Your Friends And Neighbors
, (n Downtown Kings Mountain
‘See Page 6, 7, 8, 9-A
No Pol
ution In Midpines....... 3-A
: Symphony Concert Tonight 8PM...........13-A
EE BE LAL DR Kas
ursday, May 2. 1991
AS RA FR RR
ed 1
EB A A A rs
gh
Tuesday.
11 p.m.
Mary Goforth of Goforth Road, Kings Mountain, found time be-
tween this week's heavy rains to tend to her flower garden. Raising
No funnel clouds were reported in Kings Mountain, acording to
Kings Mountain Police Chief Warren Goforth, but Clevelani County
was under a tornado watch and lightning was blamed for fires'that ex-
tensively damaged homes in Polkville and Waco areas. Funnel shaped
clouds were spotted on Washburn Switch Road near PPG Incistries
around 7 p.m. Monday and 1000 customers of Duke Power Connany,
some from an area south of Kings Mountain, lost electricity from 7 til
iris' and poppies is her hobby. After several days of heavy thunder :
storms the weather man is calling for clear skies...until the weekend.
Local weather tracker Kenneth Kitzmiller, of West Gold Street, said
his readings were a bit different in Kings Mountain from Shelby Radio
Station WADA, the county's official weather station, but he got a .7 5
rain reading on Monday night; recorded 1.19 inches of rainfall during
the week in Kings Mountain, 5.76 inches for the month of April in this
Photo by Chris Nanney
Storm damage misses VI area
No injuries, fires, wrecks or property damages were reported locally
from thunderstorms Monday night which dumped 1.11 inches of rain on
the area, bringing the total to 7.51 inches during the month of April in
Cleveland County after rain fell again on the last day of the month
immediate area and 21.45 inches for the year in Kings Mountain.
Thursday's weather forecast calls for sunny skies with fair days in the
forecast for the remainder of the week.
Kitzmiller, who has been tracking the weather as a hobby for years,
enjoys watching the clouds and counts lightning flashing by seconds.
“When it's up to six seconds you know the lightning is a mile away but
| when it gets closer I go inside,” he said.
City Council Monday night vot-
ed 3-2 to consider changing the
current at-large election system to
a 5-2-1 plan--creating five wards,
electing two members and the
mayor at large.
The board rejected the 4-2-1
plan submitted by members of the
11-member redistricting committee
which also included the six city
commissioners and the city elec-
tions board.
“i don't understand why they
have committees," Elections Board
Chairman Becky Cook said follow-
ing the council's action. "I think the
move was political and they did it
instead of looking at the interest of
the voters."
Both plans virtually guarantees
the city's first minority council
member but both Cook and Rev.
M. L. Campbell, popular black
leader of the community, supported
the 4-2-1 plan.
District 4 Commissioner Jackie
Barrett's motion on the 5-2-1 plan
Hon, ih Thster = omens
Fred Finger, which was seconded
by District 6 Commissione): Scott
Neisler. Voting with Barreit were
District 2 Commissioner Elvin
Green and District 3 Commissioner
Norma Bridges. District 1
Commissioner Al Moretz, who was
late arriving at the meeting, missed
the vote. Neisler and Finger backed
the redistricting committee's rec-
ommendation. Cook presented the
recommendation for a 4-2-1 voting
change. That means four council
members would be chosen from
each ward, and two members and
——
School leaders wan'yyour help | Inside
The impact of proposed legislation affecting city
school's administrative units and proposed cuts of
$120 a student or a $1,800,000 decrease in the bud-
gets for the three school systems in the county was
viewed as "alarming" this week by local and county
officials.
Thursday night a group of 12 representing the
three school systems, their boards of education, City
Manager Lane Alexander and County commissioners
Charlie Harry and Joe Cabaniss met for an informal
meeting at Cleveland Community College.
Friday morning Supt. Bob McRae called together
30 business and community leaders for a breakfast
meeting at Kings Mountain Holiday Inn and budget
cuts and school merger were the talk of the meeting.
Although local school board members said merger
talk was not the major reason for the unannounced
meeting of representatives of Shelby, Kings
Mountain and Cleveland County school boards
Projects eye fall completion
The city is shooting for an early
fall date for dedication of its water
plant and wastewater treatment
projects which total nearly. $7 mil-
lion dollars.
"We're beginning to see the end
in sight for completion of these
major projects,” said Community
Services Director Tom Howard.
Monday night city council let
the final and fifth contract for elec-
Merchants promoting downtown
Kings Mountain merchants and
other downtown businesses are
gearing up for a big "Shop At
Home and Save" promotion with
quality merchandise, first class ser-
vice, and top bargains at affordable
prices. :
"We support all Kings Mountain
activities and are called upon to
buy tickets and give door prizes at
most all civic, church and school
functions and we are glad to do it.
However, we feel it should be a
trical improvements and awarded
the contract to the low bidder
Harrison-Wright at $209,276.25 for
the installation of Gaston Street
12KV and York Road switching
stations. The contract price will be
reduced by $19,485.00 if the city
furnishes materials.
In related utility projects, com-
missioners also approved change
See Projects, 3-A
two-way street and local people
should give local merchants a shot
at the business," said Corky Fulton,
owner and operator of Sagesport.
Thirty-six advertisers in today's
Herald call attention to the profes-
sional services ur Ine products
available in the downtown area and
invite prospective customers to |
compare local prices with out-of-
town markets and enjoy savings.
Local sponsors of the "Trade At
See Downtown, 3-A
Thursday, KM Bord Chairman Billy King said that
local members oppsed to any kind of forced merger
by the state see nodvantage to a merger with the
three systems and vored their opposition clearly. He
said the meeting was'o gather information and talk
with the county managr about budget cuts, which if
passed by the General 'ssembly and already passed
by the Senate Appropitions Committee April 9,
would affect the Shelby od Kings Mountain school
systems by approximately'500,000 and send them
to the county commission it help.
Is merger down the road 1d inevitable and would
it be advantageous to the couy school system which
doesn't have the tax supplem: that both Shelby and
Kings Mountain receives and o the Shelby system
which is losing enrollment? (mmissioner Charlie
Harry said he supports merger binot a forced merg-
er. Most people at the Thursdajneeting adopted a
See School Board, WA
WELCOME HOMk-rriends aid
Nelson Craig Roper welcomed 'n
Sunday at.a big family gathering u!
[————————————
See Committee, 16-A
Building Permits.....7-B
Clossifieds............11-B
Ediloricis................4-A
Engagements .......2-B
Food i..aihiin..5B
Obituaries .............2-A
Police News ........10-B
Religion ......coovveennn2-A
SPOS. chev rensiniin 10-A
Weddings ..............2-B
fA
RRS
30
PAGES TODAY
Plus 4 Advertising Supplements
A hearing to determine it two
downtown billiard parlors have vi-
olated city nuisance ordinances is
set for May 28 at 7:30 p.m. at city
hall and may be the first hearing of
this kind ever conducted by city fa-
thers.
Under city statute, the operating
licenses of Friendly Billiards and
Mike's Game Room, both located
on West Mountain Street in the
downtown area, can be revoked or
suspended for a "definite or indefi-
nite period of time" or the owners
put under probation or closed down
if the board, after a hearing, deter-
mines their businesses constitute a
public nuisance, says City Manager
George Wood.
fro
me of Don Roper.
Navy Petty Officer -
m Saudi Arabia
Navy Petty Officer Third Class
Nelson Craig Roper, 22, came
home Sunday from Saudi Arabia to
the welcoming arms of 79 relatives
and friends who spread a picnic
under oaks decorated with yellow
ribbons at the home of his uncle,
.. Don Roper.
His parents, Nelson and Billie Jo
Roper, brothers Mark and Scott
Roper, and other relatives, includ-
ing his grandmother Mamie Roper
and 10 of her 11 children and their
familics, were in a welcoming par-
ty when he came home to North
Carolina at Morchead City last
week aboard the USS Guam,
A navy hospital corpsman,
Roper was a member of ihe Scecond
Marine Division. He was among
the first group deployed to the
Gulf. :
"It's really good to be home. I'm
Kings Mountain, N.C. 2
Council ol
district pl;
See Map Page 3-A |
Sunday was homecoming
for KM's Nelson Roper
AN NIR SONIA
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WIN RINAVA
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Public
hearing
May 14
The next time you go to the polls
to vote for city officials it will be a
unique experience.
For the first time ever-and prob-
ably this fall if a new ward map is
approved formally May 14 by
Kings Mountain City Council and
subsequently by the U. S. Justice
Department-- voters will be voting
by wards for Ward 1 and Ward 2
and at- large for two seais on
council and the mayor, ail for four-
year terms with exception of this
year where the second high
year,
Moretz and Scott Neisler are in
Ward 4. Commissioner Fred
Finger would remain in Ward 5,
Commissioner Elvin Greene lives
in Ward 3 and the newly created
minority ward is Ward I.
See Wards, 3-A
votegetter for the at-large seats
will serve two years until 1993
TLY ear ASToa aE Be
remaining thrice commissioners
whose terms do not expire this
Terms of Commissioners Al
Moretz, Jackie Barrett and Norma
Bridges are expiring this fall. In the
new ward lineup, Barrett and
Bridges both live in Ward 2 and
Pool room owner: police
job to clean up mini parks
Faced with public complaints,
the board has authorized Wood to
send letters to Mike Heath, owner
of Mike's Game Room beside of
Griffin Drug Store, and Friendly
Billiards, owned by C. T. Dixon
and leased to Steve and Dean
Goins, across the street from
Griffin Drug Store, to attend the
May meeting.
Heath, who also operates a game
room on North Piedmont Avenue,
says it's the police department's job
to clear the miniparks in that area
of people drinking beer and using
bad language. "We don't allow
drinking, fighting or profanity in
s
See Billiards, 15-A
giau. 1 was able to serve my coun-
try just like my Dad did during two
tours of duty in Vietnam," said
Roper. Nelson Roper, 45, served
with the U. S. Army First Calvary
as crew chief on Huey Helicopter
gun ship and was shot down on
combat missions. S/Sgt. Roper re-
ceived six silver stars for bravery,
two purple hearts, an air medal
with V for valor, three army com-
mendation medals. for meritorious
service and two Victnam service
medals with clusters, 27 air com-
bat mcdals and six campaign
medals. Onc of his tours of duty
during cight years of service was
with the 334th Assault Battalion on
Cobra gunship. "Dad is quitc mod-
est about his service duty but we
arc very proud of him and he's why
See Roper, 16-A