Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / March 11, 2004, edition 1 / Page 1
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Thursday, March 11, 2004 PRIDE OF THE PASTURE Waiting for a miracle Leach needs lung transplant BY ANDIE L .BRYMER Staff Writer Paula McKinney Leach looks forward to the day she can run through the park with her five- year-old daughter Jordan. An activi- ty many moms take for granted, Leach has Scleroderma. The disease, which has weakened her lungs, keeps her tethered to an oxygen tank. “I can’t wait till that day when we can go to the park and Mommy can play with her, Mommy can run with her, Mommy can skate with her,” Leach said. For now, she sits on a bench and watches Jordan play. While the disease has constricted Leach’s life, she has not let it overcome her. Fighting to get well, Leach carries a cell phone and beeper. Presbyterian Hospital of Pittsburgh could call at any time with word of a lung transplant. When the much anticipat- ed call does come, it will set in motion a dramatic chain of events. Leach will have four hours to get to Pittsburgh. She'll head to Charlotte- Douglas Airport to meet a Medivac pilot. When they touch down in Pittsburgh, an ambulance will be wait- ing on the runway. It will whisk Leach off to Presbyterian where she will come through the emer- gency department. From there, she'll be taken upstairs for blood tests and chest x-rays. If that goes well, surgery begins. Leach says the scenario sounds “nerve wracking.” She admits to being nerv- ous and scared but she still has faith, “I just feel like God See Leach, 3A LEACH KINGS MOUNTAIN The Herald Vol. 116 No. 11 Since 1889 GARY STEWART / HERALD Dewitt and Delane Guyton and their 42-year-old pony Polly. 42-year-old pony Polly like one of the family By GARY STEWART Editor of The Herald To some folks traveling past Dewitt and Delane Guyton’s home on Chestnut Ridge Road, the little white pony roaming the pas- ture may be just another animal. But to many folks in the neighborhood Polly the pony is a faithful friend, one they're always glad to see and would be deeply saddened if they drove by one day and she was gone. The Guytons purchased Polly in 1968. She was six years old at the time. In human years, Dewitt has been told, Polly would be 126 years old as a pony’s age is calculated at three times that of a human. Two generations of youngsters have grown up riding Polly. Although the Guytons don’t allow too many people to ride her now because of her age, kids still come around to pet her and brush her long, thick mane. It’s easy to remember Polly’s age. She's the same age as the Guytons’ son, Lanny. Wind kayos power 1n area BY ANDIE L. BRYMER Staff Writer Heavy winds hit Kings Mountain Sunday night downing trees, knocking off electric service and damag- ing roofs. City crews worked until 12:30 a.m. Monday morning restoring electric service to around 300 residences in the Linwood and Canterbury communities, according to Nick Hendricks, electric _ director. Monday morning ‘#4 the work continued with clean up. City crews then (assisted Duke Power in restoring service to its cus- tomers. : “For major winds we did- n’t have that many out,” said Mayor Rick Murphrey. “I contribute that to the tree trimming program. We were very lucky.” : The city contracts tree trimming on an annual basis ¢ in an attempt to lessen elec- tric outages due to ice and winds. The Kings Mountain Fire Department received reports of wind damage. Shingles and tin roofs were blown off. Winds lifted a trampo- line, depositing it in a neigh- boring yard. | Fire fighters responded to a home on Waco Road where wind had pulled a live electric line from the house. While there was no fire, they stood by until elec- tric crews could arrive on the scene. Another downed line did start a grass fire off Lake Montonia Road. No one was injured. Oak Grove and Bethlehem fire departments were also busy with similar calls, according to Kings Mountain Fire Chief Frank Burns. Winds usually blow into See Wind, 3A Lanny, his sister Jill and dozens of their friends, relatives and neighbors grew up with Polly. Polly is unlike most ponies which, accord- _ ing to Dewitt, are mean and like to bite. Polly has always been gentle. She hasnt had a bit in her mouth in over 25 years. Kids who rode her during that time simply walked out in the pasture and jumped on ‘her back. Dewitt paid $25 for her, and also bought her saddle and a cart that she pulled. He used the cart for awhile to pull children. It now decorates daughter Jill Nanney’s yard in Clover, SC. In 1968, there had probably never been an animal young neighbor Roger Whetstine couldn’t ride. Within five minutes of work- ing with Polly he had her trained for the other kids. “All of the kids then played with her and rode her, and now their kids play with her and ride her,” says Dewitt. Most of the kids have long since grown up. The Guytons have had several opportu- See Polly, 3A GARY STEWART / HERALD ‘Linemen from the Kings Mountain Electrical Department work to restore power on Monroe Avenue after Sunday’s wind put huge trees down on the iines acritude 6A 50 Cents ‘No deal yet on Gaston area students BY ANDIE L. BRYMER Staff Writer Kings Mountain's Gaston County students and tempo- rary public participation guidelines were talked about when the Cleveland County School Board met Monday at the county office building. Associate Superintendent Dr. Larry Allen told the school board that boards of commissioners from both Cleveland and Gaston coun- ties had met and were in dialogue. The January merger of Cleveland County's three school systems meant the new school system's board- ers would be the same as the county boundaries. This meant approximately 200 Kings Mountain residents who live inside Gaston County were reassigned for next year to schools in that county. Before the merger, Kings Mountain District Schools included all stu- dents living within the city limits. The city straddles the county line. The Cleveland School Board has said it would like to keep those students in its system but Gaston County Schools stands to loose some federal, state and local funding. After the meeting, the Herald talked with Cleveland County Commission Chairwoman Mary Accor. “Dialogue happened. They (Gaston County Board of Commissioners) understand how we feel. On everybody's part it is going to be what is best for the children,” Accor said. « Accor did not give any details but did say more information would be avail- able in the near future. The Cleveland County Board of Education, local legislators and commission- ers from both counties will tour East Elementary Friday afternoon. Approximately one-third of East's student body is effected by the new school lines. In other business, the board unanimously voted to let a proposed temporary public participation policy stand until its April meeting when it will be voted on. Speakers must register with the board clerk imme- diately prior to the meeting. All remarks must pertain to an item on that evening's agenda. Other concerns will not be considered and must be addressed through administrative channels. Speakers will have three minutes. The board chair- person may shorten that time in the interest of effi- ciency. Written statements may be accepted. Large groups should designate a representative to speak. Speakers should not address complaints about specific individuals nor stu- dents during open session in accordance with state confidentiality statutes. Speakers should use deco- rum and civility. The public comment peri- od generally shall not exceed 15 minutes unless extended by the chairper- SON. = 0 Issues and questions asked by the public shall when possible be addressed by the chairperson. Administrative matters will be referred to staff as deemed appropriate. Issues requiring investigation will be referred for consideration and later response. The board will meet for a work session Friday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 20 at 9 a.m. at the C- Stop Building. Allen will give a profile of each school including building capacity, racial make-up, projected enrollment, capital needs and facility planning. The board will also hear infor- mation on a time line for the budget process. The board will work on the actual budget during an April 8 meeting. The meet- ing will begin at 5:30 p.m. The location will be announced later. All school board meetings are open to the public. Rotary Club to enhance park BY ANDIE L. BRYMER Staff Writer Kings Mountain Rotary Club officially announced its Centennial Project Tuesday. The club plans to raise between $70,000 and $75,000 ‘to enhance Patriot's Park located downtown. Plans call for sidewalks, play and picnic areas, con- crete dance floor, rest rooms, fountain, flower beds and a splash area containing the Rotary emblem. “We're going to go until we run out of money,” said Steve Padgett, project chair- man. Kings Mountain Mayor Rick Murphrey was on hand for the announcement. “The Rotary is very sup- portive of the city. We're very thankful,” he said. The city also helped out with the project, paying approximately $18,000 for an engineering study and architectural plans. Rotary Clubs across the ~ nation are celebrating the organization's 100th anniversary with large proj- ects. The Kings Mountain club hopes to have the park enhancements completed by February 23, 2005 to mark the centennial. “Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethi- cal standards and help to build goodwill and peace in the world,” reads a press release issued by the club. The Kings Mountain club was chartered in 1958. Internationally, there are 1.2 million members in more 30,000 Rotary clubs.
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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March 11, 2004, edition 1
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