Vol. 107 No. 39
This Friday Sept. 29th
3:00 pm ‘til 7:30 pm
Kings Mountain
High School
Cafeteria
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Kings Mountain, N.C. « 28086 * 50¢
WHITE PLAINS
SHRINE CLUB
Attorney calls halt to closed meeting
City Council passed an ordi-
nance Tuesday that would ban
people from taking concealed
weapors to publicly owned build-
ings, baseball fields and parks.
Police Chief Bob Hayes said that
places such as City Hall, the po-
lice and fire departments, and the
public works department would be
off limits.
"When people walk around with
loaded guns, a dangerous situation
can turn deadly," says the Chief.
"We're not against people having
the right to protect themselves but
city property is public property,"
said Hayes.
Beginning December 1, any
North Carolina resident 21 and old-
er who passes a screening test and
a training course can buy a permit
to carry a concealed pistol.
Hayes said that City Attorney
Mickey Corry drew up the ordi-
nance and "it's a good one."
Hayes said that the ordinance is
aimed at protecting all citizens. He
said signs will be posted on city
property and that police will be au-
thorized to make arrests based on
the ordinance. Violation of the or-
dinance carries a $200 fine or im-
KM Council passes concealed weapons ban
prisonment for 30 days under the
Structured Sentencing Act.
Corry said that when the original
bill was drafted that the legislature
omitted municipally owned proper-
ty.
Hayes said that the training pro-
cess will include four hours in
classroom work and four hours on
the firing range to qualify for a
permit to obtain a permit to carry a
concealed hand gun. He said the
cost of the permit will be set by
the state and that teachers have not
See Weapons, 2-A
© coating ch ke Pocomakes that
Permanent ID for Fido
now a simple procedure
Man's Best Friend can now have
a a permanent ID injected by a
hypodermic needle that can insure
his safety when he's lost or stolen
or taken to the pound as a stray.
It only takes a second for veteri-
narians like Dr. Jerry Eskridge of
Kings Mountain to inject the tiny
microchip the size of a grain of rice
in the shoulder blade and trapezius
muscle of an animal.
"The microchip has a protein
cedure his week along with other
veterinarians in Cleveland County
and workers at the Cleveland
County Animal Shelter. Gaston
County will start the program next
| week. Some 1500 animal shelters
{ across the country have offered the
service for three years and with
iccess.
<’ This i is how it works.
" Fido is picked up by a dog war-
den as a stray and taken to the
pound. There is no apparent iden-
tification. However, a scan of the
dog's body reveals the tiny chip
with the permanent ID number and
Fido's owner is traced through a
national register by a computer
bank in California.
The procedure is simple and
painless for the dog, cat, exotic
bird, horse, even snakes, although
Eskridge said he has thus far in-
Hospital governing board holds final meeting
By next Wednesday Kings
Mountain Hospital will be merged
with Charlotte Mecklenburg
Hospital Authority.
The retiring Kings Mountain
Hospital executive committee and
full board of trustees held the final
meeting as the governing board
Tuesday night, approving an agree-
ment with CMHA.
The Cleveland County Board of
Commissioners is expected to ink
the 17-year lease Tuesday at its 7
p.m. meeting in Shelby.
The lease agreement stipulates
that an eight-member advisory
committee will give guidance re-
' garding local health care decisions
KINGS MOUNTAIN PEOPLE
jected only one pet, a dog. The pet
feels a slight sting but he is not put
to sleep and the whole procedure
takes only a few seconds in his of-
fice. The cost is $35.
Pets can be implanted with the
chip as early as 6-8 weeks of age.
Eskridge, a Kings Mountain vet-
erinarian since 1977, says the ID
number for an animal is never du-
plicated nor can it be altered or re-
moved surgically.
Cleveland County’
Health
‘an and the animal shelter h
scanners now and use the scanner.
"This is an ideal tool," said
Stallings.
Eskridge hopes that one day it
will be mandatory for owners of
pure bred animals to register vari-
ous species with the microchip as
opposed to tattoo and other ID
markings on animals.
"Just think at the value of a race
Horse and exotic animals and what
a boon this procedure would be to
those owners to have a permanent
ID number in event of theft."
Eskridge and his wife, Lynn,
have three children. They also have
several pets.
Bib, a Cockapoo, got the first
needle this week and jumped down
from the examination table, barked
and went happily on his way.
and it appears that it will include
representatives of the Kings
Mountain community, a member
appointed by the county commis-
sion and a member recommended
by the medical staff.
Hank Neal, who has served as
administrator, is expected to con-
tinue and to serve as a member of
the board of directors.
"We actually eliminated the pre-
sent board Tuesday night but this is
a good move for Kings Mountain,"
said Ernest Rome, who has served
on the board for over 10 years.
"I am very pleased," said
Chairman J. C. Bridges who said
the board had worked hard to get
City Council went behind closed
doors Tuesday night to discuss
what Mayor Scott Neisler called an
"emergency contract pertaining to
gas."
But after about 15 minutes, the
six members of the board
(Councilman Jerry White was ab-
sent) came out of the City
Manager's office along with the
mayor, City Manager Gary Hicks,
Finance Officer Maxine Parsons
and Gas Supt. Jimmy Maney and
the mayor announced that no ac-
tion would be taken.
City Mickey Corry said he in-
structed the Council to return to
Chambers.
"I think it best that matters of
that nature be discussed in the
"[ think 1t best that
matters of that nature
be discussed in the open.”
-Mickey Corry
for a dislocated hip.
better health care for the communi-
ty.
Bridges said the Farmer's Home
Administration holds the hospital
bonds and is completing the paper-
work and everything will be in or-
der for the signatures of the county
board of commissioners Tuesday.
Under the plan, the financially
strapped hospital will get $2 mil-
lion over a two-year period.
Neal said that Dr. Ron Delaney
will open his practice at
Professional Park November 1 and
a second Canadian family doctor
will join him in January. Neal has
been recruiting physicians for sev-
eral months now.
Local veterinarian Dr. Jerry Eskridge illustrates how a tiny mi-
crochip can be injected in an animal as a permanent identification.
The patient is Kissie, a black Mixed Lab puppy who is in the hospital
"We're coming very close to a
management change and the im-
pact of that change will radically
affect the budget you look at
tonight," said Neal at the meeting
of the executive committee.
Two attorneys representing the
new management talked with the
hospital board during a supper
meeting, responding to questions.
"We had 100 percent attendance
and everyone was given a ques-
tionnaire asking if he or she would
be willing to serve on the new ad-
visory committee," said Rome.
open," he said.
Two council members said after
the meeting that the board merely
gave Maney the authority to "get
us some more gas" but acknowl-
edged that No. 14 on the agenda,
"consider the purchase of firm gas
supply for winter months" should
not have been tabled.
City Manager Gary Hicks asked
the board to pass over the item be-
cause the board would be going in-
to executive session first on a legal
matter.
"Sure, we're wanting to know
what they are going to do about
getting us more gas but they don't
need to be going behind closed
doors to discuss it," said an indus-
trial representative present.
Corry called a halt to any discus-
sions and sent the Council back in-
to Chambers.
After the meeting Bridges said
that Council should table the buy-
ing of more gas until after a rate
study is completed. Last week after
a lengthy meeting the city utilities
committee recommended that the
city buy 500 mcfs a day so that in-
terruptible customers could be as-
See Meeting, 2-A
Councilman questions
KM hiring practices
The city's human resources offi-
cer Winston Bagley says the city is
following the correct procedures in
the hiring of personnel.
Bagley made the remarks after
City Councilman Jim Guyton ques-
tioned the policy of hiring four
people on work release recently,
saying that local people don't know
about the openings in city depart-
ments and should, be considered
most applications for city employ-
ment are processed through the lo-
cal Employment . Security
Commission.
"We follow all the rules and reg-
ulations," said Interim City
Manager Gary Hicks.
Guyton said he had previously
complained about four prisoners
picking up garbage in backyards in
the neighborhoods and recently
four people were hired on work re-
lease, two in sanitation, one in
streets and one at the. city garage.
Bagley said that citizens want
garbage pickup on a regular basis
and that's why the employees
were recommended by department
heads and are paid base hourly
wages.
In other actions, Council:
Annexed property of Roger T.
Conner on South Battleground
Avenue after a public hearing and
rezoned property from N-B to G-B
at 1101 Shelby Road, The Rock
Motel, after a public hearing and at
the request of J. D. Smith, attorney
for the estate of Louise Yarbrough.
Accepted the bid of $4,600 from
Hubert Toney for city-owned prop-
erty on Cooke Circle. The ap-
praised value of the property in
1991 was $4200. No other bids
were received during an upset bid
process, according to Jeff Putnam,
interim planning director.
Councilwoman Norma Bridges
asked if the Cooke Circle property
was looked at as one of the possi-
ble sites for a new recycling center
See Hiring, 2-A
Recycling site
draws concern
A proposal for a site in East
Kings Mountain for a new recy-
cling center drew opposition from
at least three Council members
Tuesday night as Council tabled
action until the October meeting.
icilmen Jim G yton,
Health Department officials “ary
Allen and Sam Lockridge that a
piece of property the city owns at
Linwood and Phenix Street could
be considered as the choice for the
center the county wants to build at
no cost to the city.
Public Works Director Karl
Moss said city and county officials
looked at four sites: at Parkdale,
the old Roller Mill property across
from Plonk Brothers in downtown
Kings Mountain, the old Elmer
Lumber Company property, and
Linwood and Phenix Street.
"The big reason I'm not happy is
the side of town they always pick
for things of this nature," said Jim
Guyton.
Councilwoman Bridges sug-
gested that the city consider oth-
er properties in town.
Allen saidb the ideal location is
downtown at the old Roller Mill
property across from Plonk
Brothers because it's in a central
location. However, the additional
$50,000 cost of some adjoining
property is not in the proposed
package.
The county will put up the cost
for the facility but not for property.
"The East Kings Mountain site is
big enough to serve the facility,"
said Allen.
Moss said that he accompanied
Mayor Scott Neisler, City Manager
Gary Hicks, Codes officer Jeff
Putnam and Allen and Lockridge
on a tour of city owned property,
two of which are now privately
See Recycle, 2-A
OND GARRIS
SGT. RAY
Garris knows how crime victims really
Not even 22 years as a cop on
the beat could prepare Sgt.
Raymond Garris for the heart-
wrenching call he received
September 3, 1994 to report to
Gaston Memorial Hospital.
"We always make the statement
that 'we know how you feel' when
there is a fatality and we attempt to
comfort a loved one," said Garris.
The shocking news at 2 a.m. that
morning that his only son, 23-year-
old Sean, had been shot and killed
remains a blow to the father who
wanted his son to follow in his
footsteps after completion of basic
law enforcement training.
"Now when I make a statement
to a grieving family I really am sin-
cere that I know how they feel,"
said Garris.
"I pass that location every day
and that day will be on my heart
until the day I die," he said this
week as he talked about the job he
loves as training officer for 34 offi-
cers in the Kings Mountain Police
Department.
"We have to be trained to face
almost anything in our career but
it's tough when you look at the face
of a young man who had his whole
life ahead of him," he said.
Garris joined KMPD as a patrol-
man May 25, 1969 after working
reserves with the Sheriff's
Department for five years. He had
been in construction work before
but became interested in law en-
forcement when several of his
friends joined the reserve force.
Former Chief Jackie Barrett hired
Garris and he was promoted
through the ranks.
As the training officer for the de-
partment it's his responsibility to
school officers and 10 reserve po-
licemen in radar, breathalyzer and-
firearms, and to recertify them as
well as the 14 dispatchers.
On any given day of the week
patrolmen are in school, either at
the police training center at the po-
lice club, doing defensive driving
at the Gaston College track or tak-
ing additional training at area com-
munity colleges.
Garris has completed over 1600
hours of special training at
Cleveland , Gaston and Isothermal
Community Colleges and at the N.
C. Justice Academy.
He documents and processes
close to 1400 pieces of evidence a
year and draws up court orders for
its disposition. He also supervises
vehicle repair and maintenance, as-
suring that the equipment is safe
for use by the officers and is updat-
ed. He does background and re-
search on new employees and sets
up interviews and has built most of
the programs on his own computer
at the police department.
Garris also instructs basic law
enforcement courses at Cleveland
Community College and teaches
firearms courses and control tech-
niques. He is rewriting and updat-
ing at present the standard operat-
feel
ing procedures manual for officers
and supervises the OSHA safety
program. :
"A police officer must be dedi-
cated and he or she must have a re-
al concern, a feeling for people,”
said Garris.
Garris tells patrolmen not to get
personally involved and, take prob-
lems home with them but he says
there is more to a policeman's job
than writing a speeding ticket.
"One minute you may be on a
routine call and the next minute
you may be dealing with a homi-
cide suspect,” he says.
Born and reared on Buffalo
Creek, Garris is the son of Maudie
Queen and the late Mack Garris.
See Garris, 2-A