The
Thursday, October 9, 2003
Vol. 115 No. 41
Since 1889
NER 1B
A |
_entral
nere Friday
for homecoming
50 Cents
KINGS MOUNTAIN
- OCT. 7.1780
pl
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Descendants and other
patriotic folks from
Tennessee, Virginia, North
and South Carolina and
other parts of the nation
iy gathered Tuesday after,
noon to mark the 223rd
anniversary of the Battle of
Kings Mountain.
Some of those drove and
walked the 330 mile,
Overmountain Victory Trail
starting in Abington,
Virginia.
“This tells a story unique
to America,” said Fran
Dahl, the Knoxville,
Tennessee woman who
coordinated this year’s trail
trip.
Overmountain Victory
Trail Association members
try to stay as close to the
trail as possible, lodging in
the same communities
when feasible.
“It’s fun. It’s like a family
reunion even though none
cal author from Lincolnton
and former member of the
General Assembly, gave the
keynote address. Barefoot
called the victory at Kings
Mountain the battle that
the way for a Patriot victo-
ry in the war for independ-
ence.
“They literally turned the
world upside down,”
Barefoot said.
of these people are related
to me,” Dahl said.
Daniel Barefoot, a histori-
“turned the tide of the
war.” The victory paved
Representatives from
Elkin were on hand to
Photos by Joseph Brymer
Overmountain Victory Trail Association members participated in a ceremony Tuesday afternoon commemorating
the Battle of Kings Mountain. Below, re-enactor Brett Osborn of Jonesboro, Georgia watched the ceremony.
Battle turned tide of Revolution
accept an award from the |
National Park Service for
getting all portions of the
trail running through Surry
County certified. The park
service is working to create
a walking trail that traces
the original march.
Currently, a motor trail is
marked.
Kings Mountain Mayor
Rick Murphrey welcomed
the crowd, telling everyone
that the victory put the
wheels in motion for the
charter of the City of Kings
Mountain.
In her remarks, Park
Superintendent Erin
Broadbent said the park
has received funding to
install additional exhibits
leading up to the 225th
anniversary of the battle in
2005.
York High School Junior
ROTC members presented
the colors.
Members of the
Daughters and Sons of the
American Revolution laid a
wreath at the national mon-
ument earlier in the day.
Will new water
line handle
future growth?
Commissioner questions 8-inch
line feeding Testa’s 16-inch line ~~
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER : i
Staff Writer j i
As several businesses in the Dixon School Road area pre-
pare to tie into a new water line, one Kings Mountain city
council member is questioning whether that line will ade-
quately serve the area in the future.
Councilman Jim Guyton brought the issue up during last
week’s council meeting. City manager Phil Ponder wrote
about Guyton’s concern in a weekly memo sent to council
members.
In that memo, Ponder wrote that “more water delivery
points will be necessary to
i A En,
feed additional water to the “More water
Dixon School Road line if
significant growth is to be delivery points
will be necessary.”
realized.”
The city required develop-
er Jim Testa to install a 16
inch line leading from the
existing 8 inch water line at
Tin Mine Road. Guyton is
concerned that the 8 inch
line is not large enough. The
8 inch line was installed around the late 1980s to serve the
state welcome center at I-85, according to Al Moretz, the
city’s consulting engineer.
Moretz agrees that the 8 inch line cannot serve future
development though he presented several solutions.
“As development occurs something would have to hap-
pen,” Moretz said.
Two main possibilities exists for bringing more water to
the Dixon School Road area. A 16 inch line has already been p
permitted along Kings Mountain Boulevard. The road cur-
rently ends at Phifer Road though there are plans to extend |
SK, a See Water, 34. » d !
Phil Ponder 5
City Manager
Grover sets $250 fee
for variance request
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
announcement in the news- |
paper, mailings to nearby
property owners and signs
advertising the variance
request. :
“The person who is i
aggrieved ought to be will- 4
ing to pay,” said
GROVER - Residents who
want to file a variance with
Grover’s Board of
Adjustment will pay a $250
fee, the town’s council voted
during their Monday night
meeting.
Council member Bill
Willis cast the lone dissent-
ing vote.
“All the citizens of the
Councilman Max Rollins.
Cleveland County charges
$200 for variance requests,
Grover officials said. Their
budget is large enough to
pay a portion of the
Dean of Druggist
Blanton notes 50th year in profession
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
When Charles Blanton became a pharma-
cist 50 years ago, health insurance didn’t
cover many drugs, prescriptions cost
around $3.50 to fill and druggist compound-
ed many orders.
Today, 80 percent of Blanton's customers
at Mountain Street Pharmacy pay for their
prescriptions with insurance. Years ago it
was cash, check or charge.
Blanton marvels at his co-workers who
must keep up with which drugs are current-
ly covered by which insurer.
* “They (insurance companies) change the
rules every three weeks,” he joked.
Some prescriptions can cost $100 to fill.
“It's not the pharmacy’s fault, its the man-
ufacturer,” Blanton said.
While prices have increased so has the
effectiveness of medications. A half century
ago medications treating high blood pres-
sure, heart disease and Alzheimer’s were
only marginally effective.
“Medicine is so much better today,”
Blanton said.
As a result, many folks are enjoying better
health, Blanton said, with the exception of
people who are uninsured and cannot afford
medications.
“Some people have to choose between
groceries or medicine,” he said.
With more drugs on the market, educa-
tional requirements for pharmacists have
increased from four years to six plus a year
of interning. There are now bio-tech classes
“and more pharmacology.
When Blanton was at UNC-Chapel Hill,
all pharmacy students learned to compound
or make drugs. Today; it is taught as a spe-
ciality.
“I really enjoyed that. We all used to do
it,” he said.
With more and more customers using
herbal medicines, Blanton has had to learn
about phytopharmaceuticals.
It’s very common to get questions about
herbs, he said.
Forged prescriptions have always been a
problem but today the situation is worse.
“We try to stop it if we can,” he said.
After 50 years on the job, Blanton can
See Blanton, 3A
Kings Mountain
town don’t have $250 they
could dish out,” Willis said.
The $250 fee pays for a
state mandated legal
required advertising and
notification.
In other business, the
See Grover, 3A
PR director’s
salary package
totals $47,127
By ANDIE BRYMER
Staff Writer
The City of Kings
Mountain's Special Events
Department came under
fire for its budget during
last week's city council
meeting. Here is a break
down of that department’s
budget for fiscal year 2003-
2004.
Salary Package:
Salary of director Ellis
Noell - $33,611
FICA tax for director -
$2,571
Retirement benefits for
director - $1,614
Health insurance for
director - $5,862
401 K for director - $1,681
Worker's compen-
sation - $1, 788
Sub Total - $47,127
Charles Blanton, 72, continues to work part time as a
pharmacist at Mountain Street Pharmacy.
Gastonia
| FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Celebrating 129 Years
300 W. Mountain St.
704-739-4782 704-865-1233
529 New Hope Road 106 S Lafayette St.
ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD = Clerical and Other
Expenses:
See Director, 3A
Shelby | Bessemer City
225 Gastonia Hwy.
704-484-6200 704-629-3906