March 18, 2004
ANDIE
From 4A
A few friends learned of my experiment and simply could
not believe I had willingly chucked my T.V. One evening
they drove up to the duplex apartment I was then living in
and carried an old television set through the door. I protest-
ed but they would not listen. The duo insisted I accept their
gift.
[ thanked them but never promised I would actually turn
the set on. I didn’t. Soon after I moved. I'm not sure what
happened to the T.V. Maybe the next tenant is still watching
it.
After a few months without television, I just didn’t want
to watch it anymore. I went without for years. An occasion-
al roommate would own one and I would watch a few
shows but nothing like the constant viewing during child-
hood. My family thought I was weird, but really, they had
long ago formed that opinion. My T.V.-free life just gave
them more justification.
When I married Joey, he reacquainted me with television.
After years away, the information in T.V. Week was beyond
my grasp. When I'had last seen the magazine, there were
three major networks and a few off brand stations. Easy
enough to keep up with. If a program was listed 1 could
watch it.
Now you have to pay to watch most of the stuff. The
multitude of channels in the listing blows my mind. I sim-
ply cannot keep up.
I rely on Joey. He manages to keep some of this informa-
tion in his head. Since we don’t have cable, or a dish or any
other new form of program delivery, the schedule is man-
ageable, I guess. He is younger than me and his mind is
more supple.
Now I'm a devoted Seinfeld fan. “King of the Hill” is my
other favorite. Peggy Hill has become so real to me Joey has
to remind me she is just a cartoon character. It looks like I'm
fast approaching my second childhood, television and all.
The Kings Mountain Herald
Lions’ Liberty Da
held at high school
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Lions roar. Sheriff's offi-
cers work in all three
branches of the legal system.
The clerk of court’s office is
the hub of the courthouse.
Kings Mountain High
School history students
learned these facts and
many more when local and
regional elected leaders vis-
ited the campus Tuesday
morning.
Sponsored by the Kings
Mountain Lions Club, the
civics lesson was part of
Liberty Day activities.
Started in 1996 by a Denver,
Colorado Lions club, Liberty
Day attempts to teach mid-
dle and high school students
about the Declaration of
Independence and U.S.
Constitution. Kings
Mountain students were
given a booklet containing
states, Hawaii and Rhode
Island, sheriffs are elected
instead of appointed. He
told the group that his offi-
cers are involved with law
enforcement, courts and cor-
rections and encouraged this
as a career.
“It's rewarding although
you may not ever be paid
salaries commensurate with
the duties,” Hamrick said.
Representative Tim Moore
encouraged students to
apply for summer positions
as pages at the state capital.
Assistant Principal Ronny
Funderburke was pleased
with the assembly.
“For these kids to hear
what each person is respon-
sible for, I never had that
opportunity,” he said.
Lion James Sasser, past
district governor of the
organization, asked one stu-
dent what Lions did at the
Page 5A
ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD
Cleveland County Commission Chairwoman Mary Accor
both documents. presents a county lapel pin to Kings Mountain High School
HEFFNER
beginning of their meetings
and then instructed the stu-
From 4A Kings Mountain Mayor Administrator Henry Gilmore during Liberty Day events
Rick Murphrey praised the dent to roar. Tuesday. The Lions Club sponsored the event.
his name.” Constitution saying, “this is In addition to organizing
DeVane and Jerry Mullinax
were also on hand. The
group visited Kings
Mountain Middle School
leged children and food bas-
kets to needy families,
according to Lion Donald
Crawford.
what we work under today.
It’s as good as it was when
they first wrote it.”
the local Liberty Day, the 16-
member Kings Mountain
club provides classes and
Are you ready for this?
“I don’t,” she'll reply, “but they say he’s not very good.”
She has checked his resume with that mysterious panel
of experts known as “They.”
Case closed.
They obviously meet many times a month, and maybe
they issue opinions just like the U.S. Supreme Court, but
only to women.
[ have learned to be leery of a couple of words a woman
uses. “Fine” is such a word. Women use “fine” at the end
of any argument, especially if they feel they are right. It
means you need to shut your mouth and keep it shut.
Don’t ever make the mistake of using “fine” to describe
how she looks. That will just cause one of those arguments.
“Go Ahead.” Don’t make the mistake of thinking those
* words give you permission for anything. This is a dare. If
you mistake it for permission, the result will end up upset-
ting her to the point that she will look at you long and hard
and end the discussion with “fine.” You don’t want that.
“Please do” is not a statement, but an invitation. She is
giving you, out of the goodness of her heart, an opportuni-
ty to come up with an excuse for whatever it is you have
done to offend her. If she says “please do,” button your:lip
and head for the hills, oA
After you think you have all this figured out, you still
won't understand women, and maybe that’s as it should
be.
LETTER
From 4A
ball games between Cleveland County rivals. Some of these
games coould have a lot more than 4,000 fans. This doesn’t
count the other four or five home games each county team
will play during the season.
Another subject that I believe will have to be addressed is
the admission policy for all schools’ sporting events. Since
we as a school system are asking our community and busi-
ness community to support our schools’ athletic programs, I
believe the right thing to do is to do away with all free pass-
es except for the NCHSAA passes. It is not fair for some
people to get in free and others to pay. After all, it is what
supports our kids and the school athletic programs.
[ hope'the new administration comes up with a new poli-
cy that says “no free passes - everyone pays.” If the admin-
istration still feels they need to let certain people or certain
groups in free, at least require them to go through a desig-
nated gate and sign that they are getting in free.
Whatever the policy, it needs to be monitored, enforced
and fair to everyone. It is the right thing to do.
It always pays to keep good and accurate records. The
policy should be made public and the potential number of
people getting in free should also be made public. They
have a right to know.
Donald R. Smith
Kings Mountain
Letter Policy
We appreaciate your letters and encourage you to write.
We limit the number of letters that any one person may
have published to one a month. Also, we ask that you keep
your. letters short, no more than two pages double-spaced or
one page single-spaced. Handwritten letters are accepted,
but must be legible.
We will not publish third party letters, unsolicited poems,
thank-you letters or letters from anonymous writers; names,
addresses, and phone numbers must be included and letters
must be signed in ink. We reserve the right to edit letters for
grammar, punctuation, clarity, brevity and content.
Letters must be received no later than 12 noon on
Monday of the week they are to be published. Mail letters to
Publisher Mike Blanton, P.O. Box 769, Kings Mountain, NC
28086 or fax them to (704) 739-0611.
A black file case fell out of car trunk Thursday,
February 12th between Michaels and Eastridge
Mall on Franklin Boulevard, Highway 74,
Gastonia, N.C.
(Contained things of importance.)
If found please contact 704-718-9507.
Reward given.
Murphrey went on to
explain that the town oper-
ates under a city manager
form of government and
that its council has five
members representing
wards and two elected at-
large.
Cleveland County School
Board Chairman George
Litton told the students that
the nine members are elect-
ed at-large instead of by dis-
tricts and that their main
duties are to hire a superin-
tendent and develop policy.
Alluding to the recent
merger of school systems
and subsequent creation of a
new board, Litton Spoke
positively.
“The board of education
has undergone some
changes; they're good folks
and will do a good job,” he
said.
Cleveland County
Commission Chairwoman
Mary Accor encouraged stu-
dents to get involved in poli-
tics to serve their communi-
ties. She presented school
administrator Henry
Gilmore with a pin bearing
the county's seal.
Clerk of Court Linda
Thrift explained that her
office is the hub of the court
system. She called it an
exciting job and joked with
the students.
“Come and visit and we'll
put your name in the com-
puter and see what comes
up. Hopefully nothing,”
Thrift said referring to the
criminal records her office
keeps.
Register of Deeds Bonnie
Reece called her office a
“unique library” where birth
and death certificates, land
records and other docu-
ments are kept. The deeds
date back to the county’s
founding in 1840, she said.
Among the records her
office files are power of
attorney documents. Reece
told the students that one
local woman who had
power of attorney for her
husband, a soldier serving
overseas, had re-enlisted
him for four more years of
duty.
“Be careful who you give
a power of attorney to,” she
warned.
Sheriff Raymond Hamrick
explained that in all but two
hearing aides to underprivi-
City Councilmen Carl earlier in the day.
ANDIE L. BRYMER / HERALD
Top photo, Kings Mountain Lion Don Crawford, City Councilman Jerry Mullinax, Mayor
Rick Murphrey and City Councilman Carl DeVane, left to right, were on hand Tuesday
morning for Liberty Day events at Kings Mountain High School. Bottom photo, Kings
Mountain Mayor Rick Murphrey explains city government to Kings Mountain High School
history students.
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