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& Friday at KMHS
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KM Council wants city i i #4
to look like the country. E507
See Letters to the Editor \}
4
=r
Member
North Carolina Press Association
KM's Hayes
Chief of Year
A bullet missed Bob Hayes'
lung by an inch nearly 20 years
ago when he was shot four
times by a suspect he was try-
ing to arrest.
7 Chief Hayes,
58, says that
incident sticks
in his mind
every time
| one of his offi-
cers gets a call
involving a
weapon.
"The best part
of my job is
that I get to deal with all kinds
of people. I like helping peo-
ple," says Hayes who was voted
this week as Police Chief of the
Year by the Region C Criminal
Justice Advisory Committee.
" I'm proud today and very
humble that after 36 years in
law enforcement in Kings
Mountain I have reached a pin-
nacle in my career by being vot-
ed this honor by my fellow de-
partments in the counties of
Cleveland, Rutherford, Polk
and McDowell counties," said
Hayes.
"This is just the highest honor
that could ever come to me to
be recognized by my peers."
Hayes has been active in
Region C Law Enforcement
since the organization was
founded in 1972 to help officials
of the police and sheriff's de-
partments in the area counties
have a time to discuss incidents
and pass on various types of in-
formation to other officers
about crimes being committed.
He was honored previously
by Region C as Runner Up
Administrator of the Year in
1987 and is a past chairman in
1990-91.
Hayes joined KMPD August
12, 1961 as a patrolman. In
December 1977 then Sgt. Hayes
was shot four times by a man
attempting to stop police from
recapturing a friend. Hayes, su-
pervising the early morning po-
lice shift, rushed to the scene
when two other officers radioed
for help. When Hayes pulled in-
to the driveway of the suspect's
home a man holding a pistol
walked onto the front porch
and shouted, "I'm gong to kill
you if you don't leave."
Hayes backed his squad car
out of the driveway, drove
about a block, parked and ran
back to the house. By that time
See Hayes, 2-A
BOB HAYES
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MOUNTAINEER CHRISTMAS - Kings Mountain citizens enjoyed Friday night's first, annual
Mountaineer Christmas. In photos at left, 9-month-old Dean Falls, son of Beth Falls, is all bundled
up on a chilly night; Renee Moss, Heather Thompson, Brooke Melton, Alicia Cable and Sarah
Payne, left to right in middle photo, clog for the crowd; and in lower photo, young people from
Assembly of Faith present a live nativity scene. In photos at right, Mr. and Mrs. Santa wave to the
crowd as they arrive on a fire truck in top photo; in middle photo, citizens enjoy a buggy ride
through the city's historical district; and in bottom photo is Kings Mountain Florist which won first
place in the window decorating contest.
Mountaineer Christmas was a big success
Promoters of "A Mountaineer Christmas" pro-
nounced Kings Mountain's first event Friday a
huge success.
Crowds of people turned out Friday for an
evening of entertainment which included listen-
ing to strolling carolers and children from Grover
School, applauding cloggers, lining up for horse
and buggy rides and enjoying "The Nutcracker"
and "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" by Jamie
Lakey dancers. There were refreshments, includ-
ing hot chocolate from Mountaineer mugs, and a
visit from Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus who posed
for photographs with children.
The downtown stores remained open until 9
p-m. to accommodate shoppers and most people
also window shopped and admired the festive
store window decorations.
Kings Mountain Florist won first place in the
Christmas decorating contest. Placing second was
Ashley's and third place winner was McGinnis
Department Store. Esther Muench, president. of
the Kings Mountain Woman's Club, said club-
women judged on how decorations and bright
colors were used to enhance the Mountaineer
theme.
"Don't forget the reason for the season,” said
Mayor pro tem Phil Hager who greeted the
crowd.
The reason for the season was beautifully ex-
pressed in the live nativity scene in place on
Battleground Avenue and presented by members
of Assembly of Faith.
Kathy Neely, president of the sponsoring Kings
Mountain Business & Professional Association,
welcomed the crowd. She said she hoped next
year's event would be bigger and better.
Corry, the 4 1/2 year old
black and white Dalmatian
owned by Monty Thornburg, is
a celebrity.
Not only can local residents
observe Corry in his Santa hat
on daily runs from his home on
North Goforth Street to the
Kings Mountain Senior Center
but now he appears in-full col-
or with his red fire hydrant on
the October 21, 1997 page of the
Workman 365 Dogs Page-A -
Day Calendar.
Thornburg, Director of the
city's Aging Program, said he
got a Workman calendar last
year for Christmas from his
friend, Ina Blanton, and decided
to enter a photo of his pet in the
1997 contest.
He got a letter from the pub-
lishers recently that Corry was
a winner and a complimentary
calendar.
More dog calendars were or-
dered and became an immedi-
ate sellout at Whistlestop
Boutique, the Senior Center gift
shop where they were pawa-
graphed by Corry. The calen-
dars are available at major
Monty Thornburg's 0
Dalmatian a celebrity gs
book stores and at Wal-Mart.
The Thornburg pet was born
on St. Patrick's Day in Atlanta
and was a gift to Monty
Thornburg from his sister,
Debbie Parker.
"I flew home with Corry
when he was six weeks old,"
said Thornburg, who said the
airplane ride frightened the dog
who is also afraid of trucks,
trains and the city fire truck.
Dalmatians are high energy
animals, according to
Thornburg, and require a great
deal of exercise. They are very
sensitive and obstinate.
Each time the Disney movie
101 Dalmatians is released
Dalmatian registrations increase
but unfortunately many parents
buy the dog for their young
children not realizing they de-
mand a lot of attention and time |
and are not really good around
young children. Many
Dalmatians end up abandoned
for that reason, says Monty.
Thornburg said the exact ori-
gin of the breed remains a mys-
tery. One theory is that the
See Monty, 10-A
MAN'S BEST FRIEND - Corry, a black and white Dalmatian
owned by Monty Thornburg, appears on the October 21, 1997
page of Workman's 365 Days Page A Day Calendar. Thornburg
is pictured above with his pet.
AN NIYLNOOW
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City's waiting
for Ingles’ plan
City Councilman Dean
Spears wants to see an Ingles
Super Market go up in the
Kings Mountain area at Oak
Grove and Scism Road but he
says the codes department can't
issue a building permit until
the site plan is approved.
The ball is back in Ingles
court since City Council last
Tuesday over Ingles objection
passed a new zoning ordinance
that would require additional
landscaping of parking lots.
City Councilman Jerry
Mullinax said he may have mis-
interpreted Ingles Asheville re-
altor Charles Murdock's request
for an amendment to the new
zoning ordinance that requires
the placement of 56 canopy
trees in and around 350 parking
spaces.
Councilwoman Norma
Bridges says she's anxious to
see the Ingles construction be-
gin. She said she initially ques-
tioned the number of trees pro-
posed for a parking lot but
thought if at some point a shop-
ping center went up in the area
it would enhance the area.
But Judy Scism, one of the
owners of the 19 acres on
Scism/Oak Grove Road that
Ingles has an option to Buy,
thinks an apology is due
Murdock whose request for
consideration of an amendment
was ignored Tuesday night by
Council after it voted unani-
mously to approve a zoning
plan which replaces a 1966
model.
"We were not voting against
Ingles when we approved the
new zoning ordinance Tuesday
night," said Spears, who, along
with other city officials are get-
ting questions from citizens
who fear new parking lot re-
strictions in the ordinance will
keep business away.
"An ad hoc committee has
been looking at this ordinance
for several years and Ingles
knew what was going into the
ordinance as early as five
months ago," said Spears.
Members of the committee
were Kelly Bunch, David
Faunce, Ruby Alexander, Bob
Maner, Al Moretz, Wilson
Griffin, Scott Neisler and Jim
Belt.
Murdock presented a site
plan to Council Tuesday which
pinpointed at least 150-plus
trees Ingles wants to put up.
He said at the time that Ingles
had "more than met the spirit of
the law" in offering to place
buffer trees around Gold Run
and the adjoining properties
but he was concerned that more
trees would mean liabilities
would increase with visibility
problems for shoppers.
The newly adopted ordinance
requires a minimum of 56
canopy trees and small shrubs,
according to planning director
Steve Killian, who says it isn't
the number of trees that con-
cerns the developer but the re-
striction on location, one small
shrub every 6 1/2 feet along
‘Scism and Oak Grove Road.
Mrs. Scism said the site plan,
which is yet to be approved by
the planning board, includes
the placement of 163 trees down
Scism Road and at the back and
south of the property on Oak
Grove Road but only patches of
grass at the entrances "so you
can see the store."
Scism says the new ordi-
nance would require a tree at
every sixth parking space.
"These peopie who are fight--
ing this issue don't want the
store to be seen from the road
and it won't be when all the
trees grow," she said.
Mullinax says the timing was
wrong Tuesday for the pitch for
the new amendment.
"I thought he wanted fo °
amend the whole thing for ev-
eryone who would ever come
to the city for a similar request
and wanted to rewrite the ordi-
nance," said Mullinax.
Spears said Ingles may re-
quest a variance by going to the
Board of Adjustments. Spears
said the board's understanding
was that a shopping center
could go -up at Oak
Grove/Scism Road with as
many as 12 stores if Ingles
builds there and then sells three
outparcels.
"If that is the case then the
trees would make the property
look good," he said.
A grant application is in the
See Ingles 10-A
White Oak rezoning request postponed
Officials of White Oak Manor
told the city planning board
Tuesday night during a lengthy
public hearing that it will make
the changes in its site plan for a
proposed new addition to con-
form to the recently adopted
city zoning ordinance.
The city planning board put
off until January 21 a recom-
mendation to the City Council
on White Oak's zoning request
from R-O to conditional use.
The City Council is expected to
act on that recommendation
January 28 at the regular
Council meeting.
Adjoining property owners
oppose the rezoning, citing in-
creased traffic and noise.
Twelve people gave sworn
testimony during the hearing
conducted by the board chaired
by M. C. Pruette.
Reviewing the site plans for
the proposed expansion, zon-
ing administrator Jeff Putnam
told the 25 people in City Hall
Chambers that White Oak's
plan falls short of minimum re-
quirements in the new zoning
plan including setbacks, land-
scaping and parking require-
ments for the proposed 60-bed
addition.
Pruette called for the nursing
home and five adjoining prop-
erty owners to compromise.
Gene White, the principal
spokesman for White Oak, said
the two groups had discussed
screening and privacy fences as
buffers to protect neighboring
property and would meet again
before the January meeting. Mr.
Cecil, president of White Oak,
Jane Alexander, administrator,
and architect Harold Carlton al-
so spoke of a willingness to
compromise.
Carlton said White Oak's pro-
ject is the eighth he has de-
signed for Cecil's and he said
Kings Mountain is the first city
to oppose such a facility.
"We are not invading the
neighborhood, we are there and
just trying to enlarge the facili-
ty," said Carlton who echoed
the comments of other officials
who said they are prepared to
put up a six fee high retaining
wall to separate the adjoining
Ballew, Klaus Kopruch, Dan
Finger and Carolyn Reed prop-
erties.
Responding to question of
Jim Guyton, Alexander said
that 80 percent of the residents
of White Oak Manor last year
were from Cleveland County
and currently the population is
See White Oak, 10-A
RgeSies-omm
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