Thursday, December 23, 2004
Black
faces
murder
charge
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
First degree murder
charges have been filed in
the shooting death of a
Kings Mountain man.
Travis Eugene Black, 26,
was arrested and charged
with murder last week.
According to Cleveland
County Sheriff's Office
reports, Black shot Lemuel
Monroe Terry Dec. 5. Terry
died the next day at
Carolinas Medical Center.
Black was arrested with-
out incident in Spartanburg,
S.C. and waived extradition
to North Carolina, accord-
ing to a law enforcement
report.
A Sheriff's Office report
dated Dec. 16 lists Black's
address as 290 Triple H
Farm Rd., Inman, S.C. A
Dec. 5 report lists his
address as 122 Wells Street,
Lawndale.
“This is God working his
miracles for me,” said
Terry’s fiance Angela
Singleton shortly after
learning of the arrest.
Singleton initially feared
Black would not be charged
and the shooting would be
ruled self-defense. The
Shelby Star had initially
reported that apparently
Black was defending his
home.
“I'm glad they did it this
quickly. It was driving a lot
of people crazy, especially
me,” Singleton said.
She gave investigators
Terry's cell phone which
contains threatening mes-
See Black, 3A
Cops provide
kids’ Christmas
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Over 20 area children will
have a brighter Christmas
thanks to the Kings
Mountain Police
Department and local resi-
dents.
The department collected
over $2,300 from the com-
munity and its staff for a
Tuesday morning shopping
trip. Officers accompanied
six moms to Wal-Mart in
Shelby. The department also
Charity
care policy
revised
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
More people will now be
eligible for charity care at
Kings Mountain Hospital.
The hospital, along with
Cleveland Regional Medical
Center, has revised its eligi-
bility guidelines to include
people making up to three
times the federal poverty
level. Using a staggered
system, recipients will get
between 25 and 100 percent
assistance with bills. The
application form also will
be streamlined.
Until now only people at
125 percent of the federal
poverty level or lower were
eligible for help with bills.
See Hospital, 10A
\
KINGS MOUNTAIN
Vol. 116 No. 52
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
thanks to a Grover man.
young man’s parents.
Matthew Gannon of Forest City will lit-
erally get a new lease on life in 2005
Jim Gregory of Grover is scheduled to
donate a kidney to Gannon Jan. 11 at
Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.
When Gregory heard this summer that
the 21-year-old Gannon needed a trans-
plant, he immediately thought of the
“I couldn’t imagine what his parents
were going through,” Gregory said.
At the time, the two didn’t know one
another. Gannon'’s uncle Jeremiah
Councill taught Gregory's English class at
Isothermal Community College. During a
Since 1889
GIFT OF LIFE
ANDIE L. BRYMER/HERALD
Jim Gregory of Grover, left, is donating a kidney to Matt Gannon.
Gregory giving kidney
to recent acquaintance
class, Councill talked about Gannon.
Gregory approached the instructor about
making a living donation. He set up a
meeting between the two.
“As soon as I met Jim I knew it was
going to go all of the way,” Gannon said.
If the surgery is successful, Gannon
will be free of dialysis just short of the
..Feb..3 three-year-anniversary of undergo-
ing the thrice weekly procedure.
Dialysis cleans Gannon’s blood, a func-
tion performed by healthy kidneys. He
spends just over four hours every
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at
. Devita Dialysis in Rutherfordton. The
procedure leaves him tired for the
remainder of the day.
“It’s like saying good-bye to those three
See Kidney, 5A
linked up other families
with people in the commu-
nity who are buying gifts
and groceries for a holiday
dinner.
“It has really been an out-
pouring of generosity,” said
Police Sgt. Lisa Proctor.
“They’ve really stepped up
to the plate.”
Patrol officers and com-
munity members suggested
families who could use
assistance. Proctor and Capt.
Jerry Tessneer visited the
See Cops, 3A
ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD
Patrol Officer D.W. Coburn, left, Kings Mountain Mayor
Rick Murphrey and Tanya Abdi shop Tuesday morning at
Wal-Mart. :
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
volunteer fire fighters burn out.
That's not the case with Jimmy
Hensley. !
Grover Volunteer Fire :
. Department honored him for 20
years of service earlier this
officer of the year.
“I was shocked,” he said.
Hensley’s fellow fire fighters
gave him a plaque and a hand
sewn leather fire helmet.
Hensley first attended a fire
of friends when he was 15 years
old. He joined as a junior mem-
After five to seven years many
month. They also named Hensley
department meeting at the urging
ber. Hensley admits the first few
years he was just “hanging out.”
Then he got hooked.
“I just love it,” Hensley said.
“Once it gets in you it’s hard to
get rid of.”
Hensley credits the experience
earned in Grover for his job as
Emergency Training Center coor-
dinator at Cleveland Community
College. He sets up training ses-
sions for area departments, coor-
dinates the two-year fire protec-
tion technology program and
teaches some classes.
Over the past two decades
Hensley has watched personal
safety of fire fighters become
more important. Breathing equip-
See Hensley, 3A
the house at 904 North
GROVER PEOPLE
Firefighting calling [J of
for Jimmy Hensley
HC
&
Milewski’s,
Polish capture
detailed in book
10A
Body found
in burned
home in KM
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
50 Cents
A man died in a house fire Monday evening on North
Piedmont Avenue in Kings Mountain.
According to Fire Chief Frank Burns positive identifica-
tion will not be known until after an autopsy is performed,
but authorities believe the TESS,
body is that of Robert “Earl” && :
Shockley, who lived alone in When we got
there the
heard from since the fire.
Kings Mountain firemen h ouse was
received a call about the fire at
8 p.m. Monday and when they total ly
arrived the house was totally 2
engulfed in flames. Burns said involved.
he believes the fire had been
burning for some time before a Frank Burns
neighbor spotted it, because Fire Chicf
the home was surrounded by Ifo Lnie
huge trees.
“When we got there the house was totally involved and
had already vented itself through the roof,” Burns said.
“About half the roof was burned off when we got there.”
It took fireman about 35 to 40 minutes to bring the fire
under control, Burns noted.
See Fire, 3A :
FREE SHOT
Flu vaccine coming next week
for persons over the age of 50
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Piedmont and has not been
Cleveland County Health Department officials anticipate
they will receive a shipment of flu vaccine from the state
next week.
Rules governing who can get the immunization have
been relaxed. Now anyone age 50 or older and individuals
in contact with high risk groups may be vaccinated. High
risk populations include the very young and very old, indi-
viduals with compromised immune systems, health work-
ers and residents in congregate care facilities.
Gay Melton, the nurse in charge of immunizations, said
she did not know how many doses Cleveland would
receive. More information should be available Tuesday or
Wednesday, she said. Part of the shipment will go to the
health department's Kings Mountain office. The shot is free.
Man killed by train
near Kings Mountain
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
A Kings Mountain man was killed Friday afternoon while
apparently walking on the railroad tracks between Kings
Mountain and Grover.
Leonard Darrell Humphries, 41, of 208 Ganley Street,
Kings Mountain was struck by a Norfolk-Southern train at
approximately 4 p.m., according to Lt. David Crow of the
Cleveland County Sherift’s Office.
A plastic bag filled with cans was found nearby.
Authorities believe Humphries was collecting the cans. He
See Train, 3A
Grover
Volunteer
Fire
Department
is honoring
Jimmy
Hensley
for 20
years of
service.
They also
named him
officer of
the year
during the
depart-
ment’s
year-end
dinner
earlier
this
month.
Andie
Brymer
photo
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