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September 25, 2003 The Kings Mountain Herald Page
P ARK “effect our city budget,” have the project completed G AS Ponder to continue using the chastised the city for charg-
asked councilman Clavon by February 2005 to mark city policy adopted in 1989 ing an elderly widow to
From 1A From 1A which holds homeowners mow her overgrown grass
Patriots Park at the gazebo.
The beach blast was held
there this summer.
While the club wants to
spend between $50,000 and
$100,000, it is asking the
city to pay for architectural
plans. That will run around
$20,000.
Some council members
expressed concern about
spending that amount dur-
ing a lean budget year.
“How is that going to
Kelly.
Councilman Jim Guyton
echoed that concern, say-
ing the budget is already
tight and will get tighter.
The council did agree to
look at estimates from sev-
eral area architects. They
will vote on the matter
during the September
council meeting scheduled
for Tuesday night.
The Rotary Club is eager
for the council to reach a
decision because it must
the club’s centennial.
Though plans have not
been drawn up, possible
projects include building a
dance area, splash foun-
tain, small playground and
entrance and walkway.
Other civic groups would
be offered an opportunity
to complete some of these
projects.
Mayor Rick Murphrey
was in favor of the
improvements, calling it a
positive project for the city.
ALAN
From 4A
put the string loop around
his wrist and stuck his arm
out the window.
What transpired next was
something that had to be
seen to be believed. In about
the same time as it takes to
blink your eyes the para-
chute filled with air,
deployed, and jerked Lewis
out of the car. It was as if he
suddenly vanished.
However, a quick glimpse
out the rear window
revealed Lewis rolling along
the roadside like a rag doll
wrapped in a parachute. Oh,
Lewis was not hurt but after
turning around and rushing
to his son who lay prostate
on the ground, Mr. Wilson
began beating poor Lewis
for his mischief.
One last old time car
flashback: Back before the
federal government got
involved in the car making
industry and mandated
things such as collapsible
steering columns and such,
dashboards were generally
painted metal rather than
the plushly padded, air bag
equipped type we see today.
Now in the mid 1960s, my
mammy had a Ford Falcon
that had just such a dash-
board - metallic blue, cold
steel.
The hardness of this steel
was tested out one sunny
day by my sister Sherry.
Mom had just driven us to
the drugstore for refresh-
ments and Sherry, then
called Skeen-Dawg, had
selected a large cherry
smash drink. She being
quite young then, stood up
in the back seat for the ride
home. Sweats belts were an
option in a Falcon. For some
reason or another as we
approached home, my
mother slammed on the
brakes which instantly cata-
pulted Skeener across the
back of the front seat and
- headlong into the dash-
board. As she made this
brief but memorable flight, a
veritable deluge of cherry
smash soaked us up front.
But the cherry smash was
not all that was red for poor
Skinaloo had cut a large
gash over her eye on the
edge of the cold hard dash-
board, the scar of which
remains today.
Yes, Virginia, there was a
time before mommy vans
and SUVs. There was a time
when summer meant
scorching your hind end on
a hot vinyl car seat and win-
ter meant wearing an over-
coat in your car because the
heater was just a puff of hot
air a lot like this column.
Goodbye,
COOPER
From 4A
"- If a school official od
© promises that don’t appear
in the school’s written docu-
ments, ask to get them in
writing.
- If you take out a loan to
cover school costs, be sure
you read the agreement and
understand the terms of
repayment before you sign.
Keep in mind that you will
be responsible for paying off
the loan whether or not you
complete the program.
- Ask for names and
phone numbers of the
school’s licensing and
accrediting organizations.
Check with these organiza-
tions to make sure the
school is up-to-date on its
license and accreditation.
- The North Carolina
Community College System
regulates private business,
correspondence, trade and
technical schools and
requires them to have a
'license and a bond. Call
(919) 733-7051 or look at
http:/ /www.ncces.ce.nc.us/
to check out a particular
school. If the school is not
licensed or bonded, don't
enroll. If you signed a con-
tract with a school that is
not licensed and bonded,
you are entitled to a refund.
- If you've experienced
problems with a career or
trade school or want to find
out if we have complaints
about a particular school,
contact my Consumer
Protection Division at (919)
716-6000.
(Roy Cooper is Attorney
General for North
Carolina).
Round
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1/4 Carat 14K........cc0re... 199.00
Princess
2 Carat 14K................$6,500.00
1 1/2 Carat Platinum...5,200.00
1 Carat Platinum.........3,500.00
1 Carat 14K Gold........1,495.00
1/2 Carat 14 K................ 699.00
1/4 Carat 14K................. 379.00
Emerald
1.40 Carat 14K...........$4,900.00
1 Carat 14K Gold........2,495.00
172 Carat... .cesmnreserssn.. 995.00
Oval
2 Carat Platinum.......$8,900.00
11/2 Carat 14K Gold..3,995.00
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a a 487-4521
ANDIE
From 4A
Now that danger has
passed, I'll have to paint
over the message. Maybe
it’s time for another one,
like “Happy Autumn.”
Isabel has left me with
some questions. According
to my husband, he must be
one of those budding mete-
orologist, the hurricane
started as a thunderstorm
off the coast of west Africa.
That sounds real smart but
when I asked him why
Isabel decided to become a
hurricane all he could tell
me was “she ran into some
hot air and that fueled the
hurricane.”
Don’t all thunderstorms
“run into hot air” at some
point in their careers. I'm
convinced there is some sin-
ister motivational speaker
program for weather phe-
nomena. Some cloud version
of Tony Robbins encourages
weather to “be more than a
simple storm. Make your life
have meaning, make the hu-
mans notice you.”
I guess Isabel paid close
-attention and went out seek-
ing the “opportunity” of
some hot air. Blustered up,
she soared across the
Atlantic to wreak havoc.
Sure enough, we took notice
and even gave her a name.
Fortunately, her name won't
go down in our memories
like Hugo did.
Heath advised the city to
purchase at least 25 percent
of its natural gas for the
winter now. This strategy is
based on the fact that gas
prices are usually higher in
the winter than the fall.
According to Heath, two
of its municipal customers
paid about the same amount
as Kings Mountain did for
gas last year but the price
was more evenly distributed
across the season.
“They didn’t see the
spikes you saw,” Heath said.
While there are no guar-
antees that purchasing gas
in September will save
money it does reduce the
risk of spikes, city manager
Phil Ponder said.
Council members gave
Ponder the okay to meet
with Heath within a week to
make the 25 percent pur-
chase.
In other utility related
business, council advised
responsible for installing
their own storm drainage
pipes. During the recent
rainy season, the city has
received multiple requests
for work to be done on pri-
vate property.
In a memo to council
members, Ponder wrote that
the city has deviated from
this practice in the past by
using city crews and prison
labor to maintain some
drainage ways on private
property.
“If you do work for one,
you have to do it for all,” he
wrote. “Since we do not cur-
rently have the money or
manpower to do for all, we
should leave private
drainage issues to the pri-
vate property owners.”
Ponder also told the coun-
cil that he did not believe
the city should intervene in
drainage disputes between
private property owners. He
called this a civil matter.
Councilman Jim Guyton
while the city does not
always follow its own rules
about grass height on its
property.
Guyton questioned
whether grass. growing in
city right of ways and
between the street and side-
walk are the city’s responsi-
bility or homeowners.
According to Ponder,
most homeowners choose to
cut the grass which adjoins
their property so their lawn
will look uniform. When
homeowners refuse to do so
on a large scale this means
the city is forced to take
responsibility for that which
is costly.
Councilman Howard
Shipp said he had received
numerous complaints about
residents playing ball in the
streets and erecting basket-
ball goals over roadways.
Ponder said he would
direct public works to
remove the goals.
We can help you find it,
huy it, or sell it.
104.139.1496
CITY
From 1A
ects including the fire sta-
tion, playground, police
department and senior cen-
ter.
He called this use of the
general fund “perfectly
legitimate.”
State funding freezes also
had some effect on the fund.
Another reason for the
low fund balance is Kings
Mountain's tax rate. It is
lower than comparable
municipalities, Ponder said.
Ponder rated the electric
fund in good condition.
The gas fund received a
fair rating. Revenues are suf-
ficient to maintain the sys-
tem but not enough to
accommodate growth in the
Water Fountains
1401 E. Ozark Ave. e Gastonia
704-867-5269
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What is a Midwife?
Monday, October 6, 2003
16:30 - 8 p.m.
T.R. Harris Conference Center
at Cleveland Regional Medical Center
A free seminar in an informative
and relaxed atmosphere.
Refreshments
Seminar Presenters
Karen Rushford, CNM
Lisa Sisk, CNM
Chris Adams, CNM
Emily Ousley, CNM
Kelly Jones, CNM
Sponsored by Women's Life Center
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Women's Life Center
Health and Education
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service area.
In other business, local
advocates for the poor con-
tinue to take issue with a
utility bill collection pro-
gram the city implemented
in July 2002. Utility deposits
are based on the debt histo-
ry at specific locations. This
means if past owners or
renters have not paid their
bills, current occupants pay
a higher deposit for service.
AL’S
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Ent
STATUARY
yr
You asked for a facility devoted to women’s health, so we created the
Women’s Life Center. Whether you need information concerning fertility,
nutrition, exercise, menopause or health for the mature woman,
you'll find it at the Women’s Life Center.
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