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VOL. 101 NUMBER 53 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1988 KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLIN Sore
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By GARY STEWART George Wood, city manager in the resort town of : T
Editor of the Herald Pinehurst, was hired as Kings Mountain's first city KM Utility Problems
As Kings Mountain says goodbye to 1988, it can
look back on a year in which it "shifted gears" and
headed in a new direction. Many of the steps taken in
'88 won't be realized until 1989 and beyond.
Kings Mountain, and its citizens, enjoyed its share of
successes and failures during the past 12 months. They
saw a change in city government, many changes in state
and national politics, changes in the weather, and as the
year drew to a close, saw changes in many public build-
ings around town.
Many top stories came out of Kings Mountain in
1988...some good, some bad. Probably the biggest was
that the city moved to a city manager-city council form
of government after operating in the past under a may-
or-commissioner form of government.
manager in April and reported to work on May 9.
Kyle Smith, who had been elected mayor the previ-
ous November after many Kings Mountain citizens and
the old board of commissioners had called for a city
manager form of government, had served as full-time
mayor from the time veteran John Henry Moss left of-
fice in December until Wood came on board.
After a brief few weeks of introducing Wood to the
citizens, Smith returned to his job as personnel recruiter.
for Combustion Engineering and Wood took over re-
sponsibilities as the city's leader.
Shortly after getting settled in, Wood began discover-
ing some problems in the city's utility systems, and that
leads us to what was the second biggest story of the
year.
Turn To Page 2-A
Crowder’s Creek
Negotiations
Moss Dam Leak
Schools
Republican Sweeps
Weather
Building Projects
Bloodmobile To Visit
First Baptist Church
The Red Cross Bloodmobile will be at Kings
Mountain's First Baptist Church Tues., Jan. 3 from 1-6
p.m.
All area citizens who are eligible to give blood at this
visit are encouraged to attend because the need for
blood is always greater during the holiday seasons.
Homemade vegetable soup will be served to all
donors in the church canteen.
Red Cross officials point out that the need for blood
in this area is growing because hospitals served are ex-
panding their facilities and programs, thereby increas-
ing the demand of blood and specialized blood prod-
ucts. The Red Cross carefully screens donors and
donated blood eliminates about 5.5 percent of total
blood collections each year (more than 16,000 units of
blood). More than ever, healthy donors are needed to
. give and give more often.
In the Carolinas region, only six percent of the popu-
lation donates bleod, Red Crossiofficials:point out. But
of people who live to be 72 years old, 97 percent will
need blood or blood products during their lifetimes.
yea; the Blood Services Carolinas Region,
which ®vers 53 counties in North Carolina and six in
South Carolina, imported blood from other Red Cross
blood centers to. get through difficult times. In large
part the need for importing came because of serious
shortages of type O blood. When collections are down
overall, supplies of type O get to critical level because
demand for type O is heavy. Type O blood can be trans-
fused to anyone in an emergency situation when there
is no time for blood typing. Also, type O negative
blood is used to serve all newborn babies.
Red Cross officials noted that, if every person who
currently donates blood would give one additional time
in the coming year, there would never be another blood
shortage in the community.
KM Citizens Prepare
For New Year 1989
Kings Mountain citizens were preparing this week to
welcome the arrival of New Year 1989.
Housewives were purchasing blackeyed peas and
hog jowl for the traditional good luck New Year's Day
menu, and numerous other citizens were getting ready
for the customary New Year's Eve revelry.
Private and semi-private parties are the order of the
day on Saturday evening and some churches plan watch
night services.
American Legion Post #155 will hold the traditional
New Year's Eve dance for members and guests from 9
£m. until 1 a.m. The $15 per couple price of admission
includes party favors. Dancing will be to the music of
"Keyotee."
VFW Post 9811 will hold a New Year's Eve dance
for members from 8:30 until 12:30 p.m. The party is
free to all members and their wives and will feature
music by Carolina Band.
This week has been a vacation week for numerous
industrial employees and for school children. Classes
resume on Jan. 2 for Kings Mountain District Schools
and most plants will resume full operations next week.
Local merchants reported that Christmas Eve sales
on Saturday were brisk and that on Monday business
was brisk, including both sales and exchange. Almost
all merchants said they were gratified with the final
rush of buying.
Classifieds........... 11-A
Community News..... 2-B
Editorials............. 4-A
Food........oiccivaien 6-B
Lifestyles ............. 1-B
Obituaries ............ 5-A
Religion .............. 8-A
Schools .............. 12-B
Sports ......cooeeeenns 8-A
PAGES TODAY
GRADY ROSS
NEW YEAR RISING - As the sun peeks around the steeple of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Kings
Photo by D.R. ris
Mountain citizens are turning the corner of 1988 and looking forward to a prosperous 1989.
KM Textile Leaders See
Good Business Year In '89
Textile leaders were optimistic this week that 1989
will be a good business year despite a down trend from
June-October when the predominately-textile Piedmont
was experiencing lay-offs.
"Some yarn mills in the Piedmont were not running
so good and business was off about 65%," said Charles
Mauney, General Manager of Mauney Hosiery Mills. in
Kings Mountain. "The hosiery business has been off a
little bit but not severely. We are optimistic that the new
Grover Town
Grady Ross,
Funeral services for Grady Lee
Ross, 82, 203 Carolina Avenue,
Grover, who died Dec. 25 in Kings
Mountain Hospital, were conducted
Tuesday at 3 p.m. from First Baptist
Church of Grover.
Mr. Ross, a Grover Councilman,
was a member and deacon of
Grover First Baptist Church. He was
a native of Cleveland County, son of
the late Lee and Ada Ross. He was a
retired insulation specialist.
Surviving are his wife, Elsie
Putnam Ross; four daughters, Betty
Bell and Mary Evans, both of
Blacksburg,S.C., Joyce Wright of
year will be pretty good,"he said.
Lee McIntyre, of Sadie Cotton Mills, said the cotton
business looks good for 1989. "Business is usually off
at this time of year due to inventory adjustments," he
said. Sadie has been running five days a week.
"Business is looking up,” he said.
John Broome, General Manager of Kings Mountain
Knit Fabrics, said that between June and October
Turn To Page 6-A
Councilman
82, Is Dead
‘and says that Kings
Talk Set
By C.T. CARPENTER, JR.
"We want the voters to know what the new water and
sewer rates will be when they go to the polls to vote on
the $9.2 million in general obligation bonds," City
Manager George Wood has said numerous times in past
weeks.
"We also want Kings Mountain's citizens to know
and understand what we plant to do with the money
from the bond sales and what that total effort means to [RYN
the city in terms of the condition of it's electrical and
water distribution systems and it's wastewater (sewer)
collection and treatment operations,” Wood continues.
"Then voters on Feb. 7th, will be able to decide what
is the best thing to do - vote for the money to get our
systems up to where they should be or delay and let the i
ccurts tell us how to spend our tax money - to get ready |
for the tremendous growth potential that exists here," is
the way his story goes.
Citizens should know after tonight's meeting of the
utilities committee what new rate schedule (on water
and sewer) will be recommended to full council at the
regular meeting set for Jan. 10th at city hall at 7:30 p.m.
It will be the fourth parlay of the committee on the
new rate discussions. First was Dec. 7th, when Arthur
Young & Co. officials presented a preliminary study
council contracted for last June.
Purpose of the study was to develop a comprehensive
5-year financial plan (to help pay for bond money), to
determine revenue requirements for fiscal years '89
through '94, and to calculate user charges (rates) to in-
sure the revenue.
Young & Co. officials Mark Dolan and Elyse
Reinecke, of Charlotte, presented a voluminous report
with is on file at the clerk's office and is available to the
public.
The utilities committee also met Dec. 14th and 20th TR
in sessions to which the public was invited. Tonight's
meeting is also open to the public.
Turn To Page 14-A
ou "
Springtime “a
KM's Arthur Bilicliffe
Predicts A Mild Winter
Springtime weather in January is the prediction ‘os
veteran weatherman Arthur Biltcliffe.
Biltcliffe has been keeping weather charts for 45
years and rarely misses his predictions.
"Remember those old North Carolina winters when
we were begging for snow. That's the way it will be in
the winter of 1989," says Bificliffe,
The N. Goforth Street ;
resident checks Charlotte
area weather every day
Mountain "has absolutely
normal temperatures.” He
predicted last winter's big
snow but says if snow
comes this winter the
white stuff won't stick
around long. "We'll have
springtime weather one
day, cold weather the next
and the process will con-
tinue right up to spring.
Fuel bills should be less
this winter," he said, news ARTHUR BILTCLIFFE
that should bring smiles to the faces of most Kings
Mountain area residents.
Biltcliffe's predictions call for a very slight chance of
snow or ice but he leans toward ice, rather than snow.
"If snow does come down it will melt quickly," he says.
Biltcliffe has been keeping weather charts since 1950
but failing eyesight recently has prevented him from
recording temperatures. He has a keen memory and
checks with other weather forecasters on a daily basis.
His predictions are not based on pure luck, he says.
Watching the weather is a fascinating hobby for him.
"You won't need all those heavy coats unless you vis-
it up north," he said.
Suffolk, Va. and Denise Schenck of
Shelby; three brothers, Fred Ross of
Hickory, Hubert Ross of Smyrna
Beach, Fla., and Paul Wallace of
Kings Creek,S.C., four sisters, Mrs.
Mildred Lowman of Hildebran,
N.C., Edna Cook of Grover, Lonie
Welch of Kings Mountain and Lela
Howell of Grover; eight grandchil-
dren and seven great-grandchildren.
Rev. Philip Waugh officiated at
the rites and interment was in
Grover Cemetery.
Harris Funeral Home was in
charge of arrangements.
Long Creek Presbyterian Church
Route 3, Kings Mountain
is the oldest church in
Greater Kings Mountain Area.
The church dates
back to 1780,
but the present
sanctuary,
the third,
was built in
1875.