bus routes
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Kings Mountain
A
By ELIZABETH STEWART
of The Herald Staff
Betty Plonk Cloninger is optimistic that by
fall she can undergo a bone marrow transplant,
return to her normal routines and celebrate a
traditional Christmas on her fourth wedding
anniversary.
The plaque in her comfortable den on
Crescent Hill Drive paints an accurate picture
of this 49-year-old homemaker, fighting bone
cancer with an attitude that would match any
major league baseball player that her husband,
Tony, coaches.
"The world would be a better place if there
were more people like you," reads the
Christmas plaque given her by a neighbor.
Visitors to the Cloninger home find a
relaxed, beautiful lady of the house offering
her company iced tea and pleasant
conversation.
Like all full-time homemakers, Mrs.
Cloninger shows her favorite pictures of her
and her husband on their wedding day; of
their extended family of eight children and 10
grandchildren and of her plans to see the New
York Yankees play in the American League
playoffs and supervise the painting of a
playroom in their home.
But those plans may take a backseat to a
bone marrow transplant if Betty and her
brother, Bob Huntley of Wilmington, have a
perfect match and the chances are one in four,
her doctors have told her at Charlotte
Presbyterian Hospital.
“A bad pain in her right thigh and shoulder
sent Betty to the hospital in June just after she
i | returned from a trip with her husband to the
ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
Betty P. Cloninger thankful for blessings
that have come her way during cancer battle
Yankees spring training in Fort Lauderdale,
Fla. Several weeks before she had noticed
pain after walking and exercising and doctors
had diagnosed the problem as a fracture.
"What a shock it was for me to learn that
the problem was not a fracture but a mass, a
tumor," said Betty.
"I had asked a friend to go with me to the
hospital that day, never expecting that I would
have to stay," said Betty.
The fast-growing tumor was wrapped
around her spinal cord.
"I was told if we didn't do the surgery
immediately that I would be paralyzed from
the waist down," said Betty.
"I didn't receive much hope for quality life
without the surgery and treatment and I didn't
hesitate."
This summer Betty has been in and out of
the hospital, undergoing not only spinal
surgery but numerous rounds of chemotherapy
for Multiple Myeloma.
Recently a permanent Hickmen was
inserted in her chest so that she could receive
the chemotherapy in bigger doses and also
eliminate needles for medication and blood.
"Everything has been very positive and I
have had few side effects from the treatments,"
said Mrs. Cloninger.
Betty returns to the hospital in about two
weeks for more chemotherapy and evaluation.
This fall she hopes to enter the hospital in
Chapel Hill for a bone marrow transplant if
cross matching between her and her brother are
successful. If that procedure fails, Betty's name
will be added to a donor waiting list.
See Betty, 3-A
|
BETTY P. CLONINGER
"[ see cancer
as just one of
life's challenges
and I think to
lick it is mind
over body."
- Betty Cloninger
.
RE
'y
A 17-year-old Kings Mountain
High School senior accidentally
shot and killed himself while target
practicing Sunday morning at an
old abandoned pool at Davidson
Park. }
Det. Richard Reynolds of the
Kings Mountain Police Department
said Trevor Jason Spencer of 132-1
Ebenezer Road was found at 9:16
a.m: lying on the ground with a
gunshot wound to the right side of
. the head. He was rushed to
Cleveland Memorial Hospital by
Cleveland County EMS and died at
2:09 p.m.
According to Reynolds, Spencer
and his 18-year-old cousin,
Anthony Sellers of Wildwood
Drive in the Ebenezer section,
were target practicing with a .22
calibre pistol. :
Reynolds said Sellers went to
nearby Kings Mountain Hospital to
summon help.
Reynolds said evidence at the
scene and reports from the witness
indicated the shooting was self-in-
flicted and accidental.
Little Theatre $100,000 short of
Kings Mountain Little Theatre is
shooting for early spring to begin
renovations of its new home, the
old Dixie Theatre on Railroad
Avenue.
President Jim Champion said the
hold-up is the completion of the
$300,000 fund drive, of which
$200,000 has been pledged.
"We hope that by the first of the
year we will have enough cash on
hand and in the bank to start the
ball rolling to get our name on the
old theatre marquee," said
Champion.
Dr. Scott Mayse and Andy
Neisler are co-chairmen of the fund
campaign and they encourage both
small and large donations which
may be forwarded to PO Box 1022,
Kings Mountain, 28086. All dona-
tions are tax-deductible.
Members of the Little Theatre
will finalize plans for the current
season of plays on Thursday night
at a board meeting, said Champion.
"Catfish Moon" will be the first
production of the new season in
early November and will be direct-
ed by Champion. The children's
play, "Handsel and Grethel" will be
directed by Annie Grant in
February. The comedy,
"Meanwhile Back on the Couch,"
will be directed by Jeff Grigg next
May. Plans are also in the works to
present a dinner-theatre.
New officers of the Little
Theatre, in addition to Champion,
are Mary Neisler, vice-president;
Punkin Higginbotham, secretary;
and Grigg, treasurer.
The Kings Mountain Little
Theatre has served the Kings
Mountain area as far back as 1941
when performances were held at
the old Central School from 1941-
56. In the early years Little Theater
members were active in outdoor
dramas at the Kings Mountain
National Military Park. The
Theatre was reborn in the late
1960's and from 1971-1990 perfor-
mances were held at the old Park
No charges will
nection with the death, but
Reynolds said police are still inves-
tigating the possibility of other
type charges.
Reynolds said it is unlawful for
persons under the age of 21 to pos-
sess a firearm and that it is also un-
lawful to discharge a firearm in the
city limits. ]
fund goal
Grace School. Since its rebirth,
Little Theatre has produced three
or four plays a year, more a of
staging productions’ at th
Woman's Club and && Central
School. Local theatergoers have
been treated to dinner-theatre for
several years.
The old Dixie Theatre has not
been used as a motion picture
house since the early 1950's and
was donated to KMLT by Mr. and
Mrs. John Plonk.
The plans for the extensive reno-
vation call for an entrance from
Railroad Avenue, adjacent to
Plonk's General Store.
| get it functioning, but it is a real
Johnny Reavy,
honored by Lio
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Alternative
school to be
based in kM
The Kings Mountain, Shelby
and Cleveland County school sys-
tems have received a $346,980
grant to fund an alternative school
program for sixth through 12th
grade students.
The school, at least temporarily,
will be housed in the current of-
fices of Kings Mountain District
Schools on Parker Street and
should be in place no later than the
second semester of the 1994-95
school year. Kings Mountain's
District Office will move to the
renovated Central School this fall.
The three systems had asked for
over $700,000 in grant money but
Kings Mountain Superintendent
Bob McRae said an effective
school can be operated on the
amount approved.
McRae said representatives of
the three systems will begin an in-
terview process for a principal
within the next several days. When
‘the principal is named, he or she
will take part in organizing the pro-
gram and choosing teachers and
staff. McRae said there would
probably be seven teachers, a
counselor and a social worker to
serve approximately 100-125 stu-
dents from all over the county.
"We're real excited about this,"
McRae said. "It will take a while to
V Shanes
been losing in the past.”
The school will be designed sim-
ilar to a very successful program in
Catawba County which has been in
operation for years. Students who
cause continual problems in the
regular classroom will be screened
and assigned to the school with the
goal of changing their attitudes and
returning them to the regular class-
room setting, Students assigned to
the alternative school will continue
to take regular classroom courses
required for graduation, and in
some cases students will graduate
from the alternative school.
"The program is not designed for
the student who just acts up one or
two times, but for students with
continual problems that not only
get in the way of their learning but
‘also others,” McRae said. "The ed-
ucational program will be very in-
dividualized and heavily based on
technology to give them specific
attention they are not able to get in
a larger setting."
McRae said he hopes the princi-
pal can be selected by the first of
next month.
Because the school will be locat-
See School, 2-A
idents | 2 ¢
| grades 6-12 who take or possess
Conduct code
gets approval
The Kings Mountain Board of
Education Monday night approved
long-term suspensions for kinder-
garten through 12th grade students
who take or possess weapons on
school grounds.
The action passed unanimously
after a public hearing in which no
one spoke.
Two board members -
Chairwoman Shearra Miller and
Rev. Billy Houze - said they had
reservations about long-term sus-
pensions for kindergartners and
other young elementary students
who might not understand the con-
sequences of possessing weapons,
but both said they would support
the policy.
The policy was recommended
by a Violence Task Force, and will
take effect immediately.
The disciplinary measures of the
lengthy policy which includes the
entire Code of Student Conduct
policy, require:
HB Suspension for the remainder
of the school year for students in
“grades K-12 who take or possess a
any legally defined weapon on a
school campus.
MW Disciplinary action as deemed
appropriate by the administration
for students in grades K-5 who
take or possess a legally defined
weapon other than a figearm on
school campus.
MW Disciplinary action deemed
appropriate by the administration
for students whe take other
weapons such as xnives on a
school campus.
Rev. Houze said he had some
concerns with automatic suspen-
sion for young children. "I'm con-
cerned about how much they un-
derstand” about weapons, he said.
"There's no opportunity for expla-
nation, but I will support the poli-
cy.”
Mrs. Miller said she had the
same concerns but noted that the
Task Force "went round and round
about that. I have a problem with it
and probably always will, but I can
support the policy because the Task
Force put in a lot of time and dis-
cussion and did a good job."
See Policy, 2-A
———— A — i
Utility group Schools get Tech Prep grant
to meet Monday
Gas construction projects are on
the agenda for Monday night's util-
ity committee meeting at 7 p.m. in
the fire department training room
at City Hall.
Utility Director Jim Maney said
that he will present several propos-
als for consideration by the com-
mittee.
Maney will also update testing
underway for PCBs and give a re-
port on placement of 800 squirrel
guards on transformers in the
Linwood area of the city where
squirrels on the line caused several
minor power outages recently.
Maney said that electricity was
off twice, for 20 minutes one time
and again for an hour due to squir-
rels on the Linwood feeder line.
Mauncy said one squirrel in a
transformer behind Battle Forest
Apartments short-circuited the en-
tire line.
Squirrel guards are plastic cones
that fit over the insulator on top of
a transformer.
"The ‘squirrels can’t sit on the
guard and has to jump off," said
See Utility, 2-A
SLOW DOWN OR PAY UP - Speeding has been a problem on West Gold Street, and City Council re-
cently approved putting up a four-way stop sign at the intersection of West Gold and Watterson street.
The stop signs have helped the problem somewhat but city officials said some cars are still going through
the intersection without stopping. Captain Bob Hayes of the Kings Mountain Police Department stands in
the center of the intersection as a reminder for motorists to heed the stop signs or face a fine. With school
starting next week, police say it's extremely important for motorists to be cautious on all city streets.
Kings Mountain High School
will begin two new Tech Prep pro-
grams thanks to a $320,000 grant
from the State Board of Education
to fund Tech Prep programs in the
Kings Mountain, Shelby and
Cleveland County school systems
and Cleveland Community
College.
Fundamentals of Technology
and Principles of Technology will
be re-instituted after several years
absence, according to Supt. Bob
McRae and Vocational Dlrector
Betty Gamble. The classes were
dropped about six years ago due to
a lack of student interest, but Dr.
McRae said a workforce prepared-
ness survey in the community indi-
cated a need to revive them.
Mrs. Gamble said the funds
would provide staff development
and help with purchasing books,
supplies and equipment for the
courses. Alfred Ash will be the in-
structor.
Fundamentals of ‘Technology is
an introductory course for ninth
eraders, and Principles of
Technology © and 11 are for juniors
and seniors, Currently there are [5
students registered for Principles of
Technology I and Principles of
Technology II will be added next
year. McRae said eventually the
school hopes to have five classes
involving 75 to 100 students.
The Tech Prep program is for
students who focus on a curriculum
designed to better prepare them for
a community college, technical
school, apprenticeship program or
college. Regardless of their level of
education. Mrs. Gamble said stu-
dents who graduate the program
are prepared to enter the work-
force.
The funds will be received over
a two-year period.
In other action Thursday night,
the board:
HM llcard a report from Barbara
Long of the Substance Abuse Task
Force of the United Way of
Cleveland County, and endorsed
the group's position paper which
calls for a county-wide effort to ad-
dress abuse problems in the county.
A luncheon will be held at the
United Way office August 31 for
county agencies, businesses,
schools and other groups to share
information on how to fight sub
See Grant, 2-A