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“ment. : : :
Thursday, December 7, 2000
KINGS MOUNTAIN
Heral
Board asks rescission of merger
It was a historical night for Kings Mountain
Monday night as three of its citizens were sworn
into office as Cleveland County Commissioners,
marking the first time ever that Kings Mountain
has held majority of the board seats. Ronnie
Hawkins, Mary Accor and Tom Bridges were
seated for four-year terms replacing outgoing
commissioners Jim Crawley, Joe Hendrick and
Joe Cabaniss.
And, almost immediately, the new Board
adopted a resolution which proposes to end the
controversial decision the past Board of
* Commissioners made earlier this year to merge
the Kings Mountain, Shelby and Cleveland
County School Systems.
Hawkins’ resolution to ask the State Board of
Education to rescind its approval of the merger
and also asked the U.S. Justice Department not to
pre-clear the plan, passed unanimously.
No upset
bid yet
on lakes
Anyone else interested in bid-
ding on two Kings Mountain
water lakes have until Sunday
to do it.
Sea Island Corp. recently bid
$630,000 for the old Davidson
and City water lakes and the
city received the bid under the
10-day upset bid process which
is required by state law.
Sea Island plans to use the
lakes for residential develop-
If no other bids are received
by Sunday, City Council may
act on selling the lakes as early
as its meeting on Tuesday, Dec.
12 at 7 p.m.
Council has the right to reject
any and all bids.
Also Tuesday, Council will
set dates for public hearings on
approximately 26 rezoning re-
quests in the city’s new ET] ar-
sioner now supporting merger, was absent.
A standing room only crowd applauded the
new commissioners’ action, and also gave a roar-
ing round of applause when County Manager
Lane Alexander announced that the county's
merger attorney, Gil Middlebrooks, had resigned
effective that date. The new commissioners had
indicated they would relieve Middlebrooks of his
duties if he did not voluntarily step aside.
Hawkins said the county has already paid
Middlebrooks over $200,000 to implement the
merger plan, and with the matter still held up in
courts because of lawsuits by the Kings Mountain
Board of Education and Kings Mountain parents,
the cost would only escalate. He pointed out that
the citizens” overwhelming support of the three
new commissioners was an indication that the
majority of the citizens oppose merger.
“Hawkins said the State Board's action should
also be rescinded because the previous County
See Merger, 5A
HB CHRISTMAS COMES TO KM
eas. more photos on page 5B.
Commercial property abounds in KM
there are several good choices
in Kings Mountain.
According to mayor Rick
Murphrey, the city works hard
to match relocating businesses
with properties that suit their
needs whether it be for a new or
BY ALAN HODGE
Staff Writer
With the influx of new busi-
ness and industry into Kings
Mountain, commercial real es-
tate availability is at the top of
many manager's minds. No
matter if a firm is seeking a new
structure or wanting to locate in
an older, existing building,
older place.
Grover Council
adopts fee policy
BY ALAN HODGE
Staff Writer
Business license fee chiselers in Grover could
get the hammer with a new policy adopted at
Monday's town council meeting.
“Some people haven't paid their city business
license fees while others have,” said mayor Bill
Favell. “We want everyone to be on the same
page.”
Licenses for businesses whose home mailing
address is in Grover must pay an annual fee. The
cost varies according to the type of operation and.
can range from $5 to $40. Fees are due by July 1 of
each year and run through June 30 of the follow-
ing year.
Grover city attorney Mickey Corry informed
council members concerning the state law on
“We are in constant contact
with various real estate agen-
cies and have a listing of avail-
able commercial properties in
Kings Mountain,” Murphrey
said. “We strive to match busi-
nesses with their property re-
quirements.”
Though a new building is of-
ten the way a company prefers
to go, many firms find that an
existing structure is better suit-
ed to their needs. The difference
sometimes hinges upon the
BS
GARY STEWART / THE HERALD
The Eden Gardens float was one of about 110 units in Saturday’s annual Kings Mountain
Christmas parade. Despite a steady drizzle that stopped right before the start of the parade,
and bitterly cold weather, the parade attracted one of its biggest crowds ever. See story and
physical space properties and
how they mesh with what type
of operation the firm has in
mind.
“An older building often
lends itself to an incubator busi-
ness which can locate there un-
til it actually needs more room,”
said Kings Mountain planning
and zoning director Steve
See Property, 5A
GARY STEWART / THE HERALD
Kings Mountain residents Tommy Bridges, Mary Accor and Ronnie Hawkins, left to right, take
tie oath of office as new Cleveland County Commissioners at Monday night's meeting in
helby.
McClain named
to School Board
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
The Kings Mountain Board of
~ Education Tuesday night ap-
pointed Terry McClain to fill the
unexpired term of Ronnie
Hawkins, who had to resign his
seat before taking the oath of of-
fice as a Cleveland County
Commissioner.
McClain, a 1979 graduate of
Kings Mountain High School
__and the father of two children
in the KM School District, will
take his oath of office at
Monday night's regular meet-
ing at 7 p.m. at Central School.
The School Board received 10
applications for the vacant out-
side city seat, which expires
next November. If Kings
Mountain wins its lawsuits
against school merger and re-
mains a separate school district,
filing for the November School
Board race will begin in June
and McClain’s seat, as well as
those of chairman Larry Allen
and vice-chairman Melony
Bolin, will be up for election.
McClain, contacted at his
home following the meeting,
said he was surprised to be se-
lected, but excited to begin his
duties.
“I hope that I can do what's
best for the Kings Mountain
School District, and do my best
to be fair in my decision mak-
ing,” he said.
McClain, who has worked for
PEARL HARBOR DAY
Rockwell Automation for 13
years, is a member of the Board
of Directors of the Kings
Mountain YMCA and is also ac-
tive in the Bethware and KM
Middle School PTOs. He is a
member of and Deacon at Mt.
Zion Baptist Church.
He and his wife, Sheila, have
two children, Brittnay and
Tiara.
He said he is against school
merger and hopes that the
County Commissioners’ efforts
to rescind the recent NC Board
of Education’s approval of the
merger plan is successful.
“I think that Kings Mountain
Schools, academic-wise, are
moving in the right direction,”
he said. “I think perfection
ought to be our goal, but we've
got some improving to do.
“I believe in being equal and
fair, and hope that people can
say that I was a fair and just
man in his decisions.”
Members of the School Board
applauded all 10 of the candi-
dates, saying all of them would
have been ideal board mem-
bers. They expressed a hope
that the nine that weren't cho-
sen will continue to support the
schools and consider running
for election to the Board next
year.
“It is really gratifying to see
this much interest,” said
Chairman Allen. “The support
See McClain, 5A
KM’s Willis King well remembers
the ‘date that will live in infamy’
BY ALAN HODGE
Staff Writer
To many people, Thursday, December 7 will be
simply one day away from the end of another
work week. To others, December 7 is forever
burned in their memories as the date when all
hell broke loose at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
No American who was alive on Sunday,
December 7, 1941 can ever forget where they
were when the radio crackled with the news that
the Japanese had attacked U.S. Navy ships at
Pearl Harbor. Addressing the nation, President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt called the strike “a
date that will live in infamy.”
Leading a 33 ship strike force, Japanese Vice
U.S. airplanes. Japanese loses were a handful of
airplanes and a midget submarine.
The phrase “Remember Pearl Harbor” became
a rallying cry for America. By the tens of thou-
sands, men and boys nationwide enlisted and
went forth to fight. One of the first to answer the
call to duty was Willis King of Kings Mountain.
“We went to Fort Bragg, then to Fort Jackson in
South Carolina,” King said. “From there we rode
a train to San Francisco and got on a ship bound
for Pearl Harbor.”
King was part of the U.S. Army’s 25th Division,
the “lightning division”. He was an artillerist on a
155 mm howitzer and would go on to see four
years of combat in places like Guadalcanal and
the Phillipines. The ship King and his buddies
business license fees and nonpayment penalties.
He also gave them a couple of options regarding
recourse for delinquents.
“ You can take civil action to restrain the busi-
ness or you could consider nonpayment as a class
III misdemeanor and issue a warrant,” Corry
said.
See Grover, 5A WILLIS KING
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Celebrating 125 Years
Kings Moutain
300 W. Mountain St.
739-4782
529 New Hope Road
Admiral Chuichi Nagumo launched 360 carrier-
based aircraft at Pearl Harbor in a surprise
Sunday morning attack. Incredulous Hawaiians
and Americans at Pearl Harbor at first though the
whole thing was an elaborate mock battle.
By the time the shooting was over, 2,388 people
at Pearl Harbor had been killed. Those wounded
amounted to another 2,000. In addition, 21 U.S.
Navy ships were sunk or destroyed as well as 300
Gastonia Shelby
865-1233 484-6200
106 S. Lafayette St.
were on was the first troop transport to steam in-
to Pearl Harbor after the attack. The memories of
what he saw then are still vivid.
“When we came into Pearl Harbor you could
see the sunken ships just under the surface,” King
said. “There were burned out airplane hangars
and all sorts of wreckage laying around.”
See King, 5A
Bessemer City
1225 Gastonia Hwy.
1629-3906
Member FDIC