KINGS MOUNTAIN
The Hera
Thursday, September 2, 2004
Vol. 116 No. 36
Since 1889
orphanages. -
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
In the mid-1980s, as a U.S. soldier
Greg McGinnis guarded the border
between a Germany divided by the
fight between Communism and
Democracy. In 1999, he stood in Red
Square holding the Russian infant he
and his wife Karen had just adopted.
“God's really got a sense of
humor,” McGinnis said.
In April 1998, after years of infertil-
ity treatments, the couple faced in
vitro fertilization, however the cost
and 40 percent success rate made the
procedure unappealing. They were
told a domestic adoption could take
four years. Demand was so high and
supply low that some agencies had
even curtailed waiting lists.
Then, Greg McGinnis picked up
the Charlotte Observer to find a
headline reading “Russian Adoption
Done Right.” He read the story and
learned Catholic Social Services was
holding an information meeting that
night.
The couple went to the meeting
and, according to Karen McGinnis,
“we knew immediately that’s what
we wanted to do.” The two were fin-
gerprinted and went through FBI and
INS background checks. A social
ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD
Greg and Karen McGinnis and their daughters Emma, left, and Lyndsay. Both girls were adopted from Russian
New city manager and wife
adopt two girls from Russia
worker visited several times. Photos
of their home were sent to Russian
authorities.
In February of the following year
they received a video of three female
infants. The couple was told to pick
one. Karen McGinnis asked herself
“how do I choose?” but as soon as
they saw the video, they agreed on
one bright-eyed little girl.
At three months Lindsay Daria was
holding her head up. The couple took
this to mean she was determined. The
other two babies were not as respon-
sive. They later learned that their
daughter had received a lot of love
See Adopt, 5A
Woman says kudzu
coming from stadium
needs cleaning up
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
A Kings Mountain grandmother has gotten tangled up in
a fight against kudzu. Faye Bennett says the vine is growing
into her son’s backyard from two directions - City Stadium
_ and from a neighboring home. Bennett says the vine com-
ing from the neighbor originated in City Stadium.
Bennett, who lives across Gaston Street from her grand-
son John Bennett, would like the city to take care of the
problem she says causes rats, snakes and opossums.
“The only thing we want is to have the place cleaned
up,” Bennett said Friday.
According to Building and Codes Enforcement Director
Holly Black, the city has not trimmed kudzu in the wooded
area at City Park because of erosion.
“We normally would not clear a drainage area,” she said.
The city did trim undergrowth a few years ago to abate
See Kudzu, 5A
Kudzu climbs a fence and extends onto steps at City
upset.
Wayne King at GOP convention
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
As he stood in line leaving ABC Studios
and whizzed down the city streets in a cab,
delegate Wayne King gave an update via
cell phone on this week’s Republican
National Convention in New York.
King summed up his first four days in the
Big Apple in two words - “it’s great.”
So far King has talked with Karl Rove,
President George Bush's senior political
advisor, and New York’s Governor George
Pataki. Rove told King he had driven
through Kings Mountain while on U.S. 74.
~ “He (Pataki) was very interested in peo-
ple from smaller towns being in bigger
towns,” King said.
On Sunday night the North Carolina dele-
gation joined with New Jersey and
Pennsylvania to see “Fiddler on the Roof.”
During a Monday breakfast the state dele-
gation heard Virginia Senator George Allen,
head of a GOP committee to elect more
Republican senators, talk about North
Carolina candidate Richard Burr.
Monday afternoon King talked with
Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory during a visit
to the Bronx Zoo. AT&T sponsored the
event for North Carolina and Georgia dele-
gates.
Senator Joe McCain and former New York
Mayor Rudy Guilliano spoke Monday night.
See King, 5A WAYNE KING
Wh We
ANDIE L. BRYMER/HERALD
Stadium. The fast growing vine has at least one neighbor
LYLrvwsrs even.
beat Warriors
in opener
1B
50 Cents
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KM council sets
public hearing for
incentive request
for new industry
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Southeastern Container
Corporation may be coming
to Kings Mountain.
During a Tuesday night
city council meeting, council
members unanimously
approved a Sept. 13 public
hearing on a $300,000 incen-
tive for the company. The
incentive would be spread
over five years.
“Hopefully we'll pass
that. I know we will,” said
Mayor Rick Murphrey:.
The company will gener-
ate 79 jobs. Murphrey called
those “high paying” but
would not give salary
specifics. Nor would he give
any information on whether
the company would build a
new facility or occupy an
existing one, though he did
say Southeastern Container
will make a $26 million
investment.
Murphrey credited both
state and local economic
development officials for
recruiting the company.
During the public com-
ment portion, four people
asked the city to advocate
that all of Kings Mountain's
students be included in the
newly merged Cleveland
County Schools. Before the
merger, students living in
the Gaston County portion
of the city attended the for-
mer city school district.
Now they must pay $1,414
in tuition to attend.
Parent Nicole Sellers chal-
lenged the board to do
“more.
“I haven't seen a one of
you march beside us,” she
said, referring to
Murphrey’s promise last
month to do so.
Officials defended them-
selves, saying council mem-
bers Houston Corn, Carl
DeVane, Kay Hambright
and Howard Shipp attended
a Cleveland County
Commission meeting in
support of the students.
DeVane addressed that
board. Other council mem-
bers said they had conflict-
ing schedules and
Murphrey said his wife was
Yl
Sellers also held up sever-
al newspaper articles about
a new sewer lift station,
beach blast, national night
out and industrial incen-
tives.
“A lot of waste is going
on that could go to keeping
the children in the schools
here,” she said.
Sellers told the council
that there had been talk that
Michael Smith was alone in
the fight to keep the city
students in one system but
the group had elected him
as their spokesperson.
Sellers said she and some
of her neighbors had moved
to this area because of East
Elementary’s excellent repu-
tation. Now that school was
not an option for the ones
who cannot pay the $1,414
tuition.
“If we cannot get this
resolved you should enjoy
your last days in office
because you will not be
' back,” she said.
Smith, Ella Leach and
Jonathan Merrill also spoke.
The city cannot legally
give funding to schools,
according to Murphrey.
Council heard an update
on the swimming pool fence
issue from Attorney Mickey
Corry and Codes Director
Holly Black. They described
a complaint driven plan
which would give neighbors
the right to ask for the city
to investigate pools without
fences. If the pool was deter-
mined to be a public threat
to safety the owner would
See Council, 3A
Schools tobacco
ban may be studied
in work session
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
The Cleveland County
School Board will most like-
ly discuss a tobacco ban
during a Sept. 27 policy
work session.
If a total tobacco ban
passes it would go as far as
prohibiting spectators from
using tobacco during sport-
ing events.
“Every school hires secu-
rity. I would imagine if it’s a
rule, it would be enforced,”
said Chairman Dr. George
Litton.
Of the state’s 115 school
systems, 40 have completely
banned tobacco.
Lincoln County Schools
prohibit students from
smoking. On-duty employ-
ees may smoke outdoors if
they are not visible by stu-
dents. That school board is
currently studying its policy.
Gaston County Schools
enacted a 100 percent tobac-
co ban in January. At the
start of a recent football
game in Gaston, the ban
was announced. Potential
violators were warned
police would escort them
out if they used tobacco.
Litton doesn’t imagine
Cleveland would have prob-
lems enforcing a ban.
“I think most people will
go along with whatever rule
is there,” he said. “It’s a
school. We are trying to set a
good example.”
Despite a ban on students
by the former Kings
Mountain District Schools,
some coaches have used
smokeless tobacco.
“That was a no-no in our
system,” Litton said refer-
ring to the former Cleveland
County Schools. Coaches
had to be out of sight of stu-
dents to use tobacco prod-
ucts. Students were com-
pletely banned from using
tobacco.
~ School staff who
“absolutely failed” to follow
the ban, if it passes, could
be considered insubordi-
nate, Litton said. Discipline
would start with the princi-
pal.
According to Litton, state
law charges school boards
with setting policy. The
superintendent can put
rules and regulations with
the policy.
Use or possession of
tobacco products by stu-
dents while at school, on
any school-owned or man-
aged property or while
supervised by school per-
sonnel is considered a cate-
See Tobacco, 7A