Thursday, April 18, 2002
Vol: 114 No. 16
KINGS MOUNTAIN
Since 1889
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50 Cents
Hall of
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
The 15th annual Kings
Mountain Sports Hall of Fame
dinner and induction ceremony
will be held Tuesday, April 23 at
Kings Mountain High School.
Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. in
the cafeteria. The induction cer-
emony will begin at 7:15 in B.N.
Barnes Auditorium.
Four men will be inducted
this year, bringing the total
number of inductees to 46 indi-
viduals and six teams.
Inductees include former
KMHS football players Jerry
Adams, Jack Ruth and Calvin
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
U.S. Senator John Edwards made his sec-
ond trip to Cleveland County this year with
Tuesday’s appearance at Shelby’s Cleveland
Community College.
During the visit, Edwards announced an
economic revitalization plan to provide help
KM resident wants
city to correct
drainage problem
to laid off workers, assist communities
impacted by an economic slowdown with
new investment sources and foster a new
approach to foreign trade.
Edwards’ plan would also require new
negotiating goals for America’s trade agree-
ments concerning textile and apparel com-
panies. Another clause in the senator’s plan
includes automatic qualification for workers
BEN LEDBETTER / THE HERALD
United States Senator John Edwards answers questions during Monday’s news conference at Cleveland Community College.
Edwards promises help with economy
under the Trade Adjustment Assistance pro-
gram. Currently, it can take at least 90 days
before workers could qualify.
Also part of Edwards’ visit was a panel of
three county residents that included Shelby
Mayor Mike Philbeck, Cleveland
Community College official Rosaline Hunt
and former Cleveland CaroKnit employee
See Edwards 5A
Stephens, and the
Mountaineers’ all-time leading
scorer in men’s basketball,
Butch Blalock.
In addition, three teams and
one individual from Kings
Mountain High will be recog-
nized for their athletic achieve-
ments during the past year. The
men’s swim and basketball
teams will receive Special
Achievement Awards for win-
ning the Southwestern Foothills
‘women’s volleyball team will. .
receive a Special Recognition
plaque for winning the State
Conference championship. The
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
Two drainage problems exist
in Kings Mountain, and one has
a resident wanting the situation
repaired.
Betty Jean Merritt says she
has had a problem with a
drainage ditch for almost 40
years.
She said a ditch on her prop-
erty on Ramseur Street carries
water from four areas, which
she says may harm her home.
City Engineer Al Moretz said
the drainage problem is caused
by rain and not water from city
what I'm going to do about the
erosion.”
She said the ditch has grown
from something she could walk
across to an area with the depth
of a swimming pool.
The area, which can be
accessed from an adjacent prop-
erty, has trees where roots are
exposed.
Furniture and debris was also
in the ditch, which she said was
put there by previous residents
of a neighboring home.
She spoke during the March
city council meeting about the
matter.
Another drainage problem
lines. exists on Hillside Drive, but
“The fact is it’s washing my
house and my pool away,”
Merritt said. “I don’t know
Kings Mountain officials said
they are two different matters.
See Drainage, 5A
a
BEN LEDBETTER /THE HERALD
Kings Mountain crusade ends tonight
sEN LEDBETTER / THE HERALD
Evangelist Clyde Dupin speaks to a crowd during
opening night of his crusade Sunday at Donald L.
Parker Gymnasium on the campus of Kings
Mountain High School. The final service of the
crusade begins at 7:27 p.m. Thursday.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Celetrating 128 Years
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
With the sound of a trio singing the Clyde Dupin
Crusade opened its five day-run in Kings Mountain
Sunday at Kings Mountain High School’s Donald L.
Parker Gymnasium. :
The crusade is the second time in 15 years Dr.
Dupin has been in Kings Mountain and his sermon on
Sunday centered on new beginnings.
One of the stories he told was during a crusade in
Russia when his staff was handing out Bibles. Dupin
said people clung to them.
“They would take that Bible and hold it to their
bosom,” he said.
Dupin also tied his topic into another story about a
friend’s relative who died suddenly with no known
illness and said “nobody can predict when they will
die.”
And while he called the United States a great land,
it is not perfect, Dupin said.
Certain elements he categorized as multicultural
ism, pluralism and a lottery have worked to harm
Kings Mountain
300 W. Mountain St.
704-739-4782
Gastonia
529 New Hope Road
704-865-1233
society, he said.
Although the nation and its people may not be per-
fect, he said, tonight could be a new start.
“Ladies and gentlemen tonight can be a new begin-
ning for you,” Dupin said after telling a story about a
woman who picked up a boy who had been hitchhik-
ing.
She woman took him to a crusade and the boy was
later given a home. Later, he went to a Bible college to
study for the ministry.
At the conclusion of the service several counselors
came forward to talk with people who answered
Dupin’s invitation.
Attendees of the crusade’s first night said the event
will help the community.
“I think it will help a lot of people. I really do,” Bill
Sellers said.
Barbara Bocholis, from High Point, said this was the
first time she had heard Dupin preach.
“I feel he’s very sincere and very good at saying
what he wants to say,” she said. “My prayers are with
him that somebody can get saved.”
See Crusade, 5A
Shelby
106 S. Lafayette St.
704-484-6200
Furniture is part of the contents of a drainage ditch on Betty Jean Merritt’s Ramseur St. property.
Merritt wants the City of Kings Mountain to repair the ditch, which she says has grown to the
depth of a swimming pool over the years.
induction set
Tuesday night
AAA championship, and volley-
ball star Shonda Cole will
receive a Special Recognition
Award for being named the
North Carolina High School
Volleyball Player of the Year.
In addition, four deserving
KMHS seniors will receive $500
scholarships. Two scholarships
are given by the City of Kings
Mountain, one by the KMHS
Booster Club, and one by Carl
and Pat Champion in honor of
Hall of Fame President Gary
Stewart.
Adams was a three-sport
standout for the Mountaineers
in the late 1950s and early
1960s. He was an All-State line-
man in football and went on to
play four years at Western
Carolina University. He spent
over 20 years in coaching on the
high school level. His 1978 East
Gaston High football team won
the Southwestern 3A
Conference championship and
his 1979 East Gaston baseball
team won the Western N.C.
championship. He is now prin-
cipal of Bessemer City Primary
School.
Ruth was also a three-sport
standout for the Mountaineers
and was quarterback of the
See Hall, 5A
- Former mayor
to receive award
at Scout dinner
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
Former Mayor John Henry
Moss and the City of Kings
Mountain will be honored at
the annual Friends of Scouting
dinner Monday, April 22 at 7
p-m. at First Baptist Church
Christian Ministry Center.
Moss will receive the Rev. Dr.
Charles Bell Award for his lead-
ership during 23 years as
Mayor of the City, and his con-
tributions to Scouting during
that time.
The City will
also be recog- |
nized for con-
tinuing the
support of
Scouting that
Moss began
during his
administration.
Admission to |
the dinner and
awards cere-
mony is free.
Anyone wishing to attend may
call Ronnie Hawkins at 739-
2591 or 739-7078.
The dinner recognizes the
92nd anniversary of Boy
Scouting in Kings Mountain.
Moss, who served as mayor
from 1965-1988, instituted the
Boy Scout Day in Government
in 1967. The program has run
continuously since then.
One day a year, Boy Scouts
are invited to City Hall to see
first-hand how government
works. Scouts are assigned to
city leaders such as the mayor,
police chief, fire chief, public
works director, etc., and spend
the entire day “on the job.”
Through the years the City
has also supported Boy Scout
activities at city-owned
Davidson Lake, the site of the
Kings Mountain Boy Scout
Camp. J.O. and M.L. Plonk
See Moss, 5A
JOHN MOSS
Bessemer City
1225 Gastonia Hwy.
704-629-3906
Member FDIC