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Thursday, March 27, 2003
KINGS
Vol. 115 No.13
Since 1889
50 Cents
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education in
Progress edition
inside today's
Herald
I pray a lot, that’s all you can
KM woman’s daughter taking part
in Coalition war effort against Iraq
BY ABIGAIL WOLFORD
Staff Writer
On Christmas day, most people were cele-
brating the day with their families. Mary
Zuenick was saying goodbye to an integral
part of hers: her daughter. Last Christmas,
her daughter, Air Force Staff Sergeant Laura
“Palmer, was sent to Kuwait.
Laura has been to Kuwait before. She
spent the first half of 2002 there, as well.
Since the war began, Zuenick has spent
many, sleepless nights worrying about her
daughter.
“I was really sick to my stomach. It was a
bumpy ride. I knew it was going to happen,
but I was hoping they could talk it out. I
don't sleep a lot. I watch tv a lot. I'm on
the computer six Or seven times a day to see
if she emailed me,” said Zuenick.
Each time she gets an email from her
daughter, Zuenick said she says, “Thank
you, God,” because she knows that at the
moment her daughter sent the email, she
was okay.
“I really have a lot of faith in our troops
and in God. I pray a a lot. That's all you can
do,” she said.
Zuenick.
Zuenick has yellow ribbons on her front
door. She encouraged others to display yel-
low ribbons as well.
broke out.
See Pray, 3A
When Laura first learned that she was
going to be sent to Kuwait, she told her
mother that she had been training for war
for 15 years. She said that she felt that she
and all of those around her were well-
trained for what they were about to face.
“They know what they have to do,” said
One of her granddaughters in Bessemer
City writes to Laura every day, said
Zuenick. The girl's fifth grade class has
written to Laura as well. Laura was very
encouraged by the letters from the students,
said Zuenick, and even asked how to write
back to the students just before the war
Zuenick has four daughters in all, includ-
ing Laura. Her youngest lives in Bessemer
City, while the other two live in Washington
S/Sgt. Laura Palmer on duty in Kuwait
Phifer receives
liver transplant
Some of the damage to gravestones at Mountain Rest Cemetery
Reward offered in vandalism
to gravestones at KM cemetery
BY ABIGAIL WOLFORD
Staff Writer
Last Tuesday night, many head-
stones were knocked over and broken
at Mountain Rest Cemetery. Repairs
will cost the city approximately $2,000.
The search has begun for the vandals.
“It must have been some pretty big
kids or men because it took some
doing to push those big ones off,” said
Dorus Bennett, cemetery superintend-
ent.
The stones weighed up to 3,500
pounds, said Bill Wiley, of Wiley
the discovery of those involved in the
vandalism. Anyone with a lead may
call the police station at 704-734-0444.
“We take this seriously,” said Mayor
Monument Co. Wiley’s company did
much of the headstone construction in
the cemetery. Approximately 30 stones
Rick Murphrey.
He added that to come to a cemetery
to make a mess of the stones is a very
were knocked over or broken.
The city will be offering a $500
reward for any information leading to
horrible, heartless deed.
“This is pretty lowdown,” Bennett
See Reward, 3A
Couple expecting Guadruplets
BY ABIGAIL WOLFORD
Staff Writer
While most couples have only a
couple children, a few still believe in
large families. Most large families,
however, do not appear all at once.
Carol and Tim Buchanan will be get-
ting their large family all at once.
They are expecting quadruplets.
The babies are actually due on
June 13; however, the doctors are
hoping that Carol can carry them
until May 19. They would really
prefer that she carry them until June
2, but the babies would at least be a
reasonable size by May 19. The doc-
tors definitely want them to be born
by 34 weeks, she said. At 34 weeks
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Celebrating
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FIRST NATIONAL BANK
they would each weigh four pounds
or so, she said. They have to weigh
four pounds before they can leave
the hospital.
“I'm just thankful for everyday.
They are growing. They need to stay
in there as long as they can,” she
said.
The babies could survive now if
they were born, but the doctor told
them they would not want them to
survive because of the many prob-
lems they would have. The next few
weeks will be crucial in the pregnan-
cy.
Even though she is on bed rest,
Carol is allowed to take showers and
See Couple, 3A
129 Years
Kings Mountain
300 W. Mountain St.
704-739-4782
Carol and Tim Buchanan, of Kings
Mountain, are expecting quadruplets in
late May or early June.
Gastonia
704-865-1233
BY ABIGAIL WOLFORD
Staff Writer
On Tuesday morning, Don
Phifer received a miracle.
He received a new and ;
healthy liver, something he
has been
waiting for
foraleng »
time, =
“As of last
night at 9:30,
he was doing
great,” said [|
Ronnie
Blanton, co-
chair of the
DeLiver
Dollars for
Don campaign to raise
money for the transplant.
“They said that the opera-
tion went well.”
There was a little bit more
bleeding than the doctors
wanted, said Blanton, but
bleeding is not unusual for
the surgery. The doctors
said that the cancer was a
lot bigger than they thought
it was and that the trans-
PHIFER
-plant came at a good time.
Phifer’s mother and sis-
ters got to the hospital in
time to see him. They said
he was doing well, said
Blanton. Phifer’s wife and
daughters stayed at the hos-
pital Tuesday night.
The surgery did not take
quite as long as the doctors
expected, said Blanton. The
new liver is extremely
healthy. The 24-48 hours
following the surgery will
be a critical time for him,
said Blanton. Phifer was
heavily sedated on Tuesday
evening.
Doctors expected to try to
wake him up on Wednesday
and then have him up and
walking on Thursdjay. He
will spend seven days in the
hospital before moving to
i ‘an apartment. near Duke for
~ six weeks so that the doctors
can regulate his anti-rejec-
tion medication. Once he
gets through those weeks,
he will be able to go back to
work and do light duties.
The Phifers got the call
about the transplant on
Monday evening at round
6:15. They immediately got
in the car and drove to
Duke. The operation began
at about 4:30 a.m. and
ended at 2 p.m.
Phifer is not able to talk
yet because he has a respira-
tor, but he has responded to
some things, said Susan
Randall, another member of
the DeLiver Dollars for Don
campaign and a friend of
the Phifer family. Randall
encouraged all of Kings
Mountain to pray for Phifer.
Phifer is in intensive care
right now and will remain
there for 3-4 days after the
surgery. He has a nurse
watching him 24 hours a
day, said Randall.
Neither Blanton nor
Randall had heard anything
else about Phifer on
Wednesday morning.
“As far as I know, every-
thing's fine. No news is
good news,” said Blanton.
Council to interview
five for City Manager
BY ABIGAIL WOLFORD
Staff Writer
Interviews for the city manager position will begin on
March 31 and will go all day. City Council members have
narrowed the search down to five potential candidates.
Interviews are expected to go from 8-5, allowing each
candidate over an hour with the mayor and Council mem-
bers. No current city employees are being considered for
the position since none of them applied, said Mayor Rick
Murphrey.
The goal of the day is to narrow the search down to a
couple of candidates, who will then be called back to
answer additional questions.
“If we need more time, we'll do that. We'll do whatever
is necessary. We're just not going to rush the process,” said
See Council, 3A
Shelby
529 New Hope Road 106 S Litagaite St.
704-484-6200
Bessemer City
225 Gastonia Hwy.
704-629-3906