Thursday, May 2, 2002
School
merger
on hold
again
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
Cleveland County school
merger is on hold again
after the Kings Mountain
Board of Education won a
temporary injunction
Friday from the North
Carolina Court of Appeals
to stop the U.S. Justice
Department from ruling on
preclearance.
The Justice Department
had planned on issuing its
decision on Monday. It
began its 60-day review
process on March 1 after
receiving a letter from the
attorney for the Cleveland
County Board of Education
stating that there were no
more stays or injunctions in
the court cases.
Attorney Bob Yelton sent
a follow-up letter to the
DOJ advising it that there
was still an appeal pending
in the NC Court of Appeals,
but the DOJ said it would
continue its review.
However, after receiving
word Friday that the NC
Court of Appeals had
issued a 10-day injunction,
the DOJ sent word to the
Kings Mountain School
Board's attorney, Brian . ay a
-. Shaw, that it would fonor
the decision by the Appesls
Court.”
That 10-day injunction
period will end on Monday,
May 6 unless Shaw is suc-
cessful in getting a perma-
nent injunction. The
Appeals Court panel is
scheduled to hear the case
in the fall.
During the 10-day period
the NC Attorney General's
office, which represents the
State Board of Education in
the case, will have an
opportunity to rebut Kings
Mountain's plea for a per-
manent injunction.
According to Kings
Mountain Supt. of Schools,
Larry Allen, if the Attorney
General's office reacts to the
decision the Appeals Court
judges would hear both
sides of the issue and make
a decision on a permanent
injunction.
Kings Mountain also
recently sought an injunc-
tion in Cleveland County
Superior Court. According
See Merger, 3A
Vol. 114 No. 18
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BEN LEDBETTER 2/ THE HERALD
Ashley Hamrick was crowned Miss Kings Mountain Saturday at the Joy Performance
Center.
Hamrick crowned Miss KM
in first pageant since 1967
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
It has been a while, but Kings Mountain
has done something that hasn’t been done
since 1967 - crowned a Miss Kings
Mountain.
And the winner of the Miss Kings
Mountain Pageant Saturday at the Joy
Performance Center is Ashley Marie
Hamrick. She is the daughter of Howard
and Lori Hamrick of Kings Mountain.
Saturday was the second pageant she
had competed in. The first was at last
year’s Cleveland County Fair.
“Excitement, joy, just pure happiness
basically,” Hamrick said were her initial
feelings after being crowned. “Because this
is the first pageant I've ever won and the
second one I've ever entered.”
Having fun and trying something differ-
ent were the reasons she said she compet-
ed in the fair pageant.
And since her competition experience
was little, she was surprised to be chosen
as Saturday’s winner.
“I didn’t even think I would make any
of the runner-up or be crowned at all,” she
said.
With her title, Hamrick, a Kings
Mountain High senior, will be a represen-
tative at community functions and will
also receive a $500 scholarship for college.
She plans on attending Gaston College
in Dallas to study neonatal nursing and
hopes to work in pediatrics at a Charlotte
hospital.
In Kings Mountain, she has been a
cheerleader at KMHS and works at the
YMCA. She has also done certified nurs-
ing assistant work at White Oak Manor.
Calls looking for beauty pageants in the
area is why Laurie Mancuso decided to
revive the city event.
See Miss KM, 3A
City Council
gives approval
to preliminary
2002-03 budget
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
During a second state budg
across the state are expected
to have cuts for next year.
Kings Mountain is no dif-
ferent.
The preliminary budget of
$25,487,931 for the upcoming
fiscal year was approved
Tuesday during the April
Kings Mountain City Council
meeting.
A public hearing will be
held during the May 28 Kings
Mountain City Council meet-
ing, after which the budget
may be adopted.
The draft will be on public
display at Kings Mountain
City Hall and Mauney
Memorial Library for 30 days.
The General Fund income
for the next year is expected
to be down about one million
dollars and that’s after transfe
et crunch city county budgets
$25.4 million
budget draft
is on public
display for
30 days at
City Hall and
Mauney
Memorial
Library.
rs from three different funds
that included a $639,365 shift from the gas fund, a $930 shift
in the electric fund and a $72,382 shift from an item called
Powell Bill Salaries.
This year’s gas transfer is d
tric fund transfer remains the
own from last year’s, the elec-
same while the Powell Bill
salaries transfer will have a recommended increase of
$1,419.
The non-departmental sect
have few changes.
ion of the general fund will
While the city has continued not to budget any items for
scholarships, it has earmarked $300,000 for contracted serv-
ices.
See Budget, 5A
City lowers gas
transportation rate
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
Kings Mountain City
Council granted Spectrum
Dyed Yarns a reduced gas
transportation rate during
its meeting Tuesday.
The company’s new rate
will be 90 cents instead of
$1.30 and other stipulations
will be required for any
other companies looking for
the same rate.
Originally Spectrum
wanted an 85 cent rate, and
with the reduced rate it will
agree to stay on gas regard-
less of ‘other fuel prices.
A written agreement will
allow the company to lock
in its gas price for 12
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer ° ;
, Kyle Smith has seen three
wars from a perspective
many people may not think
about.
Smith joined the U.S.
Navy and was involved in
part of World War II, The
Korean War and Vietnam.
He was drafted while he
was attending Marshall
University in his native
West Virginia.
“So I thought instead of
going in the army, I'd try
the navy because my dad
was in the navy and my
KINGS MOUNTAIN PEOPLE
dad got shot up on Iwo retirement.”
Kyle Smith served in parts of
In Korea, he worked on
Jima,” Smith said. “So I The possibility of an an aircraft carrier as a per-
thought I would just go in early retirement also sonnel official. He served
the navy and follow in his appealed to Smith. on two different aircraft
footsteps.” During his time in World carriers, the USS
Smith said he had not War II, the fighting had Independence and the USS
decided what he wanted to stopped in 1945, the year = Enterprise.
major in at college and
thought military duty
would clear it, but that was
not the case.
“I thought that after a
four year tour of duty my
mind might be more clear,”
he said. “But when the four
years were up, I still didn’t
know. I just signed up
again for six, and you're
halfway home then to
Working on an aircraft
carrier was ideal for work-
ing at sea, he said.
He was later assigned to
a distribution center in
Norfolk, Va. There he
placed people on ships
going to Korea and during
part of Vietnam.
Placing people on ships
before he entered the war,
but all the countries did not
sign needed paperwork.
People who were
involved in the war in 1946
were considered veterans
until all the paperwork was
signed, Smith said.
“I got quite an educa-
tion,” he said. “I got an
education that I couldn’t
afford.” See Smith, 5A
3 wars
FIRST NATIONAL BANK Kings Mountain
300 W. Mountain St.
Celebrating 128 Years
Gastonia
529 New Hope Road
704-739-4782 704-865-1233
Shelby
106 S. Lafayette St.
704-484-6200
months.
Any large gas user would
also be able to get the
reduced rate if met qualifi-
cations. ;
“We're not just doing this
for Spectrum,” council
member Dean Spears said.
While Spectrum was look-
ing for a reduced rate, coun-
cil member Gene White
wanted to give city employ-
ees a two percent cost of liv-
ing adjustment, which
* would go with another three
percent bonus.
“They are the people that
make our job easier and
reduce our phone calls,”
White said praising the
employees.
See Gas, 5A
Commissioner
Harry dies
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
John Harry worked with
his brother, Charlie, at the
family business, Grover
Industries on Laurel
Avenue.
But John
said his
brother was
more than
an employ-
ee at the
plant. He
was some-
one to go to
for suggest-
ing ideas
and for
talking about problems or
other issues.
See Harry, 5A
HARRY
Bessemer City
1225 Gastonia Hwy.
704-629-3906
Member FDIC
aden)