Thursday, June 13, 2002
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Vol. 114 No. 24 Since 1889
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«rt Malpass
& Jody Griffin
More photos 9A
Fire
damages
Ruppe
Hosiery
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
A late Monday afternoon
fire extensively damaged
Ruppe Hosiery’s East Gold
Street plant in Kings
Mountain.
Jerry Ruppe, director of .
personnel and purchasing
for the family-owned busi-
ness, spotted the fire as he
was leaving work at 5 p.m.
He called the office and
alerted them, and at about
the same time the fire alarm
sounded at Kings Mountain
Fire Department.
Within minutes the fire
department was on the
scene but there was sub-
stantial damage to the front
of the building and to knit-
ting machines inside.
Kings Mountain fireman
John Wright said the alarm
sounded at KMFD at 5:03
p-m. He said the fire depart-
ment’s damage estimate
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
DEAL
Council approves
wastewater contract,
hearing for Y request
Kings Mountain City Council took action on two issues
during a special meeting last Thursday at City Hall.
“with the city of Gastonia and
It approved a new renegotiated contract for the Crowders
Creek Wastewater agreement
received an offer from the
“What you're doin
Kings Mountain branch of the al yo 9
Cleveland County YMCA for a IS taking the next
contract extension and expan- 10 councils out.”
sion plans.
Council approved receiving
the Y’s offer by a 4-2 vote and
will have a public hearing dur-
ing the July 30 regular council
meetin.
Councilman Carl DeVane left before the vote was taken
-Clavon Kelly on pro-
posed 20-year contract
with YMCA
was $400,000 but that is not
official.
. Company President Tony
Ruppe said he is waiting on
insurance adjusters to
and no motion was made concerning his leave.
Jim Guyton and Clavon Kelly voted no while Gene
White, Dean Spears, Howard Shipp and Rick Moore voted
for the offer.
Kelly said his reason for dissent was the council would
be making a decision for future councils.
See Deal, 7A
GARY STEWART
Kings Mountain and Bethlehem firemen battle a fire Monday afternoon at Ruppe .
Hosiery on East Gold Street. =~ -
KM Relay
$80,062 §
& growing @
3
See Fire, 7A
GATHERING
Pastors hope
services help
bring unity
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald - By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
Despite a sagging economy which has kept
Kings Mountain and Cleveland County
unemployment rates in double digits, Kings
Mountains annual Joseph R. Smith Relay for
Life Friday and Saturday at the Cleveland
Avenue Walking Track was the most success-
ful ever.
As of Monday morning, chairman Joyce
A small group of minis-
ters who meet weekly to
pray for the community
hope to see their dream for
racial unity begin coming to
reality during a special
series of services called
Roark said $80,062.81 had been raised and “The :
she expects the final total to be even higher. Gathering” 7
Kings Mountain's previous record was last next week AS
year’s total of $71,800. at Family
She credited the success to “the Good Worship
Lord” and the hard work of the Relay for Center Wil
Life committees and walking teams. Church of
“I think it was just everybody working God at
together,” she said. “With the economy like it 1818 Shelby
was people just worked harder and harder Road.
At 7 p.m. Monday
through Friday June 17-21,
churches of all denomina-
tions will come together for
a series of services in which
even the speaker won't be
known until his or her
name is drawn out of a hat.
Rev. Billy Houze, one of
about 12 pastors that meet
every Tuesday morning for
prayer, said the reason for
drawing a name will be to
show that “we are not try-
ing to buffer it on either
side. We're trying to put it
in place where those that
really want unity will be
there because they want to
be there, not because some-
one’s favorite speaker or
preacher will be there.”
The ministers have been
meeting for about five
years, according to Roger
Woodard, pastor of Family
Worship Center. It started
out with four pastors meet-
ing weekly to pray.
“It has grown to cross
with their fund raisers. We just had a deter-
mination that we weren't going to let the
economy drag us down.
“I'm just thrilled. I just thank the Good
Lord because I know He did it.”
GARY STEWART / HERALD
Ninety-four cancer survivors kicked off the annual Joseph R. Smith Relay for Life Friday at the
Cleveland Avenue Walking Track and helped Kings Mountain walking teams raise a record $80,000 for
the American Cancer Society. With at least two more fund-raising events scheduled before the official
end of the Relay events on July 15, the total is expected to climb even higher. More photos on 3A.
See Relay, 8A
KINGS MOUNTAIN PEOPLE
Preserving history dear to Brutko’s heart
By BEN LEDBETTER
Staff Writer
Shirley Allen, on East King Street
and that may have been one of the
things that led her to preservation.
Brutko and Allen were working
out of the Harmon House and
Allen was thinking about moving
the shop to her home.
“I told her she shouldn't do
that,” Brutko said about her discus-
sion then. “We were really trying to
figure out a place we could move
into and there was not anything
visible for her to move into at that
time.
3 needs and concerns in the
§ | community is something
Brutko has done - often on
# her own time.
Working on the
city’s mural commission
that saw the completion of
two downtown pieces and
1 moving a log cabin to
property close to the Kings
Mountain Historical
Museum are two of the
projects she has contributed time.
Brutko used to manage The
Christmas Emporium, along with
said. “There was a large
amount of time that I was
busy being a housewife,
mother and part time
worker.”
Her oldest daughter is 35
and her youngest is 19 and
now Brutko said she has
more time for the things
she likes.
“I have a little more time
on my hands to do some of BRUTKO
the things that I've always wanted
to be involved with,” she said.
Addressing what she sees as
For Kings Mountain's Shirley
Brutko historical preservation has
been a cause she has devoted a lot
of time.
While it has been a cause dear to
her, she hasn’t always had the time
to work on it.
That may have helped fuel
Brutko’s future enthusiasm.
“What keeps me going is the fact
that I stayed home for years and
years and raised children,” she
See Brutko, 8A
See Unity, 7A
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