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weeks.
Herald to publish early
Because of the Christmas and New Year's holidays,
the Kings Mountain Herald will publish early the next two
Next week's paper will be printed on Monday
morning and will carry a Tuesday dateline. The paper will
be on the streets late Monday afternoon and mail sub-
scribers will receive their papers on Tuesday.
The paper will be the Herald's traditional
Christmas edition with greeting ads from area businesses.
Deadline for advertising and news copy for next
week's paper will be 5 p.m. Friday.
The New Year's paper will be printed on Tues., Dec. 4
31 and will carry a Wed., Jan. 1 dateline. Deadline for
news and advertising copy will be 5 p.m. Mon., Dec. 30.
VOL. 108 NO. 50
*S 00l
RAW AINOVR
ON NIW SONIA
Wadd
98087
“AV INO
A9VYEIT IVI¥O
Thursday, December 19, 1991
Kings Mountain, N.C. 28086 «35¢
Neisler to keep
. city doors open
New Mayor Scott Neisler
pledged to keep-an open door poli-
“cy at city hall as he was seated,
along with four council members,
Tuesday night.
"The Mayor's job belongs to the
people," said Neisler, who said he
would open his office for an hour
every morning between 8:30 and
9:30 a.m. and the welcome mat
would be out.
Clerk of Superior Court Linda
Thrift administered the oath to
Neisler and to Council members
Norma Bridges, Al Moretz, Phil
Hager and Jim Guyton.
"I know we are seeing history in
the making since I happen to be
black and the first black seated on
council but I'm not looking at
racial issues and will work for all,"
said new Ward One Councilman
Hager.
New Ward 2 Commissioner
Guyton and reelected At-Large
commissioners Bridges and
Moretz also acknowledged the
support of their families and voters
record of the S
Two Kings Mountain High
School students were suspended
for five days for fighting Friday,
Principal Jackie Lavender said.
Lavender said no weapons were
involved and that both boys suf-
fered bloody noses and cuts from
one of the youth's class ring. No
charges were preferred and the stu-
dents were allowed to return to
campus to take examinations.
She acknowledged that teachers
on the scene handled the incident
poorly by panicking. Fearing a riot,
she said a teacher called police
who came with night sticks and
several cars of officers to respond
to the call. When police arrived on _
the scene, the fight was over and
the boys had already left the cam-
pus.
TIM PRICE
Christmas will be much brighter
for many needy families in the
Kings Mountain area because of
the generosity of local citizens.
Over $2,500 was received by the
Empty Stocking Fund this week,
running the grand total to $3,110.
Margaret Dilling, campaign
chairman, is already purchasing
food, clothing and other necessities
for needy children and their fami-
lies but there is still time to donate
to the fund. Each addition gift re-
ceived between now and Christmas
will mean that many more families
will be served.
Mail your donation to the Empty
Stocking Fund, P.O. Box 1461,
four years. "I want to spend my
and said they would work to keep
i, the ;
praised in their remarks,
* Bridges was elected mayor pro
tem for two years in a unanimous
vote by the now seven-member
board, an honor usually accorded
to the top vote getter in an election.
Neisler, who stepped from be-
hind the council bench to the floor
microphone, took the occasion to
praise Mayor Smith and recounted
his service to the city and his lead-
ership in the new manager/council
form of government. He credited
Smith with leading the city to fi-
nancial responsibility and account-
ability, in calling for an audit at the
start of his administration, and in
initiating a job description and pay
scale policy that was fair to all 160
employees. "His service enhanced
this city and now we're poised to
grow," said Neisler.
Neisler said that necessary utili-
ty projects have been completed
with exception of the remaining
electric project and following pas-
sage of a $9 million bond issue
voted by citizens during the Smith
"We appreciate the Kings
Mountain Police Department com-
ing to campus when we call them,"
said Lavender, who said that a call
over an intercommunication
system upset the campus.
Both students were male and
white.
Lavender said that about a
month ago a student reported that
soft drink bottles were being filled
with alcohol and stored by some
students in lockers. Lavender said
a new rule bans screw top drink
bottles on campus.
Students will be dismissed after
Thursday's classes for Christmas
holidays, returning to campus on
January 6. Friday is a teacher's
work day.
he hoped Je he had brought honor
fi
Clerk of Superior Court Linda Thrift administers the oath of of-
fice to new Mayor Scott Neisler, right.
Mountain will be ready for the 21st
Century," he said.
"I'm excited," said Neisler.
After his acceptance speech,
Neisler took the occasion to pre-
sent both Smith and outgoing Ward
2 commissioner Jackie Barrett en-
graved plaques and gold watches.
Smith, acknowledging that it
was a solemn moment for him,
asked his wife, Mikie, to read his
prepared remarks, in which he
‘thanked Kings Mountain and said
monies a reeption was held in the
main objective was in establishing
the city manager/council form of
government and I take pride in
what we have done in bringing the
best city manager in the state to
Kings Mountain and I take pride in
the many other areas of improve-
ments thanks to the bond issues
voted by citizens," he said.
The audience in the packed
council chambers gave Smith a
standing ovation.
After the swearing-in cere-
Clerk of Superior Court Linda Thrift, left, swears in council members Al Moretz, Jim Guyton, Norma
Bridges and Philip Hager Tuesday night.
KM prepares
Most industrial activity in the
Kings Mountain area will be sus-
pended during Christmas week as
most plants start Christmas vaca-
tions this weekend.
Despite a sluggish economy,
most plants are giving vacation
pay, bonuses and traditional gifts
and some plants are closing only
for Christmas Eve on Tuesday and
Christmas Day on Wednesday.
Shortest holidays will be taken
by employees of Grover Industries
Cyprus-Foote Mineral and Philips
Optical. Most other plants are tak-
ing the full week off, a survey of
the industrial community reveals.
Reliance Electric will close
December 24, reopening on
January 2.
Spectrum will close December
20 and reopen December 30. The
plant will also close at 12 p.m. on
December 31, take inventory on
I
Council tables taxi requests
Tim Price, 24, of 200 Ganley St.,
wants to reopen his grandfather's
taxi business, Price's Cabs, in
Kings Mountain.
"I've been riding in a taxi for
years and I think I can give good
service to Kings Mountain at lower
costs," said Price, whose grandfa-
ther operated Price's Cabs for 45
years before his death. Price says
he will offer discount rates for se-
nior citizens. :
Both Price and Gilbert Hamrick
asked for a taxi franchise from city
council Tuesday night but their re-
quests were tabled until next month
Kings Mountain, NC 28086, or de-
posit it into the Empty Stocking
Fund account at Home Federal
Savings Bank. Contributions may
be made in honor or in memory of
someone, and they can also be
made anonymously.
Contributions:
Kings Mountain Rotary Club,
$112.
Anonymous, $50.
Dot Hayes, in memory of Mr.
and Mrs. O.T. Hayes Sr., $25.
Neisler Brothers, Inc., $500.
Darrell and Shirley Austin, in
memory of Oliver T. "Red" Falls,
$50.
so that City Attorney Mickey
Corry can check out additional
state regulations to incorporate in
city ordinances.
In order actions of a short meet-
ing conducted by outgoing Mayor
Kyle Smith, council:
Amended the budget for 1991-
92 to $17,594,810.00, an increase
of $202,171.00, including carry-
over items reappropriated in last
year's budget and additions of
$185,000.
Awarded the administrative con-
tract for the Second Street
Community Development Block
Frank B. Glass VFW Post 9811,
in memory of all veterans, $100.
Clarence and Madge Shull, $25.
Dr. and mrs. Joseph Lee III,
$500.
Sun Belt TExtiles, Inc. , $100.
Casey Durham, $50.
Dicey Fabrics, in honor of Mr.
and Mrs. Scott Neisler, $50.
Maple Springs Farm, $50.
KM Kiwanis Club, Inc., $205.
Cleveland County Health Dept.,
in honor of Dense Stallings, $117.
Margaret W. Wise, $25.
Adam, Marie and Linda
Gsellman, $30.
Gale Plonk, $40.
Christian Adult Class, Central
Grant Program to the high bidder,
Benchmark, at $84,900, on recom-
mendation of City Manager George
Wood who said Benchmark has 27
successes in programs adminis-
tered versus the low bidder for the
work covered in the grant budget.
Next year the city will budget
$85,000 for sewer lines, the city's
share of the project cost.
Accepted a proposal for a study
of City Lake Dam and authorized
$23,000 in engineering fees to W.
K. Dickson Company.
Approved final change order to
the contract with Hickory
Stocking fund tops $3,000
United Methodist Church, $200.
Mauney Hosiery Office Staff,
$120.
Mauney Hosiery Office Staff, in
honor of management, $100.
Anonymous, $21.
Laura Houser, $10.
George and Marion Thomasson,
$10.
Eva Plonk, $25.
Alice and Richard Snow, $25.
Maude Patterson, $25.
Janet Falls, $25.
Received this week: $2,595.00
Previous balance: 525.00
Total to date: $3,110.00
Construction Company for work
on Ellison Treatment Plant, in-
creasing the contract by $4,867.00
for a total cost of $2,710,410.00.
Authorized the mayor to sign a
five-year extension of the pole use
agreement with Jones Intercable
Inc. "We can't control the rates for
cable which continue to go up,"
said Commissioner Fred Finger,
who pointed out that the city hasn't
increased the costs to Jones al-
though basic customer rates have
risen from $11.90 to $21 in the last
five years.
See Council, 10-A
Friday, reopening on J anuary 2.
4 dable Kni
for Christmas
Minette and Cleveland Products
at Grover will be closed the full
week of Christmas.
Grover Industries will be closed
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Anvil Knitwear will close the
week of Christmas, resuming oper-
ations at 10 p.m. January 1.
Employees will receive a turkey or
a gift of their choice from Clyde
Short Catalog and vacation checks
based on length of service.
Mauney Hosiery will close
December 20th, reopening with the
third shift on January 1. Bonuses
are paid based on length of service.
Kings Mountain Knit Fabrics
will close Saturday morning and
reopen on December 30.
Clevemont Mills will close
Friday and employees will return
to work January 2.
Commercial Intertech will close
fight fire
at plant
Sixty to 70 firefighters from
three fire departments battled a fire
in a stock pile of cotton cloth at
Dependable Knit on Cansler Street
Tuesday night, spending the night
carrying out cloth a roll at a time.
"We've got some plenty tired
firemen," said Chief Frank Burns
of the Kings Mountain Fire
Department, who said 24 firemen
from KMFD and others from
Bethlehem and Oak Grove
Volunteer Departments responded
to the blaze at 6:40 p.m,
No one was injured in the plant,
which suffered smoke damage. The
fire started in a stock pile of cotton
cloth in an open area of the ware-
house portion of the building. The
mill makes tee shirts from cotton
material.
Burns said the fire started under-
neath the stock pile. "Cotton
spreads quickly so we had to move
a lot of rolls," he said.
Some firemen were standing by
at the site Wednesday morning and
city sanitation crews were hauling
off the burned materials. ;
United Way
exceeds goal
An early Christmas present for
Kings Mountain came yesterday
with the announcement that the
Kings Mountain United Fund goal
of $120,750.00 is over the top.
"We are so pleased and grate-
ful," said Campaign Chairman Pat
Carter.
"A few weeks ago it looked as if
the campaign would come up far
short which would have resulted in
a big reduction in the 1992 fund
distribution to each of our 16 agen-
cies," said Carter. "This would
have been devastating.”
Carter said the campaign got a
big boost from the industrial seg-
ment of the community, despite a
sluggish economy.
"All our division chairmen and
committees have worked hard to
reach this goal and we certainly ap-
preciate the generosity of the indi-
viduals, businesses and industry
who have dug into their pockets
cven more during this busy season
to help others," said Carter.