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‘See Inside Today For The
Area's Best Christmas Buys
Vol. 101 No. 49
CHRISTMAS IN KINGS MOUNTAIN
Saunders House Is Filled With The Spirit Of Christmas
PARADE DRAWS A GROWD
Pictorial Page Inside Today
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New City Councilmen Take Office
Tightening
Controls At
City Hall
Tightening of internal control to more closely moni-
tor city finances has been incorporated in the 1988-89
city audit, City Manager George Wood said.
Wood said the city is financially sound and it is re-
flected in the audit which city council members re-
ceived for study Tuesday from auditor Darrell Keller.
An indepth accounting manual will be provided by
the auditing firm for use by the city finance office after
the first of the year. This is another step to keep better
track of money the city receives from utilities and oth-
er areas in addition to checking computer printouts
against deposit slips and other daily receipts.
The internal accounting recommendations by the
auditing firm follow an indepth investigation this
summer which revealed embezzlement of collections
by two longtime utility employees who pled guilty to
the charges and received suspended sentences.
The criminal investigation underway at City Hall
made the audit a little more difficult to do, said Wood.
City officials will meet for a work session on the audit
on Jan. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall. The public is in-
vited.
Keller said several corrections from 1987-88 audit
appear in the 1988-89 audit for which the board will
need to make budget amendments. The inventory was
overstated by half million dollars and then picked up
as inventory and posted incorrectly on the books. "The
auditor last year had used the wrong account number
and then city workers posted the figures as given and
didn't pick up as inventory and the cash and invest-
ments were overstated by $198,000," he explained.
Last year's audit reflected $1.3 million net income but
included $339,000 in Senate Bill 2 funds which the
city didn't receive in fiscal year 1989, "This year's net
income is $557,000, a significant decrease but when
we make the corrections that figure will be $587,000."
he said.
Keller said that the percentage of collection of taxes
also drops from 92-95% to 84% in 1989 due to a large
disclosure from a company which is entering notice of
appeal.
The general fund is lower than it needs to be but the
gas and electric funds are higher than projected, said
City To Move Ahead
Where There's Smoke, There's Fire
o
PHOTO BY DIETER MELHORN
FIRE GUTS RESIDENCE-Firemen, above, battled a blaze in a house on McDaniel Road Wednesday at
10:58 a.m. The upper level of the unoccupied house was gutted and the whole house smoke damaged.
Responding to the blaze were Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department, Bethlehem Volunteer Fire
Department, Grover Rural Volunteer Fire Department and Cleveland Volunteer Fire Department.
Scott Neisler
Mayor Pro-Tem
mously elected mayor pro tem by Smith
Administration II after three members of the board
were sworn into office by District Judge George
Hamrick Tuesday night.
Prior to their first business of
the meeting, the newly elected
members thanked their support-
ers and pledged to work with the
administration and listen to citi-
zens for four years of progress.
Neisler took the occasion to in-
troduce his wife, Jan, and their
two children, Garrett, 4 1/2 and
Wendy, 8, other family members, a
and Roy Pearson, an active cam- BE
paigner in his successful run-off SCOTT NEISLER
with incumbent commissioner Harold Phillips.
"I went to school in Gastonia and work in Shelby
but Kings Mountain has always been my home. I've
met so many new friends as Roy and I walked the
streets and knocked on doors,” he said. "Kings
Mountain is a diamond in the rough and a super town,"
he said.
Neisler, at 34 the youngest member of Council, said
he appreciated the high endorsement of the board in
electing him as mayor pro tempore. The board, with
authority to tap any one of the six members to the two-
year ‘position, usually gives the honor to the person
with the highest number of votes in the election.
I District 5 Commissioner Fred Finger, the only one
of\three incumbents who won his seat for reelection
another four years, said he is looks forward to the con-
tinued growth of Kings Mountain and will continually
listen to citizens and work for Kings Mountain.
District 2 Commissioner Elvin Greene said he ap-
preciates the opportunity to serve Kings Mountain and
looks forward to serving all the community. "God
bless you and have a merry Christmas," he said.
Wives of the new officials held the family Bibles as
their husbands took the oath of office in a brief cere-
mony.
The city staff hosted a reception after the short
meeting in honor of the new councilmen.
~ Mayor Kyle Smith took the occasion to present out-
going District 2 Commissioner Humes Houston with a
plaque recognizing his 14 years of service to the city
and the audience gave Houston a standing ovation.
With Recycling Plans
Kings Mountain City Council
moved ahead Tuesday with plans
for recycling to deal with antici-
pated cost of disposing of refuse at
the county landfill.
Mayor Kyle Smith put a new
ad hoc recycling committee to
work on looking at several options
over the next few weeks as the city,
in cooperation with the Cleveland
County Health Department, readies
to open bins for the recycling of
paper, glass and plastic off
‘and
Railroad Avenue and Elm Street.
The project is similar to one in op-
eration in Shelby through the city
the Uptown Shelby
Association.
New Councilman Scott Neisler
will chair the six-member commit-
tee which also includes new coun-
cilman Elvin Greene, Councilman
Al Moretz, County Health Director
Denise Stallings, Clavon Kelly and
David Saunders Jr.
See City, 9-A
Come gl LL
VINNIE ESKRIDGE
Nintendo Games,
Mrs. Eskridge 100 Years Old
Happy 100th birthday today to
Vinnie Mabry Eskridge.
Affectionately called "Aunt Vin"
by friends and kin, Mrs. Eskridge
will be honored by the 28 other
residents of Country Time Rest
Home at her second birthday party
this week. She will wear a Queen's
crown sent to her by her grandchil-
dren and the guests will have bal-
loons and party favors.
Sunday, Mrs. Eskridge's family
honored her at a Christmas open
house and her two stepsons, Paul
and Jennings Beatty, came from
Baltimore, Md. for the party
planned by her great-niece, Doris
Kiser of Bessemer City. Her two
other stepsons, Dr. Ned Eskridge of
California and Billy Eskridge of
Memphis, Tenn. were unable to at-
tend but sent presents and birthday
cards.
"Aunt Vin is such a precious la-
dy. She doesn't hear but she is
pleasant and everyone at Country
Time adores her," says Mrs. Kiser.
Gloria McDonald, owner of the
facility at Crowder's Mountain,
said nurses help dress "Aunt Vin"
in a pretty church dress every
morning and she uses her walker
and busys herself with trips to the
day room. "She never stays in bed
and doesn't even want to put on a
night gown," she said.
For her birthday party this week
she wore a pink dressy dress with
jewelry and her silver hair was
beautifully styled by a volunteer at
the facility.
See Vin, 9-A
Ninja Turtles
Top Santa's Shopping Requests
The hottest items on Santa's shopping list this year
is Nintendo games and would you believe the cartoon
character Ninja Turtle?
Local merchants say they have sold out the Ninja
Turtle several times and also reordered action sets
and Batman items. The ever- popular Nintendo is big
on gift lists for Santa to bring down the chimney on
Christmas eve but a new item this year is the smaller
version of the Nintendo, Game Boy, a travel game
which uses cassettes and sells for $90 plus. It's the per-
fect gift, say all-age customers who like the Nintendo
entertainment system.
Allen Propst, manager of Comwell Drug Store, said
the rave items for Christmas are the Nintendo prod-
ucts. Propst has reordered the Ninja Turtle, which
Belks' Toyland at Eastridge Mall has also sold out of
several times, said a clerk. Belks also lists popular
items, in addition to Nintendo, as the Mario II game
for Nintendos, the Hollywood Barbie doll, Oopsy
Daisy, a big doll which crawls, falls over and cries,
Bouncing Babies, and Berry Berry Muffin Mary,
Batman dolls. Batman toys are favorites this year at
toy stores at Cleveland Mall and Eastridge.
Most local drug stores and convenience stores have
plush toys and small toys which are also popular this
Christmas.
Local merchants report that business is brisk, about
20-30% over last year sales in mid-December. People
started Christmas shopping earlier, say some mer-
chants.
Preston Brown and Greg Smith of Mobile
Vibrations says the hottest selling item is radios,
Pioneer AM&FM Super, Tuners. AAA Sports, of
which Mack Lefevers is manager, lists Mountie jackets
and BB guns as popular items. Western Auto Store, of
which Odus Smith is manager, lists bicycles as big
items. Seventy bicycles were recently put on the floor
at Western Auto and bike sales are going good, said a
salesman. Last year Western Auto sold 52 bicycles in
December. This year the sales are expected to top 70.
For Mom and Dad, a new car is high on the priority
list for Christmas. Wade Tyner, of Wade Ford, said that
local car sales in December topped previous years. For
the man of the house, a new or used truck is popular
for Christmas 1989. For Mom, jewelry is also a big
selling item as well as clothes.
Biggest selling item at Christmas Emporium is the
Moravian Star which is advertised at a sale price of
$19.98, compared to $32.98. The Star can be lighted at
Christmas and is a popular feature of outdoor home
See Shop, 5-A
Photo By Dieter Melhorn
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING - Bobby Martin of Kings Mountain looks over the big selection of men's
suits at Plonk Brothers. Kings Mountain businesses report heavy sales as citizens hurry to get their
Christmas shopping in before Santa Claus comes.
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New District 6 Councilman Scott Neisler was unani-
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