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Ron Massey to be
inducted into KM
Sports Hall of Fame
1B
Thursday, April 20, 2006 Vol. 118 No. 16 Since 1889
50 Cents
HOMEFRONT
Mountaineer Partnership
town meeting tonight
“What do you want for Downtown
Kings Mountain?” is asked among
bright green flyers throughout town.
Mountaineer Partnership, Inc. invites
the public to a town meeting
Thursday at 7 pm in the Patrick
Senior Center. The non-profit corpb-
ration will be focusing on what
Director C. Morgan Edwards calls the
“Main Street Approach.” “It’s a par-
ticipatory program defining what
you would like to see and spend
money on downtown,” Edwards
said. He continued to say that no
matter how nice a downtown is to
look at if it doesn’t bring a profit and
is not supported by the community, it
probably will not last.
KM Council
to vote on
Countryside
zoning issue
ELIZABETH STEWART
Herald Correspondent
Kings Mountain City Council will
vote Tuesday at 7 p.m. at city hall on
whether to rezone property on the
south side of Countryside Road for a
403-home planned PUD housing
development, an issue which has
sparked controversy.
More concessions to property own-
ers are on the table and council will
hear the changes proposed during a
second public hearing prior to taking
the vote. £
A petition signed by residents con-
vinced leaders with Mann Properties
to lower the number of homes they are
building from 483 to 430 and installing
two entrances instead of one.
Mayor Rick Murphrey said names of
property owners who own 5 percent
or more of land in the area are on the
petition. Developers have met with
adjoining property owners for weeks
to hear their concerns.
The 119 acre tract is owned by Randy
Bates of Lake Wylie, SC who has peti-
tioned council to change the zoning on
the property on the south side of
Countryside Road and approximately
3,000 feet west of the Patterson Road
intersection from R-10 to Conditional
Use R-6. The city planning board is
recommending the rezoning.
Residents came out in force at the
planning board meeting on Feb. 14
and again at the Feb. 28 public hearing
by city council. Their concerns caught
the attention of Mann consultant and
former Charlotte city planner Walter
Fields who has developed other PUD :
projects in other cities and Mann offi- Fe
cials started = meeting = with
Countryside area property owners.
PUD (Planned Use Development)
approval allows developers to locate
homes closer together, but requires
them to set aside open space for recre-
ation and other uses. Mann Properties
plans to use 19 acres for open space
use and has provided $25,000 for play-
ground equipment. All houses will be
See Council, 2A
10th Firehouse Cook-off crown
goes to B.S. Pitmeisters team
EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
Hoping for a big turnout he
encourages everyone in the commu-
nity t6 voice their opinion. “Tell us
what you want and we'll try to find
someone to offer it,” he said. Public
ideas will be taken to private sectors
in search of funding. Edwards wants
the people to feel comfortable down-
town while offering things that the
community can feel excited about.
Founded in 2003 and established
through real estate taxes, the :
Mountaineer Partnership was set up
for the community to make its busi-
nesses more appealing. For more
information, call Edwards at 704-730-
0283 or go by the Partnership’s office
at 241 South Battleground Avenue.
Ingram still critical
from grenade blast
Roosevelt Ingram, 71, of 403
Belvedere Circle, remains in critical
condition at Wake Forest University
Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem
after a white phosphorus grenade
exploded in his hand around 8 pm on
Monday, April 10.
The World War II grenade sent a
fireball up his arms, chest and face.
The loud explosion brought neighbor 3 )
Greg Gray to the rescue with a water work Tuesday morning, April
hose that he used to extinguish the 11th, at 9:20 am. She was sitting on
fire. her bed, taking the paint off of her
Ingram was transported to nails with fingernail polish
Cleveland Regional Medical Center remover and toilet paper. Her cig-
and airlifted to Wake Forest arette was smoking in the ash tray
University Baptist Hospital, where he beside her. She accidentally
remains in the Burn Unit under criti- knocked over the flammable
cal condition. The family has asked remover, soaking the toilet paper that was
for prayers during this crucial time. draped close to her cigarette, which then ignited
the combustible fumes.
“It happened very fast,” said Fender.
Working on instinct, she tried to smother the
EMILY WEAVER / HERALD
Charred ceiling of Ronda Fender's home near Grover. Below, two Bibles were scorched on the
outside, but not a single word inside the covers was burned.
Fire destroys woman’s home but not
a word in her Bibles was damaged
EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
fire with a comforter but noticed that it only
fanned the flames. She ran outside and yelled for
‘help. A 911 call was placed. Help was on the way
Her cat, Belle, stayed by her side, following
Fender outside when she screamed for help and
then back inside when she
attempted to save some belong-
| ings. Before she knew. it, the
| flames were licking the ceiling in
her bedroom.
She said that it felt like a very
long time for the responders to
reach her off of Hwy. 29. But the
ambulance, Bethlehem and
Grover Volunteer Fire
Departments were there within
minutes.
The flames burst through the
bathroom and bedroom windows. Firemen were
still putting the fire out when she was in the
ambulance. Fender was taken to the hospital
where she received breathing treatments for
See Fire, 8A
Within minutes of carefully stepping into the
scorched and charred remains of
what once was the Fender fami-
ly’s home - clothes, hair and nos-
trils absorb the smell of its demise:
The fire started as Ronda
Fender was getting ready for
Primary candidates
to speak at Woman's Club
The Kings Mountain Woman's
Club will be holding a “meet your
candidates” forum for the May 2nd
primary at 7 pm on Monday, April
24th at the Woman's Club on
Mountain Street. This meeting is
open to the public. Candidates for
upcoming elections among the Board
of Commissioners, Cleveland County
Sheriff, Cleveland County Coroner
and Clerk of Superior Court will be
allowed 3-5 minutes to tell who they
are and what their plans are for the
desired positions. Afterwards, the
while others returned to
fight for glory. Regal BBQ
decided to come out for the
first time all the way from
Buffalo, NY after hearing
about it from fellow champi-
626.2856, championed over
Home on the Range, who
had a final score of 626.2848,
for the title of NC State
Champion.
Fifty-eight
Winning scores differing
from only a thousandth of a
point showed how close and from
teams
public will have a chance to ask ques- fierce the competition was 3€I0SS the East felt the pres- on-seekers at the
tions. : ; last Friday and Saturday at sure as turn-in times drew Rockingham, NC BBQ
The Woman's Club believes the the 10th Annual Kings Reareron Saturday morning. Competition.
forum will give the public a better
opportunity to get to know the differ-
ent candidates and make more of an 4
informed decision on who to vote for
in the primary.
RADAR WATCH
Kings Mountain Police Department
‘will be running radar April 23-29 at
the following locations:
KINGS MOUNTAIN PEOPLE
Sunday - I-85, US 74 Bypass, York
“wasennes | Through the eyes of an American soldier
“Vermont is the farthest
north we have been and this
is the farthest south we have
been,” said Karin Krauss,
wife and cooking partner of
Steve Krauss. The whole
team could not join them in
See Cook-off, 8A
Meats were cooked in vari-
ous ways and at various tem-
peratures - but all were
cooked through dedication
and determination in a sport
called Barbeque.
Some competitors were
newcomers to the Cook-off
Mountain Firehouse Cook-
off. “We haven't had one
that’s been that close in a
while,” said Fire Inspector
Joey Davis while looking at
the scores. B.S. Pitmeisters,
with an overall score of
A
Fire Chief Frank Burns stands with this year’s
NC State Champion B.S. Pitmeister, newly-
weds Mr. and Mrs. Charles Fretwell. They also
won the Mayor’s Choice Award for sharing a
part of their wedding cake with Mayor
Murphrey.
Tuesday, 1-85, US 74 Bypass, Waco
Rd.
Wednesday- 1-85, US 74 Bypass,
(First of 3 parts)
EMILY WEAVER
not a road of great riches
or corporate success, fame
Kings Mountain resident,
works for a contracting
Marshals, he. decided to
give it a shot.
Fulton Dr. evemerokgsmountainheraldcom OF timnidness. Itwasaroad team called Military Since then, MPRI has
Thursday - I-85, US 74 Bypass, 3 : of adventure, excitement, Professional ‘Resource sent Goode to many dif-
Linwood Rd. pain and pride. It was the Incorporated (MPRI), ferent countries including
Friday - I-85, US 74 Bypass, Shelby
“I shall be telling this
road of an American sol-
which provides military,
Germany, Iraq, Rwanda,
Rd. with a sigh dier. It stretched through combat and defensive Bosnia, Czechoslovakia,
Saturday - I-85, US 74 Bypass, Somewhere ages and treacherous lands, with training where needed. Sarajevo, Egypt, Kuwait,
Phifer Rd ages hence: . hills that seemed too steep Goode was in the 5th US Qatar and Kenya. He has
Two roads diverged in a {, climb, through fright- Army Special Forces, recently returned home
wood, and I— ening forests that would Green Beret division after a month and a half
COMING NEXT WEEK I took the one less trav- make a grown man cry before his retirement. training session in
; . eled by, and with the sharpest After thearmy, he worked Rwanda. He was there to
Jerry Morris, who will be And thathas made all the .;1yes that only bravery, as a supervisor in a truck- provide the Rwandan
inducted into the Sports difference.” Robert (qt thinking and hope ing business, but he Defense Force with mili-
Hall of Fame on May 13, Frost from The Road Not old stay the course. But always felt like something tary tactics, knowledge of
remembers his baseball Taken all of the turns, narrow was missing. When MPRI clearing buildings and
days with Bethware Jot Conanlus alse Se and wide, have lead him called him, after Sept. raids and defensive tech-
High and Post 155. shied cyan fon y og to where he is today. 11th, to ask if he would niques. This African coun: JEFF GOODE
Goode, a long-time
help train US
See Goode, 8A