Thursday, April 3, 2003
Johnson has been carrying
cross through U.S. 17 years
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
The tall, bearded man car-
rying a 12-foot high white
cross brought a lot of second
looks as he walked north on
I-85 in Kings Mountain late
Monday afternoon.
Motorists slowed down
or the busy highway as
quickly as they do when
coming upon a Highway
* Patrolman running radar.
But Chuck Johnson just
kept up the constant walk-
ing pace as he has done for
the past 17 years. Tired,
Still no
decision
on KM
manager
BY ABIGAIL WOLFORD
Staff Writer
On Monday, City Council
members interviewed the
five remaining candidates
for the position of city man-
ager. The interviews lasted
all day.
City Council members
will meet again on
Thursday night at 6 p.m. to
review the candidates
again, said Mayor Rick
Murphrey.
“No decisions have been
made at this time. It's an
ongoing process,” said
Murphrey.
Council members had the
opportunity to ask ques-
tions and visit with the can-
didates during the inter-
views. The Council wants
to bring in the most experi-
enced person possible for
the job, said Murphrey.
Naturally, the Council is
looking for someone with
experience with utilities
and city management, as
well as good communica-
tion skills.
“I know we'll get a per-
son who will be an excellent
person for the job,” said
Murphrey. “We'll find the
right person for the job.”
Whoever gets the job will
be coming into a great situ-
ation, he said. The city has
a great staff and infrastruc-
ture. More than 90 people
applied for the job.
The current city manager,
Jimmy Maney, retired effec-
tive December 31, but he
agreed to stay on as interim.
city manager until his
replacement is chosen.
The city advertised the
position in many state and
national trade publications.
Many applicants with a
wide range of skill levels
have shown interest in the
job. The applicants have
been from all over the
United States and have any-
where from zero to several
years of experience.
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hungry and in need of a
bath and a good night's
sleep, he stopped briefly to
talk just before getting a
room at a nearby hotel for
the night.
Johnson, 41, a native of
Minnesota, has carried his
cross every day of the year
since 1986 when he was
saved at a church service in
California. He calls himself
a “non-denominational”
Christian.
He obviously takes God's
word literally and instantly,
because shortly after his
See Cross, 3A
GARY STEWART / HERALD
Chuck Johnson comes through Kings Mountain on daily
cross walk that has lasted 17 years.
BY ABIGAIL WOLFORD
Staff Writer
serving overseas and at home.
Murphrey told those gathered
See Support, 3A
On Saturday morning, many Kings
Mountain residents put on their red,
white, and blue and came to Patriot's
Park to show their support for the troops
“The City of Kings Mountain wants to
express their support for those men and
women at home and abroad who are
fighting for our freedom,” Mayor Rick
“I think today is the day that the armed
forces are saluted by Kings Mountain.”
Murphrey recognized local families |
who have loved ones overseas, as well as
local people and politicians who have
served in past wars. He said that the city
has a history of being extremely patriotic.
“This city has always been patriotic and
at the rally.
ABIGAIL WOLFORD / HERALD
Pat Stuart, above, signs a banner in honor of her three sons who are serving over-
seas and Megan Wright, below, holds a sign to show support of her father at
Saturday’s rally for the troops at the Kings Mountain gazebo.
Proud KM citizens show support
for military at home and abroad
| FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Celebrating 129 Years.
Kings Mountain
300 W. Mountain St.
704-739-4782
Gastonia
704-865-1233
on Monday
BY ABIGAIL WOLFORD
Staff Writer
Seventeen-year-old Lane
Wood of King Mountain
was in a serious car accident
on Monday on the way to
school, but family members
say with much prayer and
patience he is expected to
make a full recovery.
“He's doing better.
Everyone's been real posi-
tive. It's a miracle. He's
doing as well as he could in
the best case scenario,” said
his brother, Brandon Wood,
on Tuesday afternoon.
“We're thankful to God. It’s
been a complete miracle.”
The accident occurred
when Wood pulled into the
path of another car at the
intersection of Scism and
Oak Grove Roads at about
7:40 a.m. on Monday. The
driver of the other car, a
1990 Ford, William McClain,
41, hit the driver's side of
Lane's 1997 Mitsubishi.
McClain was not injured.
Wood was airlifted from
Cleveland Regional Medical
Center to Carolinas Medical
Center in Charlotte at about
10 a.m. Monday because of
| bleeding in the skull area.
Phifer out of h
Early in the day doctors said
the outlook for recovery did
not look good but as the day
progressed so did Wood.
Tuesday, medical staff
began the process of wean-
ing Wood off a ventilator
and tubes were expected to
be removed Tuesday night.
Doctors were discussing
moving Lane out of inten-
sive care and into a regular
room by Wednesday.
Constant prayer has been
been the key to Wood's
progress, family members
say.
“We attribute it to all the
prayers of so many people
in Kings Mountain and out
of town,” said Wood's
uncle, Reg Alexander.
“Prayer chains have started
. up everywhere - on the
internet, in the different
churches and in many dif
ferent states that we've
heard from.”
The family did not know
on Tuesday how long Lane
would have to stay in the
hospital. Brandon Wood
said that they were very
relieved and thankful that
he was going to be okay.
See Wreck, 3A
ital,
liver functioning well
BY ABIGAIL WOLFORD
Staff Writer
On Tuesday, March 25,
Don Phifer received the
liver transplant for which he
has waited for many
months. By Thursday,
March 27, he was was up
walking around. On
Monday, March 31, he left
the hospital.
He moved into an apart-
ment in Durham on
Tuesday, where he will live
for the next 4-6 weeks, said
his daughter, Cindy Phifer.
‘He will have to have blood
work done each Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday for a
few weeks to make sure his
body is adjusting to its new
organ correctly.
Doctors are also making
sure that his anti-rejection
medications are properly
“He is doing won-
derful. Everything's
going well. So far,
so good.”
Cindy Phifer
Don’s daughter
adjusted.
“He is doing wonderful.
Everything's going well. So
far, so good,” said Cindy.
Cindy was able to stay
with her father from
Monday night until Sunday
night, while he was in the
hospital. She is planning to
go up on weekends to help.
Her sister went up to help
her parents move into their
apartment. Her father is not
See Phifer, 3A
CrossWalk slated April 11-13
in downtown Kings Mountain
Easter season is upon us.
All across the nation, church
choirs are preparing joyous
musicals. Children are dye-
ing eggs. Bunnies every-
where are gathering treats to
be delivered.
But a unique festivity is
being planned for Kings
Mountain. Next week, a
section of the downtown
area will be taken back in
time, becoming the
Jerusalem of 2000 years ago
as the third annual presenta-
tion of CrossWalk comes to
life.
Scheduled for April 10, 11
and 12, CrossWalk - The
Trail of Amazing Grace will
once again transport hun-
dreds of people a night back
in time to literally walk
through the events that
Shelby
529 New Hope Road 106 S Lafayette St.
704-484-6200
became the very first Easter.
Appropriately billed as
“the Southeast’s most
unusual street drama,” ;
CrossWalk combines a vari-
ety of dramatic elements
into one presentation. “We
like to call it “virtual
drama’,” explains Reg
Alexander, Director of Regal
Ventures Creative
Ministries, the non-profit
organization that developed
the concept of CrossWalk.
“This is not simply a play
that an audience sees; it is a
story that they walk
through, experiencing the
sensation of its reality. It’s
like inviting the audience on
stage to view the play
among the players, except
that our stage is about four
See CrossWalk
Bessemer City |
225 Gastonia Hwy. §
704-629-3906