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VOL. 104 NO. 82
Weather, not new
computer causes
high utility bills
The July utility bills you receive
this week will be higher but not be-
cause of a longer billing cycle, says
Finance Director Jeff Rosencrans.
It has been hot.
Rosencrans says customers call-
ing about the number of billing
days not shown on the current bills
are being assured their bills reflect
no more than 33 days of usage.
Because of ‘new computer
changeovers at City Hall, he said
the billing information was not
immediately keyed into the system
although the reading was actually
taken several days before the date
shown on the bills.
Logics installed the city's new
computer system July 6. The sys-
tem, purchased at cost of $40,750
will also include an upgrader and a
printer. He said with new comput-
er hardware the operating system
was changed.
"It's just as difficult at times for
computers to communicate as it is
for humans," said Assistance
Finance Director Maxine Parsons,
who said that during the billing cy-
cle this month the city experienced
a communication problem, now
corrected, between the handheld
meter reading devices, the PC and
the mainframe. She said the prob-
lem caused the billing dates and
will kick off the 1992 i
for $121,500 at a luncheon
September 9 at Holiday Inn with a
new chairman.
Maude Norris, personnel direc-
tor at Anvil Knitwear for 12 years,
will direct the campaign.
Fund raising is not new to the
versatile volunteer who headed the
highly successful industry division,
the biggest donor in United Fund,
last year.
"Mrs. Norris has worked with
United Fund since its inception and
has the heart for the job," said UF
President Pat Carter. "She is dedi-
cated."
Both Norris and her husband
the number of days Saleginisd for 4
billing :
"We didn't want to confuse: cus-
tomers, so the dates don't appear on
the current bills."
Parsons said the old system was
running at full capacity and
crashed twice during the month of
June. She said June and July are
the most crucial months of the year
for the computer system to func-
tion at maximum efficiency be-
cause of the change from one fiscal
year to another. During this time,
she said the system was using more
memory than any other time. "If
given a choice July would not have
been the month to upgrade our
computer system because of all the
changes that take place on a nor-
mal basis during this time of the
year."
Parson said the operating system
works as a traffic manager to direct
the computer system on the opera-
tion of each piece of peripheral
hardware attached to the main
frame.
Four meter readers started using
calculator-size hand held meters at
3700 locations in the city in June
1990. It takes Kenny Bell, Terry
Bullock, Mike Clary, and Charles
Bullard 20 working days to read
the city's 10,000 plus meters. The
new system, according to
Rosencrans, has eliminated the hu-
ave worked at Anvil Knitwear for
~ a total of 61 years, Mrs. Norris for
32 years and her husband for 29
years. Mitch Norris has been plan-
ning and inventory control manag-
er at the local plant since 1975.
United Fund officers and direc-
tors met this week to finalize plans
for the kickoff and to fund the fol-
lowing agencies. They are:
American Red Cross, Kings
Mountain Ministerial Association,
Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Kings
Mountain Rescue Squad,
Children's Home of Cleveland
County, KM Boys Club, Grover
Rescue Squad, CODAP, Salvation
Army, Cleveland County Mental
Health, Hospice, Child and Parent
Prayer and drug testing
on School Board agenda
Mandatory drug testing of cer-
tain school employees will proba-
bly begin with the start of the new
school year on August 17.
The Kings Mountain Board of
Education will consider drug test-
ing and also encourage a resolution
to the U.S. Congress in support of
prayer at public school events.
Supt. Dr. Bob McRae said all
new employees who operate vehi-
cles on a regular basis, such as bus
drivers, coaches, Driver Ed cars
and activity buses, will be required
to take the drug tests and will be
subject with all other employees to
random drug testing.
McRae said the two items are on
a long agenda for Monday night's
meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Board
Room of the Administrative Office
Building.
KMHS Principal Jackie
Lavender and new KMMS
Principal John Goforth are on the
agenda to review special programs.
The scheduling plan for the high
school "code of conduct" will be
explained in-depth by Lavender,
who said the new code of conduct
contains levels of infractions of
rules that behavior falls in but the
opportunity for a student to attend
a full day may be cut back." We are
still looking for ways to deal with
disciplinary problems without
sending the kids home but will still
be using the "Chill Out" program
that we used last year," said
McRae.
A Reward Plus" behavior man-
agement program will be initiated
for the firs time at KM Middle
School. This program will allow
students to earn rewards and cer-
tain privileges for good behavior.
Teachers will be apprised of a
new alternative evaluation system
and McRae will give a Senate Bill
II update but expects the board to
See School, 11-A
Store looking at Grover
GROVER - A major grocery
store chain is looking at Grover
with an eye to opening a store if
"feasibility" exists, according to
Mayor Ronald Queen.
Queen told Grover Town
Council Monday that he will give
the store owners a second tour of
the town Thursday. The firm is in-
terested in an area of 32,000 square
feet and room for 100 parking
spaces.
"They have told me they won't
rule out the possibility of locating a
store here. It's encouraging that
they find the population attractive
for a site," said the mayor. "This
area is growing and and that's good
NCWS.
The mayor also announced that
Dub Blalock, Kings Mountain
builder, is putting up seven horics
on Highway 226 and Blackburn
Road. Monday night the board ap-
proved extending water lines to the
residences.
Suppoit Group and
Prevention Center and Cleveland
Vocational Industries.
Kings Mountain United Fund, an
il-volunteer organization, does not
send any of its funds to the national
organization but spends all of it in
the Greater Kings Mountain area,
said Norris.
Divisional leaders include
George Wood and Charles Webber,
City of Kings Mountain;
Ministerial Association, Rev.
Robert Little; commercial, Elaine
Grigg, and. industrial, Mikey
Smith. :
This year's campaign goal is
See Norris, 13-A
City metermen Terry Bullock, left, and Charles Bullard read a
meter using the computerized hand-held device the city inaugurated
MAUDE NORRIS
Kings Mountain People
Kings Mountain, N.C. 28086 «35¢
Worker says
he played ball
on city time
City officials deny allegations,
say he was fired for safety reasons
Fired city electrical employee
Todd Hambright, 30, said he and
other linemen played basketball
on city time and with permission
from supervisors.
City officials deny the allega-
tions.
A former employee who asked
that his name not be used said he
saw Hambright and several other
electrical employees playing bas-
ketball at the Kings Mountain
Community Center during working
hours.
Hambright was fired by the city
for failure to observe safety on
June 26 after a transformer fell
from a utility truck on a site where
he was working. Hambright said
he was suspended from his job five
days before the dismissal but main-
tains that disciplinary actions
should have been taken against all
three employees on the job during
the incident.
City oficials say Hambright was
the crew member responsible for
ticing up the load. The cost of re-
placement of the equipment is
$1,000.
"We knew we were doing
wrong when our supervisors told
Day celebration is being planned
in Grover September 12.
Mayor Ronald Queen said the
parade will include "the works
without a parade." He said the
town will roll out the red carpet to
Visitors.
Lynn Rowland is chairman and
other members of the planning
committee are Kathy Neely and
Patsy Rountree.
Queen said at Monday's Town
Council meeting that new play-
ground equipment is expected to be
installed in time for the celebra-
tion. The $9,000 equipment, also
adaptable for the handicapped, is
on order and will be installed in
GROVER - A big post Labor
us we could go fishing, swim, play
volleyball, and play basketball
when we weren't busy and play
cards, Trivial Pursuit, and
Monopoly at the Public Works
shop on rainy days," he said.
"Keep your mouth shut. Get lost,
You're still on the clock," he said
he was told on numerous occa-
sions.
Hambright worked for the City
of Kings Mountain from May 1989
until June 26,1992.
Final decisions on hiring and
firing rests with City Manager
George Wood, although depart-
ment heads make recommenda-
tions.
In Hambright's case, the recom-
mendation was made by Utility
Supt. Jimmy Maney.
The Herald was unable to con-
tact Mr. Maney Wednesday.
However, City Manager George
‘Wood said the utility department is
one of the busiest departments in
the city. "I feel I would have heard =
before now from citizens if em-
ployees were playing ball on city
time."
See Worker, 6:A
love this equipment,"
mayor.
The board will also look at beau- =
tifying the railroad track area of
town and cleaning up vacant lots in
Spring Acres and the downtown
area.
Because of the Labor Day holi-
day September 7, the board meet-
ing has been rescheduled for
Monday, September 14.
In other actions, the board hired :
Jeff Ledford to work part-time in :
the maintenance department. The.
mayor said that an additional em- -
ployee is needed because cutting™
grass has become a big job.
first sermon on
‘Tentmaker Shiloh's
first woman pastor
By ELIZABETH STEWART
of The Herald Staff Hon
~ The woman in the pulpit at
Shiloh Presbyterian Church in
Grover is also a tentmaker.
Nancy Anne Mugford works full :
time for a phone service for the
hearing and speech impaired. Part-
time she will preach and live in the
Shiloh Manse and minister 10 the
community.
~ Mugford, who preached her first
sermon Sunday, finds the Toles
challenging. 4 ¥
"God led me at the right time.
and doors opened up for me,” said
‘Mugford, 38, who is the church's
first female pastor. Her grandfather
‘and four uncles were ministers in
the Assembly of God and her sister
and brother-in-law, Al and Jan
Spragg, co-pastor two Methodist
churches in Tiffin, Ohio.
~ Mugford, a native of Boston,
MA, has lived all her adult life in
the South. A graduate of Union
_ Scminary ip 1987, she said she was
called fo the ministry Jong before
she accepted and served in a vari-
cty of chaplaincy and counseling
roles that will enhance her role, not
~ only in the pulpit, but in the ficld
“working ‘with her 65- member con-
~ gregation.
Before enrolling i in seminary she:
hs was a music therapist at South
Florida State Hospital in Pembroke
Carolina and Carolina Medical
Center at Charlotte, where she spe-
University, Granville, Ohio, she
‘holds a B. A. degree in music and
“and is a registered and certified
‘congregation Sunday morning,
preaching from the sermon enti-
Beginning," and referring to Paul's,
“That I Am God" and likes to usc
Pines and at Hope Center in
Miami. She worked as a hospital
chaplain at Richmond Memorial
Hospital in Virginia, Spartanburg
Regional Medical Center in South
cialized in trauma counseling. She
trained in pastoral counseling for
one year at Presbyterian Family
Life Center.
A voice major at Denison
its therapeutic aspects. She holds a
master's degree in music therapy
music therapist, graduating from
the University of Miami. io
‘It's important for Christians ©
proclaim who we are and to do it
with consistency," she told her new
tled, "Gospel In The Time of
letter to the Colossians. She says
she likes to preach from the Psalm
46 passage: "Be Still and Know
parables in addition to the lec-
tionary passages which are printed
in the bulletin, ; 3
See Preacher, 13- A
He said the allegations
Grover Municipal Park. "Kids. will ’
says the
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