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if November 16, 2000 RECOUNT From 1A to create the need for a re- count.” Moore also said that he felt Gore was “pushing the enve- lope” with the scope of the hand recount. Even so, Moore remained optimistic about the eventual outcome. “When it all shakes down,” He said. “Bush will be our man.” On the other side of the fence, Cleveland County Democratic Party leader Betsy Wells was “very excited” about the close- ness of the election. “It was good to see so many people come out and vote,” she said. Wells said she was concerned about the fact that different types of ballots were used in Florida. A point that may have added to the initial confusion. “This is not a crisis,” Wells said. We are just working through the election process. I want to see every vote counted and then let the chips fall where they may.” Wells HAWKINS From 1A and know what's going on.” The Board has several op- tions in naming a replacement. It can name someone Thursday night; it can accept letters or word-of-mouth nominations from the public; or it can inter- view interested persons for the position. The only requirement is that the appointee live inside the’ Kings Mountain School District but outside the city limits of ‘Kings Mountain. In the past, Kings Mountain, has appointed the person who received the next highest num- ber of votes in the election, and it has also used the interview process. : The appointee would serve the remainder of Hawkins’ term, which ends next December. The two outside city seats held by Hawkins and Dr. Allen, and the at-large seat held by Melonie Bolin, will be up for election next November. “Our tentative plan is to try to get someone identified for that board seat in December and have them sworn in in January,” Allen said. Then, the Board will probably begin discussing ways to re- place Dr. McRae. His replace- ment could hinge on how the merger issue plays out in the court system. The county’s merger plan states that none of the three ex- isting school systems can make administrative appointment without approval of the interim school board. However, since the merger is tied up in court there is'some confusion as to whether the interim board offi- cially exists. “Qur attorneys indicate that the actions by the court puts ev- erything on hold,” Allen said, “so that lifts that requirement (of the interim board approving administrative appointments).” Kings Mountain could also opt for an interim superinten- dent until the merger matter is settled. “I'm torn between being hap- ‘py and being sad,” said Hawkins, who has been on the Board for over 11 years and served as chairman for six years. “I'm happy to be elected a county commissioner but I'm sad because I'm not going to be a hands-on participant in the school system. “A lot of decisions that have been made this year have actu- ally been forced on us because of the merger issue,” he added. “I never would have considered myself as a candidate for the county commission before this came up. I've always wanted to be a member of the school board. But after the merger is- sue came up I was trying to look at what we could do from both sides, whether it was merged ornot. “At the time we were having to file for county commission, we were getting beat up pretty bad in the courts, so I thought at that time if I still wanted to be a supporter of the school sys- tem and the children of Cleveland County I needed to try to be elected to the county commission and be a champion of the schools. Even though I won't be on the school board I will continue to try to get the children the best education they can get and try to see to it that they are being educated in a safe and secure facility.” In other matters Thursday, the School Board will receive a NC Win Fast Start Award in recognition of being one of the first 10 school systems to enroll 100 or more employees in NC Win; hear a proposal from the Kings Mountain Sports Hall of Fame to name the KMHS gym in honor of Coach Don Parker; and consider a resolution in support of including classified employees in the group eligible for ABC’s bonuses from the State. SCHOOL From 1A later meeting in December.” The three newly-elected Commissioners from Kings Mountain - Ronnie Hawkins, Mary Accor and Tommy Bridges - say they will do all they can to make sure Kings Mountain gets the funds to build the school. “I hate to say things on the spur of the moment,” said Accor, who is principal of Bethware School, “I'd like to read it and understand the plan in its entirety, but from what I know of the plan I wouldn't have a problem with it.” “I sure support it,” says Bridges, a former KM School Board member. “Just on the sur- face I would have to make sure we have the money first. If we have the money, I'd do it.” Hawkins said he sees no problem with the county giving Kings Mountain some money out of its $3.2 million school fa- city reserve fund, and/or also backing a loan for the system. “The county has a reserve fund that they can loan Kings Mountain against the sales tax distribution so we can build the school and not have to skimp on it,” he said. “This is the first school Kings Mountain has built in many years. The school is going to be an asset for the whole county, not just Kings Mountain. If we can find a way to loan the money or assure the loan from a lending institution, we should do it.” McRae said School Boards cannot borrow money, so KMDS will be asking the coun- ty board to either give them some money that could be paid back through future distribu- tion funds, or use the county’s loan capacity to float a bond of enough money. “We know the county com- missioners have a capital re- serve fund which must be used for school construction, and we would certainly entertain some consideration of some of that money,” McRae said. “But in all fairness they need to keep some of that to cover emergencies. Also, the larger amount of that money is going to pay back the late 1980s bond issue and they can’t give it all. And the other systems need some funds as well.” ‘SAVE OUR SCHOOLS NEEDS YOUR HELP In Our Fight Against Forced Schools Merger, our group has incurred significant legal bills. We undertook this fight based on our faith that the community was strongly against this merger and would support us. Now we're asking for your support. Please send your contribution to: Save Our Schools c/o First Union 125 S. Battleground Ave. Kings Mountain, N.C. 28086 - IT’S TOO IMPORTANT Y NOT TO FIGHT! . The Kings Mountain Herald also felt that it was ironic that George W. Bush's brother Jeb is the governor of Florida. “I bet he never expected such scrutiny of his state’s election process,” said Wells. Veteran politician and Cleveland County commission- er Joe Cabiness was another ob- server who felt that the recount of Florida votes should contin- ue. In contrast to that opinion were the thoughts of Charlie Blanton of Kings Mountain, Blanton's daughter Donna Blanton is an assistant for the Florida Secretary of State. “They should follow the Secretary’s ruling and stop the recount ,” Blanton said. “Bush should win.” Could something like the Florida situation and its confu- sion over vote validity happen locally? Cleveland County Board of Elections supervisor Debra Blanton says that the process used to tally votes in this county are very thorough. “The election night votes are compared three days later to a second set brought in by the chief judge of each precinct,” Blanton said. “We then review the numbers.” The section of the North Carolina General Statutes that Blanton uses as a rulebook has over 300 pages devoted just to elections. Cleveland County fol- lows the state guide lines. “I know several ediion su- pervisors in Florida,” Blanton said. “I can tell you that just be- fore an election, there simply: isn’t time for fraudulent activi- ty, it’s just too busy:” Page 3A VETERANS From 1A to be caretaker for the monu- ment. Following the ceremony downtown, a parade was held to Mountain View Cemetery and the section for veterans there. Led by a police escort, the marchers made their way to the sound of drums played by Jor-el Caraballo and Joel Santora of the Kings Mountain High School marching band. _ At the cemetery, dozens of American flags on the graves of veterans fluttered in the cool autumn breeze. Gathering around the Veterans Memorial at Mountain View, participants heard from Claude Pearson, 23rd District State Commander of the American Legion. “What is a veteran,” Pearson said. “A veteran is a soldier and a savior. We served because we knew it was the right thing to do.” Kings Mountain city manager Jimmy Maney was also among the dignitaries who spoke. For his part, Maney delivered a. moving prayer for remem- brance of veterans. “They came from every color and every race,” Maney said. “All came together so we can exercise our freedom.” Part of the ceremony also in- cluded the presentation of a new America flag to the City of Kings Mountain to replace the current one flying in Mountain View. The flag was given by American Legion Post 155 com- mander Rick Wallace. Ending the day on a solemn note, Paul Fulton played “Taps” on his trumpet. As the last notes were carried away on the breeze, many of those in atten- dance seemed lost in thoughts of veterans living and dead who had each given a part of themselves in defense of our nation. id christmas island = CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Scott Neisler took his antique steam engine to Grover during the recent NC Senate campaign. He ground grits and cornmeal and donated all the cornmeal for the Grover Womens Club's an- nual pinto bean supper, which was attended by 180 people. Neisler is pictured with Edith Morgan, Womens Club Vice-President. ComScope asks for water line for proposed plant near KM BY ALAN HODGE Staff Writer Good news came to Kings Mountain Tuesday morning when the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners got a request from Cleveland County Economic Development direc- tor Steve Nye for four public hearings on economic incen- tives to new and expanding businesses. Nye characterized the eco- nomic growth in Cleveland County as “a monsoon.” Three of the public hearings approved by commissioners will take place onNovember 28 at 9 a.m. Chairman Jim Crawley and commissioner Willie McIntosh were absent. On the schedule will be Hickory-based ComScope who KM’s Alan Gibson wins Ashbrook race Kings Moin? 's At Gibson finished first in the'in- augural Ashbrook Open Invitational cross country race Tuesday. Gibson ran the new 3.1 mile course around Ashbrook High School athletic facilities in 18 minutes, 42 seconds. It was the first race on the course. Runners from KM, Ashbrook, South Point and Forestview competed in the event. - KMPD receives grant for new equipment Kings Mountain police chief Houston Corn recently con- firmed that his department has received a Local Law Enforcement Block Grant total- ing $26,468. The award from the state was $23,821 and the City of Kings Mountain added $2,647 to the grand total. According to Chief Corn, the money will be used to purchase new walkie-talkies, at least three more in-car video cam- eras, and a totally new record- ing system for headquarters. The new recording equipment dates back several decades. A new setup will cost about $15,000 but will give police en- hanced ability to monitor calls and radio transmissions. The grant amount was based on crime statistics and rates. Gastonia’s Only Ne 15,000 s9.it. Showroor ID ; Rauch Sidewalk Sale @<Eg» Saturday, Nov. 18 &25 n & Dec. 2 7am until Ed f¥ bert Huge Savings on Glass Ornaments. Stockings & Tree Skirts Also Available o Waterford - Holiday Heirlooms eld World Christmas ® Slavic Treasures harris pools & seasonal specialties christmas : | AEG) Si 2406 s. York Rd. (Hwy 321) 3 Gastonia * 867-6540 (Former Newtons Furniture Bldg.) rrison Blvd, 2 Hudson Blvd. 210s od” |; Newton's Bldg. 8 is seeking a new waterline to its scheduled $30 million building on Countryside Road near Kings Mountain. The requested line will be 3400 feet of 12-inch pipe at a cost of $170,000. ComScope wants to start pro- duction at the new plant by April 1, 2001. Also on the agenda will be a request by Copeland Corp. for a grant to invest $17 million in new facilities. The third item on the plate will be a proposed adjustment to the inducement policy so firms can seek more than one program at a time. Nye also requested a public hearing on November 30 at 9 a.m. to go over incentive grants for a new non-manufacturing project west of Shelby that he said would bring 500 jobs and a $50 million investment. The name of the company has not been released. Following a closed session to with the hospital, commission- ers voted to accept an amended lease between Cleveland County, Charlotte Mecklenburg Hospital Authority and Cleveland Memorial Hospital. A key change from the previous lease includes Cleveland Memorial Hospital getting per- mission from the County before incurring any new major debt. According to County Attorney Julian Wray, the new lease was strongly suggested by the Local Government Commission and will help the hospital obtain bonds for expansion. In an effort to begin upgrad- ing information accessibility at the Register of Deeds office, county manager Lane Alexander brought forth the proposal that an amendment be made to the budget to put up $3,180 each month for lease of new computer equipment and software for that department. Alexander said that over 700,000 microfilms at the Register of Deeds would be converted to PC capability by ' the new equipment. “The software will streamline access to the records there,” Alexander said. “Seventeen oth- er counties already use it.” In addition to converting the records, citizens would be able to pull up information on their home computers. Later, birth and death records could be added to the on-line system. Alexander estimated that by having the company that will supply the equipment do the transition rather than county employees, it could save $100,000. All commissioners present voted for the changeover and lease. Not on the agenda, but on the minds of at least a couple of folks who attended Tuesday's meeting was last week's prelim- inary go ahead vote by commis- sioners to purchase a .95 acre plot of land on Campbell Street behind the County Administration Building for $250,000. The lot could be used for parking and the sale is con- tingent upon receipt of a letter from the State of North Carolina that no environmental testing Has to'be done." i ~The question'some had was the value of the property and the fact that it is owned by com- missioner Charlie Harry's daughter and son in law Loyd B. Smith, r. and Robin H. Smith. County tax records indicate that the land has a value of $135,787 with $96,972 in im- provements for a total of $232,759. The improvements are in the form of seven older homes on the lot. The difference between the tax value and the asking price is $17,241. “It is not untypical to ask more for a property than the tax value,” Alexander said. Commissioner Harry said several weeks ago that the did not want to be part of the final vote on the issue. “I know there are some suspi- cions, but it’s an absolutely clean thing,” Harry said. “The reason I don’t want to vote on it is because I don’t want there to even be a perceived conflict.” Harry was absent when last week's vote was taken to move ahead with securing the proper- ty was taken. Gaston & Cleveland County Other NC Counties Outside NC IN Republic #8 T Hei KINGS MOUNTAIN al 1 RR A Ui, HARA Published cr Periodicals postage at Kings Mountain, NC 28086 USPS 118-880 by Republic Newspapers, Inc. Postmaster, send address changes to: P. O. Box 769, Kings Mountain, NC 28086 . Phone (704) 739-7496 » Fax (704) 739-0611 Office: 824-1 East King Street © Kings Mountain, NC 28086 ; E-mail: kmhnews@aol.com Mike Blanton Publisher Gary Stewart Editor Alan Hodge oes Staff Writer Stacy Godfrey Kale............. prereset onteneb agentes Advertising Manager Shelley Campbell.............. srepreseit pr reesiiaes ....Composition Manager Mail Subscription Rates Payable in Advance. All Prices include 6% NC State Sales Tax. 1 Year 6 Months $21.20 $13.78 $22.26 $14.84 $26.50 $16.43 Newspapers, Inc. Norby North Caring Press Association
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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Nov. 16, 2000, edition 1
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