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Thursday, January 8, 2004
Vol. 116 No. 2
Since 1889
GARY STEWART / HERALD
Former City Councilman Phil Hager addresses the Kings
Mountain Board of Education at Monday’s meeting at
Central School. The meeting reconvenes tonight at 6
o'clock.
Athletic
concerns
voiced
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
A former Kings Mountain
High athlete urged the
Board of Education to make
a stand either for or against
the direction of the athletic
program at Monday night's
board meeting at Central
School.
Kevin Smith, a longtime
critic of the athletic pro-
gram, said the public
deserves to know the
board's stance on concerns
an alumni group has voiced
since July 2003
+ “You either support it (the
athletic program) or you
want it to go in another
direction,” he said.
Sam Smith, another for-
mer KMHS football player,
said earlier perceptions of
the group are now reality.
He said Afro-American stu-
dent athletes are not receiv-
ing just recognition, giving
See Concerns, 3A
County plans for year
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Cleveland County Commissioners met
Friday afternoon for a planning session.
While economic development and industry
retention were tops on their list, several
other items were discussed.
Commissioner Ronnie Hawkins told the
board that Cleveland had been rated first in
the state for heart problems and in child
abuse. He said that the lack of jobs con-
tributed to these problems.
Commission Chairperson Mary Accor
noted the rise in crime.
Commissioner Willie McIntosh advocated ,
for more workplace diversity. He encour-
aged minorities and handicapped individu-
als to apply for county jobs. He also said
that the county should look toward diversi-
ty as it chooses vendors to do business with.
Accor said the county was looking at
homeland security issues and had a “work-
able plan.”
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
DQJ preclears the merger.
reconvene Thursday at 6 p.m.
on Friday.
1S
our last meeting. [ hope the
As the clock winds down to a deci-
sion by the U.S. Justice Department on
the proposed Cleveland County
Schools merger plan, the Kings
Mountain Board of Education is appar-
ently undecided whether it would
appeal to federal district court if the
Meeting in what many believed
would be the final time Monday night
at Central School, the board, instead of
adjourning its meeting, recessed to
The DOJ is scheduled to issue its rul-
ing by Monday, January 12 but there is
speculation that the decision will come
During the board meeting, com-
ments from Supt. Larry Allen and
chairwoman Shearra Miller indicated
that the board may be willing to accept
the DOJ’s decision regardless of what it
Allen told the board and the audi- :
ence that “no one has officially heard
anything” and that the School Board's
attorneys “haven’t gotten any indica-
tion what the decision might be.
“We're waiting and anticipating
hearing something by Friday,” Allen
said. “Whatever that decision is I sup-
pose we will have to live with it.”
Miller said, “It doesn’t feel like this is
Department of justice will make the
right decision.” Byt in a reply to a com-
50 Cents
ment by Kevin Smith, who noted that
“this is possibly your last meeting,”
Miller said, “it could be.”
No other members of the board
spoke about the matter in open session.
Supt. Allen said Tuesday that the
board’s merger attorneys Brian Shaw
and Richard Schwartz had indicated
that they could file suit against the
Justice Department, “but the likelihood
of that succeeding is very slim.”
Allen said the board has not
addressed that possibility, but probably
will Thursday night.
Allen said Shaw spoke to the Justice
Department Tuesday but did not get an
indication as to what decision had
been reached, if any.
“They told him they could ask for
more information, or they could render
a positive or a negative decision,”
Allen said.
If the merger plan is approved, it
would take effect 24 hours after official
notification to the Cleveland County
Board of Commissioners and the Kings
Mountain and Shelby systems would
cease to exist. All three current school
boards would also cease to exist unless
they are used in an advisory capacity.
The merger called for an interim school
board, which would probably assume
legal responsibilities; however, some
legal questions may have to be
resolved by either the courts or the
State School Board because the terms
of all of the appointed board members
have already expired. :
over Burns
url
6A
Merger decision due
KM School Board to reconvene Thursday at 6 o'clock
ing, board member Mike Smith, who
lives in the area of Gaston County that
KMDS claims its residents would have
their voting rights violated by merger,
said he is still in favor of fighting
merger until the end.
“I can’t speak for the board, but I
would be in favor of pushing it,” he
said. “If the county is going to assume
our assets they can assume our liabili-
ties. They're the ones that started this. I
feel like we should fight it until we
can’t fight it any more.”
Vice-chair Stella Putnam, who
throughout the merger battle has indi-
cated she would fight it until the end,
said she is getting many calls from
people that “do not want us to stop
until we have exhausted every avenue
we have.”
However, Putnam said, if the DOJ
rules against Kings Mountain she
would have to examine the situation
and decide “if we have done every-
thing we can do. You're talking the
federal government. I still don’t merger
is right. I don’t think it’s ever been
about children. I cannot believe the
State School Board did what they did
(to approve the merger). I hate for
Kings Mountain to lose control of our
system. It (the merger plan) has just
never been about children and what's
best for them.”
Putnam said the 3 1/2 year merger
fight has been a long, tough battle.
“It’s not something we've taken
lightly,” she said. “With the informa-
A See Merger, 3A
COWBOY CLASSICS
Commissioner Tom Bridges will be meet-
ing with area farmers to find out what qual-
ifications they would like the county’s new
farm liaison to have.
McIntosh proposed a farm surplus pro-
gram which would make produce left in the
fields available to welfare recipients.
Hawkins told the board that the number
of rescue squad volunteers was down. He
said that may be because more training is
required of these volunteers. He commend-
ed the rescue squads for the amount of
money they have saved the county. He said
with fewer volunteers, the workload and
financial burden is shifting more towards
the county’s emergency medical services
department.
Accor told the board that the Commission
for Women was going to work on abuse pre-
vention and homelessness.
McIntosh spoke in favor of tightening reg-
ulations for taxi operators. He said this
would be helpful for tourism.
See Plans, 3A
wards demonstrates his command of the lasso Saturday at
oy classics film and presentation. See story and more phot
Contacted by phone Tuesday morn-
{
‘Council tour
violation of
meetings law?
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
A tour of several Kings Mountain
city departments by new council mem-
bers has one man crying foul.
New city council members
Houston Corn, Kay Hambright, Jerry
Mullinax and Brenda Ross along with
Mayor Rick Murphrey toured the city’s
peak electrical shavings facility and
met with department heads Friday.
They also ate lunch together at a local
restaurant.
In a letter to Kings Mountain City
Manager Phil Ponder, area resident
Wayne King asked for an itemized bill
for the meal and information on what
took place.
King wrote, “As you are aware the
Open Meetings Laws of the State of
North Carolina prohibit members to
gather for meetings which encompass
the city business and includes four or
more active members of the city coun-
cil?
King went on to write that he real-
ized Ponder was not at the meeting.
He asked the city manager to make
council members aware “that the law
was violated that day.”
See Tour, 3A
Defense jobs a priority
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
SHELBY - Cleveland County
Commissioners are looking toward the
defense industry. to bring new jobs to the
region.
The board of commissioners met Friday
afternoon for a planning session. Jobs and
the landfill were at the top of the agenda.
Commissioners discussed the overall
need for more jobs while targeting defense
as a specific industry.
Gaston County is already spending
money, studying the research and develop-
ment related aspects of the industry, accord-
ing to commissioner Willie McIntosh. He
would like to see Cleveland go in the same
direction.
“It’s going to take local politicians to get
congress and the senate to approximate fed-
eral money,” McIntosh said.
In another economic development related
move, commissioners discussed having U.S.
74 designated a three-digit interstate high-
way.
According to commissioner Jerry Self,
industries are more likely to locate along
roads identified as an interstate instead of a
highway. He said the designation process
was political.
Commissioner chairperson Mary Accor
said sewer needs to be in place to attract
industry as well.
Self suggested an airport zoning overlay
which would keep a tower from being built
in the flight and landing pattern.
“It’s a way to protect an economic asset,”
Self said.
The area in question is in both the city
and county meaning it would require partic-
ipation by both governmental bodies.
Both Self and McIntosh spoke out in sup-
port of expanding the Cleveland County
Industrial Park.
McIntosh suggested a partnership with
Gardner Webb University to use its gradu
See Jobs, 3A