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Vol. 111 No. 01
Kings Mountain ABC election
probably won't be anytime soon
The county board of elections has received a
letter from the state board of elections clarify-
ing procedures for elections conducted by the
city of Kings Mountain and specifically an
ABC referendum.
Gene White, councilman from Ward 4, said
several technical questions were being re-
solved before organizational meetings begin by
citizens opposing alcohol in Kings Mountain
who want to begin a petition effort for calling a
vote on the issue.
“Even if we started the petitions next month
the election could run almost up to the time of
the November 1999 city election,” said White.
He said there are presently 443 registered
Kings Mountain voters living in Gaston
County and an “intergovernmental memoran-
dum of understanding regarding all elections
and referendums conducted by the city of
Kings Mountain” must first be approved.
Thursday, January 7, 1999
County election Tuesday
Kings Mountain citizens will join their
Cleveland County neighbors at the polls
Tuesday to elect five county commissioners
from a field of 10 candidates.
Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.
Local polling places are Kings Mountain No.
1 at Second Baptist Church fellowship hall;
Kings Mountain No. 2 at Kings Mountain
Community Center on Cleveland Avenue;
Kings Mountain No. 3 at the National Guard
Armory on Phifer Road; Kings Mountain No. 4
at the American Legion building on East Gold
Street; Grover at Grover Town Hall; Bethware
at David Baptist Church fellowship building;
and Waco at Town Hall.
A total of 53,500 people are registered to vote
in Cleveland County. Director of Elections
Debra Blanton estimates that 15 percent of the
registered voting population will turnout.
Friday at 5 p.m. is the deadline to vote ab-
sentee. Residents who plan to be out-of-town
next Tuesday or are disabled are encouraged to
vote absentee.
At stake are five seats up for grabs on the
county board.
“0
A Federal Judge has mandated that the two
candidates who receive the most votes will be
elected for a four year term. The next three can-
didates who receive the most votes will be
elected for a two year term.
Five Democrats and five Republicans are
listed on the one ballot that voters will receive
at the polls. Voters may also mark a straight
party, Democrat or Republican, ticket.
Six incumbents, Mary S. Accor, Bobby C.
Malloy, Willie McIntosh Jr., all Democrats, and
Joe E. Cabaniss, Republican, currently the
board chairman, Jim Crawley, and Ray
Thomas, all Republicans, are vying for seats.
Former retired county manager Joe Hendrick
and John R. McBrayer, both Democrats, and
former county commissioner Charlie Harry
and Jerry Self, both Republicans, seek a seat
on the board. :
Historically, elections are not conducted in
January but election officials hope the commis-
sioner election will see a record number of peo-
ple turn out at the polls Tuesday.
“I'm optimistic that the turnout will be heav-
ier than 15-20 percent,” said Debra Blanton.
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THE LINEUP
STRAIGHT PARTY TICKET
(You may vote for ONE party)
DEMOCRAT 1-A DEM a =f
REPUBLICAN 2-A REP 4 ug
FOR CLEVELAND COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
(You may vote for FIVE)
MARY S. ACCOR oem 4m mg
JOEHENDRICK om 4m ug
BOBBY C. MALLOY em 4m mE
JOHNR.McBRAYER oem 4m mg
WILLIE B. MCINTOSH, JR. oem 4m mg
JOEE.CABANISS rer 48 mE
JIM CRAWLEY CC erm mg
CHARLIEHARRY rer a BE
JERRYSELF ~~ | erm WE
RAYTHOMAS CC mea x
The Ice Man Cometh....Again
Wintry blast leaves 5,000 KM
electric customers in the dark
The winter season’s second icing, the
first of New Year 1999, put nearly 5,000
City of Kings Mountain electrical cus-
tomers in the dark Saturday night.
City Manager Jimmy Maney said
power was restored to nearly all cus-
tomers by 9 p.m. Sunday night after
outages took down about 95 percent of
the town Saturday beginning about 11
p-m.
Thankfully, Maney said that there
were no injuries. No fires or accidents
were reported by city policemen and
firemen.
Work crews restored emergency cir-
cuits first - Kings Mountain Hospital,
White Oak Manor, 911, police, fire and
public works departments.
Maney and Electrical Supt. Nick
Hendricks said that 98 percent of the
city was restored as of 9 p.m. Sunday
night and both called the results “phe-
nomenal” and a credit to the city’s work
crews, including electric crews headed
by Hendricks and street and public
works crews headed by Jackie Barnette.
Most of the 25-50 customers without
power Monday morning involved cir-
cuit boxes pulled away from homes
where the residents will have to get
electricians to repair them. An aggres-
sive tree trimming program for the last
several years helped make the restora-
tion so successful, according to both
Maney and Hendricks.
Most of Kings Mountain’s power
problems involved whole trees, not
limbs, according to Maney. Maney said
the cleanup from the storm will take
much longer than from the previous
storm.
The hardest hit area was Linwood
and Ridge Street where the most trees
are located. i g |
A 24-inch pine tree fell on Ridge ~
Street and tore down the city’s primary
lines, broke two poles and the service
was pulled for three hours. Lines were
on the ground. Trees falling on Mauney
Avenue tore down three services. More
than 200 residential lines were damaged
by the wintry blast. The city lost a
dozen transformers and six poles.
Maney said city crews worked from
about midnight Saturday until 1:30 a.m.
Monday morning nonstop. Some crew
members slept about four hours during
that period but were back at work at 7
a.m. Monday morning. Maney and his
department heads ran three bucket
crews and two service crews from a
command post set up at the public
works building where they had four
pages full of calls and work orders from
citizens about power outages. They re-
sponded to the calls, prioritizing the
hospital and convalescent center, police,
fire and 911.
Most people were patient and no one
had to be evacuated and no emergency
shelters were set up although the city
was ready to do that.
See Storm, 3A
Iced power lines tangled with trees on Fulton Drive, knocking:
out power in large portion of West Kings Mountain.
Temperature should
rise late in the week
Everything was back to nor-
mal this week following the
weekend deep freeze by Mother
Nature which citizens escaped
unscathed.
The vicious combination of
cold temperatures and rain was a
pretty sight on trees until the
trees fell on power lines, knock-
ing out power for 8-20 hours in
some sections of the city. At one
time about 95 percent of the city
was in the dark and nearly 5,000
customers without electricity.
The temperatures dipped into
the teens Monday night after
Saturday's ice storm brought be-
tween an inch and a half to 2
inches of precipitation in
Cleveland County, most of it in
the form of freezing rain. Some
relief from the cold should arrive
by the end of the week.
Thursday's high is expected to be
around 50 and climb to the upper
50's by Friday.
See Weather, 3A
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during last weekend's ice storm.
- Kings Mountain
First Carolina Federal so yoms:
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Huge pine tree fell into power lines on Ridge Street, knocking out power in east Kings Mountain
739-4781
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er TIE
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KM folks
would vote
for Dole
By Alan Hodge
When Elizabeth A stepped down this
week from her post as head of the American
Red Cross to consider a run as our fation's
Chief Executive, a ripple ran through political
circles across the land.
The Salisbury native could make not only
North Carolina, but world history if she decides
to run for President and can pull off a win. Just
announcing her candidacy would be an event
that has happened only a few times in
American history. Early reactions to Dole's deci-
sion to test the political waters around the
Presidency are many and varied.
Senior citizens at EdenGardens of Kings
Mountain found Dole's decision to look into
running for office an interesting one.
"I wish her luck," said retired insurance exec-
utive and Kings Mountain Hall of Fame mem-
ber Zeb Plonk. "She will make a good candi-
date."
Husband and wife Frank and Olive Shelley
were split on their opinion of Dole.
" She is excellent and we need more women
in government," Olive said. "Things are not
very good in politics right now."
Frank Shelley reserved the right to remain
mostly silent about his thoughts on Dole.
Retired school principal Thelma Goforth held
Dole in high esteem.
"You know that when her husband ran for
presiuent many people felt the wrong Dole was
up for election," Goforth said.
Gastonia native and EdenGardens resident
Myrtle Newton wanted a little more informa-
529 S. New Hope Rd.
© tiopsgn Dole.
Wh Gi her as far as I know," said Newton.
"Ii vyould probably be fine."
"She sfistening to all the talk about Dole in the
\ \#enGardens library, marketing director Denise
w "It certainly would throw a twist into the
election," said Leonard "[ think the jury is still
out on what her platform would be."
On the streets of Kings Mountain thoughts
on Elizabeth Dole's future were generally
bright.
Norma Bridges of the Kings Mountain City
Council wondered if Dole was really maneu-
vering herself for a vice-presidential role.
"She still hasn't committed yet," said Bridges.
Local business owner Jane Campbell saw it
this way.
"I like Dole, I think she would do a good job,"
Campbell commented.
Freelance writer Tim Oliver felt that Dole
needed to make some important decisions in
her campaign future.
"If she picks the right running mate, she
could be elected," Oliver said.
On the exercise floor at All-American Fitness
in uptown Kings Mountain, Bill Clark mused
on Dole's future in the present political climate.
"She's as qualified as anyone else,” Clark
said. "But I don't think the country is ready for
a woman or minority president."
Shelby
1238 E. Dixon Blvd.
: 484-0222
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