COMING NEXT WEEK:
2006 Cleveland and Gaston
High School football preview
Thursday, August 17, 2006
KINGS MOUNTAIN
Vol. 118 No. 33
Congressman McHenry visits
KM plant that helps build
vehicles for U.S. military 5
Since 1889
50 Cents
Sports...
Hope
Christian
opens
football
season
Friday at
City
Stadium
HOMEFRONT
Herald still
needs pictures
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.
Mayor Murphrey
back on the job
Kings Mountain Mayor Rick
Murphrey is back on the job this
week after undergoing a brief
hospitalization and heart tests
last week.
Murphrey said he is looking at
his experience as a “wake-up
call” and will make sure he fol-
lows doctors’ orders and takes
all of his medication on time.
He was highly complimentary
of the staffs at Kings Mountain
and Gaston Memorial hospitals
for their excellent care.
Doctors found several block-
ages but are confident they can
be controlled through medica-
tion.
Murphrey was back at City
Hall Monday morning and pre-
sented a framed stamp to the
new Indian Motorcycle near
Grover, and on Tuesday cut the
ribbon to officially open the new
Margrace electrical substation.
RADAR WATCH
Kings Mountain police will be
running radar at the following
locations from August 20-26.
Sunday - Sims St.
Monday - Shelby Rd.
Tuesday - KM Blvd.
. Wednesday - NC 161.
Thursday - NC 216.
Friday - Margrace Rd.
Saturday - Walker St.
*Police run radar every day on
I-85 and US 74 Bypass.
DEATHS
Margaret Ratterree, 83
Orean Caldwell, 73
Glenda Lightsey, 72 ~~ Page 3A
Classified 4B Deaths 3A
Opinion 4A Lifestyles 6A
Police 3A Sports 1B
Worship 7A Business 5A
This week’s advertising sections:
Food Lion
CVS/Pharmacy
Clark Tire
To advertise or subscribe
call 704-739-7496
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Final Sermon
Second Baptist pastor with terminal cancer
flies in helicopter to speak to congregation
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
A helicopter landed in the
open field behind East
Elementary about 10:25 am
Sunday morning. The skyward
vessel carried Rev. Lynn
Crouch to his final sermon at
Second Baptist Church in
Kings Mountain. He started
preaching at the church as an
interim pastor a little over two
years ago. It began as a month
commitment, but became a
much longer ministry.
In April 2006, Crouch was
diagnosed with esophageal
cancer. Last week he was told
the cancer had spread into both
of his shoulders, thighs, one
lung and other places through-
out his body. He was given
four weeks to live. Continuing
as a faithful servant of God, in
what doctors deemed his final
days, he wanted to witness to
"his congregation one last time.
Church members were afraid
that the 80 mile drive from his
home in Black Mountain, NC
and sitting up for over an hour
in church might be too drain-
ing on his body. So they put
together some money to fly
him in and fly him home. He
walked in with aide from his
walker and newfound
strength. As he sat in his
wheelchair in front of the pul-
pit, many people gathered to
hug his neck, caress his face
and kiss his cheek with kind,
hopeful words and praise at
his return.
The turnout for this morn-
ing’s service was more than the
regular attendance and Crouch
labeled it a blessing. “Let me
tell you something that cancer
will do for you. It will change
your outlook. It will change
your in-look - and if it doesn’t
change your upward look, it
hadn't helped a bit,” he said.
Crouch was asked what his last
sermon would be about and he
admitted that he never thought
of what his last sermon would
entail. But he said the most
Behind the
Fighting fire dangerous
but brings lots of rewards
EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
It is safe to say that the job of a firefighter can be
one of the most dangerous in the world. It is also
one of the closest brotherhoods, because they face
the fire together. Sometimes they will eat together,
watch television together, bunk together for a rest-
less night's sleep, and when that call comes in,
together they will run.
After dispatch alerts the department of a fire a
combination of a dozen feelings begin to stir in the
firefighter’s heart. “You're excited, scared, nervous,
and a bunch of things all at once, when a call comes
through,” said KM Fire Inspector Joey Davis. He
said that all they have to initially go on is the infor-
mation provided by the dispatcher and common
sense. “If there is a fire at 3 in the afternoon it’s most
likely that no one will be home, but if it’s 3 at night,
Second Baptist church members Bill McMurrey (left) and Joe
Holland (right) helped Rev. Lynn Crouch out of the helicopter
so that he could get to his last sermon.
important, final message he
would like for every one to
take away is: “God loves you.
He has a plan for your life and
the only way you're going to
get into Heaven is by trusting
Jesus Christ as your Lord and
Savior.”
“We all need a church home.
We all need somebody that
loves us, somebody that’s will-
ing to do a message when it
comes time for us to go be with
Jesus,” he said. “Are you ready
to meet Jesus?”
He said that we are all going
to die one day and our prob-
lem is we don’t know when. “If
we knew when we were going
to die then we'd all get right
with God just before we died,
wouldn't we?” he asked the
it’s more likely for the entire family to be home.”
They quickly get to their gear, slip on their boots,
See Ladder, 8A
congregation. But our final
moment could be at any time
and he emphasized the neces-
sity of being ready before our
last breath. Cancer may have
swelled his feet, taken some of
his hair and made everyday
tasks, such as talking and
walking difficult, but it has not
stolen, diminished or even
smudged his spirit.
He read some special cards
that he received and told the
congregation what a comfort it
was during his lonely, trying
weeks in the hospital. One that
was sent to him by a man he
befriended a long time ago, Bill
Anderson, made an important
point that Crouch told and
repeated. It was, “We are not
See Sermon, 7A
Stray dogs,
cats are
problem
in county
EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
At least 100 dogs were at the
Cleveland County Animal Shelter
Tuesday afternoon. Some were yelping,
some barking and some were even
whimpering for their release into the
free world. But they will not be released.
The dogs will be herded into a gas
chamber in mass quantities where they
will be euthanized five days after their
arrival. Cats and other animals will be
treated in the same manner. Cleveland
County Health Director Denese
Stallings and Sam Lockridge, director of
the Cleveland County Landfill, agree
that the only way to cut down on the
number of animals being impounded
and especially euthanized is to have
your pets spayed and neutered.
During the week of July 21, 2006 to
July 26, 2006, the Cleveland County
Animal Shelter reported: 85 dogs, 59
cats and 3 other animals were impound-
ed at the Animal Shelter. Out of those
numbers, three dogs were returned to
their owners. No animals were adopted
that week, but 54 dogs, 47 cats and 1
other animal were euthanized by
Carbon Monoxide gas. During the week
of July 27, 2006 to August 3, 2006: 58
dogs, 53 cats, and 10 other animals were
impounded at the Animal Shelter. Out
of that population, only three dogs,
again, were returned to their owners.
No animals were adopted that week
from the shelter, but 85 dogs, 54 cats and
4 others were euthanized.
The amount of rabies cases that the
county has experienced in the past few
years (31 cases in 2004, 12 cases in 2005
and 5 cases so far this year), spawned a
cessation of adoption. “Until we go six
months without a case of rabies in our
county we are not adopting out animals,
due to state regulations,” Stallings said.
Even though cases of rabies have been
less this year than in previous years and
no human cases have been reported,
Stallings has declared that all captured
animals be euthanized.
The reason for that, she said, was
because Animal Control officers do not
know whether or not a stray they pick
up has come in contact with the disease.
At any given time, there are at least 100
See Animals, 4A
EMILY WEAVER / HERALD
Within minutes, the fire that pierced through the roof collapsed it, leaving walls engulfed
with flames and a cement foundation as the old home’s only outline.