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December 5, 2002
Band concert slated
The Kings Mountain Middle School 8th grade and the
Kings Mountain High School 9th grade and 10-12 Blazer
bands will present their annual winter concert Thursday,
December 12 at 7:30 p.m. in B.N. Barnes Auditorium.
The concert is free and open to the public. A donation will
be collected for the continued support of the band pro-
grams.
Holiday trashpick up schedule
The trash pick up schedule for the week of Christmas
(DEC. 23-27) for the City of Kings Mountain is as follows:
Monday and Tuesday's pick up will be on Monday, Dec.
23. Wednesday's pick up will be on Thursday, Dec. 26.
Thursday's pick up will be on Friday, Dec. 27.
City offices will be closed on Monday through
Wednesday.
YARBRO
From 1A
and it’s made a big difference as far as State accountability
and test scores.
“And the students are giving a good effort,” he added.
“I'm proud of the kids. That's the key to success, working
hard on a consistent basis.”
Jackie Lavender, Principal of Grover School, was the dis-
trict’s 2001-02 Principal of the year.
This is the 20th year that Wachovia Bank has sponsored
the awards, according to Phil Weathers, Director of Student
Services for KM District Schools. The regional Principal of
the Year will receive $1,500 for their school and $1,500 for
personal use. The State Principal of the Year will receive
$3,000 for the school and $3,000 for personal use.
ABIGAIL
From 4A
Yet so often in our history, the Jewish people have been
without a country. Granted, not everyone in Israel and
IPalestine is Jewish. Both of my friends are messianic Jews.
The organization, Seeds of Peace (www.seedsofpeace.org),
is empowering the children of these war-torn countries to
reject war and embrace peace. The only way to end a war is
to impress on the young people of these nations that they
do not have to live as their parents do. They can know a
different world, where people of different backgrounds can
live as neighbors and as friends.
Perhaps as we approach our own holiday seasons, we will
remember those who are not as lucky as we are. We live in
a nation that knows peace, at least relatively speaking.
Perhaps we will pray for those who have never known
peace and give thanks that we have.
JIM
From 4A
statements are false. Reading in a dimly lit room won't do
any harm; but’ g good fighting will preventeye fatigueand ' nioo
dtching televisiorowen‘t harm a pers! |
make read hg ‘easier
son’s eyes, even if that person is too close to the tube.
Research does show that kids who consistently watch for
more than 10 hours a week tend to be overweight, aggres-
sive and slower to learn in school. That bears out my pet
theory that the shows on TV today, will rot your brain.
If you cross your eyes, theyll stay that way. Not true.
Only about four percent of children in the U.S. have strabis-
mus, a disorder in which the eyes are misaligned, giving the
appearance that they’re looking in different directions. Eye
crossing does not lead to the disorder.
Cracking your knuckles will cause arthritis. That, too, is
an old wives tale, although cracking your knuckles can
cause them to swell and decrease your grip strength. So
don’t crack your knuckles.
Ill bet you can come up with dozens more. Think about
it, and in the meantime, don't let infants suck their thumbs.
It can cause buck teeth. That one is true.
The Kings Mountain Herald
ELLIS NOELL / HERALD
A huge crane lifts one of the electric peak shaving gen-
erators into place Thursday at the electrical substation off
York Road in Kings Mountain.
to install one.”
School.
coming year.
Page 5A
KM Fire Department
to provide detectors
Kings Mountain Fire Department has received a grant to
provide 500 smoke detectors to citizens.
Fire Chief Frank Burns said the detectors would be avail-
able around mid-December.
Firemen will install the alarms, and are also available to
inspect alarms and put batteries in the
Burns said fire alarms are normally given to poor, elderly
and disabled citizens who don’t have one, but added that
“if we go by a house and they don’t have one, we're going
For more information on receiving a smoke detector, call
the fire department at 734-0555, senior center at 734-0447 or
City Hall at 734-0333.
Mrs. Moore named to KM ABC board
Kings Mountain City Council last week appointed Juli
Moore to fill the unexpired term of her husband, Tim, on
the Kings Mountain ABC Board.
Tim Moore, who was chairman of the ABC Board,
resigned because he has been elected to the North Carolina
House of Representatives.
Mrs. Moore's term will expire in January 2005.
Council also appointed Mark Hullender, who had been
serving as vice-chairman, as the new chairman.
KM School Board to meet Monday
The Kings Mountain Board of Education will hold its
monthly meeting Monday, December 9 at 7 p.m. at Central
The Board will elect a chairman and vice-chairman for the
The Board will also recognize four teachers who have
achieved national board certification.
GENERATORS
From 1A
times. The generators will only run
when they are needed to lower the
peak amount of energy used.
By lowering the amount of electricity
used at peak times, Kings Mountain
will save over $1 million in electricity
each year, said Murphrey.
The use of generators to lower the
cost of energy is actually a very pro-
gressive idea, said Murphrey. Kings
Mountain is ahead of many cities in
using generators, a fact which will
attract more businesses to the area, he
said.
“I think it sends a message to the
new businesses and clients that we are
properly planning for the city’s
future,” said’'Miurphrey. “We are trying
to’ provide the best service at the low-
est cost.”
Over the last ten years, Kings
Mountain has been able to lower the
amount and, consequently, the cost of
power consumed each year through
projects like the new generators, said
Hendricks. Kings Mountain is very
much a progressive city in this sense,
said Murphrey.
“When you reduce your power as
much as we have in the last ten years,
you can’t go wrong,” said Hendricks.
“It’s a great, great investment.”
In addition to the money saved by
the city with the new generators, Kings
Mountain citizens will also benefit by
having no rate increases for the next
four years. Recently, the city signed a
four-year contract with Duke Power to
purchase electricity for the same rate
each year with no increases. As a
result of the contract and the money
saved from the new generators, the
people of Kings Mountain will not
have their rates raised for the next
~ four years.
With all of the money being saved in
Kings Mountain, others are beginning;
to want a piece of the savings. Many:
leaders from other communities have
come to Kings Mountain to learn about
the new generators, in hopes that they,
too, will be able to lower their peak
energy times with generators, said
Murphrey. ;
“A lot of communities are realizing
now what a great investment these
are,” said Murphrey. “We've had a lot
of people from other communities
come and look at them.”
Even with all of the savings, some
may be concerned about their property
values dropping due to the noise of the
generators. Luckily, they do not have
to worry for long. The generators are
actually very quiet.
The generators should not disturb
those living near them, said Hendricks,
because they make very little noise
when they run. Plus the buildings that
house the generators are equipped
with walls that hold in sound. Noise
pollution will not be an issue.
Saving money is always something
to be thankful for, and Hendricks said
that he is grateful tg the community
‘leaders for acknowledging ways in
which his department can:help. the
community.
“I'd like to thank the mayor; council
and city manager for believing in us,”
said Hendricks. “We appreciate their
support tremendously.”
LETTERS
From 4A
H. Perkins, our nursing facility’s medical director.
Dr. Perkins” medical liability coverage will expire on
December 31. His provider will not renew his current policy
and he has been unable to obtain new coverage due to an
increase of lawsuits involving long term care facilities
throughout the country.
One insurance company was quoted as saying “your
|exposure is too great in nursing homes.” Who will be left to
care for our elderly?
I am outraged that Dr. Perkins may no longer be able to
provide our resident with medical care after December. He
is one of the most caring, compassionate and competent
physicians I have ever had the privilege to work with. He is
truly dedicated to his patients. It is rare to find a physician
who is willing to spend endless hours caring for our
nation’s greatest natural resource - our elderly.
I encourage anyone who has a loved one in a nursing
facility to call or write your congressman and insist that
changes be made in our legislation that will protect our eld-
erly from losing quality medical care.
Judy Newman, RN
Director of Nursing Services
White Oak Manor
Kings Mountain
COUNCIL
From 1A
said, although there are some “pock-
ets” in recently annexed areas that
aren't fully served yet, that the city has
gone “above and beyond” the call of
duty in providing services.
“We have done about $1.5 million
over what's been required by (annexa-
tion) law for services,” Murphrey said,
specifically citing water and sewer
services to the Hilltop area in east
Kings Mountain and Gold St.
Extension in West Kings Mountain.
“There are a few pockets in the city
that still need some work, and we're
still looking at that and working with
the State to get matching grants to do
these improvements,” Murphrey said.
Murphrey said the city also works
with residents of newly-annexed areas
to bring any substandard housing up
to city codes.
The city approved paying
Benchmark $6,800 to qualify the area
for annexation, and a total cost of
$19,600 through the service plan peri-
Belt to sing
at Senior Center
Jim Belt will sing at 11
a.m. Wednesday at the
Kings Mountain senior cen-
ter as part of the monthly
program presented by
Chadduch Home Nursing
Care of Shelby.
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Murphrey estimated Benchmark
would begin qualifying in January, and
if Council approves the annexation it
would probably be by next June.
Killian estimated an annual revenue
loss of $49,000 because industries and
residents in that area who are now on
city services would go to the inside city
rates when annexation takes effect.
However, annual taxes would amount
to $192,000 making the net revenue
$143,000. The tax base of the property
being considered is $48 million in real
property and $5.3 million in personal
property, he said
Answering concerns by some council
members, Maney said the city may be
facing a tax increase in next year’s
budget because the governor continues
to keep tax reimbursements owed to
municipalities, and “we must continue
to grow the city.” He said it would not
be wise to spend $20,000 for the study
if Council is not serious about follow-
ing through with the plan.
Councilman Gene White agreed.
“This is an absolute critical issue,”
White said.
Councilman Dean Spears had some
concerns about annexing the Cleveland
County Industrial Park, which current-
ly has only two tenants, but said he
would “go along with the concept.”
DeVane said it “if we take these peo-
ple in we need to provide services that
we are morally obligated to do.”
Murphrey said annexation would
help bring down insurance rates for
the area and give them more security.
He said including the new intermedi-
ate school will give the city authority
to set the speed limit on busy Kings
Mountain Blvd. It is currently set by
the State DOT.
Murphrey reiterated that the city will
continue to “go beyond” what is
required by law to provide the best
possible services to newly-annexed
areas. :
“Annexation is a way that cities and
municipalities continue to grow,” he
said. “We've doubled our square miles
in the last five or six years. This is
managed growth and we want to pro-
vide the necessary services and will
continue to go above what is required
by law.” :
already low
qm