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Member NC
Press Association
VOL. 101 NO. 37
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Thursday, September 14, 1989
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United Fund Seeks $121,500
Kings Mountain United Fund
kicked off the 1990 campaign
Monday for a record $121,500.00.
Ruby M. Alexander, fund chair-
man, said four new grants ap-
proved will benefit Kings
Mountain Literacy Council, Youth
Assistance Program, James Home
and Kings Mountain Kidney
Association,
"You have made an impression-
able stride in giving to the United
Way during the past five years. In
KM Businesses
That Sold Beer
To Minors Fined
1985, the United Way goal was
$80,500. The 1990 goal is more
than 50% increase," she said.
Last year Kings Mountain area
citizens surpassed the goal of
$115,000.
United Fund President Bob
McRae told the 75 volunteers at-
tending the kick-off luncheon at
Holiday Inn that "now it's time to
roll up our sleeves again and work
for United Way."
Two of the agencies receiving
funds-Pioneer Girl Scout Council
and Cleveland County Abuse
Prevention Council-presented pro-
grams. The film,"You Are the
Heroes" followed their presenta-
tions.
Sylvia Holmes, formerly of
Kings Mountain, said she started
her career in Girl Scouts 20 years
ago when the family lived in this
community and her children were
involved in Scouts. Pioneer Girl
Scout Council serves four counties
for all ages of girls and offers both
traditional and contemporary pro-
grams. Scouts continue to camp
and learn the traditional Scouting
programs but they also go on trips
around the world and this fall will
participate in the first comprehen-
sive study by Harvard University
of children’s beliefs and moral val-
ues to build a profile of America's
children that will assist policymak-
ers in developing effective respons-
es to the critical issues facing
young people today. The Harvard
University Study will release its
findings next year. Mrs Holmes
said that sensitive issues such as
"say no to drugs” and teenage sui-
cide are just a few of the topics of
programs offered to Scouts and
recommends highly "Teen Scene",
a program being developed with
the Gaston Health Department,
which identifies problem areas in
youth. Piedmont Girl Scouts own
two camp sites, a 600-acre camp in
Rutherford County and a 30-acre
site at Crowder's Mountain.
Pam Leonhardt, Shelter
Manager of Abuse Prevention
Council, says the program essen-
tially offers "an ear to listen to bat-
tered women, a support group and
a court advocacy program. For two
summers the program has also of-
fered a five week's summer pro-
gram for children. The Shelter pro-
See Fund, 11-A
Fishing In South Carolina
George Ruppe
Drowns Tuesday
George Thomas Ruppe, 59, prominent Kings
Seven Kings Mountain businesses that sell beer and
wine were fined Friday and one drug store lost its per-
mit for five days for ABC violations following a hear-
ing before the N. C. Alcoholic Beverage Commission
in Raleigh.
The suspended suspensions will allow stores to con-
tinue sales.
In each case, a store employee was charged with
selling an alcoholic beverage to someone less than 21
years of age on either April 17 and April 19.
Sgt. Billy Benton of the Kings Mountain Police
Department said the owners of the businesses and at-
torneys for the state reached compromise agreements
on each case and the commission approved the agree-
ments.
Last year, police cited underage beer sales at 23 of
28 businesses. This spring eight of 23 were cited for
See Fines, 12-A
KM UNITED FUND KICKOFF-A campaign drive for $121,500 was kicked off by United Fund volun-
teers Monday. From left, Dr. Bob McRae, United Fund president, Pam Leonhardt, Shelter Manager of
Abuse Prevention Council, campaign chairmar Ruby M. Alexander, and Pionger Girl Scout official Sylvia
Holmes discuss plans for the fund-raising effort which benefits 20 agencies this year.
KM Gears For Drug Fight
"KM Schools May
Lose 3 Teachers
Kings Mountain schools stand to
lose 3.5 state teaching positions if
the current enrollment trend con-
tinues throughout the school year.
Supt. Bob McRae told the board
of education at its regular monthly
meeting Monday night at Kings
Mountain High School that the en-
rollment on the 10th day of school
was down 95 from the same period
last year.
The total district enrollment on
the 10th day of school was 3,786.
Bethware Elementary is the only
school to show a substantial in-
crease in students. It is up 30 stu-
dents to an all-time high of 466.
The biggest declines are at East
Elementary, which is down 42 stu-
dents to 217, and at Kings
Mountain junior and senior highs,
where 109 students dropped out
last year.
Kings Mountain Schools recent-
ly began concentrated efforts to de-
crease the dropout rate and McRae
said that if they're successful in
that endeavor it could bring help
the enrollment figures level off.
McRae said the system has faced
possible teacher losses in the past
but has always been able to renew
contracts. He said he hopes that be-
cause of normal resignations and
retirements that the system will not
have to lose any teachers.
In another matter Monday night,
the board received results of last
year's writing, competency and
CAT tests.
Asst. Supt. Larry Allen said
Kings Mountain students scored
favorably with students nationwide
but were below the state and region
average in many categories.
In the writing test, Allen said
third graders should score 3.7 and
in KM they scored 3.9. That means
students scoring a 3.9 should be in
the ninth month of their third grade
year. KM sixth graders scored 7.5
compared to the normal 6.7 and
eighth graders scored 8.8 compared
to the nationwide average of 8.7.
"We feel that compared to the
nation, we're a little above where
we ought to be," said Allen. "But
this year we didn't score favorably
with the region and state. We're not
totally satisfied with scoring at
grade level."
Allen said Kings Mountain
Schools is forming a task force to
work on improving test scores.
In the competency tests, Allen
said KM sophomores taking the
test for the first time did well but
were also below the region and
state averages. Two hundred and
fifty-one KM sophomores passed
the reading portion of the test, 253
the math, 253 the writing objec-
tives and 252 the writing essays. A
student must pass all four cate-
See Schools, 11-A
Franklin L. Ware, 73, Dies
Funeral services for Franklin L.
Ware Jr., 73, of 815 West Mountain
Street, were conducted at 4 p. m,
Monday at Boyce Memorial ARP
Church by Rev. Harold S. Mace
and Dr. W. Harris Blair.
Burial was in Mountain Rest
Cemetery.
Mr. Ware died Friday evening at
Kings Mountain Hospital.
A native of Cleveland County,
he was the son of the late F, Luther
Ware Sr. and Mary Emma Brown
Ware.
He was a retired manager of the
Shelby N. C. Employment Security
Commission Office and an Elder
and former Sunday School teacher
at Boyce Memorial ARP Church.
He also was a graduate of Erskine
College in Due West, S.C., a for-
mer high school teacher and coach,
and a U. S Army veteran of World
War II.
Survivors include his wife,
Eddys Latham Ware of the home;
two sons, Melvin Ware of
Blacksburg, S.C. and Edwin Ware
of Gastonia; one daughter, Marcia
Brinkley of Nazareth, Pa., a broth-
er, W. Brown Ware Sr. of Kings
Mountain; a sister, Elizabeth
Lesslie of Fort Mill,S.C. and five
grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the
building fund of Boyce Memorial
ARP Church.
CHIEF WARREN GOFORTH
Churches are launching a war on drugs following an
appeal by President Bush to curb drug abuse through
community awareness programs.
The first program in what Rev. Kenneth George
hopes will begin a series of services will be held
Sunday morning at 11 a.m. at East Gold Street
Wesleyan Church where Kings Mountain Chief of
Police Warren Goforth will fill the pulpit. The public is
invited.
Rev. George said that other ministers of the commu-
nity are being asked to join the effort by scheduling
programs by law enforcement personnel at church
worship services.
"Kings Mountain has a serious cocaine drug prob-
lem but the real problem here is alcohol," said Chief
Goforth who will use arrest statistics to show how al-
cohol is the indirect cause of many of the crimes po-
Mountain businessman, drowned Tuesday morning at
10:30 a.m. on a fishing trip on Lake Wateree in eastern
Fairfield County near Winnsboro, S. C
Ruppe and William Roper Jr., a
former Kings Mountain chief of po-
lice, were thrown from their boat by
the wake of a larger boat that sped
by, according to Fairfield County
Coroner Joe Silvia.
Silvia said Ruppe and Roper
were fishing in front of the
Fairfield Boat Club, a private club
on Lake Wateree, fairly close to the
bank. They cranked the motor and
headed south down the river at a
trolling speed in Roper's small alu-
minum jon boat when a extra large
RUPPE
bass fishing boat passed between two boats, a distance
See Ruppe, 12-A
lice investigate everyday.
Chief Goforth says law officers need help in the
fight.
'It has to be done with a concerned effort by the
criminal justice system, the community, the church and
the workplace. Until society rises up and says enough
is enough, drug abuse will continue."
Sunday's service is a follow-up on the request of
President Bush for local people to become involved
and push for new anti-drug efforts locally.
Chief Goforth said that VCRs have been the target
of drug users who have ripped off 20-25 homes during
the past several months. "They take a VCR because it's
hard to trace and then they sell or swap for cocaine or
alcohol," he said.
See Drugs, 11-A
County 911 Service Begins October 1
October 1 is the cut-on date for
the new, county-wide 911 emer-
gency system.
Lee Clary, communications di-
rector for Cleveland County, said
that all residents are preparing for
the system by putting house num-
bers on their houses as soon as the
county assigns each residence-no
matter how remote-a number.
Clary. said the house numbering
project, a slow and tedious one, is
expected to speed up. Most ad-
dress changes in this area will be
on the rural routes. Bethlehem and
El Bethel community residents
have already been notified by the
postoffice of their correct house
numbers.
Once you receive your correct
address the address must be promi-
FRANKLIN L. WARE JR.
nently displayed. You can change
your address on your driver's li- offered.
senior citizens of the service being
and weatherstripping for the tem-
plate and advice on the logistics of
cense free of charge by visiting the
Shelby or Gastonia Highway Patrol
offices.
Clary was in town Monday to
congratulate Eagle Scout Lindsay
Suber of Troop 92 who led the pro-
ject of numbering 36 senior adult
residences at Ridge Street, City
Street and Railroad Avenue. The
apartment numbers were painted in
white paint on a black background
on the curb in front of each apart-
ment block because in some cases
it is difficult for emergency crews
to find addresses.
Suber, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bob
Suber, got endorsement of his pro-
ject from City Council and Aging
Director Monty Thornburg notified
Most house numbers in the pub-
lic housing complex were not visi-
ble from the road. Lindsay, assist-
ed by other Scouts working on
service badges, painted the black
background on the first leg of the
project and the white numerals on
the final visit to each home. As a
part of his project, Lindsay orga-
nized a team of helpers consisting
of adult leaders and fellow Boy
Scouts as assistants. He received
the support of area businesses in
the form of supplies needed for the
project: paint, brushes and stencils
from Bridges Hardware; spray
paint from Car Quest; posterboard
from Cornwell Drug; a tin template
from Childers Heating & Cooling;
INSIDE AT A GLANCE
the project from Glee Bridges.
As the final phase of the project,
Lindsay showed the finished prod-
uct to representatives of the vari-
ous emergency rescue groups in-
volved in 911: -Fire Chief Frank
Burns, Police Chief Warren
Goforth, and Lee Clary.
The system links the county
communication center with Shelby
and Kings Mountain Police
Departments.
"We can switch calls between us.
All of it is overlapping,” says
Clary. When someone dials 911
dispatchers at Kings Mountain
Police Department, Shelby Police
See 911, 11-A
Mounties Win!
Page 1-B
Classifieds...............0..e.- 9-B
Community News. .......... 2-C
BAtorials...... coins seneines 4-A
Engagements...........ee.u. 7-A
Boad..v. sabi es 4-C
TAfestyles. on. evisoesiirenssons 1-C
ObItuaries...........i.vasonses 3-A
Relgion......c..i..oneestrevennns 6-B
DOLLS. fii ivi aaeiaannns 1-B
Helping Kids
Speak Better
Page 9-A
FOOTBALL WINNER:
Tim Seay
This Week's Contest On Page 5-B
(19 winners, 1 tie)