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Kudzu presents problem
| for Kings Mountain woman
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Lawn & Garden
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Homes ™~--" ting |
Special In:
i Herald
Robin Kiser, Lisa Ramey, Roxie Trammell, Sloan Goforth, Sean.
Brennan, Steve Bumgardner, Lara Sellers, John Morrison and Amy
Snakes Alive!
Middle School students learn to love Ron Cromer's reptiles
Penelope, a 17 feet long Burmese Python, got
mixed reaction in the Library at Kings Mountain
Middle School Thursday.
"Hold what?" exclaimed Roxie Trammell
when Ron Cromer of Chimney Rock invited the
librarian to hold the 200 pound almost 20-year-
old reptile.
Cromer gave an educational program for
Science students and Penelope, raised by
Cromer since the snake was eight months old
and the size of a black snake, was the star of the
show.
John Morrison, Sloan Goforth, Amy
Huggins, Steve Bumgardner, all students, and
teachers Sean Brennan and Lara Sellers joined
in the excitement.
especially snakes.
tamed native snakes.
. Cromer exhibited 40 different non-poisonous
snakes, turtles and lizards to the 8th grade
Science class. He visits 160 schools. and
libraries during a year's time and everywhere he
goes the students are fascinated and learn about
the lives, habits and characteristics of reptiles,
Cromer's program began with an’ orientation
lecture and slide presentation and featured two
dozen live U.S. native harmless species of
reptiles, including turtles, lizards and specially
Students and teachers petted the snakes.
The giant python from Southeast Asia was
Huggins , left to right, hold up the 200 pound snake exhibited by
Ron Cromer, back row, at Kings Mountain Middle School.
introduced during exciting hands on sessions.
Students said they thought snakes felt slimy
until they held Penelope and wound the snake
around their arms and necks. "She feels soft and
dry," said Trammell.
Cromer explained to the students that his
snakes are gentle.
Prior to meeting Penelope, the students said
her up.
they never had touched a snake. A half dozen of
them quickly volunteered to assist Cromer in
taking the snake from her big box and holding
Penelope got a reward after the show. She
received her favorite food, a rabbit.
Six want to fill School Board seat
Six citizens have applied to fill
the unexpired term of Rev. Billy
Houze on the Kings Mountain
Board of Education. ~~
Houze recently resigned his out-
side city seat because he has
moved inside the city limits.
Persons applying to fill the seat
until the November election in-
clude former School Board mem-
ber Paul Hord, Connie Allison, Jeff
Grigg, Catherine Hardy, Rev.
William Thompson and Lucille
Wells.
The Board of Education will
meet in special session Thursday at
7:30 p.m. at the Superintendent's
Office to hear a report on the
kindergarten program and to go
over the applications.
The Board has notified the appli-
cants that they should be present at
the meeting in case board members
wish to interview them; however,
Supt. Bob McRae said it is not def-
inite that any interviews will take
place:
The Board has indicated it wants
to name Houze's replacement no
later than the regular monthly
WOMAN'S BEST FRIEND
KM police officer Rena Rikard
and dog Tank in national trials
Kings Mountain Police
Department's Rena Rikard,
Cleveland County's first female K-
9 handler and her K-9 Tank, are ey-
ing the national competition in St.
Louis, MO after their high showing
in Police Dog I Trials last week in
Charlotte.
Tank was among 67 K-9's from
several police departments in the
competition and he strutted his
stuff, according to his proud han-
dler. They took 604 points from a
possible 700 to qualify for the big
event in Missouri and for a plaque
from the US Police Canine
Association which recognized the
drug dog as a Police Dog I in
Region II.
Rikard said Tank excelled in
obedience, agility, article and box
searches and criminal apprehension
with and without gunfire.
His prowess is evidenced by the
fact that he took only two minutes,
32 seconds to find a credit card and
tiny screwdriver in high grass with
winds gusting up to 50 m.p.h. The
box search took only one minute
and the dog had to search six boxes
to find a man hiding in a 4x5 feet
container. A decoy was used and
caps were fired from a gun during
one of the field exercises in which
the dog and his handler apprehend-
ed a suspect.
Tank weighs 110 pounds and
has been a member of the two-dog
drug team at the Kings Mountain
Police Department for nearly three
years. He lives in a kennel at the
home of Rikard, who is five fect
eight inches tall and weighs about
140 pounds, and rides/ works with
her on 12 hour shifts. He is trained
to respond to every command by:
Rena and will bite without a com-
mand if someone attempts to hurt
or get close to his master. He is ex-
pertly trained to search for nar-
Ccotics.
Rikard, who joined KMPD near-
ly six years ago, never had a dog
until she completed training as a
K-9 handler. Now Tank is an im-
portant member of the family.
Before joining the police depart-
ment, she took criminal justice ba-
sic law enforcement training at
Gaston College. She took K-9
training at Shelby Police
Department.
Rena and Tank have been con-
stant companions for nearly 15
months. When they are not on du-
ty Tank runs and plays with a rub-
ber hose wrapped with towels in a
big fenced yard at her home and
eats a high protein dog food com-
bined with bite-size pieces of meat
that his master prepares for him.
Although she is understandably
partial to her dog, Rena applauds
the work of the second four footed
cop on the beat, another German
Shepherd by the name of Joker,
who is handled by Ptl. Wayne
Thomas.
"Tank and Joker are both tough
and we have a good canine unit,"
said Rikard. Both dogs are trained
for narcotics searches and respond
to the voice or hand signals from
their handlers from a distance of 50
feet. 0
"It used to bc that everyone
thought that dogs were just trained
to be mean,” said Rikard. "My dog
has 42 sharp teeth and means busi-
ness but he loves to show out for
the kids at school and keeps close
tabs on 'mama.”
Rikard is the first to admit that
Tank is her right hand officer and
" woman's best friend.
meeting date of May 10.
"I was really pleased at the qual-
ity of people who have expressed
an interes) in the posi xa)
McRae said, dt shows thakthe ciliz
zens of Kings Mountain still be-
lieve in the public schools and still
feel like it's important to contribute
their time to make this a better sys-
tem. I'm sure no matter the Board's
choice he or she will prove to be a
quality board member."
Of the six, only Hord has previ-
ous School Board experience. He
served two full terms on the board
and also filled an unexpired term
of Harold Lineberger when
Yiseherger rosignedunymove out of
Whi asic.
(Allison is ha retired principal in
Kings Mountain District Schools,
and Mrs. Wells is a retired nurse
and homemaker.
Grigg is production manager for
the North Carolina chain of
Republic Newspapers, Thompson
is pastor of St. Peter Missionary
Baptist Church in Grover, and
Hardy is a training specialist at
American Cyanamid/Cytec
Industries in Charlotte.
K-9 handler Rena Rikard and Tank of the Kings Mountain Police
Department placed high in recent Police Dog I trials and are eying
the national competition in St. Louis, MO.
Kings Mount,
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86 « 55
Dam Ciccd
for hazards
Eight minor deficiencies at Moss Ff
Lake Dam were cited by state offi-
cials in the annual dam inspection |
report in April. City workers are
making corrections.
City Manager George Wood said
the annual inspection of the Class
C (high hazard) dam was made by
Regional Engineer Jerry Cook of
the Division of Land Resources |
Land Quality Section.
Once maintenance items are cor-
rected a report is to be filed with |
W.K. Company, the city's consult-
ing engineers, by June 30.
The cited items:
Simply burning slopes is not suf-
ficient. Debris must be cut and re-
moved from the dam. A permanent
ground cover is needed to restrain
erosion on the bare areas and areas
with high weed growth on the
slopes of the dam.
Monitor the wet areas on the
downstream slope for any flow
and/or color change of the mois-
ture.
Clean weir boxes immediately
and upon completion notify the re-
gional office for follow up inspec-
tion.
Label piezometers with a fire re-
sistant material. Each label should
have the the number clearly visi-
ble.
Replace broken pipe on
piezometer and provide a fire resis-
tant Cover.
Determine the source of the leak
inside the valve box.
Clean concrete lined ditches in
benches on downstream slope im:
mediately for proper drainage. The
ditches are partially filled with soil
and plant growth.
Cook said a thorough inspection
of the concrete spillway would be
done when the water flow is mini- |
mal. The water level of the lake
will be lowered and officials will
advise the city a week ahead of the
inspection schedule.
CM i
‘Neighbors don
want apartments
A crowd of 30-35 property |
owners attended Tuesday night's |
City Council meeting to protest |
multi-family apartments in|
| Ashbrook Park but learned devel-
| oper Mike Brown had withdrawn |
his rezoning request from the |
| agenda Friday after the same group |
voiced opposition at Thursday's |
meeting of the Planning id
Zoning Board.
Brown's and contractor O. G. |
Penner's rezoning requests were |
unanimously denied by the |
Planning and Zoning Board.
City Council Tuesday unani- |
mously denied the Penner request
after Keith Ramey again presented
a petition signed by 13 people who
opposed rezoning of Penner's 4.48
acres off Bessie Drive from resi-
dential to light industrial.
Brown wanted to build multi
family apartments at the corner or |
Fulton Street and Sterling Drive in
Ashbrook Sub-Division, Annie
Thombs, a former member of the
Planning Board, presented a peti-
tion from 38 opposing property
owners Thursday. Thombs also |
| presented a petition signed by 39 |
| people. asking for rezoning of |
| Ashley Park ‘Subdivision A 10. from \
| R-8 6 B10
I Ward ‘Commissioner Phil |
| Hager made the motion Tuesday
| night that Council initiate the ap- |
| plication process through the |
| Planning Board for rezoning of |
| Temple Court, Belvedere Circle |
| and Ashbrook Court Subdivisions |
|
i
i
i
| permitting only single family |
dwellings. The board referred the |
[Pogues to the Planning Board and |
_ See Protest, 7A
Weatherly's bill
Local video store operator Bob
Wilson isn't laughing about a new
bill in the State
House that
would make it a
crime to cus-
tomers who
refuse to pay late
fees for overdue
video rentals but
he says the over-
due amounts he
sees are "in- f
significant.” WEATHERLY
Neighboring video proprietors
think the bill is on target but does*
n't go far enough.
Representative John Weatherly,
Republican from Kings Mountain,
wants to subject rental scoffers to a
$50 fine.
"My idea is that few of any cases
will go to court since the delin-
quent person will not wish to pay
cost of court and the $50 fine, "
said Weatherly. "Court cases will
be rare, except perhaps, when $100
or more is owed, which is very
rare. Usually it's $6-$10."
Weatherly said he got the idea to
sponsor the bill from a complaint
by local constituents, including an
owner of a video store in
Cherryville.
"If you pull up to a gas station
and get $1 or $2 in gas and drive
away without paying the police
will go after you," said Albert
McCarter, who runs A&M Vidco
and Arcade in Cherryville. "But if
you come into my store and get my
movics and don't bring them back
the police won't do a thing."
McCarter says he is losing $100
a week to overdue videos.
The problem hits the smaller
video stores harder than the nation-
al chains, says Weatherly.
aids video owners
Some of the bigger companies
either charge membership fees,
which can cover the costs, or re-
quire customers to provide credit
card numbers that can be used to
levy late fees or charges for lost or
stolen tapes, said Wilson,
Wilson, who operates Mountain
Video, said that small amounts add
up but sometime he overlooks late
fees if there are extenuating cir-
cumstances. Wilson says he knows
all his customers and he usually
only rents videos for a 24-hour pe-
riod.
"I think in some counties a so-
licitor won't prosecute unless the
amount is great," said Wilson. "To
tie up the courts because someone
kept a video out an extra day or
two when you have people with
cocaine and guns seems a little like
nitpicking."
Weatherly agrees that making a
state case of video late fees might
not take top priority to prosecutors
and that lawmakers have bigger
things to worry about but he says
the problem hits harder with small
companies in the area he serves.
"People just don't seem to realize
the investment that stores have in
their videos," said Weatherly.
House Bill 962 would make fail-
ure 10 pay the lac payment fees in
10 days a misdemeanor punishable
by a fine of $50. The act, which
has the sponsorship of
Representatives Weatherly, Balmer,
Brawley, Brubaker, Crawford,
Culp, Daughtry, Gardner, C.
Preston, Smith and R. Thompson,
would become effective December
I.
The bill has been referred to
Judiciary 111