Win
‘Final Football Contest
of the year
100
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VOL. 105 NO. 45
'Cuckoos Nest!
= opens Friday at
Little Theatre
KM coach helps build
championship team |
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Thursday, November 11, 1993
Kings Mountain Board of Education Monday night
upheld, after a hearing, the suspension of a KMHS ju-
nior for the rest of the school year after a shotgun was
removed from the boy's father's truck on school
grounds recently.
While a packed hallway of the boys' supporters
waited for the outcome, the board met behind closed
doors with the student and his parents and heard a
number of character references about a student called
"one of our best students."
"We know the boy has a good record in the school
and community but we can't make exceptions," said
Board Chairman Ronnie Hawkins, who said the board
unanimously took Supt. Bob McRae's recommenda-
tion to suspend the student forthe rest of the school
year, a policy that allows the suspended student to re-
Student's suspension upheld by School Board
turn to school the next year.
Hawkins said the boy's father said he left the gun in
the truck after a hunting trip.
"It isn't that we are doubting a parent's story but we
have to think about potential danger to all 1,100 stu-
dents," said Hawkins.
Hawkins said the rate of guns found at Kings
Mountain Schools is occurring even with the advent of
tighter security, sterner punishment and new education
methods but he said a state law that goes into effect
December 1 could keep violent students out of school
forever.
The law makes it a felony for a student to bring a
gun onto school grounds. If convicted, the principal
could permanently expel the student if the student is
16 years old
Kings Mountain Board of
Education sent a message to par-
ents and students Monday night
that they're prepared to get even
tougher against school violence,
even if that means metal detectors
at athletic events and random
searches of students as they enter a
school. !
For the first time this fall basket-
ball fans entering the high school
gym will be monitored by metal
detectors operated by two city po-
licemen. Anyone attending the
games will be checked, including
fans and teams from visiting
schools.
Use of the system's new metal
detectors was prompted when a po-
lice officer found a loaded handgun
Parents turned ont at Monday's school board meeting to offer sug- said a strong black policy council should be formed to deal with spe-
gestions on violence prevention in the schools. Jackie Brown, above, cial concerns of black students in the school system.
Clark named Recreation Director
Bruce Clark, 33, Kings Mountain High School head
baseball coach and assistant football coach, has been
hired as Kings Mountain's new recreation director.
Clark will assume his new duties as soon as he is re-
leased from his teaching contract, according to City
Manager George Wood.
Clark will be paid an annual salary of $35,378.
"We are very pleased that Bruce has accepted this
position," said Wood. "He brings a solid recreation
background and a high level of enthusiasm to our
recreation program, is well known and active within
the community and has a good communication with
young people."
Clark is currently head baseball coach and assistant
football coach in addition to his duties as a history
Local fires suspicious
and under investigation
Seven fire calls during eight days in November have kept city firemen
hopping.
Fire Chief Frank Burns said that the county fire marshal is investigating
a suspicious fire November 2 at 1:27 a.m. in the vacant building formerly
occupied by Hungry Howie's Pizza at 313 Walker Street. Fireman estimat-
ed the damages will top $45,000.
City police and firemen were called to a fire at 608 Gantt Street on
November 2. Teresa Jones was using gasoline to start a fire in a wood
heater at 10:30 p.m. The stove exploded, doing $10,000 damage to the
house and injuring the woman's hand, according to the police report.
Firemen and police are investigating the report of a break-in at 402
Cherry Street and the damage by fire of the house owned by Doris and J.D.
Upchurch: According to police, a neighbor in the process of moving heard
a crackling sound and called police about a possible break-in. When police
arrived at 1:28 a.m. they found the house was on fire and called the fire de-
partment. Firemen and police estimated the fire damages about $15,000.
The Upchurches filed a report on furniture missing from the house.
" On November 1 firemen responded to a call by Ruppe Hosiery, 314 E.
Gold Street. Workers turned the heat on and smelled smoke. No damages
were reported.
On November 3 a man called the fire department using a cellular phone
and reported a structure fire on Parker Street. It was a false alarm, accord-
ing to firemen.
Police said that juvenile petitions will be sought charging a 15-year-old
boy in connection with a fire at Pine Manor Apartments on November 3.
Witnesses told police that a juvenile kicked the door down of the vacant
apartment 94 and they then: saw flames coming from the apartment and
someone trying to put the fire out. Firemen were called to put out the
blaze.
On November 5 local firemen assisted Bethlehem: Fire Department in
dousing a fire in a car on I-85 and N.C. 161.
teacher at KMHS. Clark's teams have won two AAA
high school state baseball championships.
A 1982 graduate of Wingate College with a degree
in social studies/history and business administration,
he was football coach at East Union Middle School in
Marshville from 1978-81 and completed his student
teaching at Forest Hills High School in Marshville,
teaching and serving as offensive line coach for varsity
football in 1982. Since 1983 he has worked at Kings
Mountain High School, serving as in-school suspen-
sion coordinator from 1983-85 and as a social studies
teacher since 1986.
He and his wife, Sondra, have two sons and are ac-
tive in First Presbyterian Church. They reside at 609
Ginger Drive.
BRUCE CLARK
State DOT member Carroll Edwards, left, and DMV Commander
Alexander Killens join Col. R.A. Barefoot of the North Carolina
Highway Patrol and other law enforcement officials at the unveiling of
new signs Wednesday at the 1-85 rest area on Dixon School Road.
Security has been beefed up in ther wake of the killing of a Kings
Mountain rest stop employee in September.
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Kings Mountain, N )¢
Schools getting tougher on weapons
on the school grounds just before a
dance on October 29.
School officials closed the
Homecoming dance which brought
criticism from at least one parent,
Jackie Brown, at Monday's board
meeting.
"What are you going to do about
guns?" asked Myron George, par-
ent of two children. "Is something
bad going to have to happen?"
Chairman Ronnie Hawkins said
the school system is doing some-
thing about violence. George
called for stronger measures. He
said the schools should already be
using metal detectors doing ran-
dom searches for weapons.
Board member Shearra Miller
suggested the board take a step fur-
ther by banning book bags and
oversize sports jackets. But Supt.
Dr. Bob McRae said that the new-
ly-formed school violence task
force, which meets Thursday night
at 7 p.m. in the Administrative
Office Building, should have a
hand in the decisions.
"I'm ready to crack down and go
full force," said Miller.
"Things are just getting out of
hand," said Jackie Brown, mother
of a high school student. Brown
suggested that a black policy com-
mission composed of seven people
be allowed to go into the schools
and talk to the kids about
grievances and help the school of-
ficials work out the problems.
See Violence, 15-A
KM Lake Commission
okays improvements
Moss Lake Commission
Monday night approved 14 re-
quests from property owners want-
ing to make improvements while
the lake is down.
After the business of the agenda,
the Commission was treated to a
videotape show of the dredging
project underway at the dragline
site at the old Doran Dam.
Planning Director Gene White,
with Ronnie Hawkins as pilot, took
the color shots from the air over
Moss Lake as 200 truck loads of
sand were being sifted from the
lake from a 400 x100 feet wide
area. "We have 6,120 feet more to
go to remove all the silt:and sand,"
said White. ]
White said the video shows the
tremendous growth pattern at the
lake over the past 19 years.
The Commission approved re-
quests from: .
William and Karen Anderson,
for a 1.5 HP water Ace pump and
intake line.
Stephen and Patricia Bonino for
rip-rap
Eddie Tillman Jr. to remove
loose sand eroded from a vacant
lot.
Rip-rap request from Vernon and
Ernestine Bishop.
Rip-rap request from Jack
Wells.
Faunce Realty to install two
concrete ramps at Lots 1 and 4.
David Monteith for removal of
brush and small trees along the
shoreline and removal of earth
from the earth bottom to improve
boating access. and removal of old
road bed and installation of rip rap.
See Lake, 11-A
New gas line
is completed
A new gas line to serve 40 po-
tential customers on Oak Grove
Road in the area of Tom's Family
Mart at Stoney Point was complet-
ed this week.
The project cost $87,000 and
dents to hook up to city gas.
City. of 7 Kings = Mountain
Community Services Director Tom
will allow Oak Grove Road resi-|
Howard said that the city has re-
ceived numerous inquiries for gas
service and "quite a few have
signed on." g
Several other city projects’ are
nearing completion
Roofers were completing reroof-
ing of the Community Center
where Howard estimates that 95
percent of the work is done. He
said the Single Membrane roof is
being put up at cost of $79,500.
Electrical crews are busy this
week converting conduit lines in
the old 1460 KVA system to the
new 15 KVA system.
A defective gas line on Henry
Street was being repaired and,
weather permitting, street paving
will begin this week or next.
At Moss Lake, where sand re-
moval has been underway for sev-
eral weeks, city crews have re-
paired numerous concrete areas of
the dam spillway, including several
joints.
Moss Lake has been lowered
five feet for property owners to
make improvements. The lake will
be back to normal level at the end
of November.
State beefing up patrol
of rest areas along 1-85
In the wake of the September
killing of a state employee at the
Kings Mountain I-85 rest area,
state law enforcement officials on
Wednesday afternoon put up red
and white signs to alert the public
that police are beefing up patrols.
Division of Motor Vehicles
Commissioner Alexander Killens,
Colonel R.A. Barefoot,
Commander of the State Highway
Patrol, and State DOT member
Carroll Edwards unveiled the signs
at 2 p.m., signaling the installation
of similar signs and a public
awareness campaign at 58 other
rest areas and welcome centers in
the state.
A large sign reads, "This rest
area is patrolled by Department of
Motor Vehicles Enforcement
Highway Patrol and the Sherift’s
Department.” A smaller red and
white sign reads: "for an emergen-
cy dial 911."
"The bottom line is crime and
violence but the recent fatality in
Kings Mountain gives us the impe-
tus to move quickly,” said Killens.
Ten cars of highway patrolmen,
sheriff's department officers, and
DMW officials were on hand for
ceremonies outside the southbound
rest area near Dixon School Road
where Charles Alvin Porter, 39, of
Kings Mountain, was found the
morning of Sunday, September 26
shot to death. Two men are being
sought in the slaying.
Killens said that the Department
of Transportation and Division of
Motor Vehicles extends sympathy
to the Porter family. Porter had
been a state employee of DOT for
19 years.
"Anyone who drives into this
rest area will see a uniformed offi-
cer in his car or walking the
grounds," said Killens. He said that
no new officers have been hired
but that the stepped up patrolling
will be done by police. highway
patrolmen and sheriff's deputies.
"We will have an appropriately
manned work force,” he said.
Killens said patrols were up-
graded a month ago with 24-hour
security of rest areas in the state.
He said that DMV employs S15 of-
ficers in 10 districts.
"We must put an end to rob-
beries. drugs, and prostitution and
this is an all out effort by all law
enforcement personnel to deter
crime,” said Killens
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