Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / Sept. 25, 2003, edition 1 / Page 1
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4 ’ od 3 AND MOUNTA)) °° : WO of Q : $5 © , HER X 4 Students AToueReT a work on mural | Fe QF Ne AOD? YR RAP for Cleveland He : SA) A) WW Fal FEO County Fair PR oye TP RG 124 ON g : CO Since 1889 50 Cents Iraq bound KM cops called up with Guard BY ANDIE L. BRYMER * Staff Writer Two Kings Mountain police officers are heading to Iraq. Corporal Brad Bumgardner and Officer Lance Hamrick are serving with the 1-113 Field Artillery, a North Carolina National Guard Unit out of Lincolnton. Bumgardner works in the traffic unit and Hamrick is part of the community ori- ented policing team. The two left for Lincolnton Saturday morning. After a few weeks there, they will train at Fort Bragg for three months, then its off to Iraq. The Lincolnton unit does advance artillery work, scouting on the front lines. Before Bumgardner could leave for duty, he had some important business to take care of. He and fiance Lesley Royster were mar- ried Friday night. “When this came up, we stepped it forward,” he said. The couple, sweethearts since high school, had planned to marry in the spring. A phone call two weeks ago from Bumgardner’s commanding officer put the bride-to-be in motion. She was able to plan a small wedding with family. Fortunately, the wedding gown was already purchased. The groom was- n't so lucky finding a tuxe- do. Instead he opted for a suit. \ The Bumgardners are planning a larger, more for- mal wedding when the groom returns from Iraq. Bumgardner joined the guard after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. “I knew what I was get- ting myself into,” he said. Military service runs in the family. His father is retired from the national guard and his grandfather served in World War II. The police department See Cops, 2A BUMGARDNER City general fund balance declining ty to look at uying gas now BY ANDIE L. BRYMER Staff Writer City council members got a review of Kings Mountain's finances during a Monday night work ses- sion. City Manager Phil Ponder rated LX City electrical workers Rlike Houser (left), Josh Conrad and John Putnam helped restore power to eastern North Carolina. Linemen help restore power in eastern NC ANDIE L. BRYMER Staff Writer Three Kings Mountain electric linemen became heroes over the weekend to residents in two hurri- cane ravaged eastern North Carolina communities. Josh Conrad, John Putnam and Mike Houser participated in an Electric Cities emergency assis- tance program. Electric director Nick Hendricks received a call from the program's Monroe office around 7:30 a.m. Friday. By 11 a.m., the three man crew was on the road to Enfield. Arriving around 6 p.m., they went to work. Time was critical because the community had lost 80 percent of its power. They continued working in Enfield all of Saturday. On Sunday, the Kings Mountain crew along with workers from Shelby and Clayton traveled to Scotland Neck. That community had lost power completely. As they restored elec- tric service, residents cheered and lit fireworks in the streets. “I'm very proud of these guys,” Hendricks said. “Theyre well trained and represent the city well.” They continued working in Scotland Neck until midday Monday when they headed west. Despite a late arrival home, the three were back on the job in Kings Mountain Tuesday. They came home with stories and photos of storm damage. Most of the destruction came from wind as opposed to water. One Scotland Neck home was completely demol- CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Power pole and line down on building in Scotland Neck, NC ished. “It looked like a tornado sat down on it,” Putnam said. They described the two commu- nities as very rural. Cotton and hog farming were the main industries. Because there were no hotels, they had to make a 30 mile trip to Rocky Mount for lodging. The area was so muddy and swampy, using bucket trucks was often impossible. “There was a lot of climbing (poles),” Conrad said. There was one advantage, the sandy soil with a small amount of clay was perfect for setting utility See Linemen, 11A ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD BY ANDIE L. BRYMER Staff Writer While family violence is typically associated with lower income fami- lies, police are now answering 3 domestic calls from families across the economic spectrum. Kings Mountain Police Detective Sergeant Lisa Proctor believes the struggling economy is to blame. “We have a lot of folks who are laid off,” she said. “Tempers seem to flair.” These calls are the most danger- ous for law enforcement officers because police are entering an unknown scene, the perpetrator’s home. If possible, more than one officer will respond to a domestic call. Kings Mountain police answer at least one domestic call a day, many times the number climbs. Contrary to popular belief, calls are more fre- weekend. Thanks to enhanced 911, an abus- er can no longer take the phone away from the victim and thwart police. Now once a call is placed to 911, the location appears on a com- puter screen. Even if no one speaks, an officer is dispatched. “Once that 911 calls has gone through, we know where you are at,” Proctor said. Within the last few years, law- makers have given police more lati- BY ANDIE L. BRYMER Staff Writer Kings Mountain's water and sewer system received a poor rating from city manager Phil Ponder dur- ing a Monday night work session. Revenues have declined approxi- mately 25 percent over last year. Staff projected a $350,000 shortfall by the end of this fiscal year if billing stays at the July and August rate. Ponder attributed the decline to the town losing major textile indus- tries. Federal environmental regula- tions are also straining the sewer and water budget, he said. The same scenario is playing out in cities region wide, Ponder told the board. While revenues are declining, $1.2 million is needed for urgent water and sewer capital projects. This includes repairing an inflow problem, lift stations at Northwoods and Wilson Street and BY ANDIE L. BRYMER Staff Writer After Kings Mountain residents Domestic violence increases during slow economy quent through the week than on the . $350,000 shortfall projected in KM’s water/sewer system the general fund balance in fair con- dition. The fund has declined from 46 percent during the 1998-99 fiscal year to an estimated 19 percent in the 2002-03 fiscal year. The fund remains above the state recommend- ed eight percent minimum. Ponder attributed the decline to non-recurring capital building proj See City, 5A paid approximately $10 a gallon for natural gas last winter, officials are attempting to keep that from hap- pening again. nh - Brian Heath of EnLine Energy addressed the Kings Mountain City Council during a Monday night session. 4 See Gas, 5A ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD City manager Phil Ponder holds a diagram of proposed improvements to Patriots Park at the gazebo as Mayor Rick Murphrey speaks to council. tude in domestic violence cases. Now, if police see evidence a domestic assault has occurred, they can make an arrest. Previously, the officer had to witness the assault or the victim had to agree to press charges. Even when an arrest is made, there is no guarantee the abuser will change. Proctor calls it a cycle that only gets worse. An 11-year Kings Mountain police veteran, today Proctor sees women in their 20s being victim- ized by the men in their lives. She answered calls to those same women’s homes when they were 8 or 9 years old. “If that is all a child sees they think it’s right. We call it condition- ing,” she said. This is one reason police notify the Department of Social Services when children are not safe. While the general public may think it is easy for a victim to leave, it is often more difficult than people realize. Abusers wear down vic- tims’ self esteem. The abuser often tells the victim that she cannot get a job and support the children with- out him. “Over time the victim starts believ- ing that,” Proctor said. Just as fear of failure keeps many women in abusive relationships, it can serve as a motivator to leave. As abuse escalates, women some See Vioilence, 2A First Street sewer. Inflow problems involve storm water run off going into waste water lines. This is particularly problematic in the east side of town where Kings Mountain has con- tracted with the City of Gastonia to treat its waste water. This contract was entered into during a textile boom when the need for waste water treatment was high. With the departure of indus- try, the city was able to convince Gastonia to remove a minimum payment requirement meaning Kings Mountain only pays for the amount of waste water it sends to Gastonia. This is estimated to save $17 million. However, heavy rains this summer and old lines have meant that Kings Mountain is pay- ing Gastonia for treating rainwater. Another $370,000 is deemed nec- essary. This includes a sewer plant basin liner and water storage tank improvements. See Water, 2A Club wants to expand KM park BY ANDIE L. BRYMER Staff Writer Kings Mountains Rotary Club wants to celebrate the international civic organiza- tion’s 100th birthday by enhancing the downtown park. Rotary members made a pitch to city council mem- bers during a Monday night work session. “We want to bring more activity to downtown,” said Rotarian Steve Padgett. The work would be done at what is now known as See Park, 5A FIRST NATIONAL BANK Kings Mountain Gastonia Shelby Bessemer City : 300 W. Mountain St. 529 New Hope Road 106 S Lafayette St. 225 Gastonia Hwy. Celebrating 129 Years 704-739-4782 704-865-1233 704-484-6200 704-629-3906
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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Sept. 25, 2003, edition 1
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