Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / Jan. 26, 1995, edition 1 / Page 1
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Vol. 107 No. 4 Cop urges students to turn lives around 4-A ” ero Lat ' 3 1 \ » Al San FEE pe oz ARN Ca = ETE om, $ a “Ze EELS EW, WY =o = =? Ss 7 SN ) ~ - WM = = = x Zs i. all ——— | » — 1 4 | ae h ™ bh M eS bn -» =. = \ J hn i Thursday, January 26, 1995 Councilwoman threatens to take manager to court Mayor Scott Neisler will out- line an alternative budget pro- posal to City Council Tuesday to fix the money flow problem and get the city's books back in the black by June 30. He will also propose, in the presence of two representatives of the Local Government Commission, that the Local Government Commission and Institute of Government review it. Neisler said citizens who want to speak at the meeting should place their names on the Mayor to propose budgetchanges agenda which will be prepared Friday by City Manager Chuck Nance. Neisler, who has criticized Finance Director Maxine Parson's handling of the 1994- 95 budget, said recent tax and water rate increases were un- necessary and that the 1993-94 audit reveals that when you un- derspend the budget by $541,000, you have had a good year. Neisler's budget is different See Budget, 9-A Sara Lee to build distribution plant Sara Lee Foundations, one of the country's best known manu- facturers of women's intimate apparel, announced Tuesday it will begin construction in the spring of a $10 million distribu- tion center near the Firestone plant a short distance from the city. David Livesay, Director of Distribution, said the massive building, the first phase of a $36 million construction project, will be built on 35 acres on a pL facing 85 be completed by the fall of 1995 with expansion to 700,000 square feet by the year 2000. He said in three years an office complex will be added and by year 2000 the work force should double. "This is exciting news for c=from © i; 220, 000 square Toor building to: Gaston County and the Kings Mountain area," said Ray Cloninger, chairman of the Gaston County Economic Development Commission who participated in the announce- ment meeting in Gastonia with David Cline, vice-chairman; Donnie Hicks, executive direc- tor; Senator David Hoyle, member of the North Carolina Economic Development Board and Ed Church of the N. C. Department of Commerce. will be a water and natural gas customer of Kings Mountain. "The tremendous success we are seeing with our Wonderbra line of products coupled with See Sara Lee Page 9-A “Neisler said the company ; NORMA BRIDGES Councilwoman Norma Bridges threatened to take City Manager Chuck Nance to court Thursday unless he produced the financial records she demanded. Wednesday morning, Nance sent balance sheets for the period October-November to Bridges. He said he would have complied with her request earlier if she had asked for the correct thing. "A trial balance sheet and a balance sheet are two separate items. "I was incensed that Mrs. Bridges would threat- en to call the Attorney General because I have never willfully or intentionally withheld informa- tion from anyone," said Nance. Nance said he had already furnished Bridges with copies of several items she requested but that the mixup in communication was confusing. "I really didn't know what she wanted and all Council members receive monthly green and NFL quarterback visits in KM I J -R | UM mn Kings Mountain, N.C. » 28086 « 50¢ of all funds." Mrs. Bridges. Nance said he planned to send a copy to the Attorney General of his correspondence with In a memorandum to Nance January 18, Bridges said she would file a writ of mandamus requiring the release of certain financial records she says she has been denied. Bridges also threatened to contact the Attorney General's office for an investigation into the le- gality of a city's staff obstructing the free access to basic financial information to elected officials. "I find it outrageous that any member or Council has been refused such basic financial in- white computer printonis of financial information Mayor Scott Neisler, left, and David Livesay, Director of Distribution for Sara Lee Foundations, look at an architect's drawing of a new $10 million distribution center the manufacturer will build near the city. Citizens to council: Change or resign A citizen's group blaming the city's problems on political and management errors will demand changes Tuesday night from a City Council divided on their opinions on how to run the city and cure its financial ills. M. Eugene White, former city planning director, said if the political leadership is unwilling to make the necessary changes they should resign. White paid for an advertise- ment in today's Herald which states that he is on the agenda for the 7:30 p.m. meeting at City Hall "to address subdivi- sion administration and the au- dit report as it relates to funda- mental political and management errors." White said that petitions will be distributed which will out- line demands. "The city administration, in- cluding political and the highest administrative leadership, have become a laughingstock/ joke to the people who pay their salaries," said White. "Credibility is gone." White said citizens don't have to wait one year or three years to vote some Council members out of office. "With citizen involvement we don't have to put up with in- competence, lack of leadership and cooperation, special treat- ment and conflict of interests, lack of integrity, continued em- barrassment to the city and vio- lating of the public trust," he said. "Kings Mountain can't afford three more years of this circus.” Kids' van fund still short of goal The prayers and support of a fund drive which to date reach- es $10,000 give Billy and Patricia Byers hope that Battens Disease, a rare genetic illness, can one day be cured. Billy Dean Byers Jr., 9, and his sister, Tabitha Rashae Byers, 5, are battling the illness that struck the boy when he was three and the girl when she was four. KM to host Kings Mountain will be the host school for over 300 bands- men and directors January 27- 28 at Kings Mountain Middle and High School. The two-day clinic will be held at the KMMS band room, the KMHS band room and the stage. of = B.N. Barnes Auditorium. Donna Tucker from Roanoke, Va. will conduct the Middle School Honors Band, Christine Sneed from Cherryville will conduct the High School Honors Band and Thomas Dvorak from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will con- duct the Senior High Honors Band. The two-day clinic will in- clude a directors luncheon at Dini's Harbour House on Friday Byers says he's confident that prayer kept colds away from his only children this winter but he says that Tabitha, who is affec- tionately called Peanut, may soon have to be fed through a tube. "Tabitha is on my mind con- stantly," said Mrs. Byers. The Byers are hoping to raise $50,000, part of which they want to use to buy a handi- capped-equipped van to trans- band clinie and a catered barbecue dinner for all participants and directors at KMHS on Friday evening. The South Central District Directors Jazz Band will per- form for the students at the bar- becue dinner. The clinic will culminate on Saturday with a concert by all three district bands at 3 p.m. in Barnes Auditorium. The concert will be professionally recorded and is free and open to the pub- lic. An early ‘arrival is recom- mended due to the large crowd expected. Clinic chairpersons Chris Cole and Gil Doggett will have 19 students participating in the clinic. Middle School participants arc Clark: ‘Poole, “Ceccha See Clinic, 9-A port their children to Duke Hospital for regular checkups. After the vehicle is purchased, the family plans to donate the rest of the money to families of children who need wheelchairs and lifts. Recently, generous donations were made by Bethlehem Baptist Church, East Shelby Church of God, Dixon Presbyterian Church and Bethware Progressive Club. Bethware Progressive Club will host a hot dog supper bene- fit on February 11 from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. at Bethware School. The public is invited. A fund for the children has been set up at First National Bank, Shelby. Tax-deductible donations may be forwarded di- rectly to the bank or to the Byers family at 108 Plantation Drive in Kings Mountain. SBI to SBI District Supervisor Jim Woodard of Kannapolis said he may ask agents outside the Southern Piedmont district to conduct a probe of former Chief of Police Warren Goforth's purchase November 11, 1994 of a truck which had been seized in a drug bust. Woodard said he received a telephone call from Cleveland County District Attorney Bill Young January 19 in which he ‘asked the SBI to conduct an in- vestigation into the vehicle transaction. Young had received a letter from City Councilman Jerry White over a month ago, ac- cording to City Manager Chuck Nance who acknowledged he talked with Young by telephone but decided against writing a letter and the matter was never discussed by City Council. Nance returned the truck which Goforth had the title to and he had parked at City Hall. "It was my understanding that Mr. White shared his concerns as a private citizen," said Nance. White is also a detective with the Cleveland County Sheriff's Department. "The investigation won't be- gin obviously until we receive a letter from the DA which we are expecting momentarily," said Woodard. Woodard said he expected the nvestigation would be complet- :d in about a month and the re- sults would be turned over to the DA's office in Shelby. The investigation will deter- mine if malfeasance in office has occurred. On November 17, Goforth re- signed after seven years as Chief of Police. At a news con- ference he called on November 18 he acknowledged buying a 1987 Suburban from Fantastic Auto Sales in Shelby after sell- ing the truck and a second vehi- See Probe, 9-A formation when you had more than ample time to get it and it makes me question further if someone is afraid of what I will find when this information is analyzed," she said. See Bridges, 9-A probe vehicle deal Manager to release material Records of vehicle transac- tions between the City of Kings Mountain and Fantastic Auto Sales of Shelby were to be re- leased today to area media by City Manager Chuck’ Nance. Nance told The Herald that it} had taken some time to assem- ble all the information. The city has done business with the Shelby dealer for sev- eral years. The city's vehicle transac- tions came under scrutiny in November when former Chief Warren Goforth resigned after he was criticized for purchasing one of the drug cars he traded in with another vehicle for an un- dercover vehicle for the Detective Division. In a written statement former Police Chief Warren Goforth gave the media Nov. 11, he said he and Sgt. Billy Benton traded a Dodge Daytona and a Suburban truck and received a 1990 Chevrolet Geo Prism in return. Goforth returned later to the car dealer and bought the truck, a 1987 GMC Suburban that had been seized in a federal drug investigation, for $1,095. Goforth said he was able to pur- chase the truck inexpensively because it needed extensive re- pairs. Goforth said that the contro- versy over the vehicle trade was "the straw that broke the camel's back" and he resigned from the Police Department af- ter seven years on the job. "I have never withheld infor- mation but it takes awhile to get it all together," said Nance. Kings Mountain People : 2 Lawyer keeps God's House spotless By ELIZABETH STEWART of The Herald staff Lawyer Quinn sings while he works and perhaps that's his se- cret of long life. Quinn, 84, the custodian at Central United Methodist Church for nearly 40 years, re- ports to work early and orga- nizes his cleaning duties by first cleaning the rooms that will be used each day. The congregation will honor him and his family on "Lawyer Quinn Day" Sunday with gifts and a covered dish luncheon. Quinn's daughters will join their father in the church. A native of York County, SC, Quinn was born July 9. 1910. He has outlived his four sisters. three brothers his parents, a son and his wife, Lessie Bell Quinn whom he married in 1935. His five children, Yvonne Quinn of Arlington, Va., Lawyer Quinn Jr. of Kings Mountain, Robert Pressley Quinn of Gastonia, and twins Darlene Quinn of Charlotte and Marlene Spencer of Clover. SC. 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren have all been invited to his ap- preciation day. he counts his blessings for many friends, black and white. "Now I love these members here and 1 live in Kings Mountain but I joined St. James United Methodist Church in York at age 12 and that's where 1 belong.” he said this week. Quinn was chairman of the trustee board and finance chairman for years for the 175- member church. Although he never misses a church service in his home church, he will be on the front pew at Central Methodist Sunday. He turned down choir him in the celebration. They Lawyer plans to labor the director Linda Dixon's mvita: learned to be good housckeep- rest of his life, God willing. See Lawyer 9A LAWYER QUINN ers at an carly age by helping The church is home to him and ' Kam RNS i
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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Jan. 26, 1995, edition 1
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