the city holds the right to
reject any and all offers.
Moss pointed out that seven
UR properties that have been
sold by the city have created a
tax base of $1,755,000. Those
properties include the Mills Con-
struction housing project off
Cansler Street, Western Auto,
the Blazer Building, Phifer Hard-
ware, Mickey Corry’s attorney’s
office, Alexander Realty Duplex
Apartments, and Dr. James
Mason’s office.
In addition to those buildings,
the new Governmental Services
Facilities Center is located on
UR property.
In another matter Monday
night, Moss and Commissioner
Norman King reported that the
"State Department of Transporta-
tion had approved the city’s re-
quest that the DOT resurface
King Street from the east to west
city limits at the completion of
the Highway 74 bypass.
They said the DOT also
agreed to widen Cleveland
Avenue from the Community
Center to East Ridge Street, if
the city will curb that portion;
and the DOT will consider
widening and curb and guttering
Cleveland Avenue from Wood-
side to Linwood if the city will
acquire the right of way. The
board approved doing both.
The DOT will also consider
lighting the intersections at Pied-
Turn To Page 2-A
shortage of personnel in a school
system which just a few short
months ago was having trouble
renewing teachers’ contracts
because of a shortage of funds.
But Davis said he doesn’t
foresee any problems finding a
replacement for McRae and the
teachers.
“This is not that unusual for
this time of the summer,” Davis
said. “Usually, we're pretty well
wrapped up for another school
year and all of a sudden have a
rash of resignations. But we do
have some key places that will be
hard to fill.”
In addition to McRae’s posi-
tion, Davis said it could be dif-
ficult to find teachers to fill two
math and one social studies
vacancies at the high school. The
board is leaving those positions
open at the moment, hoping to
find qualified football coaches to
fill them.
“Filling coaching positions is a
challenge of its own,” Davis said.
“But we’ll find ways to fill
them.”
Principals
Must Live
In District
Educators will have to live in-
side the bounds of the Kings
Mountain School District to be
promoted to administrative posi-
tions in the future.
The Board of Education
adopted that new policy during a
special meeting last Thursday.
Currenly, only four of the 12
- principals and assistant prin-
cipals live inside the school
district.
The new policy does not affect
persons already holding ad-
ministrative positions.
Photo by Gary Stewart
BERRY PICKING TIME - When the hot July weather rolls
around, it's time for blackberries to ripen. Those who can
tolerate the chiggers and poison ivy can pick some tasty treats
for the cold weather that's ahead. Leigh Anne Baliles, a
sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Baliles of Kings Mountain,
found some plump, ripe berries at Kill Deer Farm near Kings
Mountain.