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VOL. 105 NO. 39
Thursday, September 30, 1993
- Kings Mountain, N.C. 28086 «30¢
KM educator
KMHS students suspended for fighting
Six Kings Mountain High
School students were suspended
Friday after fights broke out
Thursday as the end of school bell
rang.
One student was hurt and later in
the day one student was arrested in
an unrelated incident.
Principal Jackie Lavender said a
few students signed out Monday
they were keeping their children
home Friday after unfounded ru-
mors started flying about possible
riots.
Lavender said two fights started
and several parents called to say,
between a group of white and
black students in the English hall
near the library of the high school
about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. No
weapons were involved. Police on
Friday morning confiscated one
knife and one ball bat from a car
parked in the school parking lot.
Lavender said all was quiet
Tuesday and there were few ab-
sences. Police were on the campus
Thursday afternoon and most of
the day Friday. :
Jamie Canipe, 17, sustained two
black eyes and was treated at
Kings Mountain Hospital
Emergency Room Thursday after-
noon for wounds which required
10 stitches. He was out of school
this week.
Lavender said that an exchange
of words early Thursday between a
black girl and a white boy started
what turned out to be for a few
minutes a ‘free for all' Thursday af-
ternoon between students who took
sides. "We dealt with the early
problem and disciplined both stu-
dents but they didn't let the issue
die," she said.
"All the students were in the
See Fights, 9-A
City election
next Tuesday
Kings Mountain citizens will go
to the polls Tuesday to elect four
members of Kings Mountain City
Council in what poll watchers say
is an outwardly quiet election sea-
son.
Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close
at 7:30 p.m. at the city's two
polling places: East Kings
Mountain at the Community
Center and West Kings Mountain
at the National Guard Armorye «i.
City Elections Supervisor, Becky
Cook is predicting that 35-40 per- -
cent of the registered voters of
4,400 will go to the polls. She will
post the returns at 8 p.m. in the
lobby of City Hall. :
Voters will choose from a field
of 13 candidates for four seats on
the seven-member City Council.
In Ward 3, four men, including
three newcomers to politics, are
challenging incumbent Elvin
Greene. They are Gilbert Hamrick,
Charlie Smith, Ralph Grindstaff
and Gary Joy.
In Ward 4, incumbent Jerry
White is opposed by former com-
missioner Jim Childers.
In Ward 5, incumbent Fred
Finger is challenged by newcomer
Rick Murphrey.
\
Harris on governor's Smart
Cleveland County will operate
one of the state's first 12 Smart
Start early childhood development
programs and Kings Mountain
Senator J. Ollie Harris will serve
on the board overseeing the devel-
opment and implementation of the
program. :
"Smart Start can mean more 10
our state and our county than any
other single program I have ever
encountered,” said Harris. "I am
honored to have the opportunity to
contribute to this landmark effort."
County Commissioner Joyce
Cashion of Kings Mountain said
that by getting in on the ground
floor of Smart Start, Cleveland
Stadium.
celebration fireworks display.
provided.
with a street dance.
Four people seek the At-Large
seat being vacated by incumbent
Al Moretz. They are former mayor
Kyle Smith, Jerry Mullinax, Frank
Brackett and ‘political newcomer
Dean Spears. ;
"I think the voters will turn out
especially in Ward 3 where five
people are running and to vote for
the At-Large position where four
people want to be elected.” said
COOK Rss Hn
"I've heard some people say they
aren't taking the time just to vote
for two people but I hope they
change their mind," said Cook.
"You can be sure I will cast my
vote for my Ward 4 choice and for
my At-Large choice on the board.”
"Some folks apparently don't
know we have a city election
Tuesday,” said Cook, who said that
some voters think the vote for city
officials comes in November when
voters choose representatives for
the school board. Cook said the
city runoff, if one is necessary, will
be held in November.
Cook and other members of the
elections board Tim Miller and
Valerie Boyd will be at City Hall
all day Tuesday to respond to voter
questions.
County will go a long way toward
meeting the needs of local chil-
dren. "I think it's a program that
will work," said Cashion, who was
among a group of Cleveland
County citizens who went to
Raleigh last week for Governor
Jim Hunt's announcement.
Cashion said that Smart Start
will be a cooperative effort be-
tween all school systems, industry,
Social Services, Mental Health and
the communities and was one of
Hunt's campaign promises that
pledges $20 million to improve day
care standards and availability, im-
munizations and other develop-
mental factors for children under
Fireworks display to kickoff
Mountaineer Day festivities
A dazzling kickoff to Mountaineer Day will be fireworks at the end of
Friday night's Kings Mountain High School football game at Gamble
Mountaineer Day on Saturday promises to be fun for the whole fami-
ly, according to the sponsoring Kings Mountain Parks & Recreation
Department, Kings Mountain Firc Department is in charge of the pre-
Other pre-celebration events will include free swimming from 10 p.m.
until midnight at Neisler Natatorium and a free night bike ride starting at
10 p.m. from First Carolina Federal Savings Bank. Police escorts will be
Mayor Scott Neisler will lead a fun walk Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the
city's walking track and certificates will be presented to participants.
The downtown cvents kickoff at 9:45 a.m. Saturday from the enter-
tainment stage at the corner of Cherokee and Gold Streets. A Kids
Parade featuring decorated bikes and strollers at 11 a.m. and a stuffed
animal contest; a dog show, and "best tea in town” contest are features of
the morning and afternoon events. A two-hour gospel sing is featured in
the afternoon. "Mink Band” will round off the evening entertainment
Denese Leonard, events chairman, said there will be plenty of good
food, crafts, and activities to delight the whole family.
Greg Payseur, veteran Kings Mountain teacher,
filed Wednesday a formal, discrimination~complaint
against the Kings Mountain Board of Education with
the North Carolina Department of Labor through its
federal offices in Atlanta.
Payseur contends that Supt. Dr. Bob McRag and
the Board of Education violated a federal law when
they bypassed him for promotion.
Kings Mountain Board of Education conducted a
grievance hearing behind closed doors Tuesday after-
noon in spite of Payseur's request that the hearing be
open to the public.
Wednesday morning Payseur was hand-delivered a
copy of the board's decision of their denial of the
grievance.
Board Chairman Ronnie Hawkins said in the letter
that "the information presented to the board during
the hearing Tuesday fails to substantiate your
grievance that you have been discriminated against
open session.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
With all the political signs around town, there must be an election around the corner. Kings Mountain's
City Council primary is next Tuesday and streets such as Cleveland Avenue, where this photo was taken,
are all dressed up with candidates’ posters. If a runoff is necessary it will be held in November.
Start board
six years of age.
Supt. Dr. Bob McRae said that is
unclear how involved local schools
will be in the program but he ap-
plauds Cleveland County wanting
to find the best quality way or
ways to prepare children for
school. "We're in it to help make
situations better for young chil-
dren and their families but our in-
volvement doesn't mean we will
start preschool programs beyond
what we do already in Kings
Mountain," he said.
Harris met with the North
Carolina Partnership for Children
Inc. in Raleigh last week which has
See Harris, 9-A
Smokers who light up in city
buildings not designated for smok-
ing will face fines of $25 under a
resolution regulating smoking
‘adopted by City Council Tuesday.
The new ordinance applies to
public buildings owned and operat-
ed by the City of Kings Mountain,
including:
Police Department: no smoking
except in the squad room and out-
side the building at the rear en-
- trance.
Fire Department: no smoking
except the area around the vending
machine in the fire bay area.
Cemetery Department: no smok-
ing.
City Hall: no smoking except in
The Kings Mountain Hospital
Board of Trustees Tuesday night
unanimously approved affiliation
with Carolinas Medical Center of
_ Charlotte.
By approving the affiliation, the
board will enable the hospital to
take advantage of a nctwork of
medical staffs from the two
Carolinas. :
"The future of health care is net-
working small hospitals like ours
to large hospitals," said KMH
Administrator Huitt Reep. He said
the new affiliation medhs that
Carolinas Mcdical Center would
"assist in such services as physician
recruiting and offer the advantages
of mass purchasing and ncw ser-
vices. The affiliation would ulti-
mately mean reduced patient cost
at Kings Mountain Hospital.
“Any ncw Scrvices we are not
presently offering and would like
to offer the hospital would lend us
files discrimination complaint
due to your membership in the Naval Reserves.
Therefore, the board's decision is to deny your
grievance. We appreciate your willingness to follow
appropriate board policy concerning grievance proce-
dure and wish for you a successful school year."
Payseur, Assistant Principal at Grover/ Bethware
Elementary Schools and a 19-year veteran of the
Kings Mountain District Schools, said he was denied
the opportunity for the open meeting. Supt. Dr. Bob
McRae said that the board gave Payseur that opportu-
nity in accordance with the grievance policy but that
the board has never conducted a personnel matter in
"The board voted unanimously to hold the hearing
in private to protect both the teacher and the school
board," said McRae. He said the policy spells out that
the board's decision on open or closed meeting must
be unanimous. /
See Grievances, Page 7A
Webber
resigns
city job
Charles Webber, the city's first
personnel director in the city man-
ager/council form of government,
has resigned to accept a similar job
with the City of Monroe.
"Charles has done a tremendous
job and made many improvements
for Kings Mountain," said City
Manager George Wood, announc-
ing the resignation to City Council
. Tuesday night.
Webber will assume his new po-
sition in Monroe, a city with a pop-
ulation of 20,000 people, on
November 1.
“Charles has done a super job
here and we wish him well," said
Mayor Scott Neisler.
Webber came to Kings Mountain
in 1988 after working as a supervi-
sor with the Employment Security
Commission for 12 1/2 years, two
years in Kings Mountain and be-
fore that in Forest City and Shelby.
During his tenure the city has
added an employee assistance pro-
gram and a flexible benefits plan.
He said employment insurance has
been lowered and workers com-
pensation costs are down with
stepped up safety procedures
See Webber, 9-A
Council to enforce smoking ban
the upstairs and downstairs lobby
and the hallway leading to the fire
department from the main stairway.
Library: no smoking.
Senior Center: no smoking.
Citizens Service Center: no
smoking except for a designated
area at the end of the warehouse
hallway on the southeast side of
the Public Works building and out-
side of the building in the vicinity
of the loading dock provided the
area is kept clean and no com-
bustibles are present,.
Water Treatment Plant: no
smokang except in the office and
outside the building.
Deal Street Pump Shop: no
See Smoking, 9-A
Hospital to cooperate with CMC
a helping hand in giving those ser-
vices," said Recep.
Reep said the directors felt it
would be an advantage to become
a part of the nctwork, joining such
hospitals as Watauga Mcdical
Center in Boone, Stanley Memorial
Hospital in Albemarle, Richmond
Mcmorial Hospital in Rockingham,
McCloud Clinic and Florence
General © Hospital in “South
Carolina, Cleveland Memorial
Hospital in Shelby and Wadesboro
Hospital.
"This docs not mcan that
Carolinas Medical Center will
managc or buy Kings Mountain
Hospital," said Reep. "There are no
increased costs and this probably
will mean reduced costs to pa-
tients."
J. C. Bridges, president of the
hospital board of trustees, said full
details won't be worked out for
several months.