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Cent of all U.S. oil imports- were Countdown Y2K nail biting The official Federal report on the Y2K situation has the gov- ernment biting its fingernails. The question now is, where will the clippings land? After a year of investigation, the Senate committee which looked at how prepared the nation was has re- ported that all segments of the U.S. infrastructure were "at risk" for Y2K glitches. The study was wide-ranging in the material it covered. Everything from small busi- nesses to the Social Security system came under scrutiny. Also taken into consideration was thedevel of preparedness of America’s foreign trading part- ners. All in all, banks were given high marks for their work in making sure that the financial world would still be spinning on January 1, 2000. Air traffic control systems were also given a "thumbs up" for their readi- ness. Not as thrilling was the fact that the report pointed out that as high as 90 percent of doctors’ offices and half of small to medium sized busi- nesses were not ready for the new millennium. Communications systems were also given a hard look by the Senate Y2K report. It is esti- mated that 95 percent of all tele- phone systems were compliant. It was reported however, that no reliable testing could be done on things like cell phone towers, data networks, or satel- lite communications. In a serious tone, the report stated that Federal payment systems for Medicare and other health-insurance programs were behind schedule in their Y2K preparedness. Overall, the health-care industry got low marks for readiness. On the government scene, it was reported:that the various agencies varied widely in their Yedr 2000 work. ‘Alarmingly, thé® Defense Department was listed as among the worst in Year 2000 readiness. On the local govern- ment scene, the Senate report was most concerned about com- munities being able to handle all of their 911 calls. The situation with America's trading partners was given a close look by the Year 2000 re- port. Figures gathered showed that Venezuela and Saudi Arabia- which produce 30 per- up to 18 months behind in their Y2K repair efforts. It was also reported that U.S. computers could be infected with viruses from foreign computer systems that were not Y2K ready. Legal ramifications of Y2K upheaval was termed "poten- tially monstrous" by the report. A tidal wave of litigation could hit the already overloaded court systems in the wake of possible business losses related to Y2K. Projections of liability go as high as $1 trillion. Last but not least, one seg- ment of the Senate investigation focuses on the fact that there is no national strategic plan to as- sure critical infrastructure relia- bility . Neither is there a nation- al contingency plan in case of infrastructure failure. The bottom line on the Senate report could be summed up in just five words- "hold on to your hat!" i PICTORIAL EDITORIAL Bor rR Proud Moment David Allen, left, chairman of the Kings Mountain Parks and Recreation Commission, and Tripp Hord, right, Parks and Recreation Director, unveil the plaque that will be perma- nently displayed at the new City Swimming Pool. The city last year embarked on a major rebuilding project of all city parks and the swimming pool. All improvements at the Deal Street complex have been completed and the park was dedicated Monday night. Improvements are still under way at Davidson Park. esessecssesesesccssvecen ER EP PP SRR Herald/Times 7 Statements about violence will Given the circumstances of last week's tragedy in Littleton, Colorado, and the re- sulting unrest we have experience due to the attention it received, I felt it appropriate to communicate with you concerning our stance in regards to any action or comments which might imply a threat to the safety of our staff and students. During the last ten days, we have experienced a number of in- cidents and rumors of incidents involving mentsahich might be construed as threat- ening harm to others. We must take such statements very seri- ously. While it is impossible to lump every statement in a group all of which would re- Having recently had a run-in with a group of totally disrespectful and unsu- pervised juveniles, I was reminded of the ancient Egyptian saying, "a boy's ears are on his back." No, this is not in reference to an anatom- ical curiosity, but rather to corporal pun- ishment. There is a train of thought these days among many parents that if you give your child a swift pop on the heinie or a swipe with a switch, then they will grow up to be criminals. I don't know who start- ed this idea, but in my opinion it is one of the most erroneous things to hit the planet. On a TV talk show the other night, there were several parents and their out-of-con- trol teens on the stage. The kids had called attract lightning. students in otr.school system making state- Mic ceive a certain punishment, I want you to know that students making threatening statements certainly leave themselves open for serious consequences up to and including suspen- sion from school. I have instructed our personnel to react quickly to any reports of statements or actions which imply harm to someone else. Given the results of any investigation we make into such an action, we reserve the right to involve the local law enforcement authorities in being certain we have Dose of Hickory tea can be good too little, too late. Now, I don't have any kids, but I was once one myself, and in retrospect gave my mom fits. I got spanked and switched from time to time and now that I look back, probably not nearly enough. Small doses of "hickory tea" early in life will keep a myriad of troubles away later on. I don't mean beatings, smackings, or punch-ups, but quick little dolings of discipline when verbal warnings fall on deaf ears. I do believe that such action will not only teach respect for the parent, but respect for authority in general. It has something to do with the principle of connecting misbehavior with consequences- something the prison popula- tion had to learn the hard way. In its own way, disciplining kids is an act of love. I know now that when my grandmother had caught my sister and I doing something wrong- like tearing up my mom's the law on their parents for disciplining them. These poor little 14 and 16 year old lambs had more tattoos than Popeye the Sailorman, and enough metal objects stuck in their bodies to As you can imagine, the parents were at their wits end. Of course, their attempts to control their offspring was a case of VER ES Superintendent KM Schools Alan Hodge RR RR Staff Writer ommend be taken seriously in KM Schools covered all bases in regards to our review. Please discuss this matter with any children in your home who are students in this system. Emphasize to them that they must not make any statement which could even be construed as a theat - even in jest. We will not take a chance in dealing with these matters. I know this community well enough to know how important it believes the assurance of safety in our schools should be. I agree. In closing let me assure you that we have numerous proce- dures in place to provide a safe environment on our campus- es. In 1994 this community had a task force which reviewed choolsafetyiissues for us and make a numberof strong rect #29741 ations to the Board of Education regarding both pre- i vention and education strategies for ensuring safety. Each one of those has been implemented. Our staffs are clearly on alert for any warning signs which should be pursued. I appreciate the concerns which many of you have ex- pressed to me about school safety in the last several days. I want you to know that our employees and board of education share those concerns and are committed to taking any neces- sary steps to protect our school campuses. Those threatening the safety we desire will face serious consequences. Thank you in advance for your assistance with this very important matter. flowerbeds- her quick trip to a switch bush was an attempt to bring us up as responsible citizens and respecters of other peo- ple and their things. It's hard for a kid who has just gotten a pop to see how it can be anything but briefly painful. The tragedy is that those chaps who don't get the pops they need will likely bring even more road. pain to their parents and themselves a lot longer down the SIDEWALK SURVEY By ALAN HODGE Herald/Times What can be done to prevent school violence? Pre Got a question you'd like to submit to Sidewalk Survey? If so, call Alan Hodge at 739-7496. If we use your question, we'll give you the credit. Students need to understand they can take a more responsible role in stopping violence. teacher and coach KMHS Student ownership of schools is vital. Students are our best resource for informing faculty problems. Diana Bridges teacher KMHS Afred Ash Student patrols could help stop violence “dead at the root”. Ron Feemster senior KMHS More metal detectors tests would help keep people from bringing things to school. Matt Biddix junior KMHS It all goes back to family values. More metal detectors would help too. Eddie Biddix Junior KMHS RS RE RASS April 29, 1999 Section A, Page 2 Editor: Gary Stewart 739-7496 4 YOUR VIEW » i Remembering King Mountain and his roots To the editor: Roots and the Mayor. This for me is like a once upon a time story. Just over 56 years ago I was born in Kings Mountain. Remembering when I was four years old, my family lived in the area known then as Chapel Woods, now called the Linwood section. Although only one house existed well back off Linwood Road, the roads were being marked and cleared for the development of the area. I would love to roam those woods again! I attended the first five years of school at East Elementary when a snow ball wa the big thing for us. The sixth and seventh grades I at- tended in Blacksburg, SC and at- tended the eighth grade at North Elementary (Mr. George was principal). It was the year that school opened. Then it was on to KMHS. Coach Gamble was the most feared man on campus but well respected and liked by all. Mrs. Black (the biology teacher) was the most dreaded and toughest teacher, with Mrs. Sutton, the math teacher, pushing for second. Coach Bates wasn't all that easy either. Football practice and col- lecting those 50 insects in the be- ginning of the tenth grade made things a little tough. I did not fin- ish school in Kings Mountain, but did go long enough to get my Masters Degree from New Hampshire College. A couple of months ago while browsing the web I read an arti- cle appearing in the Gastonia Gazette. The article was an inter- view with Mayor Scott Neisler. It was about the new city flag. I was deeply touched by his comments on his returning to Kings Mountain afterbeing absent for some time. It truly brought mem- ories of the time when I was a small boy. : Today I received an article by The Kings Mountain Herald showing the city flag. My sister- in-law and fellow Mountaineer, the former Metta Wright, sent it to me. I soaked up every word below the picture as if I were reading a great long lost history document. There were parts of articles, I read every word. One partial article I was able to read mentioned the old Pauline and Margrace Mills. These two establishments provided employ- ment for many citizens of Kings Mountain. This article took me back to the days when little league baseball games were played in a field neat the Margrace plant. I played the posi- tion of left field for the Burlington team. There were only four teams (Parkgrace, Burlington, Jaycees and Kiwanis. One of our coaches was Mr. Don Tignor. Presently I live in Puerto Rico, but my heart is n Carolina. Living here for about 35 years, Inow have a strong desire to return to my roots. Even with all the changes, I am sure one could see things that would bring back a treasure of memories. By the way, if Cleveland County Schools consolidate what will happen to the Black and Gold? These colors, as I remem- ber, were the school colors. Is Shelby still the rival? Love those Mountaineers. Kings Mountain is a great place to come back to. Please pass a copy to the Mayor. Sincerely, Paul E. Pittman Fajardo, Puerto Rico Letter Policy = The Herald welcomes your let- ters. We ask that you follow these guidelines: Letters must be'brief and to the ~ point. Letters in excess of 400 words will net be published. Letters should be typed and dou- ble-spaced-if pessible; if not, write legibly. Letters may be edited for length, spelling, good taste, libel, or any other reason; and letters may be rejected for'any reason. Mail letters to The Editor, P.O. Box 769, Kings Mountain, NC 28086 or fax them to 739-0611.
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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April 29, 1999, edition 1
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