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WHAT'S UP FOR ‘052
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Thursday, December 30, 2004 Vol. 116 No. 53 Since 1889
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JOSEPH BRYMER / HERALD
Luminaries spell out “Love to All” and light the driveways and graves at Kings Mountain’s Mountain Rest Cemetery on
Christmas Eve night. See story and more photos on page 7A.
LOOK BACK AT 2004
Elections, death of President
Reagan big stories of the year
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
Politics and political decisions were
probably the top stories in Kings
Mountain during calendar year 2004.
Although a city election wasn’t held
this year (one is scheduled for next
year) Kings Mountain area citizens
were among a huge number that went
to the polls in November to re-elect
President George Bush and Governor
Mike Easley.
Locally, area voters returned Kings
Mountain's Tim Moore to Raleigh for a
second term in the State House and
put three Kings Mountain people on
the Cleveland County Board of
Commissioners.
The re-election of Ronnie Hawkins
and election of first-time candidate
Johnny Hutchins gave Republicans
control of the County Board for just the
second time in recent memory. Kings
Mountain Democrat Mary Accor was
also re-elected to the Board, giving
Kings Mountain the majority of three
seats on the five-member board for a
second straight term.
Commissioners elected Hawkins as
Board chairman, replacing Mrs. Accor.
Other members of the board who were
not up for re-election are Democrat
Willie McIntosh and Republican Jerry
Self, both from upper Cleveland
County.
Elections aside, the biggest political
story of the year in Kings Mountain
and the nation was probably the death
of President Ronald Reagan, who had
suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease for
a number of years. Some people from
the area even went to Washington, DC
for the public viewing of the Reagan
casket in the Capital Rotunda.
While elections and the death of
President Reagan were the big stories
of the year, there were many others
that were constantly on the minds of
Kings Mountain folks. In no particular
ranking, they included:
-School Merger.
After more than three years of court
decisions from the local to the state
level - and eventual clearance by the
U.S. Justice Departiiichiv - Cleveland
County schools were finally merged in
January. Kings Mountain District
Schools filed suit after the Cleveland
County Board of Commissioners
approved a merger plan in the spring
of 2000 to merge the Kings Mountain
and Shelby systems with Cleveland
County.
The appeals went all the way to the
North Carolina Supreme Court, which
denied hearing the case, and merger
was cleared by the U.S. Department of
Justice on Monday, January 12. The
Kings Mountain Board met for the
final time that night, saying emotional
good-byes. But the Board still went
down fighting, voting to ask the State
Board of Education to re-draw the
Cleveland County School lines to
include the portion of the Kings
Mountain city limits that is in Gaston
County. Gaston County commissioners
later voted not go along with such an
idea, and the NC School Board did not
act on the KM request.
The three systems officially became
See 2004, 3A
KINGS MOUNTAIN PEOPLE
Senior Games keep
J.C. Bridges on the go
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
J.C. Bridges wasn’t a sports enthusiast in
high school or even middle age but all that
changed when he retired.
Well known for a hardware store bearing
his name, Bridges needed something to do
after selling the business in 1987. That's
when he found a new outlet, the Senior
Games.
Today Bridges has boxes of medals from
county-level competition. In November, the
City of Kings Mountain honored him for
winning three medals - table tennis and
singles and doubles badminton - at the
state games.
“It’s a lot of fun. I've always enjoyed
competing with people,” Bridges said. “So
many things people don’t realize you can
enter.”
Athletic competition includes archery,
shot put, running, swimming, basketball,
football throwing, horseshoes, golf, bil-
liards, bowling and racquetball. Arts, crafts
and literary competitions are part of the
Silver Arts portion of the Senior Games.
Bridges’ wife Edie Bridges says the
games keep her husband active. He will
begin training for April's county games in
January and continue through state compe-
tition next fall. The 81-year-old man also
swims 24 laps three times a week and does
his own yard work.
Bridges had a heart attack in 1988 and
again in 1996.
“I bounced right back. I feel fortunate
and blessed,” he said.
Bridges carried the Senior Games
Olympic torch through a portion of
Charlotte in 2002. That year the national
games were held in Salt Lake. Bridges’
friend Edward Covington secretly nomi-
nated him.
“What in the world. I couldn't believe
it,” was his reaction when a letter arrived
informing him he had been selected.
The torch, with its glass still smoke
stained, stands in the front room. Awards
cover the hallway.
“We're going to have to get a new wall,”
Mrs. Bridges joked.
Bridges is recruiting other seniors to
compete in April.
. “They ought to consider getting into it
See Bridges, 2A
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Utilities are at the top of
the City of Kings
Mountain's agenda for
2005.
City council will consider
a new water reservoir in the -
Muddy Fork area. Dam
repairs also are planned for
City Lake.
“Water over the next 50
years will be more impor-
tant than gold,” Mayor Rick
Murphrey said.
The city has locked in its
current rate with Duke
Power through January
2009 meaning no electric
increases for customers,
Murphrey said.
The electric department is
now $200,000 ahead of
budget with another
$300,000 expected by the
end of the 2004-2005 fiscal
year.
The city’s second peak
shavings plant was paid off
in November. The plants
will save the city roughly $1
million annually on the
electric purchased from
Duke Power.
A new electric substation
is planned for 2006 in the
Phifer Road /Margrace area.
A back-up generator will
be installed in 2005 at the
city’s utility department.
This will power communi-
cations equipment during
electric outages. A new
emergency command post
has been established at the
department.
In 2005 an outdoor class-
room will be created for
utility workers. It will fea-
ture transformers and utili-
ty poles for training ses-
sions.
Through federal funding
a communications tower
will be built this coming
year at public works. It will
link police, highway patrol,
Sheriff’s officers, public
works and fire fighters. The
funding is through
See Mayor, 2A
Litton:
Sth high
school
needed
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
With three of Cleveland
County’s four high schools
at capacity, a fifth facility
should be considered, says
school board Chairman Dr.
George Litton.
“We need to start looking
at a new middle school and
high school,” he said
Tuesday.
Burns High School in
upper Cleveland is at
capacity. Kings Mountain
High School is over capaci-
ty.
y “Ideally you would like
to get rid of those trailers,”
Litton said. The school has
15 mobile units.
Crest High School in
Boiling Springs is “grossly
over capacity,” according to
Litton. \
Speaking only for him-
self, Litton said the best
location for a new middle
and high school campus
would be Grover or
Patterson Springs.
“That would alleviate a
great deal of busing,” he
said. “You could really do
some shifting of lines.”
The board will make reg-
ulations for transfers early
in 2005. The date of a public
hearing will be set during
the first January meeting.
Parents, students and com-
munity members will be
able to give their opinions
on a proposal to redraw
Shelby’s Elizabeth
Elementary lines and to set
See School, 2A
JOSEPH BRYMER / HERALD
Retired Kings Mountain hardware man J.C. Bridges holds just a handful of the many
medals he’s won in North Carolina Senior Games