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What You and Your Family
Should Know About Drugs & Alcohol
See Special Insert Inside Today's Herald
re ed
VOL. 106 NO. 16
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Crisis Ministry lends a helping hand
Mountaineers in thick of conference race 8A
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Thursday, April 21, 1994
Some parents still hot over se»
Parents blamed the Kings
Mountain School Board Tuesday
for not doing their homework on
the revised "healthy lifestyles" cur-
J riculum which started Monday in
the Kings Mountain Middle
School.
The sex education segment came
under attack by opponents who
said that sex education classes em-
barrass children, teach alternative
lifestyles and fail to encourage par-
ent involvement.
Board members said parents had
been misinformed and encouraged
parents to attend some of the class-
es.
Parents tell school board to do its homework
Parents said they had been mis-
led by information gathered at a re-
cent parent meeting chaired by the
Health Council.
"You promote involvement as
one of your goals and only one of
you, Sonny Peeler, a member of
the Health Council, attended the
recent parent meeting by 125 peo-
ple at the Middle School," said
Stella Putnam, a parent. "You
should have been there."
Putnam urged the board to sepa-
rate the kids by sex for all sex edu-
cation classes. "I know that Health
Coordinator Cindy Borders oppos-
es the segregated classes because
she says we're regressive if separat-
ed by sex but I took my daughter
out of the class because I didn't
want her to be embarrassed.
"Take a hard look at the Health
Council," said Putnam,
"I'm concerned about my chil-
dren who I train at home but I am
also concerned about those chil-{
dren who may miss training at
home."
Dr. Staley Jackson defended the”
Health Council, saying that it is
made up of caring people from a
cross section of the community.
See Homework, 13-A
EA Kings Mountain District Schools
go! Supt. Dr. Bob McRae presented on
Wednesday a budget request to
Cleveland County Commissioners
for a 9.8 percent increase in current
expenses or $1:97 million.
The Kings Mountain Board of
Education adopted the budget
unanimously Tuesday night with-
~ out discussion after a public hear-
ing at which no one commented.
prejor iierh in the budget in-
: This year a city police officer
: has worked three hours each day at
the high school and has supervised
the safety checks using hand-held
metal devices.
See Budget, 12-A
A house fire claimed the life of
Ricky Allen McClain, 33, of 112
Fulton Rd., Saturday at 6:38 a.m.
Kings Mountain Fire Chief
Frank Burns said firefighters on the
scene attempted unsuccessfully to
resuscitate the man who was pro-
nounced dead on arrival at Kings
Mountain Hospital about 7 a.m.
McClain apparently succumbed
to smoke that originated from a
kitchen stove grease fire. i
Burns said that Lt. Rodney
Gordon found McClain lying be-
Moss Lake homeowners on KM
Schools to ask commissioners
for $1.97 million toward budget
Summer schools
to open in June
A state-funded summer school
for grades 3,4, and 5S at North
School and for grades 6, 7, and 8 at
Kings Mountain Middle School
and tuition summer school for cur-
rent 6th, 7th and 8th graders who
| failed ‘math, language or reading|
{and a Kings Mountain High}
See Summer, 12-A
parents of students eligible to at-
tend the state funded schools at
North and KMMS June 20-July 19.
The school is free at no cost to the
i Ricky McClain, 33, dies in
side his bed with his pants around
his knees.
"It seemed to indicate he was
trying to put on his pants and get
out of the house," said Gordon in
the report filed with the Kings
Mountain Police Department.
Gordon was first on the scene at
6:41 a.m. after a passing motorist
who saw smoke coming from the
house stopped at the fire depart-
ment to alert those on duty. News
also reached the department from a
911 call at 6:38 a.m.
A majority of parents of Kings Mountain Middle
School students apparently support the school system's
new family life curriculum.
Only 36 students of 944 in grades 6, 7, and 8 opted
not to enroll in the first class Monday morning.
But Melony Bolin, one of several critics of the sex
education portion of the revised curriculum, charged
Tuesday night that parents have been misled by school
officials who have told them the curriculum is state-
mandated.
"The only mandated portion is that portion about
HIV-AIDS and I have been told by the State
Department of Public Instruction that the curriculum
can be added to or deleted by the local board which
also determines materials used and how the curriculum
is to be taught.
"You set the minimum guidelines,"
board.
"It's in your hands whether you approve the recom-
mendations of the Health Coordinator and Health
. Bolin told the
Dr. Staley Jackson, Kings Mountain orthopedic surgéon and a member of the Kings Mountain Health
Council, defends the school systems’ revised healthy living curriculum at Tuesday night's Board of
Education meeting at which 80 parents protested portions of the curriculum dealing with sex education.
Kings Mountain house fire
and went back to sleep,’
od
Council. You determine t wae rs of the
classes and the number of : 5 on 33 ight. You
determine whether boys ai : together
‘mine re-
and whether they include 1 /
source material used. /
"The State of North Carolina doesn't review curricu-
lum that has been put together at the local level and
does not have the authority to do so. It is time for the
Kings Mountain Board of Education to be straight-for-
ward with the community."
Bolin said that three school systems in the state
teach the abstinence courses. They are Davie, Rowan
and Nash Counties. She said that New Hanover
County gives parents the option of enrolling their stu-
dents in either a class called ‘Stepping Stones’ or sex
respect.
See Sex ed, 13-A
Yarbro burned
in grill mishap
Ken Yarboro, 56, is a lucky man.
The former landscaper and
Western Auto truck driver was
burned over 26 percent of his body
Saturday while trying to 0 Lith & a
large gas grill at !
a cookout for
sheriff's candi- |
date Dan
| Crawford at the |
National Guard
Armory.
Tuesday, |”
Burn Center in Chapel Hill iy
worrying that Mrs. Yarboro and
their children, Lisa Caveny, Johnny
Yarboro and Dee Yarboro, were
driving the distance to the hospital.
Doctors have told him he can pos-
sibly come home in about a week.
Fire Chief Frank Burns said
"
said
FE
The 97 applicants for George
Wood's former job as Kings
Mountain City Manager come
from nearly every state in the
Union except Hawaii and one hails
from Japan.
Kings Mountain Mayor Scott
Neisler and the seven City Council
members, Phil Hager, Jim Guyton,
Norma Bridges, Dean Spears, Rick
Murphrey, Jerry White and Ralph
97 apply for KM City Manager job
Grindstaff start the official process
of reviewing the applicants today
after the initial screening this week
by Personnel Director Winston
Bagley.
The deadline for applications
passed Friday.
Council has set May 10 at 7:30
p.m. as the date to trim the list to
the semi-finalists and on June 3-4
See City Job, 12-A
Gordon said firefighters walked
around the house beating on the
walls to arouse anyone who may
have been sleeping inside. When
no one came out, Gordon forced
open the front door and Capts.
Jamie Black and Joe Hamrick en-
tered the house filled with smoke
and intense heat.
They doused the fire and then
searched the house, finding
McClain and pulling him out,
Gordon said in his report. McClain
had no pulse and was not breath-
A delegation from Northshore
Landing Homeowners Association
will present a request for an "equi-
table way to deal with Moss Lake
fees" at Tuesday's City Council
meeting at 7:30 p.m.
Bobbie Peeler, secretary of the
association, will recommend a
number of proposals, including in-
dividual billings to condo owners
in the Northshore Association.
Council will also be asked to ter-
minate a contract for renovation of
the old Kings Mountain Post
ing.
Lt. Jeff Ledford and Chief Burns
started CPR as paramedics were
enroute, Gordon said.
"We were performing CPR on
the victim when the EMS arrived
at 6:44 a.m. and they took overihe
CPR duties and transported the \fic-
tim to Kings Mountt’n Hospithl, ’
said Burns. 1
"McClain had evidently turned
on a burner on the stove and set a
deep fryer on it and forgot about it
and returned to the bedroom area
Burns.
The fire was confined to the
kitchen area but the rest of the
house was smoke damaged, ac-
cording to Burns.
Sixteen Kings Mountain fire-
men, Kings Mountain Police Sgt.
Melvin Proctor, Det. Sgt. Billy
Benton, Terry Davis from the
Arson Task Force, Coroner Ralph
Mitchem and Emergency Medical
Services responded to the scene.
See McClain, 12-A
City Council agenda
Office with Woolpert Consultants.
At the recent planning meeting and
retreat, Council voted unanimously
to turn over the post office to the
Kings Mountain Historical Society
and build a new home for the
Kings Mountain Police
Department. Originally, Council
intended to renovate the old Post
Office as a law enforcement center.
Director of Community Services
Tom Howard will present a request
for approval of engineering stan-
dards and ask for awarding of bids
for construction of a second floor
office for the Chamber of
Commerce.
Planning Director Gene White
will present a request to approve an
American Red Cross and US Coast
Guard Auxiliary special event at
Moss Lake on boating safety and
life saving and for authorization of
Bridges Hardware to sell fishing li-
censes for city owned lakes.
The board will conduct a public
hearing on a request for a special
See Council, 14-A
Yarboro's freak accident happened
at 5:26 p.m. when he was attempt-
ing to relight the grill and the va-
pors built up, ignited, flashed back
and severely burned him from his
stomach to his neck.
Burns said that the clothes were
burned off the man and that two
other volunteers, Lt. Raymond
Hamrick and Jeffrey Page, were in-
jured when they tried to put out the
fire.
Yarboro was cooking hamburg-
ers and hotdogs on a grill outside
the Armory and his wife was inside
the Armory slicing cakes when the
accident occurred.
Yarboro's daughter Dee said her
father was taken off the respirator
Sunday morning and is in pain but
undergoing therapy. Doctors say
that skin grafting may be required
for second and third degree burns.
Yarboro was burned on his right
arm and his chest and has blisters
on his face and in his mouth and
throat.
Burns said that a police officer
on the scene radioed emergency
See Yarbro, 12-A
Lh
Hall of Fame inducts four
Carl Champion, left, President of the Kings Mountain Sports Hall of Fame, is pictured with 1994 in-
ductees Grace Page, Shu Carlton (representing the 1955 KMHS football team), and Jimmy Littlejohn at
Tuesday night's banquet and induction ceremony. More photos are on Page 1-B.
Two sports stars of the twenties and thirties, a coach
who has volunteered his services to young football
players in Kings Mountain for 35 years, and the first
championship football team at Kings Mountain High
School were inducted into the Kings Mountain Sports
Hall of Fame Monday night at the Community Center.
About 300 people attended the seventh annual event
and heard remarks from UNC-Charlotte basketball
coach Jeff Mullins. Special achievement awards were
presented to members of the 1993 KMHS baseball and
men's swim teams who won state championships.
Grace Neisler Page, the North Carolina Woman's
Skeet Shooting Champion in 1935 and 1936; Zeb
Plonk, a standout athlete at KMHS and N.C. State
College in the twenties; Pop Warner Coach Jimmy
Littlejohn; and the 1955 Mountaineer football team
were the inductees.
The Hall of Fame, which began in 1988, now in-
cludes 24 individuals and three teams.
For many members of the championship football
team,
Fame. Star quarterback George Harris, who to this day
is the only KMHS football player to earn All-
American recognition, Coach Shu Carlton, assistant
it was their second venture into the Hall of
coaches Don Parker and John Gamble, and running
back Ken Baity were previously inducted into the Hall
of Fame as individuals.
Coach Carlton, now retired and living in Gastonia,
gave the induction speech and Harris and guard Buddy
Smith accepted the award on behalf of the team,
Carlton, who went on to become a coaching legend
in North Carolina prep football, said the players on the
'55 KMHS team always held a special place in his
heart. It was Carlton's and the school's first-ever con-
ference championship team, finishing the season with
a 10-1-1 overall record.
"I appreciated the efforts of all eight teams 1 had at
King Mountain, but the '53, '54, '55 and '56 teams
proved that KMHS cold have a very strong tradition
that we could all be proud of." Carlton said
Carlton pointed out that the team had only nine se-
niors, and there were four sophomores and three ju-
niors in the starting lineup. "That was years before
two-platoon football, so we tried to determine who out
best 11 players were and they played on both offense
and defense.”
See Banquet, 12-A |