a -
A REPUBLIC NT /£ = = — prs
’ a ” HO
J VHRAOS VION iC Ee
bi | : wn
ks 3s
| voL. 101 NO. 17 > : WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 1989 KINGS MOUNTAIN = A 2
vw Oo
ZX
+ OH
oO =
Sait] ft
pO
City [Oo Require Drug esting +
O <i
XD =H
oN =
Kings Mountain City Council Tuesday night unani- After receiving proposals from ) i
=<
City maintenance crews led by Emmett Moss and
George Jacobs discovered a bigger job than they an-
ticipated this week when they began clearing a build-
up of brush and trees on the earth-fill dam at Davidson
Lake.
City Engineer Tom Howard said root structures
have been found growing in the dam basins.
A big spillway project was recently completed at
Moss Lake and major repairs were done to the dam
when the lake was lowered. City crews, in the mean-
time, are doing the maintenance on the city's smaller
Roots Growing In Davidson Lake Dam
-mid-risk dams at Davidson and City Lake and attempt-
ing to correct two expected seepages, said Howard.
Howard said that with over 4,000 dams in the state
that state inspection teams must inspect dams on a reg-
ular basis and city teams expect to be ready when in-
spection teams come to Kings Mountain.
Brush growing over a dam is a violation of good
safety policy and Howard said the city is monitoring
the dams now for safety violations. Howard said state
inspectors will be asked to look at the suspected seep-
See Dam, 2-A
mously adopted a new policy requiring screening of
all new or promoted employees for drugs.
The policy, which was recommended by City
Manager George Wood and Personnel Director
Charles Webber, has been talked about for several
months. In studying the proposal, new to Kings
Mountain, Webber said he didn't find any other cities
which have such policies.
"It's just a growing trend nationally given the drug
epidemic in this country and the pre-employment test-
ing, which includes testing for drugs, would protect
the city from related insurance or worker's compensa-
Kings Mountain Family Practice, and ’
the board accepted the $65 low bid fron
to do the tests. Wood said all three Clin. + 4
ed valuable assistance to Webber in developing the
screening applications which would also apply to em-
ployees receiving promotions. Drug tests eventually
could be required for existing employees, but officials
indicated that was not in the near future. Applicants in
the Kings Mountain Police Department currently are
required to take physical examinations.
The ultimate goal of the program is to assist in the
reduction of claims filed against the city's medical
R XANOVR
Charlotte Symphony
To Perform Thursday
The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra returns to Kings
Mountain Thursday night for a public concert at
-Barnes Auditorium at 8 p.m. and for a children's con-
cert at 10 a.m. Friday, also in Barnes Auditorium.
The concerts are sponsored by the N. C. Arts
Council and the Kings Mountain community.
Tickets are available at the door for Thursday night's
concert which has sold in excess of 500 tickets.
More than 1 000 students from grades 3, 4, and 5 in
; the Kings
Mountain school
system will partic-
ipate in "Hello,
Orchestra" on
Friday morning
and will be play-
ing kazoos along
with the orchestra
in a special pro-
gram arranged for
the children who
will be bused from
the various schools
to the auditorium.
Public school mu-
sic teachers Lynn
pr Echols and Judy
He Whisnant have
: . DARYL ONE .. been directing the
students in learning special music for the program.
After Thursday night's concert a reception honoring
One and the 75-member orchestra will be held in the
Courtyard of Kings Mountain Senior High School and
hosted by Kings Mountain Woman's Club.
This is the second appearance of the Charlotte
Symphony to Kings Mountain.The Charlotte
Symphony Orchestra is considered one of the nation's
finest regional symphony orchestras. Having celebrat-
ed its 50th anniversary in the 1981-82 season, the sym-
phony has grown and greatly expanded both its sched-
ule of performances and its wealth of talent. The
orchestra provided the region with international atten-
tion as it toured many of Europe's music capitals the
summer of 1987. The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
was the only regional orchestra to be invited to partici-
pate in the 1987 Summer European Music Festival.
Performing in West Germany, Poland and Holland, the
from one record-setting concert to the next.
See Symphony, 2-A
Schools Will Probably
Conduct Radon Tests
Kings Mountain school officials say they are look-
ing into possibilities of testing the schools for radon
since the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency is-
sued a report that over half the schools tested in 16
states tested above acceptable levels of gas.
"We are working with out maintenance department
now and are also working with officials of Cleveland
County Health Department but are unaware that such a
problem exists in our schools," said Associate Supt.
Larry Allen.
"With the latest information that's come out, there's
certainly every reason to take the report seriously, "
said Dr. Allen.
"We have been in touch with the Division of School
Planning in Raleigh and also the Cleveland County
Health Department and at present we are holding ses-
sions with our maintenance people to take necessary
See Radon, 2-A
tion claims," said Wood.
MOVING EARTH - A heavy equipment operator with the City of Kings Mountain
orchestra carried the pride of every Metrolina citizen moves some big trees and dirt away from the dam at Davidson Lake Tuesday afternoon.
. The city is removing big trees near the dam to try to prevent roots from growing in the
Photo by Gary Stewart
earthen structure, The dam will undergo state inspection this summer.
See Test, Page 2-A
KM Educators
Preparing
For New Middle School
Supt. Bob McRae said architects
for the new Middle School im-
provements are expected to present
final plans at the May meeting of
the Kings Mountain Board of
Education and bids are expected to
be let by June 1 following approval
by the Division of School
Planning.
McRae made the statements at a
staff development meeting at KM
Junior High Monday where Nancy
Farmer, a planner with the Middle
School Program in the Department
of Public Instruction, talked with
teachers about transition from
teaching in the Junior High to
teaching grades 6-8.
McRae told the group that since
the bond issue passed for school
improvements that construction
work can begin soon and that, al-
though the schedule will be tight,
that plans are to open the Middle
School program by August 1990.
"That's not long off and we still
-have to complete program refine-
...ment and personnel work but 1 be-
lieve we can do it," he said.
Jane King, Director of Public
Instruction for KM Schools, has
been working closely with staff
and with Nancy Farmer in organiz-
ing the program, new to Kings
Mountain. Farmer took the occa-
sion to congratulate King and
McRae for their inspiration in giv-
ing the system something it needs.
"If this isn't your calling to work
with this age student, however, you
should move on," she warned
teachers. "Ten to 14-year-olds are
an unusual population and middle
level teachers must be strong at
heart and equipped to function in a
disciplinary team organization. It
involves a lot of change but suc-
cess counts on the teachers to make
it work for the kids," she said.
"Education at best is gutter
work," she said,"but the middle
school is America's largest running
innovation."
"Kids begin to understand they
have choices early and what we
say and what we do should be the
same because kids relate to how
you interact and treat people and
they see your faults," she pointed
out in her presentation.
"Sometimes a kids' grades go up
and down based on perception of
social life. The average age of run-
aways in America is 14, in 1990
5,000 teenage suicides are predict-
ed, and the pregnancy rate is up
among girls 10-14. I'm not asking
you all to perform miracles but
See Schools, Page 11-A
KM Man Dies Monday
After Two-Car Accident
Willie Edgar Greason, 76, of 803
Fourth Street, died Monday follow-
ing a two-car wreck at the intersec-
tion of King and Sims Streets.
The wreck occurred at 1:30 p.m
. Greason was a passenger in a
1979 Plymouth operated by
Marcus Wood, 81, of 308 Fairview
Street. Police said the other vehicle
was a 1978 Cadillac operated by K.
C. Withrow, 58, of 412 Atlantic
Avenue, Shelby, owned by
Withrow Funeral Home.
Ptl. Mark Simpson and Sgt.
Houston Corn, who investigated
for the Kings Mountain Police
Department, said Wood had
stopped at the stop sign on North
Sims Street but apparently did not
see the oncoming vehicle and
pulled into traffic. Damages to the
See Greason, 11-A
Project Graduation Gets Boost
REV. BOB COLLINS
'Wise' Purchase
Chinese Buy Machinery From KM Plant
Wise Industries Inc. of Kings Mountain is shipping
a $17,430 van to Tianjin, China, a town about 80 miles
from Beijing with 10 other trailer loads of machinery
and supplies on a 5 1/2 week sea voyage via the
Panama Canal.
The company, founded in 1969 by President Dan
Wise, will welcome Chinese visitors to town for the
second time this weekend and close a second deal with
the Chinese. Previously, the company shipped $2.5
million worth of non-woven carpet-making equipment
to China in 1985.
Max Clark, a company spokesman, said the van and
machinery will be used by a Chinese mill scheduled to
“open by the end of the year. The van will take workers
By Marty Hohmann
Of the Herald Staff
Cleveland County's first annual
Project Graduation is well on its way to
becoming a reality thanks to two
generous donations received recently.
According to steering committee
Chairman Phil Reid, M.A.D.D. has
presented him with a total donation of
$1,100 and the Cleveland County
Medical Center has donated $1,500 to
help make the party a reality.
"It's really going good," said Reid.
"We have to date received $3,850 in
donations."
That figure did not take into
consideration $600 presented at the
executive meeting on Tuesday by Kings
Mountain High School Senior J.J.
Warlick. She collected the money from
local merchants and businesses to
purchase prizes to give away at the drug
and alcohol free party slated for May 30.
But there is still a long way to go,
noted Reid. "We have to get $16,200 to
pull off Project Graduation. We need to
raise that money," he said.
With the contributions received
thusfar, that leaves a balance of about
$12,000.
"That is not to paint a dark picture,"
noted Reid. "I am very positive.
Donations and prizes tend to come in
during the last month. We are now one
month and five days from Project
Graduation."
Up to this point, the steering
committee, which is comprised of
students from Burns, Crest, Kings
Mountain and Shelby High Schools, has
concentrated its efforts on planning the
event. The focus will now shift to
fundraising.
"We are working together. We are
one now and we will raise the $12,000
that is left to do," Reid told the
committee.
See Project, 2-A
to the factory, which will make non-woven fabric for
use in winter jackets and comforters.
The van came off a lot of Cherryville auto dealer
Mac McCutcheon. It's a basic, 15-passenger van and
was loaded in a tractor trailer at the Wise Industries
plant in Kings Mountain Industrial Park Thursday.
Most of the textile machinery being shipped with
the van was made at Wise Industries which employs
about 35.
Mayor Kyle Smith said he looks forward to wel-
coming the Chinese delegation to the city for another
visit.
INSIDE AT A GLANCE
Classifieds........... 12-B
; Community News.10-B
JUST SAY | Editorials............... LA
Ee Rood... ik 5-C
r { 3 Te
TO DRUGS Obituaries.............. 3-A 3
dl AND ALCOHOL |] Religion................. 8-B
\ | | School News.......... 1-B / A
PANG 3
Sports..............0.. 5-A 13
A Message To Teenagers | Weddings............... 2.C Trave 1g Man
a John George
ee Special Ins
In Today's Herald Page 1-C
pa SERS
WEATHER — Variable cloudiness Thursday through Saturday, chance of
Thunderstorms. Highs in the 80's. Lows in the 60's.
Wise Industries has also shipped machinery to
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, England and Australia.
2