Rs
County’s first female 11-A
detective enjoys her work
KM Juniors eye
Area IV playof*
4th celebration Tuesday:
The annual Kings Mountain
Independence Day celebration will
be held Tuesday beginning at the
Parks and Recreation Department.
Activities begin with a street
*.dance featuring the band, Mink,
ftom 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The official
. opening ceremony will be held at
11:30 a.m.
There will be special games and
activities throughout the day. The
big climax will be a fireworks
show at 9:30 p.m. which will be
broadcast live over WKMT Radio.
Other activities include:
12-12:30 - Registration for
» horseshoes, volleyball and 3 on 3
, basketball.
' + 12:30-1 p.m. - Enter pool free.
1 p.m. - Pool events, including
relay races, big splash/little splash,
dive contest, inner tube race,
greased watermelon, coin toss.
(Pool will close after these events
and re-open at 3 p.m.).
1:30-5:30 p.m. - Field events, in-
cluding horseshoes, volleyball, 3
on 3 basketball, water balloon con-
test, egg toss, bubblegum blowing,
and more events which will be
added later.
3-7 p.m. - Public swim, $1 for
city residents and $1.50 for outside
city residents.
6-6:30 p.m. - Hydrant shower.
7-9:30 p.m. - Home run derby.
$10 per entry, prize money depends
on number of entries. First 20 en-
tered will receive T-shirts.
For more information, call the
Parks and Recreation Department
at 734-0449.
KM employees get
erroneous OT pay
City Manager Chuck Nance said four department
heads received overtime pay in error for weekend
work during an emergency fuel spill at Moss Lake re-
cently.
Councilwoman Norma Bridges questioned Nance
after she received time cards of 12 employees who
worked at the lake a total of 135 hours during a dredg-
ing accident and were paid $1,486.40. The city was to
be reimbursed by Delta Aggregates, the John Jenkins
firm which is dredging sand from the lake.
Nance said four department heads - Finance Officer
Maxine Parsons, Interim Police Chief Bob Hayes,
Water/Wastewater Supt. Walt Ollis and Fire Chief
Frank Burns are exempt from overtime pay by virtue
of their status with the city. The city's personnel policy
rector.
Weathers named
KMHS principal
The Kings Mountain Board of
Education filled two vacant admin-
istrative positions Monday night
and in doing so created two assis-
tant principal's jobs and an athletic
director's position.
Phil Weathers, who has served
Kings Mountain High School as an
assistant principal since 1990, was
named new KMHS principal to re-
place Jackie Lavender, who recent-
ly was transferred to Grover
School.
Lynda Stewart, who has been
serving as interim principal at
. Kings Mountain Middle School for
most of the past year and a half,
- was officially named assistant prin-
cipal. Stewart had served an inter-
im for Mary Accor during the
1993-94 school year while Accor
sérved as interim principal of
Bethware, and Stewart served as
interim for most of the 1994-95
school term when Accor was
named principal of Parker Street
‘Alternative School. Accor was re-
cently named principal of
Bethware.
| Both Weathers and Stewart re-
‘ceived two-year contracts which
become effective July 2.
The Board of Education still
must fill a pair of assistant princi-
pal's vacancies at KMHS - one cre-
ated by Weathers' promotion this
week and the other created earlier
when Mike Rhoney was named
See Principal, 10-A
"WEATHERS STEWART
Hie
Reliance Electric welder Allen Wright, student welder Travis Slycord, supervisor Richard Turner and
Gary Hammer, of the N. C. Department of Labor, left to right, are pictured in the welding department at
Reliance where Slycord has gone to work as an apprentice.
Apprenticeship programs
giving students head start
Two area industries - Spectrum
and Reliance Electric - have hired
local students in the first two high
school apprenticeship programs in
the area registered by the North
Carolina Department of Labor.
Gary Hammer, apprenticeship
consultant for the Department of
Labor, was at both firms Tuesday
commending the local industries
for giving Robbie Dalton and
Travis Slycord a head start on their
chosen careers.
Dalton, son of Mike and Vicki
Dalton, is working in the electron-
ics department at Spectrum and
Slycord, son of Gloria and Larry
Slycord, is working in the welding
department at Reliance.
"These two companies have tak-
en the lead in providing an early
opportunity for two students to be-
KINGS MOUNTAIN PEOPLE
gin learning a skilled trade in the
Kings Mountain area,” said
Hammer. He said high school ap-
prenticeships appears to be the
wave of the future. In the past two
years high school apprenticeships
have risen over 300 percent.
Both Dalton and Slycord are ris-
ing seniors at Kings Mountain
High School and plan to take post
high school technical training.
At Spectrum Dalton is learning
from the ground up how to build
parts for machinery and equipment
and is working a 40-hour week.
This fall he will work 20 hours
each week and continue his high
school education.
At Reliance Slycord welds in a
full-time job under the supervision
of Richard Turner and Allen
Wright. A welding student since
ninth grade, he will be working
part-time at Reliance in the fall and
returning to high school to finish
his senior year.
"This program is designed for
kids who want to go from high
school into skilled trades and gives
them exposure to industry," said
Spectrum plant engineer Hubert
Johnson. Both students came highly
recommended for the positions by
KMHS vocational apprenticeship
coordinator Dianne Hollifield.
"] think we have begun to realize
that the time to start training our
youth is while they are in school
and not necessarily wait until they
graduate," said Hammer.
"This program provides a means
to accomplish that goal."
states that department heads are exempt.
Nance wrote Mrs. Bridges this week that the error
was based on his communications with the finance di-
See Overtime, 10-A
Paying overtime
nothing new in KM
Overtime pay to department
heads is apparently nothing new to
the City of Kings Mountain.
Finance Director Maxine
Parsons said that Kings Mountain
Police Department personnel re-
ceived extra money from the
Governor's Highway Safety
Program for special projects relat-
ing to the DWI Task Force during
the period October 1, 1990
through September 20, 1991.
According to financial records,
See Pay, 10-A
City Council adopts
$18.9 million budget
City Council adopted a $18.9
million budget Tuesday 6-1 but not
without comments from Mayor
Scott Neisler who said the city falls
short of what it needs to do for cit-
izens.
Councilwoman Norma Bridges
voted against the budget, saying af-
ter the meeting that she supported
the mayor's stance.
Both said the city would be rais-
ing taxes to citizens by retaining
th. ;
ty and said the city was moving
backwards by not approving the
suggested pay plan.
"We take our employees for
granted and the exodus of city em-
ployees from the city police depart-
ment proves my point," the mayor
said, noting that Kings Mountain
has become a training ground for
city employees who go elsewhere
to make more money.
"We have $1 million in the bank
and our bills are paid," said the
mayor who said the city doesn't
need to spend three quarters of a
million dollars for capital outlay
next year.
But Councilman Jim Guyton
disagreed, saying that the city will
spend one half of the capital outlay
funds to put in a basin at Pilot
Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Prior to the budget adoption, the
city amended the 1994-95 budget
ordinance by 6-1 vote with
Councilman Guyton voting "no."
He wanted to know how much
money was left in capital outlay af-
ter the amendment and said he was
dissatisfied with the answers he re-
ceived from Finance Director
Maxine Parsons. He also ques-
tioned the recreation department
budget.
"If there is extra money why not
put it in the fund balance," he said.
Parsons said that extra money
would go to the fund balance.
Two-year terms
now official
City Council made it official
Tuesday night that the new two-
year term for City Council and
Mayor is effective with the upcom-
ing fall election.
City Attorney Mickey Corry
“called for the resolution to amend
the city charter to sho
from i
In year
City Council will be up for grabs.,
Corry reminded Council that the
state statutes require the adoption
of the ordinance.
Before the unanimous vote was
taken, Councilman Dean Spears
questioned retired city planner
Gene White about the cost to the
city for the special election.
"I had thought when Mr. White
brought the petition before us he
said there would be no cost," he
said.
White, who was in the audience,
stood to respond to Spears but
Mayor Scott Neisler called for the
vote.
In other actions, the board:
Accepted the $9100 bid from Dr.
Everette Thombs for city property
at the corner of West King and City
Streets. Thombs plans to use the
property for medical offices.
Appointed Councilmen Jerry
White, Ralph Grindstaff and Dean
Spears to the audit committee.
Appointed the mayor, Al
Moretz, John Reavis, Jim Childers
and Valerie Boyd to the thorough-
fare review committee to discuss
socioeconomic projections for the
Kings Mountain planning area.
Appointed Councilmen Rick
Murphrey and Dean Spears and
Councilwoman Norma Bridges to
See Council, 10-A
WINK RUSSELL
Wink Russell enjoys being friend
Wink Russell grows a bountiful vegetable crop ev-
ery year and gives it all away.
"That's the secret of my success in my 35x50 feet
back yard garden,” says Wink, who says The Lord
blessed him with more years after his successful can-
cer surgery and he's doing his part to help others.
His neighbors on Henry Street say Wink is more
than a good neighbor. They are already enjoying
squash, cucumbers and green beans and it won't be
long until vine-ripe tomatoes and other yummy home-
grown foods are on the tables of Wink's friends and
kinfolk.
Wink also cuts grass and offers other free help to the
disabled.
"I just like to be a friend," he says.
A good cook, Russell enjoys preparing food for his
family and friends to enjoy. He has been cooking
Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts for his family ev-
ery year for 42 years and anyone who has ever tasted
his spaghetti sauce returns for more.
"I just love to cook and years ago I cooked for hun-
dreds of people at the American Legion," said Wink,
who retired from Reeves Brothers in 1989.
Last week he and a neighbor canned 48 jars of
beans they picked off two rows in the bean patch and
this week they plan to do more canning and freezing.
A seven pound cabbage head was chopped up for
three churns of kraut which Wink promptly gave away.
When the beet crop is ready he plans to can beets to
present to his neighbors and friends.
The Russell garden requires very little labor, he
says. Wink covered the entire garden area with leaves
which accounts for very little plowing and no hoeing,
he says.
But Wink says he leaves the flower gardening to his
wife, Mildred, who has a green thumb as evidenced by
their yard blooming with summer flowers.
The family includes Wink's daughter, Elaine Grigg
and son, Dale Russell and four grandchildren.
Wink, 69, admits that when he's the chef he likes
the kitchen to himself.
Most any time he isn't at the stove he's at his picnic
table in the back yard from where he can oversee his
Crops.
The backyard picnic spot is the meeting place for
Wink to preside and a few of his retired neighbors to
reminisce and to plan what to do next in the garden.
"This is just the perfect place to live and to enjoy
life," says Wink.
Pr
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