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Kings Mountain
It’s a tough time
for textile industry
Local textile people admit it’s a tough time for the
industry.
But one Kings Mountain industry, Mauney Hosiery
Mills, a longtime employer, was idle only one day for
the July 4th holiday, closing only on Friday.
“We haven't taken a full week's holiday for the past
two years and this year we're pleased that we have
more orders to fill,” said-plant official David Faunce.
“We've had to make a few changes but we are em-
ploying more people today than ever before,” said
Faunce.
New Senior Center
plans may be on hold
The Kings Mountain Senior Center probably won't
be moving into a new building anytime soon.
The hopes of local people that a quarter million
dollar grant from the North Carolina Parks & Recre-
ation Trust Fund would be approved were dashed
Tuesday when Aging Director Monty Thornburg
learned that the state did not approve any grants to
senior centers.
Kingstown was the only town in Cleveland County
to receive a grant and it was the upper Cleveland
town’s first application.
Thornburg had estimated that a new senior center
would cost between $800,000 and one million dollars.
If the grant had been approved the city would have
been expected to match the money.
City Manager Jimmy Maney says the city may re-
address the project with anew concept of how to come
up with the funds to pay-for.a new: center.
“The project is on hold for the present time,” he
said. Thornburg said he may reapply next year for
another state grant.
Thornburg said the General Assembly isn’t releas-
ing $5 million originally targeted for senior centers
and $2 million for development. “It’s all on hold,” he
said.
Want to play football?
Report to Optimist Club
If you want to play football and you are between 7
and 12 years of age the Kings Mountain Optimist Club
has a spot for you.
Mighty Mites, coached by Scott Wells, for ages 7-9;
Junior Pee Wees, coached by Jeff Robinson for ages 9-
11; and Pee Wees for ages 10-12 coached by Jimmy
Littlejohn, will start signing up for three teams July
25 at 10 a.m. at old City Stadium. Girls ages 7-12 who
want to be cheerleaders can sign up at the same time
to cheer these teams to victory in fall games.
“Since Bessemer City and Grover don’t have teams
we welcome these youth too,” said Littlejohn.
Bethware Community Fair
to begin on August 1
The 51st annual Bethware Community Fair cranks
up July 28 on the grounds of Bethware School.
The agriculture fair runs through August 1.
Kala Buchanan, fifth grader at Bethware School and
daughter of Tom Buchanan and Donna Keeter, will
reign as Queen of the Fair.
Signs proclaim road
Ollie Harris Highway
Big green signs along the U.S. 74 Bypass of Kings
Mountain proclaim that the stretch of road is now
the J. Ollie Harris Highway.
The signs, which honor the late Senator J. Ollie
Harris of Kings Mountain, went up this week.
Seven county firemen
fighting fires in Florida
Seven Cleveland County firemen are fighting fires
in Florida.
Beau Lovelace, the county Emergency Management
Director, is leading a group of firemen to Florida.
Lovelace, in Ormand Beach Tuesday, said thunder-
storms had resulted in some rain to the area.
Firemen from Boiling Springs Rural Fire Depart-
ment and Waco Fire Department are battling the blaze.
WAY TO GO - Mike Bennett snapped this picture just as this July 4th celebrant ducked his head
in a watermelon at the city's July 4th celebration at the walking track. Young people apparently
didn't mind the sizzling heat and found the perfect way to cool off. See more photos page 4A.
It’s Decision Day for City and Ingles
Will Ingle’s Inc. build in Kings Mountain on
Oak Grove Road?
City Council may make that decision Monday
night at 7 p.m. as City Manager Jimmy Maney
presents options on how to finance the cost of
running sewer to serve the proposed new busi-
ness which has promised to bring new jobs to
the community.
The Ingle;s project has hit several snags over
the past several years and now the cost of con-
struction of a sewer line has risen to'$600,000 plus.
Charles Murdock, real estate developer, has
written Maney that Ingles markets will pay
«4-$150,000 1p front and apply for a community de.
velopment block grant for $370,000. But Maney
said the grant money is forthcoming that the city
would have to come up with the additional funds.
An annexation agreement signed by the city and
Ingles had included no cost to the city for the sewer
construction.
“Council will have to decide whether it will re-
quire Ingles to foot the whole bill or change its ear-
lier agreement and participate with cash for the
project,” said Maney.
Another item on Monday night's special meet-
ing will be consideration by Council on what pro-
cess it will use to appoint members of the Moss
Lake advisory board. At last week’s meeting the
board reappointed the two members serving from
ithe Moss Lake Property Owners Association but
tabled the reappointment of the five inside-city
residents because they had received no applications
from them concerning reappointment.
Board to decide makeup of proposed new school
The makeup of the proposed new school - will
it be a K-5 or 5-6 school?
That's the question that Kings Mountain Board
of Education members may decide at the August
meeting.
Hawkins said the item will be on the agenda"
and once the makeup of the new plant is deter-
mined the architects will assist board members
in finding a suitable location.
In other actions at Tuesday’s board meeting,
members: i
Approved a 1998-99 interim budget of $24.4
million and budget amendments for 1997-98.
Approved the three-year safe school plans sub-
mitted by the principals at the eight schools. Supt.
Dr. Bob McRae said he had evaluated each school
and determined that more than 50 percent of each
school’s objectives were met. McRae said the state,
upon recommendation of the school board, would
pay bonuses of one percent of salary of each prin-
cipal this year and every year after that the princi-
pals would be eligible for a bonus.
Approved the low milk bid from Carolina Dairy
of Shelby and the low bread bid from Merita Bak-
eries and extended contract with PYA Monarch
for commodities through December before issuing
new bids.
Approved the Title I application for 1998-99 for
which all elementary schools with 25 percent of
the student body receiving free or reduced lunches
qualify for the program.
Purchased a modular classroom unit for East
School at cost of $22,000. McRae said that the cam-
pus is growing with 40 more new students ex-
pected for the fall term beginning August 10.
Ronnie Wilson, Assistant Supt. for Personnel,
said that for the most part the vacancies for teacher
See SCHOOL BOARD page 2A
Kings Mountain People
Worthen is hooked on prison ministry
Kings Mountain, NC «Since 1889 *50¢
City Council
to award
bids for new
police station
City Council will award bids for the $1 million
Kings Mountain Law Enforcement Center Monday
night at a 7 p.m. special meeting at City Hall.
City Manager Jimmy Maney said Council will
also award the bids for demolition of the old police
station on Piedmont Avenue. Bids were opened Tues-
day for the demolition work and bids will be opened
Thursday at 2 p.m. for construction of the new po-
lice station.
“If all goes on schedule we will be ready to start
construction August 13th,” said Maney.
Maney said telephones are being installed this
week as well as the 911 communication system as
local police are packing to move into the old Herald
Building on S. Piedmont Avenue. The city has leased
the building from Regal Graphics and painters have
been busy for several weeks getting the building
ready for the new occupants who are expected to
stay at least a year.
Stewart & Cooper Architects, the team which de-
signed the new law enforcement center in Gastonia,
say the decor will blend with the adjoining build-
ings. .
The red brick L-shaped police building will have
a dark green metal roof and will extend all the way
from the existing building (to be razed) to front
Mountain Street. One end of the building will face
the Kings Mountain Baptist Church, the front of the
building will face Central United Methodist Church
See POLICE STATION page 2A
Cable Link closing
Kings Mountain plant
Cable Link Inc. is closing its cable assembly op-
eration in Kings Mountain and will transfer its pro-
duction to Reynosa, Mexico on the U.S. border near
McAllen, Texas and to its other plant in Freemont,
California.
Scott Myers, general manager who joined the firm
here 10 years ago, said Cable Link is phasing out its
operation here because of “economic reasons.”
“Competition in the market is very tight and our
choice was to move it or get out of the business de-
spite the best efforts of our employees,” he said.
Cable Link manufactures cable assemblies for
computers and telecommunication systems. Parent
company is Robinson Nugent of New Albany, Indi-
ana.
Myers said 75 people are employed in the one shift
operation and some have been given relocation of-
fers.
“I have family here and mixed emotions about
leaving Kings Mountain but I have been in this busi-
ness for 15 years and with the local company since it
opened,” he said.
Layoffs are slated to begin in mid- -August with
plant closing in late November.
By Elizabeth Stewart
Kings Mountain Herald
Bill Worthen is hooked on a
prison ministry he joined two years
ago.
“I was reluctant when I was ap-
proached by my pastor about vis-
iting inmates but after one visit I
knew that it was God's calling,”
said the Kings Mountain man who
is the Western North Carolina re-
source coordinator for the local
prison ministry.
When Worthen isn’t visiting and
distributing religious literature at
local prisons he’s writing letters
and ordering materials, most of
which he has received free from
such evangelists as Billy Graham
and Bibles from all over the coun-
try.
“We don’t preach to them, we
BILL WORTHEN
just listen and we've extended our
ministry to their families,” he said.
The goal of the local ministry is to
have church services at the Cleveland
County Jail and Annex but so far
Worthen, retired teacher Mike Smith
and Crisis Ministry Director Becky
Lineberger minister one on one. Other
volunteers are Pat Wise, Mark Styers,
Melvin Morris, Tina Hall, Mary Baxter
and Kay Hambright.
They call their ministry Son Light
and Smith is the new editor of the Son
Light News which they distribute to
inmates and which includes articles
written by inmates.
“We can see a difference,” said
Worthen, who says some of the 150
inmates are using dictionaries for the
first time to look up words they don’t
understand.
“They know us and call us by
name,” he said.
Worthen admits that jail yey is
not for everyone and that he was in-
17
troduced to the program by his pas-
tor, Rev. Joe Heffner, at Grover
Church of God.
“These inmates can see through a
phony in a second and most times we
see people that we know or we know
their families,” said Worthen who
said a confessed murderer told him
that his trouble began “when I got out
of church.”
Worthen became so engrossed
with a man’s story and need for
someone to talk to that he got locked
twice in the jail cell.
“Ill spend the rest of my life in
here,” one inmate said, “and it hurts.”
Worthen'’s den and his shop at 908
Sharon Drive are filled with boxes
of Bibles and religious materials. He
ordered 2,000 new books and Family.
Worship Center sent a check to pay
for them.
See WORTHEN page 2A
First Carolina Federal
Kings Mountain
300 W. Mountain St.
739-4781
Gastonia
529 S. New Hope Rd.
865-1111
Shelby Lond
1238 E. Dixon Blvd.
484-0222
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