charged
with bank
robbery
A Kings Mountain man has been arrested on a
charge of robbery with a dangerous weapon in
connection with a bank robbery on Thursday.
First National Bank, 300 West Mountain Street,
Kings Mountain, was robbed of an undisclosed
amount of cash shortly after lunch.
Arrested on Friday afternoon at his home on
Castle Court near Kings Mountain was 30-year-old
Larry J. Chapman. He was jailed in Cleveland
County Detention Center under a $100,000 secured
bond. i
According to Det. Shane Davis of the Kings
Mountain Police Department, a white male in his
late 20's to early 30’s entered the bank at 12:35 p.m.
and passed a note to a teller advising “this is a rob-
bery.”
According to Davis, the suspect fled in a dark
blue, 4-door late model Chevrolet Lumina. No
injuries were reported.
Davis and Officer Chris Moore of KMPD, along
with three Cleveland County deputies, made the
arrest about 5:48 p.m. Friday.
Davis said Chapman was a suspect in another
case KMPD was working on and that he and his
car matched the descriptions given by witnesses at
the bank.
Davis said he has been in contact with the FBI
and they are planning on charging Chapman
under federal statutes.
KINGS MOUNTA
The Heral
Vol. 114 No. 14
Since 1889
50 Cents
Samantha Lane, left and her daughter Cayla read one day in their Kings Mountain
home. Cayla has mitochondrial disease, which inhibits energy production in the
body.
Family searches far and wide
for help with daughter's disease
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
One Kings Mountain child has been
battling a series of diseases since birth
which has almost stretched her family
thin financially.
Cayla Lane has had seizures since she
was 18 months old and a urinary tract
infection since birth, family members
said. She also may have mitochondrial
So far the family has seen doctors at
Duke University, Wake Forest and in
Atlanta.
The results from the recent Atlanta
appointment are expected to be mailed,
and during an interview at the Lane's
home, Cayla’s mother Samantha went to
check the mail hoping the results would
be in there.
“We're anxious to hear what the
results of the test are,” Cayla’s grand-
BEN LEDBETTER / THE HERALD
In addition to being charged with robbery with a
dangerous weapon in connection with the bank
incident, Davis said Shapes was charged with
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See Robbery, 5A
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© KINGS MOUNTAIN PEOPLE
disease, a sickness which keeps the body
from producing a certain level of energy.
Cayla is a second grade student at
mother Anne Fortenberry said.
The one-day doctors visit in Atlanta
cost $11,638.
.
See Cayla, 5A
Joyce Hord has been serving up
good food in KM schools since ‘65
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
For Kings Mountain High School
Cafeteria Manager Joyce Hord, it all
started in 1965.
That is when a friend asked her to be
a PTA mother at Parkgrace School.
After managing cafeterias at other
schools within the Kings Mountain
school district, she became manager of
the new Kings Mountain High School
cafeteria.
One of the vital parts of a school is a
cafeteria, Hord said.
“They can’t open a school without a
cafeteria,” she said.
And through the many years she has
worked in Kings Mountain, Hord has
liked her job. ;
“I enjoy it,” she said. “I always
Red Cross coming to
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
The Red Cross will be coming back to Kings
Mountain.
Although the office in Shelby has served
Cleveland County since the Kings Mountain
Chapter merged with Shelby in the 1960s, Red
Cross officials believe a Kings Mountain presence
will help provide better services.
Cleveland County Red Cross Director Rick
Dancy said the former Kings Mountain chapter
opened in 1917 and merged with Shelby in the
1960's.
The chapter will be housed in the old Herald
Building behind Kings Mountain Baptist Church
and is expected to cost approximately $125,000.
“Kings Mountain is a growth area of the coun-
ty,” Dancy said. “Being closer to the people who
want the services is certainly part of it.”
But while many satellite offices of organizations
tend to be smaller and offer less services, this one
will be different.
The Kings Mountain office will have everything
offices from Shelby to Los Angeles have, Dancy
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Celebrating 128 Year
worked when the children were in
school and was out when they were
out.”
When she started in the school sys-
tem each school cooked its own food,
then centralization started during her
time. at East Elementary.
But one thing has not changed.
The high school still cooks its own
food plus food for Davidson Alternative
School.
The cafeteria has also seen good par-
ticipation and variety, Hord said.
Previously, students had what was on
one line, but now they can choose
between that and other choices like a
fast food line that serves hamburgers.
Another change she has seen is the
use of computers.
Teachers used to send their classroom
See Hord, 5A
said.
Some of the services available in Kings
Mountain will be a blood collection center, health
and safety classrooms and is expected to be oper-
ational six to eight hours a day.
One of the ways it will be staffed is with volun-
teers.
Rose said.
ing is ahead of schedule.
“We're getting now to where it’s carpet and
paint time soon,” Dancy said.
A vehicle for responding to disasters will also
be housed at the Kings Mountain office and will
save an estimated 15-30 minutes on response
times in the southern part of the county.
This will be a convenience to residents in Kings
Mountain and Grover, Program Director Claudia
“They won't have to come all the way over
here to register for classes,” she said.
The Red Cross expects to be in the new build-
ing by the first of July and Dancy said the build-
And while the county chapter looks to establish
itself, it is also seeking a new office in Shelby to
replace the one on Patton Dr. and E. Graham.
Kings Mountain
300 W. Mountain St.
704-739-4782
BEN LEDBETTER / THE HERALD
Veteran Kings Mountain High School Cafeteria
Manager Joyce Hord stores bread Friday morning.
i 3 ee
wanted to su
Jack Ruth
to be inducted
into Kings Mountain
Sports Hall of Fame
1B.
County
A possible move by
Michigan-based Blachford RP
Corporation gathered more sup-
port Tuesday during the
Cleveland County Board of
Commissioners meeting when
the board set the date of April
16 at 6 p.m. for a public hearing
to decide whether to industrial
incentive grants to the company.
According to a proposed legal
advertisement furnished during
Tuesday’s meeting, the compa-
ny will bring 80 new full time
jobs over the next three years.
With the new jobs that it’s
expected to bring, Blachford is
expected to invest $4,900,000.
The company would locate in
the former Wix/Dana Building,
707 Broadview Drive, Kings
Mountain.
Blachford is expected to com-
plete renovation of the facility
and installation of new equip-
ment by December.
_ While Blachford’s move may
be getting closer, County
‘Attorney Bob Yelton said anoth-
er company may be coming to
the Cleveland County Industrial
elton read from a letter from
inal Health that said it |
to Owens & Minor, a medical
sigsicomment. sis
blease the building
may
offer incentive
for company to
locate in KM
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
equipment distributor.
While still not official,
Economic Development
Commission Director Steve Nye
said the company could bring
more than 50 jobs to the county.
Commissioners approved the
sublease request.
In other business, members of
the recently formed district rep-
resentation study committee
were at Tuesday's meeting to
discuss its first meeting.
“I think there may have been
some confusion,” Commissioner
Mary Accor said about the first
meeting which had Attorney
Michael Crowell talk about the
background of the issue. “It’s
just simply whether or not the
people of Cleveland County
want district representation.”
Commissioners Chairman
Willie McIntosh said the com-
mittee has the opportunity to
find out if the county residents
want to change the way com-
missioners are elected.
“The main thing is to get this
out in the open to the public,”
he said.
Committee member Dean
Westmoreland mentioned send-
ing mail to residents seeking
~The comm
uled meeting is April 11.
Shriners want use
of old KM Depot
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
One vacant building in Kings
Mountain has been getting
attention from several area
organizations looking to move.
The former depot on North
Piedmont Avenue previously
housed the city of Kings
Mountain's Department of
Aging for over 25 years.
When the new $3.1 million
facility on East King Street was
completed recently, that left the
building without a primary
occupant.
Late last year, the Southern
Arts Society expressed interest
in using the facility without any
city funds last year.
Another Kings Mountain club
has recently voiced its interest
in the building. ;
In a letter addressed to the
city on March 25, the White
Plains Shrine Club said it would
also not seek any city funds for
the building and would per-
form maintenance on it.
Currently the club has met at
the Masonic Lodge in Kings
- Mountain.
“If we get it, we would take ..
care of it,” White Plains Shrine
Club President Gilbert Brazzell
said.
See Depot, 5A
Cross office. The organization will be using the old Herald Building on Piedmont Avenue.
Gastonia
529 New Hope Road
704-865-1233
106 S. Lafayette St.
Shelby
704-484-6200
Bessemer City
1225 Gastonia Hwy.
704-629-3906
Member FDIC §
ittee’s next sched:
: BEN LEDBETTER / THE HERALD
Ricardo Thurman, left, and Jim Stamey hammer nails into boards at the new Cleveland County Red
a