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Vol. 109 No. 48
BILL JOHNSON
Their first agenda item
December 19 at 7:30 p.m. at City
Hall will be the issue that
brought the newly-organized
Moss Lake Commission into be-
ing - lake permits.
Both Bill Johnson, the newly
elected chairman, and city
Planning Director Steve Killian
said December is not too early
to begin preliminary budget
Thursday, November 27, 1997
commission expertise in engi-
neering construction projects
here and in foreign countries.
He is a resident of Linwood
Road.
Both Johnson and former
Park Yarn Mills executive Jim
Potter nominated themselves to
chair the commission Thursday
night. After Johnson's election
by vote of 4-2, the commission
Dixon was absent due to illness.
Also attending the meeting
were City Attorney MlIckey
Corry, newly elected council-
man Gene White and Joe Smith.
Johnson said the commission
has a three-fold short term ob-
jective: to prepare recommenda-
tions to the city council for initi-
ation of a Moss Lake
operational budget for 1998-99;
Kings Mountain, NC Since 1889 *50¢
duct the review during a tour of
the facility prior to the
December meeting. Johnson
said the review is necessary be-
fore the commission can deter-
mine how the lake can and
should be upgraded.
Johnson said he was pleased
at the initial enthusiasm of the
full committee, saying that
each brings much expertise to
Lake board to tackle fee issue
Properties Association, will de-
tail property aspects and land
leases. Parker, Mrs. Dixon and:
Potter will be able to devote
ideas on the business and oper-
ational focus of the lake and
Patrick will give input on envi-
ronmental issues. Johnson says
his contribution will be toward
the "engineering side" of the
§ ) program.
planning. unanimously elected Moss Lake recommend to city council the the committee. He noted that A native of Kings Mountain,
Johnson, Operations Training resident MIke Bolt as vice-chair- establishment of Moss Lake us- Assistant District Attorney Johnson attended Kings
Officer in the Engineer Brigade
for the North Carolina National
Guard and a 29 year veteran of
the Guard, brings to the new
man and Killian as secretary.
Other members are Danny
Parker, Rick Shaffer, Larry
Patrick and Jane Dixon. Mrs.
age fees; and conduct a review
of the existing city owned facili-
ties and services at Moss Lake.
Johnson said members will con-
B FOOTBALL FEVER...CATCH IT
Kings Mountain High's cheerleaders proclaimed a muddy, foggy
Saturday night the Mountaineers' day to blow away East Rowan
in the second round of the state football playoffs Saturday in
ler KMHS Carrousel Princess
Kristen Mi
Kristen Heather Miller, 17,
who ranks third in her class of
242 seniors at Kings Mountain
High School, will represent the
city as Carrousel Princess in the
Thanksgiving Day Carolinas
Carrousel.
The 100-plus unit holiday pa-
rade with 24 bands, 30 floats,
assorted novelty units and
celebrity guest ssteps off at 1
p-m. and will be televised live
by WBTV Channel 3.
The East Burke Cavalier
Marching Band will lead the pa-
rade as the 1997 Honor Band
and Queen College President
Dr. Billy O. Wireman will be
grand marshal for the 50th an-
niversary parade.
Miller will also join 50 other
Carrousel Princesses from the
two Carolinas for the four-day
celebration which includes an
KRISTEN MILLER
Ambassador's Luncheon, a hos-
pital tour, rehearsals and the
Bikers make annual toy run
Bikers played Santa to crip-
pled children Saturday in the
third annual Shriners benefit
bike run in Kings Mountain.
Fifty bikers gathered at
Murphey's Scooter Shed on
Camelot Drive in the Bethlehem
Community for the 45-minute
run covering the Bethlehem El
Bethel . and Oak Grove
Communities and onto US 74
and Phifer Road at Masonic
Temple where gifts were deliv-
ered to the White Plains Shrine
Club for distribution this
Christmas.
"We have such a good time
doing this every year," said
John Murphey, who organized
the run.
Bikers came from near and
Chris Camp KMHS
student of month
far to ride their bikes and collect
rifts for children. Cars filled
with gifts donated by the bikers
and their families followed the
entourage who strapped other
donated gifts onto their bikes.
Threat of rain didn't dampen
the spirit of the bikers who, af-
ter the successful run, returned
to the home of Buffy and John
Murphey and their daughter,
Lindsey, to enjoy barbecue and
turkey slow-cooked on a big
cooker by Tom Canipe, John
Murphey, his father-in-law,
Johnny Hutchins and John's un-
cle, Mike Hutchins and John
Grant. The meats were compli-
ments of Bridges Meat Market
See Ride, 2A
See Page 4A
Salstury The Mountaineers go after their third straight playoff
win Friday night at home against Ragsdale. Complete details on
last week's and this week's opponents are on page 1B.
Carolinas’ Pepsi Coronation
Ball. The event's highlight is the
Thursday parade, the largest
Thanksgiving Day parade in
the Southeast.
The daughter of Dr. and Mrs.
Roger Miller is a hazel-eyed
blonde who stands five feet
eight inches tall and weighs 130
pounds. At Kings Mountain
High School, she competed
with 11 other young women
and was selected on the basis of
interviewing ability, academic
activity ranking and personal
presentation.
A Morehead Scholarship
nominee and recipient of the
Dean B. Westmoreland
Excellence in History Award,
she has been a member of the
KMHS tennis team for four
years and the KMHS swim
president of the French club,
vice president of the Art Club
and a representative of the se-
nior class in the Student
Participation Organization. She
has been actively involved in
the National Honor Society,
Beta Club, Earthwatch Club,
Future Business Leaders of
America, Students Against
Violence Everywhere,
Lettermans Club, Key Club,
Marching Band, Concert Band
and Pep band. She is active in
her youth group at Central
United Methodist Church and
plans to attend UNC-Chapel
Hill and major in physical ther-
apy or psychology.
A Candystriper at Kings
Mountain Hospital, she also
volunteers to help prepare
meals at homeless shelters. She
See Miller, 2A
team for three years. She is
RIDING FOR KIDS - Bikers led by John and Buffy Murphey rode
for kids who can't ride Saturday and played Santa for their an-
nual toy benefit for crippled children at Shriners Hospitals. Fifty
bikers bamisnacd in the toy run.
90-year-old Essie Carroll
still driving & selling Avon
See Page 3A
Shaffer will bring legal exper-
tise to the board while Bolt, also
a resident of Moss Lake and ac-
tive in the Moss Lake
Mountain High School and
graduated from Cleveland
See Lake, 2A
Guyton's election protest
dismissed by county board
Complaints by former Ward
2 Councilman Jim Guyton of al-
leged November 4 election ir-
regularities and a request for a
new election were unanimously
dismissed by The Cleveland
County Board of Elections
Monday but Guyton has the
right of appeal to the state
board.
In their findings of fact and
after a public hearing last
Friday, the board on Monday
afternoon found "no substan-
tial evidence of violations of
the state election laws or other
irregularities or misconduct."
or their review and determina-
tion and a copy to Guyton.
If Guyton appeals the find-
ings of the local board, the
state board could hear the the
complaint at its December 2
meeting in Raleigh.
Board Attorney Julian Wray
said that Guyton has five days
to appeal to the state.
Guyton was out-of-town
Monday and was not expected
back for several days.
Incumbent Councilman Jerry
Mullinax, who defeated Guyton
two years ago by a one vote
margin, squeaked out another
one vote victory November 4
and again at a recount on
November 10.
Guyton had asked for expla-
nations from both the county
board and state board on how
irregularities could occur, he
said at Friday's hearing. An ini-
tial recount made by a comput-
erized voting machine on
November 10 declared Guyton
the winner by one vote. But af-
ter three hand counts, Mullinax
emerged as the winner by one
vote.
Phil Baker, a county employ-
ee who maintains the voting
machines, testified under oath,
explaining the discrepancy be-
tween the election total and the
first recount was due largely to
mismarked ballots.
'The machines can't read
handwriting," said Baker. He
said one ballot was inadvertent-:
ly counted twice for Guyton:
while a ballot cast for Mullinax:
couldn't be read by the ma=
chine. A closer examination by=
election board personnel re-:
vealed the errors, he said. The*
Guyton vote was counted first:
by the computer and the ballot
ended up in the outstack file,
those labeled by the computer
.as unreadable because of a_
chine reading the vote for.
Guyton but Baker said election
workers added it back to the to-
tal anyway.
The second disputed ballot
was marked for Mullinax but
the voter also wrote in
Mullinax's name. The computer
read this as overvoting, Baker
said, and discarded the ballot.
However, he said the vote was
added to that total in both the
original election and the second
recount because poll workers
were able to determine the vot-
ers intent.
Once these corrections were
made, Mullinax once more had
a 164-163 victory.
Buy Guyton, who testified
under oath, said that in addi-
tion to the confusion at the East
KM precinct several voters were
given the wrong ballots on elec-
tion day. Lori Holland,
Guyton's daughter, testified un-=
der oath that she was given the
wrong ballot, realized the prob-
lem and asked for the correct
ballot. =
Peggy Gladden, who also tes-
tified under oath, said she was ~
also given the wrong ballot but
See Guyton, 3A
United Way celebrates success
More than 200 Super-heroes
gathered in the Kings Mountain
National Guard Army on
Thursday to celebrate the victo-
ry of caring to Cleveland
County.
Super men and wonder
women - members of the
Cleveland County community -
worked together this year to
raise $2,150,350. The campaign
total is a 5.3 percent increase
over $2,041,043, the 1996 com-
bined fund raising total of
United Way of Cleveland
County and Kings Mountain
United Fund.
This year's campaign- the
first under the alliance between
United Way of Cleveland
County and the Kings
Mountain United Fund - was a
rallying point for all sectors of
the community.
John . Young, CEO of
Cleveland Regional Medical
Center, served as chairman of
the 1997 effort and spoke of this
unity in his address to the gath-
ering.
"The root of the word com-
munity is unity and in
Cleveland County we are fortu-
nate to have both," Young said.
"The achievement of our fund
raising goal is evidence of this
community's commitment to
caring for each other. Residents
of Cleveland County from all
walks of life have shown that
they are committed to the con-
See United, 2A
Mountaineers host
Ragsdale in playoffs
See Page 1B