August 19, 2004
1 LOCAL
The Kings Mountain Herald
Everybody is all up in
arms about security these
days. They picked up a guy
over in the
world class f
city mak-
ing videos f=
and hauled
him off to |
jail. Maybe
he needs to
be jailed, I
don’t know
and don’t
really care, Jim Heffner
but [ know Guest Column
how they *
are in the world class city.
After Sept. 11, they took
away all the parking around
the Mecklenburg County
Court House, and people
who need to record deeds or
get copies of their birth cer-
tificates now have to park
blocks away and hoof it.
That's fine unless you are
an elderly person with leg,
lung or heart problems.
My son was flying out of
the Newark Airport last fall.
He smokes cigars, and
owned an expensive cigar
lighter. It set him back 90
bucks to be exact.
When he went through
airport security, they took
his butane lighter away from
him. When he asked if they
could mail it to him, they
threatened to cite him. The
citation would cost him,
according to the security
dude, $1100. He left the
lighter with them.
As he was walking down
the concourse to the gate
where he would board his
plane, he spotted a stock of
the same lighters in an air-
port gift shop.
Later, he found the proper
procedure was for the secu-
rity guard to empty the
lighter and give it back to
him. As of now, he is out a
90 dollar cigar lighter.
I was brought up in a mill
village, and mill village boys
are all in the habit of carry-
ing pocket knives. I go to the
Gaston County courthouse
on a fairly regular basis. The
first time I went to attend a
trial, I had to leave my
Smith and Wesson pocket
knife with security.
As I was sitting in the
court room, something kept
nagging me. Finally, I fig-
ured out that the security
guard hadn't taken my
name when I left the knife. I
went back, retrieved the
knife and stowed it in the
car.
I got in the habit of taking
everything metal out of my
pockets except for the igni-
tion key to my car when I go
to the court house. I simply
leave the key in my pocket,
and it never sets off the
alarm.
A couple of weeks ago, I
walked through the metal
detectors and did not set off
the alarm. A young security
guard, one I had never seen
before, stopped me and told
me to go back through. That
surprised me, but I started
back through when he told
me to take my hand out of
my pocket.
I didn’t even realize I had
my hand in my pocket, but I
did as I was told, and I
brought out the ignition key
at the same time.
“Let me have the key,” he
said.
I handed him the key and
went back through, again
without setting off the
alarm. Since he took the key,
I have no idea why he want-
ed me to go back through.
I wrote a letter to the
county manager who had an
assistant call me. The assis-
© tant apologized, telling me
. he had no idea why I was
asked to go back through
when I hadn't set off the
alarm the first time.
It was all my fault
A couple of days later, the
man who runs courthouse
security called to apologize.
He told me that sometimes
if you covered metal with
your hand it wouldn't set off
the alarm.
Now that completely over-
whelmed me. I told him that
means anybody could carry .
anything through there as
long as it was clutched tight-
ly in the hand. He had no
answer for that. He also told
me that I was supposed to
surrender the ignition key
before going through even if
it doesn’t trigger the alarm.
So there you have it. The
entire incident was my fault.
By the way, neither
Lincoln, Cleveland nor
Mecklenburg County uses
Mecklenburg detectors at
the doors of their court
houses.
Jim Heffner is a reporter
for the Mount Holly News.
BRIDGES
From 1A
Ledford said the election
results sent the message that
the people were happy with
all three candidates being
from one area. He is an
upper Cleveland County
resident.
Ledford also said that
people also appear to be
happier with higher proper-
ty tax re-evaluations and the
school tax being cut.
Ledford said he was sur-
prised at the vote.
“I thought people were
dissatisfied and wanted
change,” he said.
This was Ledford’s third
attempt at gaining a com-
mission seat. He says it’s
doubtful he'll run again.
“This tells me the
Democrats are not satisfied
with me as a candidate,” he
* said. “I've done the best I
can.”
Ledford served for 20
years on the Cleveland
County School Board. He
owns Cleveland Staffing and
Business Development.
Ledford opposed the merger
of the county’s three school
systems and the combining
of the Economic
Development Commission
with the county Chamber of
Commerce.
Bridges will compete for
his second term on the
board. He differs with
Ledford, counting the merg-
er of the EDC and Chamber
as an accomplishment. He
retired after 40 years manag-
ing Bridges Auto Parts.
Bridges got 1,147 votes
and Ledford, 771, unofficial
reports indicate. Bridges led
in all four Kings Mountain
precincts, Bethware, Oak
Grove and Grover.
Cherryville resident
Patrick McHenry beat David
Huffman of Catawba
County in the Republican
primary for the 10th District
House seat. However, the
margin was so slim that
Huffman has called for a
recount.
THORNTON
From 1A.
Thornton was so weak her
husband Keith had to carry
her to the bathroom.
The disease went into
remission for two years.
When symptoms returned, a
Gastonia doctor prescribed
more drugs. This time the
pharmaceutical regimen was
more than Thornton's body
could tolerate. She was in
and out of the hospital.
Once she lost three pints of
blood. Thornton's esopha-
gus was inflamed and her
stomach filled with blood.
“It (treatment) was worse
than the disease to me,” she
said.
Thornton and her family
decided she was coming off
the medicine. Her doctor
had reached the same con-
clusion.
Doctors have no other
medicines to offer. All they
can do is monitor Thornton
and treat symptoms.
“All he can do is make me
comfortable, listen when I
talk,” Thornton says about
her physician.
Thornton lost half of her
vision then regained a por-
tion. Once she collapsed.
Her left arm was drawn.
Semi-comatose, speaking
was difficult. At the hospital
Thornton’s mother Janet
Stanley massaged her arm
and talked to her till she
regained full consciousness.
“I don’t know what I
would have done if she had-
n’t been there,” Thornton
said.
She’s also experienced
weight and hair loss, dental
problems, joint pain and
short term memory loss.
Some days Thornton cannot
get out of bed. In severe
pain, she sometimes curls
into a fetal position, repeat-
ing “Jesus” over and over,
rocking herself to sleep.
Keith has stayed awake half
the night watching her back
to see if she is still breathing.
In January doctors will
biopsy Thornton's liver. If
her liver is declared “fail-
ing” she can go on a waiting
list for a transplant.
Nationwide, 10,000 people
wait on the 4,000 livers
available annually, accord-
ing to Thornton. The middle
aged woman said she would
give up a chance at a liver if
it would mean a child could
have the life saving trans-
plant instead.
Hepatitis interferes with
the liver’s ability to filter
blood meaning impurities
stay in the body wrecking
havoc. An estimated 8,000 to
10,000 people die every year
from it.
Thornton calls it a “drag-
on lying dormant for years.”
The medical community is
hit hard but often remains
silent.
The disease is most often
associated with drug addict-
ed individuals. While it is
spread through body fluids,
Thornton says people often
pull back from her fearing
contamination when they
learn she has Hepatitis C.
Hepatitis A is easier to
contract and easier to treat,
Thornton said. There is an
immunization against
Hepatitis B.
Thornton encourages test-
ing. The earlier the disease is
caught, the less damage it
does to the immune system.
An estimated 3.9 million
Americans have Hepatitis
though many do not know
it. The disease is predicted
to peak in 2010 with 30,000
to 40,000 deaths. The num-
ber is rising four times
faster than those infected
with HIV, according to
Thornton.
Country music singer
Naomi Judd may be the
most well known person
with Hepatitis C. While
Thornton credits her with
bringing attention to the dis-
ease, she is frustrated with
Judd’s claim of healing.
“When you go into remis-
sion you want to say you're
healed,” Thornton said.
Unable to work, Thornton
draws $813 in disability
monthly. That's too much
for food stamps. Medicare
pays for medical care but
Pastor Whitaker to battle wrestlers in benefit
Rev. Timmy Whitaker and
his youth minister, Rev.
Dean Harris, will battle evil
Saturday, August 21 when
they take on professional
wrestlers as a fund raiser
for South Gastonia pente-
costal Holiness Church,
3723 S. York Road,
TheHerald
SEE
Published every Thursday
Periodicals postage at Kings Mountain, NC 28086
f
does not cover prescriptions.
A fused spine and
rheumatoid arthritis keep
Keith Thornton from work-
ing though he has not been
disabled long enough to
receive help from the gov-
ernment. The Thorntons live
with Debra’s mother who
suffers from severe scoliosis
and asthma.
“Between the three of us
we make one pretty good
human being,” Debra
Thornton said.
The biggest expense is
medication. Sometimes the
couple split their prescribed
dosages in half to save
money.
“It really upsets the doc-
tors but what are you going
to do?” Keith Thornton said.
Debra Thornton owes
$8,000 in hospital bills, a sit-
uation that has left her
depressed.
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However, family and
church are a big source of
support. The Thorntons and
Mrs. Stanley are members at
Christian Freedom Baptist.
Thornton describes the con-
gregation as “loving.”
“The hugs lift my spirit so
much. Their prayers go a
long way,” Debra Thornton
said.
Nurses at Cleveland
Regional have also been
there for Thornton. :
“They’ll talk, pray, worry
about you. I can’t give them
enough praise,” she said.
Thornton says she has
never asked God why she
has Hepatitis. Instead she
wants to be available to oth-
ers with the disease.
Thornton is considering
starting a support group.
For more information, call
704-813-9230.
*595
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