Grover delays
calling zoning
public hearing
Thursday, August 10, 2006
2A
Two arrested
for robbery at
Little Dan’s 3a
KINGS MOUNTAIN
Vol. 118 No. 32
Since 1889
Kings Mountain’s
state champions
honored Monday 1;
50 Cents
Sports...
Mike Ware
inducted
into South
Carolina
Coaches
Association
Hall of
Fame
HOMEFRONT
Mayor is
hospitalized
for heart tests
Kings Mountain mayor Rick
Murphrey was hospitalized
. Monday and was scheduled to
undergo a stress test as The
Herald went to press
Wednesday.
“Early Monday morning
Mayor Murphrey woke up
coughing a lot and had shortness
of breath,” said Special Events
Dir. Ellis Noell. He was taken to
Kings Mountain Hospital, where
nurses and staff performed EKGs
and other tests. The nurses told
him that they were going to take
him back to his room, after the
tests. He asked ‘why?’ and they
told him that the doctor was
going to lunch.
He's going to lunch? he asked.
Murphrey recently became a
member on the hospital's
Quality Control Board. “Within
about five minutes administra-
tors were in his room and help-
ing him out,” Noell said. The
doctor told him that a cardiolo-
gist was needed and sent him to
Gaston Memorial.
He was transported there
Tuesday afternoon, and techni- -
cians put a tube with a tiny cam-
era on the end, into his veins.
The camera searched through his
veins and found about a 60-70
percent blockage in some of his
arteries. Wednesday morning
they gave him some dye, which
will travel throughout his entire
body, to help nurses and doctors
see more of the culprit that is
building up in his veins. In the
afternoon, he was to be given a
stress test to determine the
strength of his heart, among
other things. Doctors will know
for sure after all tests are com-
plete on the next step for medical
action.
“Nothing looks doom and
gloom. He's in good spirits and
spunky as ever,” Noell said, with
a chuckle. “Of course no man
wants to be in the hospital, so
he’s ready for the tests to be over
so he can come home.” Prayers
are requested for the Murphrey
family during this time.
Photos needed for
A Place Called Home
The Herald is in need of old
photographs for inclusion in its
upcoming special section “A
Place Called Home.”
The section which is expected
to be one of the best ever printed
by the paper will hit the streets
this fall.
The photos are needed by
September 1.
We are especially interested in
pictures showing places, people
and events in Kings Mountain
from the Revolutionary War
period until the present time.
The older the picture the better!
Pictures may be - but are not
limited to - buildings and streets
around town, old homes, church-
es, schools and school groups,
parades, textile mills, country
stores, and interesting people of
the community, past and present.
Pictures will be scanned as
they are brought in and prompt-
ly returned to the owner.
Dr. Milton Hagen, 82
Glenda Lightsey, 72
Rebecca Sherfield, 71
Page 3A
Moore: Testa simply a witness
KM businessman who gave political contribution
called to testify before grand jury in Decker case
{ EMILY WEAVER
ve
Ww eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
Former House Rep. Michael
Decker (Republican/Democrat -
Davidson, Forsyth) plead guilty to
the charge of conspiracy to commit
extortion, mail fraud and money
laundering in federal court on
Tuesday, August 1, 2006. He admit-
ted that a fellow House democrat
paid him approximately $50,000
and offered a legislative position to
his son if he would switch his
publicly support Jim Black (D -
Mecklenburg) for Speaker of the
House. At an alleged dinner meet-
ing, he was handed an envelope
containing $38,000 in checks and
$12,000 in cash for his support,
which created a 60-60 split in the
House and allowed Black to be
renamed NC House Speaker for his
third time in 2003.
The House member that pro-
posed and carried out the deal with
Decker, remains unnamed. But
Black has admitted to the Board of
Elections that he gave campaign
funds to Decker after he received
his support.
According to www.democracy-
nc.org, a “watch dog” for the NC
Democratic party, some of Decker’s
contributions that he received six
months prior to the 2003 elections
afforded him a few extra luxuries.
On February 18, 2003 he purchased
a vehicle from We Sell It Central
Inc. in Pensacola, Fla. for $8,249.50.
The next day, he purchased an air-
line ticket to pick up his vehicle in
Fla. for $232. During the month of
March, he also forked out nearly
$6,000 in legal aide.
On February 5, 2003, James Testa,
owner of Kings Mountain Travel
Plaza, contributed $1,000 to Decker
for his support in lower cigarette
taxes, where he makes a majority of
his income. He testified before the
federal grand jury in Raleigh a few
months ago about his contribu-
tions.
Rep. Tim Moore (R - Cleveland),
who serves as Testa’s business
attorney, said that although Testa
made a legal contribution to both
See Testa, 5A
republican ticket to democrat and
Squirrel kayos KM power
GARY STEWART / HERALD
Duke Power employees work to re-energize their substation on Gaston Street
Friday after a squirrel caused an explosion that burned insulators and damaged a
transformer.
Margrace station energized
to ease burden on hot day
ge
GARY STEWART
: gstewart@kingsmountainherald.com
A squirrel that should have been cool-
ing its heels in the shade of a big oak tree
tip-toed across some utility lines at the
Duke Power substation on Gaston Street
Friday morning and knocked out the
power to three-fourths of the city’s elec-
tric customers on one of the hottest days
of the year.
The station that serves approximately
4,000 of Kings Mountain's 5,000 cus-
tomers went down about 7:30 a.m. and
was fully restored around noon. The fried
squirrel was tossed into nearby weeds.
While Duke was working to re-ener-
gize its substation, approximately 15
Kings Mountain Electric Department
employees were working feverishly to
put the new Margrace substation in use.
They were able to back-feed power from
that station to restore approximately
3,000 customers by 9:30 a.m.
The new substation wasn’t scheduled
to go online until August 14, but Electric
Department Director Nick Hendricks
was happy it could be used to ease what
could have been an extreme emergency
on a day when the temperature hit 98 and
the heat index was well over 100.
“When we met with Duke down there
at their station they told us it could be a
couple of hours or a long time, meaning
all day,” Hendricks said. “We went ahead
and energized the new station which we
call Delivery Four at the Margrace. It
wasn't actually scheduled to go online till
August 14, but in this emergency we
worked it out with Duke and went
online. It paid off pretty good. Duke came
back online about 11:30 or 12. We started
putting people back on about 9 or 9:30
and had everybody on except for about a
thousand customers and we were work-
ing hard toward getting them on too. We
just thank God we had that station almost
ready to go.”
The squirrel touched two phases of
wire at the Duke substation, causing a
flash that blew a transformer and burned
some insulators on breakers, Hendricks
g See Power, 5A
KM officer on
unpaid leave
Accused of pushing wife
oo
EMILY WEAVER
E eweaver@kingsmountainherald. com
A Kings Mountain police officer is on unpaid leave pend-
ing the completion of an investigation into an alleged domes-
tic incident last week in Boiling Springs.
Boiling Springs Police Chief Marty Thomas and Officer
Scott Brown responded to a call around 8:30 am Monday at
the Boiling Springs Post Office. Kings Mountain Police
Officer David Coburn, 43, was arrested and charged with
one count of misdemeanor assault on a female, after a wit-
ness said he pushed his estranged wife, Ranee.
The official Boiling Springs Police report states: “On July
31, 2006, Cleveland County Communications received a
domestic call at 101 N. Main Street (United States Post
Office). Upon arrival Ofc. Brown encountered David Coburn
in a Kings Mountain Police uniform. Chf. Thomas went to
the rear of the post office and encountered a witness, John
Dwiggins. Dwiggins told Chf. Thomas he had seen an alter-
cation and would be glad to tell what he saw. Chf. Thomas
then went into the post office and spoke (to) Ranee Coburn.
Her statement matched that of John Dwiggins. Both the vic-
See Officer, 3A
JOSEPH BRYMER / HERALD
Two-year-old Kara Bush rides with her mother Wendy
on a ride at Bethware Fair. The fair runs through
Saturday night at Bethware School. See story on page
——FUN AT THE FAIR—