Thursday, February 1, 2007
{
Vol. 119 No. 5
Since 1889
50 Cents
JOSEPH BRYMER / HERALD
Kings Mountain public works employees load trucks with sand in preparation for a possible wintry mix Thursday morning. The weather-
man predicts that the area could receive snow, sleet or freezing rain.
KM prepares for possible wintry mix
B EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
The weathermen are calling for the chance
of snow and freezing rain today. At The
' Herald's press time Kings Mountain is pre-
dicted to at least get some wintry weather,
but accumulations and exact conditions are
unknown. But if a bad ice storm does come,
be prepared.
An ice storm can bring frozen power lines,
tree limbs and even trees crashing down. KM
Fire Chief Frank Burns cautioned motorists
that if a power line falls on your vehicle
while you are in the car or if you have to
drive over a fallen power line, “you should
not get out of the car and not touch any
metal. Just keep driving unless it looks like
your car might get tangled up in the line.”
He said that if power lines are hanging low
over the roads “don’t try to drive under
them. Go around them if you can.” He said
the same rule applies for hanging limbs or
low drooping trees over the road, because
“they could snap at any moment.”
City seeks $440,000 grant for —
sewer lines in Westover, Galilee ||
If a tree falls on a house will homeowners
insurance cover the damage? Larry Hamrick
Jr., president of Warlick & Hamrick
Insurance in Kings Mountain, said that most
homeowners policies will cover damage
from bad storms but to be sure check your
policy for coverage and talk to your agent.
Most homeowners policies cover cases like
wind blowing up shingles, damage to sheet
rock from storms, trees and limbs falling on a
house, and damage from cold weather. But
what about if the tree fell on a car parked in
the driveway?
Hamrick said that type of damage would
fall under comprehensive auto insurance.
Most new vehicles and especially those
being purchased through loans require both
comprehensive and collision coverage.
Comprehensive covers usually what colli-
sion does not cover, like damage from falling
objects, rocks hitting your windshield, car
being stolen, and hitting a deer. “If the tree
fell on your house and your car damaging
both in the process, then you would be deal-
ing with both your car insurance and your
homeowners insurance policies,” he said.
Ice, freezing rain and snow can also cause
dangerous road conditions. If a motorist is
driving under these conditions and hits an
icy spot ending up in a one-car accident,
damage will be covered under most auto
policies as collision. It will be treated just like
any other non-yeeather related collision, with
the driver being held at fault resulting in pos-
sible hikes in insurance premiums. Black ice
can look just like a wet spot on the road.
Public Works Director Jackie Barnette said
that the trucks are ready if the ice man
cometh. Trucks will be carrying a mixture of
salt and sand to be spread on the road. He
said that the salt helps melt away some of the
ice and the sand gives a little traction. But
roads can still be very dangerous. “Slow
down and use common sense,” Barnette
advised for those who have to travel on bad
roads. “Don’t follow too closely and don’t
slam on your brakes.”
See Weather, 7A
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Moore opposes *
allowing counties
to hold sales tax
referendums
EMILY WEAVER |
“ii eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
Kings Mountain Rep. Tim Moore is back in the ring to “fight the
good fight.” The 2007 NC General Assembly legislative session:
began on January 29 and his agenda is aimed at making a difference.
“I will file legislation for tax cuts, economic development, the
Defense of Marriage Amendment, the Jessica Lunsford Act to enact
further laws to crack down on child predators, and legislation to
address some of the problems with illegal immigration,” he said for
this term.
He said that he anticipates economic development and tax relief
issues among other matters to pop up in
the Assembly this session impacting
Cleveland County. “I plan to continue sup-
porting a change in the law requiring the
state to assume full responsibility for
Medicaid funding and to take that burden
off of the counties,” he said. “We must also
address the rising cost of Medicaid. For
one, illegal aliens should not be receiving
government funds and assistance. Second,
we need to monitor the program for waste
and fraud better.”
A House committee recently proposed
that counties in North Carolina should
have the option of holding referendums to
raise the sales tax by half of a cent for
school construction needs and other budg-
etary expenditures. In Cleveland County, a
half-cent increase would raise the sales tax
“IM MOORE
| 4 b ®
to 7 cents on the dollar. Rep. Moore said he is sticking to his word. “I
will not support legislation calling for any new taxes, including local
sales taxes. have made that clear to all parties,” he said. “I signed a
tax pledge to oppose any and all tax increases and have kept my
word the entire time I have served in the legislature.”
Debts and dollars for school renovations and construction, which
many people thought would have been alleviated by the NC
Education Lottery, still seem to be a looming problem for schools
across the state. But instead of raising taxes perhaps the weed should
be pulled by its root. “As for education funding, I support changing
the lottery allocation formula by doubling the portion of the lo
proceeds used for school construction,” he said.
The opening of the Assembly was held last week. He was sworn in
during opening ceremonies on Wednesday, January 24, by state
Court of Appeals Judge James A. Wynn, Jr. He said that the opening
went very well. “The legislators and their family members were in
attendance and it was a good opportunity to meet the new folks and
See Moore, 7A
Wreck fatal
to KM youth,
two others
as
ELIZABETH STEWART
Herald Correspondent -
. Forty homes in the communi-
‘ties of Westover in West Kings
‘Mountain and Galilee in East
‘Kings Mountain are on the city’s
drawing board for sewer lines
land major improvements.
i Mayor Rick Murphrey said this
‘week that the Department of
‘Commerce, Division of
‘Community Assistance, has
:approved a pre-application for a
‘Community Block Grant for
$440,000 to run sewer lines to 31
single family homes in the
Westover Community on
Churchill Drive, Washington
§
ELIZABETH STEWART
Herald Correspondent
§
{ T&L Grading will begin demo-
ition of six properties declared
“unfit for human habitation”
‘within 30 days, the result of a
‘hearing by Kings Mountain City
‘Council with property owner
‘Kenny Bridges Tuesday night.
The city’s cost of $14,050 for
Street, Ware Street and Westover
Church Road. 4
A public hearing is slated fo
February, a part of the formal
application process, followed by
engineering design. The city’s
share of the matching grant is
$269,450.
Murphrey said after the formal
receipt of the application it
would be 10-12 moriths before
construction could : start.
Residents of the area will be con-
tacted by city officials who will
offer a free tap fee to homeown-
ers signing up for the service.
This is a continuing effort by
the city to provide services to its
citizens, said the mayor.
A $700,000 CDBG grant already
ity orders houses demolished
demolition will be a tax lien on
the lots owned by Bridges at 400
Cherry Street, 106-108 Myers
Street, 316 N. Dilling Street and
307 N. Gaston Street, according
to Holly Black, the city’s Director
of Building Codes and Zoning
Enforcement. .
Council acted on the ordinance
to demolish the five houses and
one mobile home last month but
agreed to hear the property
approved by the state would run |
sewer to nine homes and rehabil- = |
itate six homes and replace two
mobile homes in the Galilee
Church neighborhood.
Murphrey said it will be Fall
before construction begins but
that engineers are currently
working on a design for this
project for which the city’s share
of the cost is $75,000. He said city
officials are meeting with Galilee
residents who qualify for this
assistance.
“These two projects, when
both are finalized, will mean
over $1 million dollars in
improvements in sewer and
home rehabilitation,” said the
mayor.
owner's appeal during the regu-
lar city council meeting. Bridges
asked for more time to do repairs
but council members agreed -
after several council members
said they visited the properties -
that time had run out. Bridges
blamed delays on poor commu-
nication by the codes and police
departments.
Black entered the ordinance to
See Council, 7A
A Kings Mountain resident
was one of three 17-year-old
Bessemer City High School sen-
iors that died as a result of a
two-car traffic accident Saturday
night on Sparrow Springs Road
near Crowders Mountain Golf
Course in Gaston County.
Jonathan Tyler Lynn, son of
John M. Lynn Jr. and Cynthia
Dellinger Lynn, died early
Sunday morning at Carolinas
Medical Center in Charlotte.
He was a passenger in the
front seat of a Volkswagen driv-
en by Zachary John Ruffner that
slid after passing a curve and
collided with a Mazda driven by
Mary Sue Wilson, 68.
The passengers in the rear seat
- of the VW, Zachary Elliott and
Amber Vasquez, were pro-
nounced dead at the scene.
Mrs. Wilson was admitted to
Gaston Memorial Hospital, and
her 8-year-old great-grand-
daughter Alexis Wilson was
treated and released.
The NC Highway Patrol cited
speed as the possible cause of
the accident and will take the
results of its investigation to the
Gaston County District
Attorney to determine any pos-
sible charges.
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