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VOL. 103 NO. 7
The patriotic spirit of more than
250 Kings Mountain people sup-
porting American troops and allies
in the Mideast was moving for
families with loved ones in the
Gulf Sunday.
"I'm glad I came," said Jackie
Grigg, the mother of Pfc. Jamie
Grigg, who smiled through tears as
she watched Scouts from Boy
Scout Troop 92 advance the colors
in the KM Community Center
gymnasium and heard the names of
some 90 service people from this
area read by Chamber of
Commerce executive director
Loretta Cozart who led the plan-
ning committee for the rally.
Many of those in attendance
sported homemade posters with the
names of loved ones fighting in the
Persian Gulf War. Others waved
flags. The Community Center was
decorated in red, white and blue
and the speaker's platform was
flanked by both the American and
North Carolina flags and decorated
in red, white and blue balloons and
streamers.
Former Senator J. Ollie Harris, a
World War II veteran, life member
of Frank B. Glass VFW and mem-
ber of American Legion Post 155,
said the rally paid respect to the
men and women in the Gulf.
See Rally, 3-A
The War in the Gulf "is scary,”
writes 20-year-old Pfc. Jamie
{Grigg 11'to his wife, Jena, in Kings
Mountain.’
"T talked to him on the telephone
Monday and I had eight letters
from him last week and Valentines.
We really do miss him and are
praying hard he'll return home
safe," said his young wife. ~~ Mrs.
Grigg, who graduated with her
husband in the Class of 1989 at
Kings Mountain High School, has
gone to work at Grover Medical
Clinic, where her mother-in-law,
Jackie Grigg, is also employed.
Working takes their minds off the
Gulf War, she says. Letters written
to Jamie's parents and to Jena are
PATRIOTIC RALLY-Kings Mountain's patriotic spirit was out Sunday at a rally in support of
American troops in the Gulf War. Members of Boy Scout Troop 92 of First Baptist Church present the
colors. Scouts, from left, are Keith Ferguson, Jeremy Moretz, Mike Bumgardner and Jason Crawford.
War Is Scary, Says
KM Soldier In Gulf
shared with family members and
friends.
Jena shares Griga's recent let
ters:
"Early this morning around
0445 on January 18 I was just get-
ting ready to lie down because I
had just got off guard duty. All of a
sudden we were under attack or at
least that's that we thought. There
was a loud boom that sounded like
thunder. Immediately the alarm
was given and everyone went to
MOPP level 4, which is complete
chemical suit, gloves, boots and
mask. Were were like that for 2 1/2
hours. We didn't know if there was
See Grigg, 7-A
GRIGG IN DHRAN-Pfc. Jamie Grigg, a truck driver, is pictured
at the compound in Dhran. Notice the sand in the photograph he
sent his wife.
Civic Leader Orr Dead
William Orr, 65, of 507 North
Watterson Street, chairman of the
Kings Mountain. Housing
Authority who served on the board
since its inception in 1969, died
Monday night at 8:55 p.m. at
Kings Mountain Hospital.
Orr pushed for more family
dwellings for 21 years and was on-
ly the PHA's second chairman. He
was on the original board that start-
ed looking at sub-standard housing
in the 1060's and led the city in ap-
plying for federal funds, which the
Full Speed Ahead
On Midpines Site
city got for public housing.
Although his activity with public
housing was well known, Orr was
a politician at heart. He savored his
close association with city and
county politics and was a life-long
Democrat who ran unsuccessfully
for county, city and school board
offices but loved the campaign trail
and meeting people.
He retired from Anvil Knitwear
12 years ago but kept up his keen
interest in church and community
work. Joining: the African
Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
at age 12, he was a member of
Bynum Chapel AME Zion Church
and was Lincolnton district lay
council president. He served as
second vice president of the
Connectional Lay Council with
membership of 20,000. In 1962 he
was tapped Omega Man of the
Year and in 1985 was voted one of
the highest awards, the Victor J.
Tulane Award, given to a layman.
He was a trustee of Kings
See Orr, 7-A
WILLIAM ORR
The county is moving to complete construction of
a new manned garbage container and recycling site at
Midpines in 90 days, weather permitting, but resi-
dents of the community still fighting the project will
present another petition to Kings Mountain city com-
missioners Tuesday night in an effort to stall it.
Mark Thompson, construction manager for the
project, said that grading is underway on the 1.22
acre site adjacent to the 2.44 acres old "Midpines
Dump" and as soon as the rain stops that workmen
will start putting up concrete retaining walls.
- KM businessman Kelly Bunch will present the pe-
tition opposing the construction. He says he fears the
increased traffic generated by the facility designed to
have six open-top containers and two compacting
units to handle recyclable materials, yard waste and
standard household garbage will cause a big traffic
problem for the community.
Thompson says the county is moving to meet new
state guidelines to recycle 25% of the county's waste
by 1993. He said county commissioners hope to have
operational six manned recycling sites before imple-
mentation of expected sanitation user and tipping
fees. New sites at the county landfill and at Boiling
Springs have been finished and the Polkville opera-
See Midpines, 7-A
SISTERS SEND MESSAGES TO GULF-Shirley Barber Whitaker, left, and her sister, Iris Barber
Biddy, sent 30-word messages to their sons in the Gulf War Tuesday with the help of Gary Whitaker, cen-
ter, and First Carolina Federal Savings Bank's fax machine. Other families of military personnel in the
Gulf can get this free message service offered by MIL AF Radio Station AAR4DU, Franklin, and the local
savings bank by visiting the West Mountain Street business. The messages are aimed to reach the Persian
Gulf in three days compared to mail delivery which takes up to three weeks.
Gity To Connect
To Growders Creek
City officials are looking at a
summer deadline for letting con-
tract for sewer construction to di-
vert a minimum wastewater flow
of 1.9 million gallons per day to
the Crowders Creek Wastewater
Treatment Plant via the 24-inch
outfall sewer line which ends at
the old McGill Plant.
Under an agreement with
Gastonia on August 17, 1988
Kings Mountain will abandon the
McGill Plant in January next year.
Looking at what they call the
"Crowders Creek Connection,"
members of the city utilities com-
mittee Monday night talked about
several options to run sewer lines
to Crowders to tie in with existing
lines on Ridge Street through the
property of Bill Fulton and David
Royster. Fulton and his son, Corky
Fulton, present at the meeting, said
the city agreed in 1988 to relocate
the line in that area for future con-
struction and Chairman Al Moretz
said the the city won't back down
on that commitment but will look
at the most economical way to run
the line to cause the least amount
of inconvenience for future possi-
ble construction. The project cost
will run between $72,000-$90,000.
According to Community
Services Director Tom Howard and
W. K. Dickson engineer David
Pond three waste streams will be
used to divert the wastewater flow
to Crowders: 0.25 MGD from the
McGill Plant by making the final
connection from Crowders Creek
line to the McGill Plant influent
line with minimal cost; 1.0 MGD
from Anvil Knit equalization tank,
cost minimal; relieve 0.65 MGD
of the cutrent 0.75 MGD flow from
the Fire Museum pump station by
constructing a control manhole ad-
jacent to the Ridge Street/Highway
161 intersection and diverting this
flow through a new 15 inch gravity
sewer parallel to Highway 161 to
the existing 24 inch McGill Creek
trunk line.
In other business Monday, the
committee:
+Approved a recommendation in
a $6,168.00 change order in Phase
I of the Bridges Drive project.
Engineers say at end of construc-
tion a anticipated savings will off-
set the change order costs.
+Considered demolition of the
old existing concrete water storage
tank on Piedmont Avenue because
it's unsafe. Utility committee mem-
bers suggested the tank be used for
warehouse space.
+New drainage lines will put in
across Spruce Street downtown at
See Sewer, 9-A
City Council To Ask
For Delay In Election
“City council is expected to
adopt a resolution Tuesday night as
“an Minsurance’ measure to delay
the municipal fall election for sev-
en months until May 5, 1992
should census statistics not become
available early enough for redis-
tricting to be completed.
The resolution delay must also
meet U. S. Justice Department
preclearance, according to City
Manager George Wood who says
there's no question that Kings
Mountain's six voter districts are
badly disproportional. In one ward
there are less than 700 voters while
in another ward there are more
than 1100, he said. "Census figures
won't change that much," said
Wood.
The municipal election will be
delayed if redistricting and ap-
“proval by the Justice Departmont
isn't accomplished by July 19. All
that hinges on receipt of the census
figures promised by April 1.
"This resolution is merely a safe-
ty net to delay the election if we
need to," said Wood, who hopes
the election can be held on sched-
ule. "Delay would disrupt the two-
year normal cycle," he said.
Candidates for Kings Mountain
city offices for mayor, for Ward 1,
Ward 3 and Ward 4 commissioner
seats would file from noon Jan, 6
until noon Feb. 3. A run-off, if
needed would be held June 2. The
See Election, 9-A
Kings Mountain School Board
To Hold Work Session Monday
The Kings Mountain School
Board will hold what may be its fi-
nal public work session on elemen-
tary reassignment Monday at 7
p.m. at the Central Office.
Prior to the board members’ dis-
cussion the board will receive input
from the public. No decision on re-
assignment of students will be
made at Monday's meeting but the
board has said it hopes to make a
final decision at its regular monthly
meeting on Mon,, Mar. 11 at 7:30
p.m.
Fax Your Letters
To U.S. Soldiers
Gary Whitaker, executive officer of First Carolina
The board has been discussing
' redistricting to achieve racial bal-
ance for almost two years. Early in
the school year the board contract-
ed with YSAC, Inc. to provide a
computer-generated redistricting
plan. That plan was submitted to
the board at its December, 1990
meeting and since that time the
board has been discussing changes
to that plan.
The board came up with 11 pos-
See Schools, 3-A
Federal Savings Bank, wanted to do something to
help local families affected by the War in the Persian
Gulf.
"I don't have any loved ones there but I've heard
that as many as 200 from the Cleveland County area
are serving in the Gulf," he said.
While talking with a friend at Macon Savings
Bank in Franklin, Whitaker heard about Duotech
Services Inc.;.a Franklin electronics firm which has
volunteered its resources and personnel to transmit
and receive free messages between the troops in the
Persian Gulf and their families and friends through
the Military Affiliate Radio System.
It's an electronic method of faxing letters from
home to the Gulf in three days. Normally, it takes
about three weeks for the letters to get there, accord-
ing to sisters Iris B. Biddy and Shirley B. Whitaker,
both of Kings Mountain, who have sons in the U. S.
Navy.
First Class Petty: Officer John Scott Biddy has
been aboard the missile carrier USS Mississippi in
the Gulf since December 4. He joined the Navy in
July 1982. He is also the son of Roy Biddy of Shelby
and grandson of Mrs. Bessie Biddy and Mrs. J. O.
See Fax, 7-A
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