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. OPINION
Remember those
who spoke out
against merger
To the editor:
We are fast approaching one
of the most important days of
the year, Election Day. This is
our one chance to shape the fu-
ture of our town, our county
and our state.
The following list contains
candidates from both parties
who spoke out against school
merger. (If they refused to take
a stand, they didn’t make the
list. Sorry, Jim, Walter and
Debbie)..
County Commissioners -
Ronnie Hawkins, David
~ Morrow, Mary Accor, Tom
Bridges, and Kenneth Ledford.
* N.C. House - Andy Dedmon.
N.C. Senate - Scott Neisler.
These candidates deserve our
support, They spoke out for the
majority of us when others ig-
nored or were non committal.
This time, this election, it’s per-
sonal. In Cleveland County,
elections are won by a very
small number of votes. Each
one matters.
Sincerely; '¢
Holly Robinson:
Kings Mountain
Plan would
stimulate saving
for retirement
To the editor:
For 10 years, our elected offi-
cials in Washington have
worked in unison on HR 1102, a
comprehensive pension reform
package to provide Americans
with the opportunity to save
and invest for retirement. That
decade of effort will soon bear
} fruit.
~The U.S. House of
Representatives approved by a
401 to 25 vote the bill that
“would gradually raise contribu-
tion limits for individual retire-
ment accounts (IRAs) and
401(k)s. The measure is current-
ly being considered in the
Senate.
This proposed legislation
would incrementally increase
the annual IRA contribution
limit from $2,000 to $5,000 be-
ginning in the year 2001. The
bill would also increase 401(k)
contributions to $15,000 annual-
ly from $10,500.
Increasing the IRA contribu-
tion limit is of critical impor-
tance for several reasons:
HM The IRA limit has not been
raised since 1981, the same year
the late Princess Diana was
married and: IBM sold its first
personal computer.
HM IRAs are the only retire-
ment account not indexed for
| inflation. Had the IRA limit
' been indexed for inflation, it
i would be $4,616 today.
BM The accumulated difference
between saving $2,000 and
$5,000 over 15 years at 8 percent
{ is an additional $81,000.
; BE Half of all working
i Americans are not covered by
i an employer-sponsored retire-
ment plan, so the IRA is their
only tax deductible opportunity
to save and invest.
HM Millions of Americans are
nearing retirement and their
need to save and invest is even
more critical.
B The U.S. savings rate has
dropped to an historical low
and is one of the lowest among
industrialized nations:
Unfortunately, as this pro-
posed legislation has worked its
way through Congress, that
spirit of bipartisanship that got
us to this point is fading.
Changes and additions to the
bill have clouded the original
intent and impact of the version
overwhelmingly approved in
the House. People’s retirement
is too important an issue to be
used as leverage to gain politi-
cal advantage.
We should urge our elected
officials to move beyond parti-
san politics and forge ahead
with this vital piece of legisla-
tion that will stimulate savings,
increase retirement security and
! eliminate obstacles to retire-
| ment plan coverage for small
| business. After 10 years of
work, failure to pass this vital
legislation would be far more
than disappointing. It would
deny millions of Americans the
chance for a more secure retire-
ment.
Dwight E. Mathis
Edward Jones Investments
Belmont
Education
bonds vital
to our future
To the editor:
During my ten years of ser-
vice in the North Carolina
House of Representatives I saw
many funding bills passed for
education. Now the Legislature
is asking us to vote for a $3.1
billion bond referendum for our
59 community colleges and 16
campus university system. If
passed, this money will be
spent over a six-year period for
improvements that have been
studied carefully by the House
and Senate. The legislation re-
quires a Legislative Oversight
Committee to make sure the
money is spent in the manner in
which it was proposed to the
Legislature.
The bonds are to be paid off
over a 25-year period. This
makes sense to me because the
buildings and programs that are
to be funded will be utilized for
at least that length of time.
Reminds me of a home mort-
gage, i.e you live in your home
and enjoy it as you pay off the
mortgage.
Harlan Boyles, State
Treasurer, has stated thathe
does not think we will have to
raise taxes to pay off the bonds
and that the annual payments
will amount to less than 1% of
our State budget, barring any
unforeseen down-turn of the
economy.
To fuel our economy, to at-
tract new businesses, and main-
tain a sophisticated work force,
it is imperative that we main-
tain and improve our institu-
tions of higher education and
their programs. It is estimated
that over the next 10 years we
will have an additional 100,000
students hoping to enter our
universities and community
colleges. Please help pass the
bonds so we will be ready for
these students.
W.W. “Dub” Dickson,
NC House (Retired),
Gastonia
Vv Address letters to the
Editor, P.O. Box 769, Kings
Mountain, NC 28086. Letters
must be signed in ink and in-
clude the full name, address
and telephone number of the
writer for verification purposes.
Letters may also be brought
to our office at 824-1 King
_ Street, or sent by fax to (704)
739-0611.
The Kings Mountain Herald
! LOOKING BACK
I
Rat named Elmer made for
many mill village memories
Of many things that have changed in Dixie over the past cou-
ple of decades, few have experienced an evolution such as that
visited upon the textile industry. Where once a cotton mill was
characterized by the clatter of belt driven machinery and
clouds of choking cotton dust, now computerized looms and
spinners smoothly churn out their produce.
Along with the changes in cotton mills them-
selves, the way of life that textile employees ex-
perience has also evolved. Well paid, and pro-
tected by numerous safety laws, the old mill
days and those of the 21st century stand in
sharp contrast to one another.
I spent several impressionable years of my
childhood during the late 1950s in a mill yil- = '——®&
lage in East Belmont. My grandmother worked Alan Hodg
in a mill and my aunt Emily worked in the mill
office. Memories of living in an old time mill
village for even a short length of time can make impressions
that will last forever.
; I think one thing that living there did for me was ignite the
: spark of imagination. Lacking somewhat in store bought
: amusements, we mill kids could take a large cardboard box and
in an instant have a fort, submarine, army tank, and clubhouse.
# Even the bobbins and cones that my grandmother Mozelle
# brought home could be used to make Christmas decorations,
: bugles, clown hats, and miniature blackjacks. We even chewed
i the little round discs of wax that we found in her a
# Istill don’t know what they were used for. :
# We never lacked for a pet in our Garrison Street dwelling.
One co-lodger was a red field rat we named “Elmer.” Once I
looked under the kitchen sink, and there sat Elmer in cool re-
pose. As I recall, a neighbor came over one afternoon, caught
Elmer in the open and set upon his hairy body with a sturdy
broom. After the engagement was decided, Elmer had taken a
sound thrashing but escaped with his life.
; Unlike today when children are too often in mortal danger if
i they stray from their yard, we mill village children never felt
i scared to explore any field, forest, garage, vacant building, etc.
within a day’s march from home. Sometimes strangers would
give us a ride. Everyone looked after each other and knew at
: least their near neighbors. Of course we sometimes got into
# mischief, as when a group of us young’uns climbed into
. Granny Garret’s cherry tree and broke it in half.
. Today, what mill village houses that haven't been torn down
: are being renovated into attractive and affordable bungalows
i for new buyers. I often drive by some of these tidy dwellings
i that were once architectural derelicts. It is good to see them
made fresh again. I have to smile to myself though, and wonder
if the children that cavort across those green lawns that were
once bare dirt have ever had the pleasure of meeting a rat
# named Elmer.
1
‘Staff Writer .
pron pocket.
Editor: Gary Stewart 739-7496
October 12, 2000 Section A, Page 4
GARY STEWART / THE HERALD
Then Governor Dick Reilly of South Carolina, left, talks to Governor Jim Hunt of North Carolina during the 200th anniversary
celebration of the Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7, 1980 at Kings Mountain National Military park.
| Election, Mountaineer Days
. big news October 12, 1989
Election results topped the headlines for the October 12, 1989
edition of the Herald. Incumben
Finger was declared the only clea
t city commissioner Fred
r winner in a contest that saw
just 28.5 percent of the city’s voters turn out. To retain his seat,
Finger eased by challenger Marshall Camp by a mere 34 votes.
In Ward 6, political newcomer
Scott Neisler garnered the most
votes at 584 to earn a spot in an
upcoming runoff.
Also on the front of the Herald
for the second week of October,
1989 was news that long-time
Grover barber Bill Camp had
passed away. A respected and
beloved figure in the community, PUEed,
Camp, 83, had been in the barber +} AT KIN
ing business for over six decades.
Continuing an interesting se-
ries on the history of area houses
Iv
IRS
Teh Bimfivion Nee
SANTA
GS MOUN
By Alan Hodge
of worship, the October 12
Herald spotlighted Patterson Grove Baptist Church. Dating
back to 1884 when the “church” was no more than a brush ar-
bor, the story related the changes
and growth the congregation
had experienced over the decades.
Though it was three weeks past, Hurricane Hugo was still in
the Herald news on October 12, 1989. Advice for folks who had
hurricane-produced brush piles came from Cleveland County
Forest Ranger John Hunt who said that Smoky the Bear wanted
to remind everyone to be careful
if they had to burn that debris.
Sports news for October 12, 1989 featured a big story on the
whipping that Kings Mountain High School administered to
South Point. Ramrodded by Timmy McClain and D.J. Williams,
Kings Mountain conked the Red
Raiders from Belmont by a
score of 42-0. The game saw Kings Mountain set new school
records for longest kickoff return (100 yards by Williams) and
longest touchdown pass (99 yards) from McClain to Petie
McNeal.
Also on the sports beat in the October 12 Herald was a photo
and story about an upcoming kick boxing tournament that
would pit local champ Robbie Eng against Danny “The Stone”
Rhinehart of Gaffney. Eng’s associate, David “The Rock”
Humphries was set to trade licks with Sam Upton of Tennessee.
Mountaineer Days got a full page photo spread by Lib
Stewart in the October 12, 1989 Herald. Pictures featured the
Cleveland County Arts Council booth and staffers Jim
Champion, Barbara Brock, and Bruce Corrigan. Another photo
focused on the singing Kings Revue. Yet another picture showed
Shriner Harold Phillips “locking up” several local citizens in a
make believe jail.
SIDEWALK
SURVEY
By ALAN HODGE
Kings Mountain Herald
What are you
doing to get
your home or
car ready for
winter?
Putting more logs on
the fire.
Cynthia Mackins
Kings Mountain
Everything is already
prepared for winter. and pump. heater was in good tuned up.
shape.
Melba Queen Ray Black Nellie Lefevers Lucille Wells
igen Blacksburg Kings Mountain Kings Mountain
| wrapped my pipes
| made sure my car
| had my heat pump
ES ——
A
ems
ERE