Thursday, September 21, 2000
KINGS MOUNTAIN
Vol. 112 No. 38
Since 1889
50 Cents
_ opicer
<8 to cheer
Mounties to
victory at Crest
BRIEFLY
Teacher
is being
investigated
Kings Mountain Police are in-
vestigating alleged inappropri-
ate sexual conduct by a Kings
Mountain High School teacher/
coach with a student.
The investigation may not be
completed until after Friday, ac-
cording to Det. Lisa Proctor of
the Kings Mountain Police
Department.
The school system hasn't tak-
en action pending the outcome
of the investigation, however
the teacher is on sick leave from
both his teaching and coaching
duties.
Dr. Bob McRae,
Superintendent of Schools,
could not comment on the situ-
ation other than to confirm the
investigation. Whether the
school system launches its own
investigation won't be deter-
mined until after the police in-
vestigation is completed.
“I can confirm that a com-
plaint has been filed against an
employee of the system by a
student,” Dr. McRae said. “It is
being investigated and the em-
* ployee in question is not at
work pending the outcome of
the investigation.”
Two men face charges
in Burger King robbery
Michael Andre Jackson, 34,
and James Edward McKissick,
40, face charges of robbery with
a dangerous weapon in connec-
tion with the armed robbery of
the Kings Mountain Burger
King on August 23.
Det. Lisa Proctor of the Kings
Mountain Police Department
obtained warrants for the two
late Tuesday afternoon. Both
men are currently being held in
the Cherokee County, SC
Detention Center on charges
there. When those cases are
cleared, they will be extradited
to Kings Mountain, she said.
According to police reports,
two men entered the Burger
King on August 23 and in-
quired about the price of food.
One man reportedly jumped
over the counter and presented
a weapon, and the two alleged-
ly stole an undisclosed amount
of money.
Council approves
repair to spillway
- Kings Mountain City Council
Monday afternoon awarded a
bid of $119,777 to Strickland
Waterproofing Co., Inc. to re-
pair the spillway at Moss Lake
Dam. :
_ Other bidders were Hickory
Construction Co., Inc.
($247,615) and Hall Contracting
Corp. ($328,735).
The repairs include 465 feet
of trenching, 4,000 feet of joints
and 900 feet of cracks in the
spillway, City Manager Jimmy
Maney noted.
Walter & Sewer Director Walt
Ollis said the water at the lake
had already been lowered three
feet and will need to be lowered
about three more feet to make
the repairs.
The work should begin in
two to three weeks, Mayor Rick
Murphrey said. :
Mayor proclaims
Constitution Week
Mayor Rick Murphrey has
proclaimed September 17-23 as
Constitution Week in Kings
~ Mountain in recognition of the
230th anniversary of the draft-
ing of the Constitution.
re
ETJ zoning map draws protests
{ BY ALAN HODGE
: Staff Writer
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
| Employee
disciplined
for phone call
{ By GARY STEWART
: Editor of The Herald
i Supt. Dr. Bob McRae confirmed
: this week thata 29-year em-
i ployee of the Kings Mountain
i School System has been disci-
i plined for an inappropriate tele-
i phone call to a member of the
: Board of Education.
: McRae from releasing the name
i of the employee, but Melony
: Bolin’s husband, Danny, con-
i firmed that the anonymous call
: was made to her and that it in-
: cluded racial remarks and com-
: ‘ments about Melony, her chil-
: dren, and two other school
: system employees.
i ceived on August 11, and even
: though the employee did not 7
i identify herself her phone num- §
i ber came up on the Bolins’
i Caller ID.
high emotion, The City of Kings
In a lengthy meeting that at
times saw raised voices and tance.
Mountain Planning and Zoning
Board approved a map of the
new extended two mile
Extraterritorial Jurisdiction
(ETJ) on Tuesday night. The
Kings Mountain Schools
Personnel Policy prohibits
Bolin said the call was re-
Melony Bolin, who couldn’t
: talk about the specifics of the
: call or the employee, said she
: notified Supt. McRae and other
i School Board members about
: the call.
i ee was disciplined by Dr.
i McRae and told not to make
i any other comments about the
i situation. But Bolin claims the
: employee has continued to talk
i about it in the public, and he is
Danny Bolin said the employ-
: “tired of hearing the lies.”
: McRae said he has not been
In an official statement, Dr.
: able to verify if that is the case.
: Dr. McRae released the follow-
i ing statement:
i ago I investigated a situation in-
i volving an inappropriate phone
: call from an employee to a
i board member. I administered
: disciplinary action after involv-
i ing the board in conversation
“Approximately one month
See Call, 3A
Over 200
participate
in triathlon
‘BY ALAN HODGE
Staff Writer
As Saturday's Over the Mountain Triathlon
proved, the Olympic Games in Sydney have
nothing on Kings Mountain. Held under a bril-
liant blue sky, the event drew 200 competitors
and crowds eager to see well-toned bodies put
through their paces.
The show got underway about 8:30 a.m.
Saturday morning when the athletes plunged into
the chilly waters of Moss Lake. Entering the lake
in groups, the competitors whipped the surface
into a froth as they made their way like frantic
dolphins to Moss Lake Park. Once across, they
traded swim suits for bicycling shoes, helmets
and togs, then mounted their cycles for the 15
mile ride to downtown Kings Mountain.
Arriving singly and in groups, the athletes then
parked their cycles on Railroad Avenue, donned
running shoes, ran to Kings Mountain High
School, then back to the finish line on Gold Street
at Patriots Park.
See Triathlon, 3A
map, with changes recommend-
ed by the Zoning Board for
Areas 1 and 2, will now go on
to City Council for their accep-
Over two dozen citizens at-
tended the meeting to observe
the vote or approach the Zoning
Board with requests for changes
for their property before the
map was approved. A total of
24 zoning change requests have
been put to the board so far for
consideration. Out of that num-
ber, 12 were changed, and the
rest stayed the same.
Of the 16 requests for zoning
change at Tuesday's meeting,
most petitioners sought to have
their property changed from the
more restrictive R-10 classifica-
tion to the R-20 designation
which would allow things such
as mobile homes and livestock.
Six folks seeking this change
were disappointed, however,
because their request was de-
nied. A few however did see
success.
“My husband and I have put
our blood, sweat, and tears into
our 19 acres,” said Louise
Whitaker of 123 Wright Road.
“We want our property to stay
country so we can raise goats.”
The Whitakers’ request for an
R-10 to R-20 zone was put on
the recommend list by the
Zoning Board. Kings Mountain
Planning and Zoning director
Steve Killian clarified the goat
question.
“An R-20 zone clearly allows
See Zoning, 3A
All is quiet on the merger front this
week, but that doesn’t mean it won't
be heating back up soon.
The State Board of Education,
meeting last Wednesday afternoon in
Greenville, NC, reaffirmed its ap-
proval of the Cleveland County
Commissioners’ plan to merge the
Kings Mountain, Shelby and
Cleveland County units.
GARY STEWART / THE HERALD
The Kings Mountain High marching band is always a special halftime treat for
fans attending Mountaineer games at Gamble Stadium. Ben Reese performs on
the trumpet for the band’s first home performance Friday against Shelby. More
photos are on page 5B
Merger plan reaffirmed,
but KM could file appeal
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
The vote was 8-3, with the same
three members voting against this
time that voted against on June 2
when the matter first went before the
Board. Robert R. Douglas of
Asheville spoke against the merger
and was joined by Eddie Davis IIT of
Durham and Ronald E. Deal of
Hickory in voting no.
Lawyers representing Kings
Mountain Schools, the State Board
See Merger, 3A
; ALAN HODGE/THE HERALD
Tracy Cate of Cary gets set for the running portion of the
Over the Mountain Triathlon. Cate said she enjoyed visiting
Kings Mountain.
Two dead,
two hurt
in shooting
A Friday night shootout at a public housing
complex on Thornburg Drive left two Kings
Mountain men dead and two injured.
Dead are Kasey Duran Holland, 25, of 118
Bibleway Church Road and Ralphel Williams; 21,
of 206 Putnam Place.
Scott Brooks, 25, of 104 Curry Road is listed in
fair condition at Cleveland Regional Medical
Center.
Jerry Black, 26, of 309 South Juniper Street, was
treated and released at Kings Mountain Hospital.
Det. Derek Johnson of the Kings Mountain
Police Department said the investigation could be
a lengthy one. Even though there was a huge
crowd at the scene, not many witnesses have
come forward, he said.
Johnson said autopsies were performed on the
deceased Tuesday at Gaston Memorial Hospital,
and he hopes that will give the investigators
some leads and help determine a motive.
- Ptl. J.C. Shull was dispatched to the scene
around 11 p.m. and said he found several people
who had been shot in the back of a pickup truck.
He said Jerry Black requested transportation to
the hospital and was told that the EMS was en
route. According to Shull’s report, Black was
transported to KM Hospital by an acquaintance.
Because of the large crowd, Shull said it was
difficult to secure the scene. He said Kasey
Holland was lying on the tailgate of the truck
with multiple gun shot wounds, and that Ralphel
Williams was lying in the roadway with his feet
propped on the tailgate of the truck. He had mul-
tiple wounds, also, Shull said.
Scott Brooks was lying in the back of the truck
with wounds to the front and back of his body,
Shull said. He said all of the victims were semi-
conscious.
Johnson said up to 30 shots may have been
fired. At least one apartment and one vehicle
were reported damaged by gunfire.
Initial reports on TV and area media indicated
that the victims were all friends, but police are in-
vestigating the possibility that other events may
have led up to the shoot-out.
About 45 minutes earlier, Officer B.M.
Bumgardner reported that he received a call from
118 Bibleway Church Road in reference to an al-
leged shooting incident at the intersection of King
St. and Phifer Rd.
See Shooting, 3A
| Traffic light approved
for new senior center
Kings Mountain Mayor Rick Murphrey has re-
ceived notification that the State Board of
Transportation has approved signalization for the
intersection of Business 74 and Canterbury Road
at the entrance of the soon-to-be built H.
Lawrence Patrick Senior Life and Conference
Center.
Rep. Debbie Clary said the Board of
Transportation approved the $40,000 project at its
meeting last week.
At the same time, the Board approved widen-
ing 500 feet of NC 18 in the Fallston area at a cost
of $50,000.
Murphrey said the Highway 74-Canterbury in-
tersection would become “very active” once the
Senior Center is built, and without signalization
would be “dangerous for our seniors.”
Clary indicated the project would begin in the
next few months and would be completed well in
advance of the scheduled opening of the center in
June 2001.
“With the traffic light installed, the intersection
will be safe for our senior citizens to use the se-
nior center,” Murphrey said.
Murphrey also noted that Ridge Street will be
extended into the back of the senior center prop-
erty, giving both ingress and egress.
9©
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"HOMETOWN
BANK |
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Celebrating 126 Years
739-4782
Kings Mountain
300 W. Mountain St.
Gastonia Shelby Bessemer City
529 New Hope Rd. 106 S. Lafayette St. 1225 Gastonia Hwy.
865-1233 484-6200 629-3906
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