Thursday, August 25, 2005
Vol. 117 No. 34
Since 1889
50 Cents
| School begins Thursday |
Beach music concert gets :
parents, students in mood
By ANDIE BRYMER
Staff Writer
A Back to sChOOL concert marked
the end of summer Saturday night in
Kings Mountain.
The city sponsored its last summer
event, a beach music concert, at
Patriots Park. Adults and kids alike
took to the dance-floor to enjoy the
music of The Coastline Band and the
Fantastic Shakers.
Other summer city events have
included the Over the Mountain
Triathlon in June and an
Independence Day bash and a Beach
Blast in July.
KM woman
says she was
kidnapped
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Kings Mountain Police
have charged a South
Carolina man and a Florida
man with kidnapping.
The two men allegedly
approached Shellie Black,
26, of 1512 North Cansler
Sti, while she was using a
pay phone Monday night at
Mike's Citgo on South
Battleground Avenue. Black
told police they pulled a
gun, forced her back into
her car, made her drive
them to several places in
Kings Mountain and then
back to her home.
When they arrived at
Black’s home, the men
allegedly forced her at gun
point into a back bedroom
where they held her
hostage and threatened her.
At 10 a.m. Tuesday the men
allowed her to leave the
house to purchase ciga-
rettes, Black told police.
Once away from her
home, Black drove to a
friend’s home where she
called police. Officers from
Kings Mountain and
Cleveland County obtained
a key from Black and went
to her home where they
found the males asleep in
the living room. They also
found the gun used in the
alleged kidnapping.
Dedric Omar Williams,
27, of 106 C Skinner Circle,
Fort Walden Beach, FL and
Derrick Lamont Best, 30, of
2165 Risher St., Gifford, SC
were both charged with
first degree kidnapping,
See Woman, 2A
Firemen
credit smoke
detectors for
saving lives
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Fire officials credit smoke
detectors for saving lives in
two recent fires.
Last week a box of cloth-
ing caught fire at a Fulton
Street home. The occupants
had just moved into the
home, according to Fire
Chief Frank Burns. The box
of clothing had not been
unpacked yet. A lit cigarette
caused the fire.
Due to the early warning
of the smoke detector, the
residents were able to get
out of the home and the fire
department extinguished
See Smoke, 3A
wo
The next-event will be the
Gateway Festival Oct. 15. That
downtown event celebrates the city’s
namesake, the Battle of Kings
Mountain, and the city’s recent des-
ignation by the National Park Service
as a Gateway community to the three
area state and national parks. The
festival will include historic re-enac-
tors, art, music, a car show, story
telling, food and more.
Other upcoming events include
the downtown Great Pumpkin
Parade for kids on Oct. 31 and a
Christmas tree lighting ceremony
Nov. 22 at Mauney Memorial
Library.
VKMHS Phifer Road project
ol
. ANDIE BRYMER / HRALD
McRae Moore, 5, of Kings Mountain cools
off during the Saturday night Back to
sChOOL concert at Patriots Park.
ANDIE L. BRYMER/HERALD
Cleveland County Schools board member Mary Evans looks at a model of the proposed
Phifer Road building prior to Monday night's board meeting.
Architect authorized to draw
plans, put project out to bids
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Kings Mountain High
School’s Phifer Road project
is one step closer to becom-
ing a reality. ;
Monday night Cleveland
County Schools” Board
voted unanimously to give
architect Roger Holland per-
mission to make detailed
drawings of the project and
to put it out for bid.
Deputy Superintendent of
Auxiliary Services Dr. Larry
Allen said this process
should take three months.
Once the bids come back the
board will vote on whether
to do the project. Allen
anticipates the project will
cost $1 million-plus. If the
vocational building had to
be constructed from the bot-
tom up it would cost several
million, according to Allen.
The proposed project
would ready the 26,400
square-foot building to
house much of the school’s
career and technical pro-
gram. Business, welding,
health occupations, carpen-
try, agriculture, drafting,
computer technology and
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
for Women will honor her.
“We never have a dull
Jones, 14, are the couple’s
Since 1972 Aloyse Jones has
been a foster mother to 90 chil-
dren and babies. Tonight the
Cleveland County Commission
The 76-year-old woman and
her husband Oscar Jones also
have adopted three children. :
Though the Joneses stopped pro-
viding foster care two years ago,
many of the children they have
cared for still visit and call.
moment,” Aloyse Jones said.
Jacob Jones, 11, and Dillon
youngest children. They adopted
Jacob at 15 months and Dillon at
one month. The boys are biologi-
. cally half-brothers.
month old. tody was awarded to an aunt.
Aloyse Jones also has three What she describes as a pity
biological sons, Ronnie Hawkins, party followed. Then suddenly
Darrell Hawkins and Keith Jones heard a voice. It said “how
years old.
“I cannot tell any difference in
my biological children, adopted
children and foster children,”
she said.
The couple’s daughter
Shandora, 30, lives close by. Her
two boys are often at their
grandparents’ home playing
with their uncles. Shandora was
adopted when she was one .
Hawkins. Their father died
when they were 11, 16 and 17
engineering would be locat-
ed in the Phifer Road build-
ing. Family and consumer
science and food service
programs would remain on
the main campus.
Allen called the project
“the best option we have
based on the cost of con-
struction today.” The former
Kings Mountain District
Schools purchased the
building and eight acres of
surrounding property for
$500,000 in 2002. KMDS put
a new roof on the building
to protect the structure. No
See KMHS, 4A
~ KINGS MOUNTAIN PEOPLE
Aloyse Jones has been
foster mother to 90 children
selfish of you.”
next foster child. ; Jacob Jones. The couple served as fos-
When they laid her in my ter parents from 1972 to 2003, caring
See Jones, 3A for 90 children.
At age 42 Aloyse Jones” want-
ed to adopt a child. She visited
the Department of Social
Services where a case worker
suggested she do foster care
first. Soon the first child was
* placed with the couple. Jones
thought she would become the
little girl’s mother. Instead, cus-
The rebuke was all she needed
to open her home and heart to
another child. Shandora was her
Students, teachers
get acquainted
at orientation
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
School starts today but most student have already met
their teachers. Earlier this week schools throughout
Cleveland County held open house orientation for parents
and students. :
On Tuesday at West Elementary, Connie Bell, a teacher of
the academically gifted, and
other staff and faculty work-
ing in specialized areas
greeted parents and stu-
dents, telling them which
classroom they would call
home.
Maribeth Bagwell was
excited that her child Jamie
would be in Suzanne
Grayson’s third grade class-
room. Son Spencer, now in
seventh grade, had a great
experience in Grayson’s
classroom several years ago.
“She’s a fabulous teacher,”
Bagwell said.
Grayson described the ori-
entation as a chance to meet
parents, find out about any
special needs and give her
new students a hug.
Who are my classmates is
the top question, according
to teacher’s assistant Susan
Chapman: When students
discover they don’t have
any friends in their class-
room, teacher Karla Bennett explains that this is a chance
make new ones, Chapman said.
Fourth grader Mason Fleisher discovered some of his
friends would be in Rebecca Williams’ classroom with him.
Most of the students are girls, according to Mason. When
quizzed if the gender make-up is good or bad, Mason says
it’s both. :
Mason has heard that his new teacher is “fun but strict.”
See School, 4A
PROUD HISTORY,
PROMISING FUTURE
Brochure promotes Kings Mountain
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD
Brandon Gladden makes a
tornado in a bottle during
orientation at Bethware
Elementary.
The City of Kings Mountain has a new marketing tool - a
23 by 11 inch, full color, glossy brochure.
Titled “Kings Mountain - Proud History, Promising
Future,” the brochure features photos from across town and
area sites. Some of the photos include children on antique
fire trucks, families in front of the town’s murals, re-enac-
tors at the Barber Log House, a man fishing at one of the
local lakes, children playing at Patriots Park and more
youngsters at the municipal playground.
Photos showcase landmarks like the Patrick Center,
Grover Elementary School, Joy Performance Center,
Mauney Memorial Library and City Hall. Additional pho-
tography highlights industry and athletic events in this
See Brochure, 8A
; ANDIE L. BRYMER/HERALD
Aloyse and Oscar Jones with their son