Thursday, July 19, 2001
KINGS MOUNTAIN
The Heral
Vol. 113 No. 29
Since 1889
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50 Cents
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Candice Mayes is 2001 Queen
of the Bethware Fair.
Bethware
Fair opens
Tuesday
The 54th annual Bethware
Fair will be held July 24-28 on
the grounds of Bethware
Elementary Scho] near Kings
Mountain.
The event will run from 6-11
p.m. Tuesday through Friday,
and 3-11 p.m. on Saturday.
This will be the biggest
Bethware Fair ever and will
feature over 20 rides provided
by Smoky Mountain
Amusements. In addition,
there will be plenty of food
and games for all ages and
over 1,500 exhibits.
Outdoor exhibits will in-
clude modern and antique’
farm equipment, and exhibits
© inside the school gymnasium
will range from arts and crafts
to antiques, farm produce, and
exhibits from children in"
grades kindergarten through
fifth grade.
Entries for general exhibits
will be accepted Monday, July
23 from 9 a.m.-8 p.m., and
Tuesday, July 24, from 9 a.m.-6
p.m. They will be judged on
Wednesday, July 25 and will
be released on Saturday, July
28 at 7 p.m.
Candice Annette Mayes, a
fifth grade student at
Bethware Elementary and
daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Kelly Mayes, will be the Fair
Queen.
The fair has been sponsored
since its beginning by the
Bethware Progressive Club.
Craig Mayes is President and
Glenn Hicks and Marshall
Jones are Fair managers.
Supervisor of exhibits is Ruby
McKinney.
White Plains Shrine Club
will be in charge of parking,
which is $3 per car. Admission
te the fair is free.
“The Bethware Progressive
Club continues to strive for a
fair that features the talents of
people from throughout the
community; a fair that pro-
vides wholesome family enter-
tainment; and a fair that bene-
fits the community by
"returning the proceeds back to
the needs in the community,”
Mayes said.
Mayes gives credit for the
Fair's tremendous success
over the years to the
Progressive Club members
and volunteers.
“The fair does not just hap-
pen,” he said. “It takes much
planning and work to bring
about a week of rides, games,
exhibits, food and everything
that makes the fair a fair. With
that in mind we thank every-
one who contributes to the
continued success and opera-
tion of the fair.
“We hope this edition of the
Bethware Community Fair
will be the best ever.”
Lincolnton man dies at Buffalo Creek
Family blames police, police say they went ‘beyond the call’ of duty
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
An autopsy and toxicology
tests have been ordered on a
Lincolnton man who died
shortly after being pulled from
the muddy waters of Buffalo
Creek at Moss Lake Sunday af-
ternoon.
Kings Mountain Police ruled
the death of Grover Hatcher Jr.,
53, of Lincolnton as drowning
but family members claimed in
~ a Shelby newspaper that law
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
She did not get to go to space,
but she was close.
Kings Mountain Middle
School Science Teacher Julia
Clore-Laurich spent six days in
Huntsville, Ala. at the National
Aeronautics and Space
Administration’s Space
Academy Summer Educator
Program which was at its space
camp on July 10-15.
Clore-Laurich, the only one
from Cleveland County to go,
was selected by the Kings
Mountain Rockwell office.
Rockwell paid her expenses to
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Celebrating 127 Years
enforcement officials stood by
and didn’t do enough to save
him. County Coroner Ralph
Mitchem is holding off on list-
ing an official cause of death
until he hears from the autopsy
report, which could take seven
days. The toxicology report will
be done at the office of the State
Medical Examiner in Chapel
Hill and may not be released for
several months.
Lt. Derek Johnson, who is
heading the investigation for
the KMPD, contradicts the fam-
ily’s claim, saying KMPD Lake
Officer Harold Parker and State
Highway Patrol Trooper J.E.
Deaton “went above and be-
yond the call of duty.”
Johnson said Hatcher and his
son, Bobby Eugene Hatcher, 24,
of 331 St. Lukes Church Road,
Kings Mountain, were at a re-
stricted area of the creek owned
by the City of Kings Mountain
near Doran Yarn on Highway
150. That area of the creek,
which feeds into Moss Lake, is
posted for no swimming, no
GARY STEWART / THE HERALD
David Cooper, left, and Robbie Chapman of Fountain Electric of Spindale drill 15-
feet deep hole at John Gamble Stadium, where new lights are being installed this
week. The light project, which is costing $100,000, includes underground wiring
and will be completed in time for the high school football season which begins
August 18 with the Cleveland County Jamboree.
Space Explorer
KM teacher participates
in unique Space Camp
attend space camp.
“I jumped on it with both
feet,” Clore-Laurich said.
“Because it would be a once in a
lifetime opportunity.”
Sone of the activities that she
participated in were simulated
missions, simulated astronaut
training, classroom work and
lectures.
The “ Exploring Space: the
Classroom Connection” consist-
ed of 40 hours of intensive
classroom, laboratory and train-
ing time focusing on space sci-
ence and space exploration.
Instructional techniques were
See Space, 3A
Kings Mountain
300 W. Mountain St.
704-739-4782
said.
took the young
sand.
Judges
appeal
Wake suits
to be heard
next week
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
A three judge panel of the
North Carolina Court of
Appeals dismissed the appeal
the Kings Mountain District
Schools filed against a
“Cleveland Courity Superior
Court ruling which involved
the Board of Commissioners
Tuesday in Raleigh.
Raleigh lawyer Brian Shaw,
who has been one of the Kings
Mountain merger attorneys,
said the case was dismissed be-
cause it appealed an intermedi-
ate judgment and not a final
ruling.
Shaw said the exception to
that rule is if filing an interme-
diate ruling would affect a sub-
stantial right.
An issue to decide now, Shaw
said, is if the proposed merger
affects any substantial rights.
“We filed the appeal because
the merger would affect a sub-
stantial right,” Shaw said. “But
the indication is that merger
will never occur because both
parties are opposed to merger.”
The appeal was filed after
Cleveland County Superior
Court judge Oliver Noble de-
nied the preliminary injunction
against the school merger.
When the appeal was filed,
See Appeal, 12A
BEN LEDBETTER/THE HERALD
Kings Mountain Middle School Teacher Julia
Clore-Laurich poses in a spacesuit she re-
ceived from the Summer Educator program at
NASA's Space Camp In Huntsville, Ala.
Gastonia
529 New Hope Road
704-865-1233
Shelby
fishing and no alcohol, Johnson
Johnson said Officer Parker
was on routine patrol when he
discovered the Hatchers’ auto-
mobile stuck in the sand near
the creek. Johnson said Parker
actually offered assistance and
* location on Highway 150 to call
for someone to come and help
them get their car out of the
Johnson said Parker brought
Hatcher back to the scene, and
106 S. Lafayette St.
704-484-6200
as he was getting information
from the two Grover Hatcher
got out of the car.
“He advised Mr. Hatcher to
get back in the car, and he made
a comment to Officer Parker
and just started walking out in-
to the water,” Johnson said
Parker had called for back-
up, and Trooper Deaton arrived
at the scene about that time.
“Mr. Hatcher goes under the
water, and obviously he is
See Creek, 2A
ger Hatcher to a
dismiss KM
against CC
Barnette appointed
to KM School Board
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
The Gaston County
area of Kings Mountain
“that has been the key ar-
gument in Kings
Mountain District
Schools’ fight against
merger got its first repre-
sentative on the Board of
Education Monday
morning when the Board
named Trace Barnette of
Alpine Drive to fill the
unexpired term of At-
Large member Melony
Bolin.
Mrs. Bolin, whose seat is up in November, re-
. signed recently because of health reasons.
Barnette is the third person appointed to the
Board since last November when Ronnie
Hawkins resigned after being elected to the
Cleveland County Board of Commissioners. Terry
McClain was appointed to fill his term, which al-
so ends in November.
Jerry Blanton joined the Board in March after
Dr. Larry Allen, who held the other outside city
seat, resigned to become Superintendent of
Schools.
Barnette, who has lived in Kings Mountain for
13 years, said he isn’t sure yet if he will run for
the At-Large seat in November, but he looks for-
ward to joining the Board. He will be sworn in at
a special meeting Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Central
School. ’
“I feel like this is a great opportunity to serve -
the community,” Barnette said. “I'm real interest-
ed in our young people getting a great educa-
tion.”
Barnette and his wife, Myra, are active in the
East Elementary School PTO. They have three
See Barnette, 3A
Pedestrian killed
on US 74 Bypass
A pedestrian was killed Sunday afternoon
when he walked into US Highway 74 Bypass to
retrieve a necklace that he had dropped.
Christopher Lee Baker, 20, of 304-1 Long
Branch Road, died at approximately 6:48 p.m.
when he was struck by a car driven by Beverly
Earley Ward of Forest City:
According to Kings Mountain Police Officer
Brian S. Biletnikoff, witnesses said Baker was
walking west in the grass median near NC
Highway 216. Biletnikoff said Baker ran across
the westbound lane of traffic on U.S. 74 to the
northern shoulder of the roadway. As he crossed
the roadway, Biletnikoff said he dropped a neck-
lace. He ran back into the westbound lanes of
traffic to retrieve the necklace, and was struck by
Ward's vehicle.
Two other vehicles driven by Sherry Ledbetter
of Ellenboro and Lindsay Black of Arden collided
while trying to avoid the accident. Damages to
their vehicles were $1,500 and $4,000 respectively.
The funeral for Baker was held Wednesday at
Clover, SC Church of God.
BARNETTE
Bessemer City
1225 Gastonia Hwy.
704-629-3906 J
Member FDIC ]