C—O pe
Remember
February 14th
Your Valentine
This Sunday
VOL. 105 NO. 6
Moss Lake Commission have their way long-term
camping at city-owned Moss Lake will end on April
30 when current leases of 15 campers run out.
Monday night the commission refused to back
down from its original recommendation to Council
that campsite renters move out.
The city has been renting camp sites for a modest
$500 annually, including free lights and water.
Commission’ members charge that some campers
have become permanent fixtures.
Council members sent the issue back to the lake
commission along with two representatives of
Council, Jim Guyton of Ward 2 and Jerry White of
Ward 4, to resolve the matter after campers appeared
at last month's board meeting to challenge the policy.
"The public interest is not being served by what
we're doing out there,"said M. C. Pruette, who said
campsite leasing should be stopped. :
Pruette said the commission had suggested to
Council in 1991 that permitting campers to erect-per-
manent structures, including decks and timbered
flower beds, should be stopped.
"We've put a lot of love and work into that camp-
ground,” said camper Kim Gamble. "We may be
|Fund Drive Bey
ForChad Baiy 1
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Thursday, February 11, 1993
"The public interest is not
being served by what we're
doing out there."
M.C. Pruette
from Shelby but we are good ambassadors for Kings
Mountain and being there has kept out unsavory in-
dividuals."
Chairman Joe Smith passed out a sheet of 60
names of Kings Mountain area residents wanting to
camp at Moss Lake but who had been tuned down
because the "choice sites” were taken up by perma-
nent residents.
"This has got out of hand," said Smith, who said
there has been a waiting list for three to five years.
"This is the first time I've seen a list," said
Guyton. "Why didn't the lake authority do something
about that?"
Smith said the lake authority was changed to a
lake commission by city council with no power and
with the city controlling the purse strings.
Guyton said he had complaints of vandalism of the
boathouse and unauthorized cars parking in the pic-
nic area. "How can we charge people to use the pic-
nic area if it isn't cleaned up?" he asked.
Guyton said that if the campers move out that the
camping area could become an eyesore.
Gamble said that campers have planted flowers
and beautified the area.
"We're just an advisory board to Council by your
designation,” said J. D. Barrett. The ball is back in
your court."
"I am bothered," said Smith, "that handicapped
people can't get a campsite because of permanent
campers."
Smith reminded that the lake commission is an un-
paid volunteer board and that city council members
are elected and paid by the city. "We've been trying
to do what we think is right for two years now and
we've made many trips out to the lake," said Smith.
"It's a mobile home park out there now and not a
good one."
Smith says he welcomes Council members to
meetings. Previously, he said no council members
had attended with the exception of former council-
men J. D, Barrett, who has been on the board for sev-
LL
Kings Mountain, N.C. 28086 +35¢
0 AS
sroup suggests no long-term camping
If the six City Council-appointed members of
eral years and Pruette, who has served on the lake
board since its creation.
Pruette recounted some of the history of the Lake
Authority, noting that the board had operated on a
shoestring in the earlier years of its formation "We
used to be able to collect fees and use the funds for
improvements but now we can only recommend the
budget and the council makes the final approvals."
White said he had not seen a waiting list of
campers. "I can understand that you have to be fair
to everyone," he said.
And Barrett said the biggest problem at Moss Lake
is silting and Council should address that a No. 1 pri-
ority in the upcoming budget.
Gamble said that campers want to stay at the lake.
She said she wasn't aware of a waiting list and she
acknowledged that most permanent campers have
left. "We worked to make these choice campsites and
did the work because we take pride in the camp-
ground," she said.
Smith said the campground rules specifically pro-
hibits the moving of dirt and the installation of per-
manent structures. He said the present campers are in
See Camping, 14-A
Citizens
talk to
McMillan
~~ Health care, gays in the military
and the national budget deficit
“were concerns expressed by 30
“iC
ple to 9th District U.S.
[]
tal z AMAL 3
Tom Brooks, president of B&D
i Enterprises, said he is opposed to
mandated health care because of
the adverse affect it would have on
small businesses such as his fami-
ly-operated Tom's Family Mart and
B&D Welding but he supports the
availability of health care for all
workers.
Brooks said he is concerned
about reports from the Governor's
Conference recently in
Washington, DC in which they en-
See McMillan, 13-A
Kings Mountain Chamber of
Commerce President Wade Tyner
Jr., president and general manager
of Wade Ford Inc., is recipient of
the 1993 Time Magazine Quality
Dealer Award.
Tyner and his wife, Bradine,
were in New Orleans, LA during
. the weekend to accept the coveted
5s
Paisano or
award presented to only 67 auto-
mobile dealers nationwide.
Tyner said he is "humbled and
proud” of the nomination by the
North Carolina Automotive Trade
“Association. "It was quite an expe-
rience for me and my wife to par-
ticipate in the event,” he said.
Tyner has attended both state
ing costs of health insurance.
and national conventions for many
years.
The National Automobile
Dealers Association Convention at-
tracted more than 20,000 people.
Associate Publisher of Time
Edward McCarrick presented the
award to Tyner Saturday.
The annual TMQUA program
recognizes outstanding franchised
new car dealers for exceptional
performance in their dealerships
and distinguished community ser-
vice. The winners were selected by
a panel of faculty members from
the University of Michigan
Graduate School of Business
Administration. In acknowledge-
Kings Mountain People
Tyner wins Time Award
ment of the University's participa-
tion, Time Magazine makes an an-
nual grant of scholarship funds to
the Graduate School of Business
Administration in the names of
Time, NADA and TMQDA win-
ners. :
A North Carolina native, Tyner
began his automotive career work-
ing alongside his father at the fami-
ly Ford dealership, Tyner Motor
Company in Pembroke, and later in
Shelby. After four years in the
United States Air Force, Tyner re-
sumed his career as a sales repre-
sentative for Young Motor
Company in Shelby. He purchased
See Tyner, 13-A
Tom Brooks, right, talks with U. S. Congressman Alex McMillan Wednesday morning as McMillan met
with 30 of his constituents at City Hall. The 9th District Congressman heard concerns primarily about ris-
2 ;
WADE TYNER JR.
Elaine Grigg, the first woman
branch manager at Kings
Mountain's First Union National
Bark, is a success story.
The reason for her success is ob-
vious. She gives customers a per-
sonal touch in long-term business
relationships that have paid off for
her and her employer.
As the top officer at her home-
town bank she takes pride in cus-
tomer service.
Recently she was honored as
Branch Bank Manager of the Year
by the 11 branch banks in First
Union's Gastonia area. The local
First Union was honored as the
Branch Bank of the Year. Teller
Betty Thornburg was honored as
Sales Person of the Year.
Vocational Education Week this
week reminds local citizens of yet
another home-grown product who
excelled in what once was an all-
male field.
Grigg, a Kings Mountain native,
worked her way up from the posi-
tion of teller in 1966 to the top job
at First Union's main office here
where she is second vice-president.
The road to the top wasn't easy
but Grigg's hard work and dedica-
tion paid off with numerous pro-
motions. Seven years ago she be-
came the branch manager and three
years ago was made second vice
president.
Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wink
Russell of Kings Mountain and
Helen Johnson of Clinton, SC, she
was hired at FUNB on the recom-
mendation of Senator J. Ollie
Grigg a people person
Harris, a director. She had applied
for a job with Southern Bell but her
father wanted his young daughter
to stay at home and work in town.
Grigg has never regretted her ca- |
reer choice.
This October she will celebrate
her 27th year with First Union. She
has seen banking become fully au-
tomated, moving from bookkeep-
ers posting by hand and using
proof machines in a second floor
bookkeeping department to fully
computerized operations in a mod-
ern building in which a 1-800 num-
ber can be utilized to call up virtu-
ally all customer accounts.
"We didn't lose our personal
touch with computerization,” said
Grigg, who says that computers arc
See Grigg, 14-A
ELAINE GRIGG
Possible "setup!
Man charged
with murder
Pheui "Sammy" Syda, 31, of
808 1/2 Fourth Street, faces first
degree murder charges in th
Sunday morning beating dez
conflicti
and his wife, Kathy Hutto Syda,
19, has muddled the investigation
which is continuing.
Syda is in Cleveland County Jail
without bond. His first court ap-
pearance is February 17 in
Cleveland County District Court.
Det. Sgt. Billy Benton said evi-
dence will be turned over to
District Attorney Bill Young who
will determine if more charges will
be filed in the case.
Benton said that King Mountain
Police were called to the home of
Pheui and Kathy Syda Sunday
morning at 5:27 a.m. to investigate
a 911 call from Mrs. Syda that an
alleged first degree burglary and
attempted sexual assault had oc-
curred. Once at the home, Benton
said police found the badly beaten
body of Thongpounphin in the
Sydas' living room near the front
door.
Benton and Lt. Richard
Reynolds said that Ptl. Jerry
Tesseneer was the first officer on
the scene. They said the Sydas first
told police that an Oriental man
they didn't know broke into the
house and attempted to sexually
assault Kathy Syda, 19, and Syda
was defending his family. A fight
ensued, according to the initial re-
port, and the victim was killed with
a 20 1/2 inch wooden club.
‘Mountain police say that
ng stories by the suspect
Police said on Saturday Mrs.
Syda had taken out a warrant
charging Thongpounphi
the closet at the time, according to
police.
Benton said blood was on the
walls of the three-room house and
splattered a television set and the
white ceiling in the living room.
Police say the struggle started in
the bedroom, where dried blood
was visible on quilts that covered
the bed. Glass in the front door was
broken, according to police.
Benton said the Sydas' two chil-
dren were next door at their grand-
parents’ home. He said neighbors
heard nothing.
The dead man was described by
police as about five feet four inch-
es tall and of slight build.
The suspect was described by
police as about five feet six inches
tall and of slight build.
Benton said Syda had moved to
the United States from Laos 10
years ago. He was employed at
Patrick Yarn. "He was described by
family and friends as a quiet, hard-
working man," said the officer.
Thongpounphin was employed
at Southern Engineering in
Charlotte.
Benton said the autopsy report
had not been received by police on
Tuesday.
"We are still investigating some
underlying factors in this case,"
said Benton.
Winn-Dixie plans grand reopening
Winn-Dixie will be opening the doors to the much anticipated reopen-
ing of the Winn-Dixie Store at Highway 74 and Spring Street Thursday,
February 18.
"The new store will feature expanded variety, new service depart-
ments and the same everyday low prices found at all Winn-Dixie stores,"
said B. B. Tripp, vice president and division manager of Winn-Dixie in
Charlotte.
"We believe the people in the Kings Mountain area will be very proud
of this store," Tripp said.” The reopening of the store shows Winn-Dixie's
strong commitment to the community and its commitment to give our
customers a quality store with great selection, service and lowest
prices."
Grand opening day festivities begin at 7:45 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting
ceremony involving several dignitaries. Other activities include: regis-
tration for a $1000 grocery giveaway in which 10 lucky winners will re-
ceive $100 gift certificates and buy-one-get-one-free promotions
throughout the store. In addition, the first 300 customers on February 18
will receive a "free" 2 liter soft drink, the first 300 customers on
February 19 will receive a free dozen Superbrand Grade A large white
eggs and on February 20 the first 300 customers will receive a free 12-
ounce package of Jesse Jones hot dogs.
The newly remodeled store features a number of new specialty de-
partments including Fisherman Wharf for fresh scafood; a full-service
deli featuring hickory-smoked barbecue; a bakery for freshly baked
See Winn-Dixie, 10-A
I RAIN