Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / June 27, 1996, edition 1 / Page 4
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ee a EN SLR TIRES ET ET TE A VTE TE TEARS TIN RE A STURN ENR A RS SLSR RAST — Other NC Counties rage 4A Opinion THE KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD June 27, 1996 Our View Cartoonitorial City must do better job collecting trash If you were considering moving your family or business to this area, would you consider Kings ‘Mountain? We would hope, yes. But if a prospective citizen has been driving around the area lately we would have to think, no. If you saw the front page of the Herald last week, you know that some of the streets of Kings Moun- tain have recently become a trash dump. We did that story and took those pictures because of complaints from readers who said trash has been piling up, some citizens have been unlawfully depositing household garbage on the sides of streets, and that their com- plaints to city hall have fallen on deaf ears. As we understand the sanitation ordinance, household garbage is supposed to be deposited in trash cans in the backyards of residences. If that’s not the case, it should be. Kings Mountain is preparing to go to curbside collection in September, and the new collection policy should clearly state that household garbage is to be placed inside the cans - not on the ground or in the streets. We believe much of the trash build-up on city streets in recent weeks is not so much the blame of residents as it is the city, which is collecting trash too infrequently. (One of trash piles pictured in last week's paper had been accumulating for over two weeks). There are always excuses that can be offered - such as a lack of manpower and/or equipment, or even that some citizens don’t care how their neigh- borhood looks - but we believe the majority of citi- zens in all areas of town want this to be a nice, neat place to live. And it is the city’s responsibility to see to it. Voice your support for industrial park Citizens are invited to next Tuesday night's meeting of the Cleveland County Board of Commis- sioners to voice their opinions for or against a pro- posed county-financed industrial park. The county is considering purchasing land - and possibly building a spec building - for an industrial park in an effort to recruit industry to ease the blow of recent plant closings as well as open new oppor- tunities for employment for area citizens. One par- cel of land being discussed is near Kings Mountain. There are those who feel that tax dollars should” not be invested in industrial parks - that it is the re- * sponsibility of business. There are others who want the industrial park located in other areas of the county. County-financed industrial parks are springing up all over North Carolina, and some close to this area have been very successful in recruiting indus- try. At least two agencies - the Cleveland County Chamber of Commerce and the Kings Mountain Consortium for Progress - have endorsed the idea even though they did not go so far as to endorse the Kings Mountain location. We feel the idea of a county-financed industrial park is a good one, and we also believe the proposed location is the best the county has to offer. Indus- tries want to locate near major highways, and Kings Mountain is served by both U.S. Bypass 74 and In- terstate 85. That's an offer no other community in the county can make. Kings Mountain also has utilities already in place, another plus that most areas of the county cannot provide at present. The Kings Mountain area, which was the hard- est hit by recent plant closings, also needs an eco- nomic shot in the arm. Kings Mountain government and community leaders who support an industrial park in this end of the county need to make every effort to attend and speak at next week’s Commissioners meeting. You can #&t persons who oppose the idea and the Kings Mountain site will be there in full force. Published every Trnsdy e Second Class ostage at East King Street at Canterbury Road, NC 280: USPS 031-040 by Republic Newspapers, Inc. Postmaster, send address changes to: P. O. Box 769, Kings Mountain, NC 28086 e Phone (704) 739-7496 e Fax (704) 739-0611 Office: 824-1 East King Street, Kings Mountain, NC 28086 Dean RidingSuimmmssmsmsmssssvesses Publisher Darrell Austin..........cccuceee. Operations Manager Aron R. GOSS...ccoouueerrsssruennes Marketing Director Gary SEeWart ees nsssssssnsssesnsenss Editor Elizabeth Stewart.........cceevcssreeenec. Shirley Austin........c.cceecseussens Ad Representative Mary Frances Etters............... Ad Representative Sarah Griffin.........ceeeveenene ..Business Manager Debbie Welsh...........cc.cee... Production Manager Julie LONG.....ccosssessrrsinsssnsesssssssnsss Graphic Artist Republic mn Newspapers, Inc. NIN NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION North Carolina Press Association Mail Subscription Rates Payable in Advance. All Prices Add 6% NC State Sales Tax. 1 Year 6 Months $17.00 $10.00 $19.00. $22.00 Gaston & Cleveland Co. $11.00 $12.50 i _ Qutside NC “With all +he controversy over 2 Farms Hi this is the (worst ti To have a fish kill Your Right To Say It Thanks from police To the editor: The members of the Kings Mountain Police De- partment would like to extend our appreciation to the Reverend James L. Dougherty and the congre- gation of Saint Matthew's Lutheran Church for the “thank you” picnic that was extended to us on Sun- day evening, June 23. Many times the men and women of the police department do not receive the recognition for a “job well done” when a kind word would be appreci- ated by them for the long and sometimes danger- ous assignments they encounter. Again, we appreciate the fellowship with the Saint Matthew’s Lutheran Church congregation and will to continue to serve the citizens of the Kings Mountain community in the professional manner in which the officers are trained. Bob Hayes Chief of Police” “Industrial park needed To the editor: As a long time resident of this county and a dis- placed textile worker due to a plant closing, I wanted to take a moment to write about the lack of job op- portunities here. After losing my job, and with a good work record and a high school education, I was unable to find a job in Cleveland County in over four months. The only jobs I was offered were service positions whose pay was far below what my family needed to survive. Finally, I was offered and took a job in another county with hopes that it will become permanent. If our county has the ability to create an indus- trial park that will provide good jobs in the future, we should all be wholeheartedly behind the project. It makes no difference where in the county it will be located. If it is here, it will benefit us all. Please don’t wait until you are the displaced worker looking for a job. Jane A. Martin And the time is now To the editor A survey of Cleveland County citizens made by the Urban Institute of the University of North Caro- lina at Charlotte, during the developmental phase ~ resulting in Cleveland Tomorrow, showed strong support for economic development as a priority for action with establishment of an industrial park hav- ing county-wide support. Five different town meet- ings were held during this period with each meet- ing supporting economic development as part of a strategy for improving Cleveland County. The N.C. Department of Commerce reports in- dustrial location clients require sites which are near interstate highways with water, sewer and utilities at competitive rates. It is also important to note that 80% of the clients contacting the Department of Com- merce require that an existing building be available for inspection in any location under consideration. A recent meeting of elected officials in Cleve- land County, sponsored by the Cleveland County Chamber, agreed that there is a pressing need for industrial parks in our county. Other counties in our region which currently have, or are establishing county-owned industrial parks are Lincoln, Cabarrus, Iredell, Rowan and Union counties. Ideally the development of an industrial ‘park’ would be developed by private investors. This, has, EF not happened significantly in'Cleveland County. Cleveland Tomorrow Economic Development Committee recommends a public-private effort to make us competitive with counties in our region since this is an important means to create jobs for . our citizens. Milton Holloman Vice-President-Economic Development Cleveland Tomorrow HERALD NEWS DEADLINES The Herald welcomes your news for publica- tion in each Thursday’s paper. We ask that you fol- low these deadlines: The deadline for A section news such as hard news, obituaries, sports, letters to the editor, city and community news is 5 p.m. Tuesday. In cases of Tues- day night meetings, ball games, etc., items will be accepted until 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. The deadline for B section news such as wed- dings, women’s news, club news, school news, birth- days, church news, reunions, etc., is 12 noon Mon- day. There is a $10 preparation fee for wedding, an- niversary and birthday pictures but there is no charge for news articles. News items received after the deadline will be published in the current week's paper if time and space permit. If not, they will be withheld until the following week. THOM GOOLSBY Syndicated Columnist Now, N.C. teachers are dropping out of school North Carolina has another problem with high school dropouts, but it’s not what you think. The problem is with our teachers and not our students. Many of our state's brightest and most qualified teachers are fed up with what they describe as an out-of-control system where teaching is one of the last things they are allowed to do. In a recent state Department of Public Instruction re- view of 81,000 teaching records, it was discovered that 40 percent of the Tar Heel State’s best and most promising teachers leave public education. Even more disturbing is the study’s discovery of how our least qualified teachers stay on the job the longest. Fifteen percent of North Carolina’s teachers quit teaching within the first two years of employment in the public school system. One-third of all teachers leave by the end of their fifth year. The study demonstrates that over the last decade, North Carolina has lost 44 percent of its top teachers. The reasons for teacher defections can be traced to several factors. Typically, new teachers draw bad assign- ments. They are given large teaching loads of required classes full of students, many of whom are not interested in learning. Veteran teachers are assigned the advanced placement and elective classes where students are typi- cally more eager to learn and are not apt to be dangerous or cause discipline problems. Where are we going with public education in the Tar Heel State? Why can’t most of our teachers be provided with safe classrooms, filled with challenging students who are eager to learn? A rallying cry for many local boards of education is the call for “stronger and tougher discipline policies.” Politicians are even pushing for full-time police officers to be assigned to public schools. Remember when education once worked? Many of our nation’s best and brightest minds were filled with knowledge, thanks to the public education system. Good teachers made life-long careers in their chosen profession and left wonderful legacies of educated, well-mannered and God-fearing people. The school systems of our recent past are not reflected in todays’ typical public education model. Federal and state mandates direct much of the activities and take away local control and even a teacher’s classroom autonomy. Authority, represented by God and The Ten Command- ments, has been stripped from every school building. Old notions such as “Spare the rod and spoil the child” have long since given way to the psychobabble theories based on the “I'm okay, you're okay” philosophy. If it is possible to save our public schools - and that is a big if - the first thing they need is a strong dose of gan “mion'sense! Recent activities in the General Assembly’ rovide much hope. It appears that Tar Heel politicians “continue to think that our education’ woes cati’be sol by throwing more and more money at the public oe tion leviathan. Nothing could be further from the truth. The more we spend, the less we get for a system that ranks 48th in the nation. It is past time for the state and federal authorities to cease control of public education. We must place the control and responsibility for public schools in the hands of parents, teachers and local offi- cials. It's the only common sense thing to do and our best hope for reducing the drop out rate for our students and their teachers. HERALD LETTER POLICY The Kings Mountain Herald welcomes your let- ters tot the editor. We ask that you use these guide- lines: Keep letters brief and to the point. Letters in excess of 600 words will not be published. All let- ters must be legible, signed in ink and include the full name, address and telephone number of the writer. The Herald reserves the right to edit letters for length, spelling, good taste, libelous or slanderous statements, or any other reason, and the Herald re- serves the right to reject letters for any reason. Mail your letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 769, Kings Mountain, NC 28086. (ED. NOTE - Opinions expressed in editorials, let- ters to the editor, columns, guest columns, cartoons, etc.., are those of the writer and are not necessarily the views of the Kings Mountain Herald and other Republic Newspapers. ® By Elizabeth Stewart MATTHEW McCARTER (age 3) Painting flower pots and butterflies and fruit loop necklaces. (8) School. AA SAN Xe a don 2 ay. yo W iy pve a LAURA CLONINGER Playing games and eating were my favor- ite things at ARP Bible LAUREN GAFFNEY (7) Noah’s Arks ostrich eggs. and JESSICA YARBRO (6) We read Safari sto- Crafts and singing ries and had fun with songs and making aNoah’s Ark. KATHERINE CRAWFORD (8) Eating zebras and making prayer Safari T-shirts.
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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June 27, 1996, edition 1
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