Coming Next Week. he
1922-1992
A Complete History of
Mountaineer Football
ERIC SPICER....................6A
Cleveland County
Amateur Golf Champion
1d 5S 001
WAN ZANAVR
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VOL. 104 NO. 84
‘School Days
Enrollment
up, problems
at minimum
What better fare for lunch on the
first day of school than pizza?
Brad Bridges, a fifth-grader at
West Elementary School, would
agree with that. And that's what he
had Monday as 3,793 Kings
Mountain students got back in the
classroom for the start of the 1992-
93 school year.
Supt. Dr. Bob McRae said that
the number of students this year
rose by about 30 over last year's
first day of classes. Enrollment will
turn out to be comparable to last
year, he said.
As five-year-old Stephanie
Echols sat and pounded her blue
Play-dough into something recog-
nizable, her teachers evaluated the
kindergarteners at West in order to
place them in classes for the re-
mainder of the year. The more ad-
vanced students would be distribut-
ed evenly in the classrooms to help
out the less developed children,
said West Principal Sherrill Toney.
Asked what she liked about the
new school facilities at West,
Shakara Young said, with a grin,
SECOND DAY OF SCHOOL AT WEST -- On her second day of kindergarten, five-year-old Stephanie
Echols pounds out whatever her imagination calls for.
"No bugs." West was business as
usual and all settled in Tuesday af-
ter undergoing a year-long recon-
struction.
"I think it went very well," said
McRae Tuesday about the first day
of school.
The only glitch he saw was in
the bus routes, which were com-
puterized this year because of a
McMillan campaigns in KM
Instead of traveling to Houston,
Texas this week for the Republican
National .. Convention. U.S.
hose to cor it
Spiraling medical care costs
make insurance beyond the reach
of many people and McMillan was
in Gaston and Cleveland Counties
to form a task force in this region
and to meet his new constituents, if
he's reelected in November.
With redistricting, the four-term
9th District Congressman from
Charlotte would represent Kings -
Mountain, Grover, Earl, Patterson
Springs, and Boiling Springs as
well as all of Gaston County and
Mecklenburg County.
Congressman Alex McMillan
16 Kings Mountain.
In the new redistricting,
Cleveland County would have two
Congressmen. 4
Congressman Taulor, if re-elect-
other areas west.
McMillan says he would also
gain another national military park,
Kings Mountain, in the battlefield
task force of which he is chairman.
The Sun Belt caucus, he said, is
focusing on finding ways to get
private sector support to protect the
nation's Civil = War and
Revolutionary War battlefields.
The health task force will be
made up of people involved in
health care delivery and is de-
signed to offer suggestions to
d, would represent Shelby and ‘facing th
Congress and the White House on
how to come to grips witii the
problem, In the 102nd Congress! it
addresses fundamental
excessive cost and lack of accessi
bility. ;
"The $330 billion deficit isa
major drag on the economy,” he
said. "Basically, we're putting too
much money in federal expendi-
tures."
McMillan's support of the 1990
Budget Summit proposals to re-
duce inordinate spending led to an
appointment in 1991 to the
Republican leader's position on the
See McMillian, 10-A
Volunteering helps Hammett cope
If you have a couple hours a
week to spare, you could make a
big difference for a terminally-ill
person and his or her family, says
Pearl Hammett about the Hospice
program.
Mrs. Hammett can't praise
enough Hospice and its special
touch during her husband's illness.
Leroy "Booty" Hammett died
January 27 of cancer at age 69.
Hospice volunteers were as near
as her telephone. "We knew that if
we needed someone that a phone
call would bring help in a few min-
utes,” she said.
In a few months Pearl plans to
volunteer with Hospice and en-
courages others to become active
in the program to help the termi-
nally-ill remain at home and die
peacefully in familiar surround-
ings.
"I don't know what we would
have done without Hospice and
volunteers like Betty Howell,
Rhonda Spearman, and Fred
Bridges and my pastor and friends
of First Baptist Church," said Pearl,
who has just completed special
grief and bereavement classes of-
fered by Cleveland County
Hospice. She highly recommends
the classes to families who have
lost loved ones.
Six weeks before her husband
died of lung cancer he required
around-the-clock attention.
"Because of Hospice we were able
to keep Booty comfortable in his
own home and I shall always be
grateful," she said.
Hospice volunteers helped by
running errands, sitting with the
patient, providing transportation
and often just being a good, cheer-
ful listener. When Hospice volun-
teers weren't on the scene, they
called. The Hammett home on
Maner Road was always full of
friends.
Pearl found it difficult to return
to work at the Christian book store
at Cleveland Mall where she and
her husband worked together for
See Hammett, 9-A
Bonjour, Kings Mountain
Visiting teens from France having a ball in North Carolina
ons
Visiting teenagers from France are participating in
a cultural exchange here which the three host fami-
lies are enjoying as much as the kids. The French
language has come alive for them, according to the
hosts. :
"We've found that even if they don't speak English
fluently that the love of music and sports is a univer-
sal la guage, " said Beth Hughes McDaniel.
e've learned some French and they've picked up
some slang words," said host mother, Jean Moore.
Alexander Fernando, 16, of Castries, guest of Jean
and Pete Moore; Nick Bouisset, of Montpellier, guest
“Jean and Lane Yarbro, and Xavier Casal, 13, of
Andorra, guest of Beth and Randy McDaniel, pro-
nounced their three weeks on holiday as highly suc-
~ cessful, fun and educational. They return to France
on Thursday with presents for their familics and with
snapshots, records and mementos.
Jean Moore said that when she volunteered to be a
host mother she didn't know that two of the students
would come from an arca she visited recently in the
south of France with the French Club and students
from Kings Mountain High School.
‘Although
and to Kings Mountain, the students had visited in
is is their first trip to North Carolina
the United States previously. Their host families took
them to Six Flags in Georgia, water rafting on the
Nantahala River, old Salem in Winston-Salem,
Celebration Station at Pineville, Carowinds and to
watch the Gastonia Rangers and Charlotte Knights
play baseball. Ee
Wednesday the Frenchmen spoke i in their own lan-
guage with French students in Carole Peeler’ s classat
Kings Mountain’ High School. "They had a ball," said
Jean Moore.
Southern-style cooking i is what Xavior likes at the
McDaniel home. Country-style steak, chicken and
hot biscuits are his favorite foods besides
McDonald's hamburgers and hotdogs.
All three students like bascball and basketball,
Michacl Jordan, the USA Dream Team and the
Chicago Bulls. They have shopped in local stores for
Michael Jordan T-shirts and found the prices much
better than in their hometown stores. They have
bought video tapes featuring rap music stars, includ-
ing the heavy metal group, Guns and Roses and have
all attended Baptist Churches. Xavier was impressed
with a baptismal service at Bethlehem Baptist
Church but wanted to know if the pastor “cver lost
See Visitors, 8-A :
state mandate that they be done
that way. Some breakdowns oc-
curred and some of the timing was
off, but McRae said those problems
should be worked out soon.
REP. ALEX McMILLAN
PEARL HAMMETT
Three Frenchmen who participated ina cultural exchange program in Kings Mountain are pictured
* with their hosts. Left to right, Jean Moore, Alexander Fernando, Nick Bouisset, Xavier Casal and Beth
McDaniel.
3,
Kings Mountain, N.C. 28
————
Employees a
93087
-gAvV IN
Some isolated infractions of city
personnel policies will result in
disciplinary action in the city elec-
tric department following an inves-
tigation into allegations by a for-
mer city electric lineman that some
employees loafed on the job and
with permission from supervisors.
In a statement released
Wednesday morning by City
Manager George Wood, he said
that he and Personnel Director
Charles Webber have completed an
investigation into the allegations of | |
former electric department employ-
ee Todd Hambright and they have
given the details of that review to
City Council.
"The majority of his allegations
either could not be substantiated,
or were proven to be incorrect,”
said Wood.
"However, Wood said, "there
were some isolated infractions of
city personnel policies which dated
back some nine months. The em-
ployees involved have been made
aware that disciplinary action will
be taken for these infractions.
See Infractions, 9-A
Chemical leak
Traffic on the east bound lane of
the U. 8. 74 Bypass at Patterson
d ‘Mot
chemical oil spill.
Mountain Fire Department, a mem-
ber of the county's hazardous mate-
rials squad which answered the call
at 12:15 p.m. said that a highway
patrolman noticed a leaking tanker
truck and pulled him over at the
Patterson Grove Road bridge.
"It was a minor leak, luckily, and
the HAZMAT team contained the
product which had leaked very lit-
tle on the ground,” said Burns. He
" described the leak as very minor in
a field hose. "The most that could
have leaked out would have been 2
1/2 gallons. There wasn't enough to
be running on the ground.”
Firemen from both Oak Grove
and Bethlehem Fire Departments
hii ad, one Board meet-
A rz ot Ems ado .
the city Janu y 29,1991 which
pe h os is ae rt
a FEE hi: the 7 P. m,
Chief Frank Bums of ie Kings
closes mm
responded to the call as well as
Chemicals of Charlotte. He said
there were no injuries and wrecks.
Traffic was blocked on the by-pass.
Scism the leak came from a broken
seal.
Local Sremien responded to sev-
eral fires during the week.
Kings Mountain fireman put out
a living room fire at 303 West Gold
Street. A lamp shorted out and
there were minor damages, said
Chief Burns.
Bethlehem firemen responded
to a trailer fire on Stewart Road. A
mobile home was gutted, said
Harold Farris, who said wiring was
blamed for the blaze which totaled
the residence.
Mountaineer Days scheduled
Mountaineer Day will be a week
earlier this year -- on September
26.
Denice Falls, chairman of the
celebration arrangements commit-
tee for the Parks & Recreation
Department, is now accepting
reservations from craftspeople and
vendors interested in booths and
entertainers who want to perform
on Mountaineer stage.
The all-day event will begin at
9:45 a.m. and will feature arts and
crafts, food, entertainment, a dog
show, horseshoe tournament, and
hot air balloon rides. For the first
time, a children's parade will be
held downtown and children up to
age 12 can decorate bikes, scoot-
ers, and wagons and vie for prizes.
A stuffed animal contest will also
offer prizes to children for the
smallest pet, largest pet, and pet
with floppiest ear, etc. Pic-N-Pay
See M-Day, 9-A
Cleveland County Emergency
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