Thursday, June 23, 2005
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Over 200 athletes took
on Moss Lake, steep hills,
rural countryside and city
streets Saturday morning
during the city-sponsored
Over The Mountain
Triathlon.
A local three-man team
took second place in relay
division competition fin-
ishing in 2 hours and 31
minutes.
Dallas Stacey rode the
bike portion of the event.
George Patterson ran and
Michael Allen, a member
after last year’s triathlon.
All three members have
competed before in single
sport events. Saturday
was their first triathlon.
Other Kings Mountain
residents participated.
Gene Summey finished
first in the novice masters
category with a 2 hour
and 56 minutes time.
In the 40 to 44-year-old
division, William Shipley
of Kings Mountain fin-
ished with a three hour
and 35 minute time.
Robert Reid in the 16 to
19-year-old division fin-
ished in three hours and
of the Kings Mountain 47 minutes.
High School and the In the novice category
Cyclone swim teams, did Brad Gardner finished in
the aquatic portion. four hours and three min-
Stacey and Patterson utes.
work together at Overall winner Daniel
Universal Manufacturing. g
The team formed soon See Kings, Page 10A
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Joseph brymer/herald
Above, a triathlete bikes through Kings Mountain National Military Park. Below, local boy scouts manned a water
station during the Over The Mountain Triathlon on Saturday.
Triathletes conquer
Rings Mountain
FI SoIvawr aan
Teen forms
focus group
for library,
Page 7A
Resident
petitions
for clinic
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
A local woman is asking
the Cleveland County
Health Department to keep
its Kings Mountain satellite
clinic open.
Mary McKinney has pre-
sented The Herald with a
petition containing approxi-
mately 150 signatures.
McKinney said it took her
about a week to get the first
100 names and a day to get
50 more signatures.
Earlier this year Health
Department Director Denese
Stallings said the clinic was
closing in June because it
was not serving enough
patients to be cost effective.
The clinic averaged 157
patients a month or eight
patients a day, according to
a Tuesday email from the
health department. Some
days there were no patients.
It costs the health depart-
ment $189,632 annually plus
travel expenses for staff to
operate the clinic, according
to the email. This includes a
$21,000 to $22,000 contribu-
tion from the City of Kings
Mountain.
McKinney said she would
like the clinic to stay open
because it serves the unin- -
sured especially those who
do not have transportation
to the main office in Shelby.
The Health Department uses
a sliding fee scale based on
income for patients paying °
out of pocket and accepts
Medicaid, Medicare, Blue
Cross and most other
See Clinic, Page 10A
Red Cross
seeks
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Natural disasters across
the globe, the war in Iraq
and local economic slow-
downs are taking a toll on
the Cleveland County Red
Cross. /
The agency needs to raise
$35,000 to start fiscal year
2005-06 off with its budget
in the black. :
Local folks donated over
$47,000 through the
Cleveland County chapter
this past year for hurricane
relief in Florida, flood assis-
tance in the North Carolina
mountains and aid for the
Asian Pacific Tsunami.
Assistant Director Sandi
Bolick speculates that many
of those donors typically
only give once a year to the
Red Cross. This year their
dollars went to the national
and international Red Cross.
9 ]
At home, the Cleveland
County chapter has spent
more of its resources on
Armed Forces Emergency
Services this year. During
FY 2003-04 the chapter
helped over 50 military fam-
ilies. Through May of this
fiscal year the agency
already has served 71 fami-
lies. Bolick attributes the
increase to the war in Iraq.
Part of the Red Cross’
congressional charter man-
dates that it notify and bring
home military personnel
‘with a family emergency.
The agency provides
emergency assistance after
house fires including tempo-
rary lodging and help with
food and clothing. Lay-offs
and plant closing mean
fewer families can afford
renter’s insurance meaning
they need more help after a
fire, Bolick said.
See Red, Page 7A
Election filing
opens July 1
Entire KM Council up
Who is running for Kings Mountain and Grover council
seats? Answers will begin to be available July 1.
Filing opens at noon on July 1 and runs through noon on
August 5 for the Nov. 8 election. :
All seven Kings Mountain council seats and the mayor’s
office are up for reelection. In Grover, the three seats occu-
pied by John Harry, Max Rollins and Bill Willis are up.
Cleveland County denied funding for a project which
would have established a satellite early voting site in Kings
Mountain.
The Elections Board has appealed to the City of Kings
Mountain to fund the satellite early voting site, a request
which would cost between $6,000 and $10,000 funding,
according to Chairman Steve Wells.
The city does not have an adequate space to hold the
election, according to Mayor Rick Murhprey. While church-
es are used for most voting sites in Kings Mountain on elec-
tion day, rules prohibit this during satellite early voting.
"Registration forms are available at Kings Mountain City
Hall, Grover Town Hall, Mauney Memorial Library and all
‘post offices and high schools.
"Voters must be registered by Oct. 14. Absentee voting by
mail begins Oct. 7. One-stop absentee voting begins Oct. 20.
For more information, call 704-484-4858.
KMHS BAND MAN
Doggett takes director post
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Gil Doggett will lead Kings
Mountain High School’s band this
fall.
The assistant director has stepped
into the position left open by Chris
Cole's retirement. :
Doggett says he is “appreciative
and humbled by the town’s sup-
port.” Both alumni and others come
out for concerts.
Administrators at both KMHS and
KMMS have given the program “top
notch support,” according to
Doggett.
“It's awesome. We couldn't ask for
better,” he said. “I consider it a privi-
lege to be able to teach and work
here.”
Doggett first played the drums in
fifth grade. He participated in the
East Rutherford High School band
program and majored in music edu-
cation at Appalachian State
University. After student teaching at
KMHS, he worked for three years at
Rockingham Junior High. In 1991, he
joined the Kings Mountain faculty as
assistant director.
Some of the songs for the upcom-
ing year will have a Spanish and
Latin theme, Doggett said. There will
be no changes to uniforms.
Kings Mountain has several bands
including the marching band, the by-
audition-only Blazer Band named for
the gold blazers the musicians wear
and seventh, eighth and ninth grade
bands. KMHS also offers a music
theory class.
“That's been a fun class to work
with,” Doggett said.
In seventh grade the band is divid-
ed into three classes - brass, wood-
wind and percussion. The group
unites for a spring concert. In eighth
grade they are combined into one
class. Ninth grade is the first year
students play at the state band con-
cert festival.
Doggett likes having students for
six years.
“It’s rewarding. You see them
through middle school to gradua-
tion,” he said.
He has watched students some-
times struggle through middle
school then hit their stride in high
school. Consistent practice is his
advice to all students.
Doggett says the high school band
will have around 100 members this
year.
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