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S.K.A'TLE.S. FOOTBALL SPECIAL EDITION D.AR.E. Bo
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Member Of The i 5.
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*Your Hometown Newspaper Since 1889¢ t
Vol. 102 No. 84 Thursday, August 23, 1990 Kings Mountain, N.C,
School Muze,
TP Mra
The opening day of school Monday brought
some headaches to students, teachers and
administrators, but things are smoothing out and
school officials are looking forward to a good
year.
There were numerous traffic problems,
especially on Phifer Road, and there was no air
conditioning at Kings Mountain High School,
sasing students to be dismissed at 2 p.m.
i NORE, and 12:30 Tuesday.
Supt. Bob McRae stood on the sidewalk about
tlaitway between KM High and KM Middle
School Monday and Tuesday morning, and saw
quite a contrast. On Monday, cars were bumper-
to-bumper and inched along for over 30 minutes
trying to get students to the Middle School.
But Tuesday morning traffic was moving
along, only stopping occasionally as Reserve
Police Officer Bob Myers directed traffic at the
intersection of Phifer Road and Fulton Road.
McRae noticed that most buses Monday
Since school opened Monday
and traffic swung into high gear on
Phifer Road, city and school offi-
cials have stepped up a lobbying
campaign with area State
Department of Transportation
members in an effort to speed up
o "early funding status this year"
a two mile north-south "connector"
beyond KMHS and KM Junior
High to remedy a "traffic emer-
gency" created by heavier enroll-
ment,
The "connector" would be a new
road which would cut from the
back of the school property and
connect with Highway 74 West, a
part of the proposed, long-range
thoroughfare plan for Kings
Mountain since 1969, updated in
1979, and endorsed for updating by
the city five months ago through a
recently.
City Still Lobbying State
To Build Connector Road]
resolution sent to state D. O. T.
Letters were going out from the
city this week expressing concern
that state officials not wait "anoth-
er five years" but fund the small
stretch of improvements early. City
Manager George Wood, Board of
Education
Campbell, City Planning Director
Gene White and Larry Hamrick,
local businessman, attended a
transportation improvements pro-
gram public hearing in Lincolnton
White described the proposed
new road as just under two miles.
It would run from Dixon School
Road to the greenbox area on
Margrace Road, cross at or near the
old Bain Road, (peach orchard),
and hit Phifer Road to about 2,000
See Highway, 15-A
BOB MYERS DIRECTS TRAFFIC AT KMHS
Opening Day Was Hot And Heavy
morning were about half-full of students, but
Tuesday morning most of the buses were loaded.
That eased the traffic problem considerably.
"I believe traffic around the Middle School
Tuesday was no worse than last year,” he said.
"There seemed to be a problem with people
getting around the circle at the high school and
back onto Phifer Road. We will have to take a
look at that and work on it a8 wes goand ¥'m not
suie if thew i isan answer to that. pin
School officials feared last week (ha traffic
might be so bad on Phifer Road wat they would
have to stagger the start of classes at the high
school and middle school. Both schools begin
their days within four minutes of each other.
Afternoon traffic is not as heavy because the
high school dismisses about 30 minutes earlier
than the middle school.
McRae said he noticed one problem in the
traffic flow at the intersection of Phifer Road
and Somerset Drive. Many motorists tried to
4 gus
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Chairman Doyle
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avoid the Phifer Road traffic by getting onto
Phifer from Somerset. But there is a hill at that
street and many motorists who were turning left
off of Somerset to go toward the middle school
on Phifer were pulling out in front of cars that
were coming over the "blind" hill,
"We need help from the citizenry in realizing
that when they try to get on Phifer Road from
somerset that there age Wople {coming down
Fhifer Road who are having trouble seeing them
because of the blind hill," McRae said. "The cars
coming out Phifer Road are coming upon those
cars (that are pulling out of Somerset) very
quickly and motorists need to be particularly
careful about darting out into traffic. I'm afraid
that's a little bit of a hazardous situation."
McRae said there were also some traffic
problems at East School (Central School), where
See Schools, 16-A
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PROPOSED U.S. 74 CONNECTOR ROAD
Kings Mountain School
Enrollment Is Up By 122
schools, but that's really good
Kings Mountain school officials
got a pleasant surprise on opening
day. Enrollment was up by 122 stu-
dents over last year.
Supt. Bob McRae reported that
the enrollment Tuesday was 3,854,
compared to 3,732 on the second
day last year.
The enrollment was 246 at East
School and there were also more
students at Kings Mountain Middle
School.
"That will create some chal-
lenges but it is very good news,"
said Supt. Bob McRae. "A lot of
the funds we get from the state are
news."
to make some adjustments, such as
having some over-sized classes
maybe, and maybe moving a teach-
er or two in the elementary
Kings Mountain Schools recent-
ly had to return over $150,000 to
the state because of the budget
shortfall. KM would have gotten
three new teachers and one coun-
selor through the BEP but had to
give up three of those four posi-
tions because of the budget crunch.
If the present enrollment holds or
increases, KM could possibly re-
gain some teacher positions.
McRae said the opening of
school was "excellent" despite traf-
fic problems Monday on Phifer
Road and no air conditioning
Monday and Tuesday at Kings
Mountain High School.
"Considering we're going with a
new organization for sixth through
See Enrollment, 2-A
UNITED FUND KICK-OFF-Kings Mountain United Fund
President Ruby M. Alexander and Campaign Chairman Glenn
Anderson launched the current campaign for funds for 16 agencies
at a luncheon attended by campaign workers Thursday.
‘cesy of $600,000,
4-Day Week
For Schools?
Gas Prices Will Raise
Cost Of Transportation
The fuel crunch is forcing
school officials to make adjust-
ments that could mean a four day
school week if gasoline costs con-
tinue to spiral and conservation
measures are not enacted. No one
wants to take drastic measures yet.
Dr. Larry Allen, Associate
Superintendent of KM District
Schools, said the system's 40 bus
drivers are getting specific guide-
lines rvhis week on how to conserve
fuel, Shortening of routes and con-
solidation of buses, will probably
be implemented during the first 10
days of school.
Officials from Shelby, Kings
Mountain and Cleveland County
Schnols met with bus transporta-
tion representatives, county offi-
cials and State Senator Helen R.
Marvin Tuesday at the Cleveland
County Office Building to share
concerns for the higher cost of op-
eration of the county's 190 buses at
four systems that took $213,000
worth of fuel to operate last year
on a transportation budget in ex-
including
salaries, Cuiting out a day of
school but extending the time of
classes would save approximately
20 percent, said Allen, but no one
wants to take that drastic measure
yet.
Allen said the State Department
of Public Instruction has suggested
cutting a day from the school week
"That could be the
case by February or
March if we don t start
conserving now."
rharry Alien
as one of fhe strategies if the sys-
tems run out of fuel. "That could
well be the case by February or
March if we don't start conserving
now," said Allen, who said it costs
$1,184.91 per day to operate
school buses in Cleveland County.
Based on today's gas prices, the
cost will increase dramatically.
Senator Marvin said she would
share the concerns of the school
systems with legislators in Raleigh.
Due to budget cuts by N. C.
Legislature, the county's allocation
for fuel is $57,000 short, said
Allen.
To offset the higher costs of gas,
the system ‘will hike the user fees
for activity buses. Conservation
measures will be taken by school
personnel using cars.
"The first thing we will do is to
try to communicate with parents
that we must be more efficient in
our bus operation. Drivers have
been told not to idle buses when
See Prices, 11-A
National Guard Getting
Its Equipment In Order
The 200 National Guardsmen in
Co. B. 505th Engineering Battalion
in Kings Mountain have had no no-
tification of activation to active du-
ty but this week they are checking
their equipment to be sure it's in
good repair and trying to get back
any equipment on loan.
"I understand that President
Bush has authorized a mobilization
of reserves and was signing the or-
der Wednesday but it will take
awhile for the order to filter from
the President to the Secretary of
Defense to Forces Command at
Fort McPherson and to the
Adjutant General of the U.S.," said
Lt Col. Baron Hignite of Raleigh,
public affairs officer for the North
Carolina National Guard. After that
word, the specialties needed would
determine how quickly-and how
many-Carolinas reservists are de-
ployed.
"What National Guardsmen
from all over the state are doing
this week is contingency planning,"
said Hignite, who said that 24
National Guardsmen from North
Carolina volunteered to go to Saudi
Arabia and are on duty now.
"The Guard is checking out its
notification alert roster but we have
heard nothing today (Wednesday)
on alert status," said Hignite.
"Should that time come we will
have men probably matriculating
to the active Air Force.
President Bush is expected to
authorize a mobilization of re-
serves that initially would return
about 40,000 Americans to active
duty.
Meanwhile, the White House re-
buffed an offer from Iraq to negoti-
ate an end of the Mideast crisis,
saying "the world is united" in de-
manding the unconditional with-
drawal of Saddam Hussein's army
from Kuwait.
United Fund Volunteers
Begin Drive For $127,500
Kings Mountain United Fund
volunteers kicked off the 1991
campaign for funds Thursday at a
luncheon at Holiday Inn at which
75 people heard a review of four of
the 16 agency requests for funding
in the new year.
Speakers were Doris Dedmon,
Patient Care Coordinator for
Hospice of Cleveland County; Pat
St. Charles, Executive Director for
Child Abuse Prevention; Jimmy
Hines, executive director of CO-
DAP, and Dr. Eric Faust, a leader
in the KM Ministerial Association-
sponsored Crisis Center,
A goal of $127,500.00 is being
sought this year and drive leaders
say they are optimistic the goal
will be reached by Thanksgiving.
Included in the 16 requests fund-
ed are Venture Grants for Youth
Assistance Program, KM
Ministerial Association Crisis
Center and James Home.
Faust said that 371 families re-
ceived food through the food bank
the six months ending in July and
that a total of 1,521 individuals at
$29.65 per family unit were helped
with a total expenditure for food of
$10,999.08. He said Boy Scouts
helped in November in distributing
$2500 in non-perishables to needy
families and 30 volunteers gave a
total of 271 hours. In addition, with
mill closings in the area some fam-
ilies were helped with utility bills,
rent payments and medicine.
Sherry Hamrick recently joined the
Crisis Center as the new director of
the ongoing program, which started
15 years ago with the Food Bank,
See United, 11-A
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