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KINGS MOUNTAIN
The Herald &
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Relay for
Life is
Friday,
Saturday
EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
Vol. 119 No. 22 50 Cents
Since 1889
More charges
filed against
former KM cop
David Coburn accused of text
messaging obscene picture
EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
Former Kings Mountain Police officer David
Coburn was arrested Friday afternoon at his home
on three felony counts of disseminating obscenity.
“The 15-year-old victim's mother brought her
daughter's cell phone to us and said, ‘I think you
need to look at this’ about two weeks ago and so
we started our investigation,” said Cleveland
County Sheriff's Capt. Bobby Steen.
On her daughter’s cell phone was a picture of
Coburn’s genitalia that he had allegedly “pix mes-
saged” or sent to her from his cell phone.
Steen said that shortly after the mother came
forward, another 18-year-old victim came into the
station with a second candid shot Coburn had also
allegedly sent to her phone. “She didn’t know that
we were already investigating him,” he said.
Coburn reportedly became familiar with the 15-
The 10th Annual Kings
Mountain Relay for Life will be
held Friday and Saturday, June
1-2, on the walking track at the
Jake Early Sports Complex on
Cleveland Avenue.
Opening ceremonies will
begin at 6 p.m. on Friday and
the always-emotional survivor's
lap will begin around 6:30. The
98 survivors that attended the
recent Relay Survivor’s Dinner
have signed up to walk the track
in the survivor's lap. More are
encouraged to join them.
Registration for the lap begins at
5 p.m. Survivors will receive a
JOSEPH BRYMER / HERALD
Ray Long, chaplain of Kings Mountain American Legion Post 155, speaks to the crowd during Memorial Day serv-
Ices Monday moming at Mountain Rest Cemetery. Below, Jane Gulden with the Loch Norman Pipe Band plays
free t-shirt : the bagpipes. year-old victim when he worked as a school
he 10 keep gk wear fn = resource officer and D.A.RE. officer at Kings
ooens: | KM remembers its heroes | io
the 98 survivors, who attended : ! ;
the dinner, will lead the group | Steen said that the usual penalty for this type of
offense varies. “It depends a lot on his record,” he
said. “I've charged three or four people (with this
type of offense in the past) and it varies anywhere
from six months to two years to probation.”
Coburn resigned from the Kings Mountain
Police Department about two weeks ago fier he
~ See Coburn, 5A i
Council approves
$30 million budget
EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
around the track. After the sur-
vivors, the teams will take the
course, which will be walked
the entire night until the last lap
at 6 a.m. Saturday.
Thirty-six teams have signed
up for this year’s Relay fort the
American Cancer Society. The
teams and volunteers have
already raised around $41,000
for the cause, inching closer to
their goal of $85,000. Last year,
Relayers raised $80,000, helping
to put Cleveland County at
number five in the nation, rais-
ing funds for cancer research.
Co-chairs for the event are
Tammy Hogue and Tammy
White. Hogue said that she is
optimistic about reaching their
fund-raising goal. “I would like
to see $100,000 raised but I'll
take $85,000,” she said.
The luminary ceremony will
start at 9 p.m., accompanied by
the melody of “Amazing
Grace,” flowing from the bag-
pipe of a special guest spon-
sored by local Shriners. The
Kings Mountain Police
Explorers will serve as the
event's honor guard. DJ Brian
Clontz will be the emcee.
The womanless beauty pag-
eant, hosted by Sarah Lee of
Charlotte’s 96.1 The Beat, will be
EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
Several people came out to celebrate the fallen and,
often unsung; heroes of America’s wars at the Memorial * f
Day ceremony at Mountain Rest Cemetery on Monday
morning.
Jane Gulden started the service with a reverent song |
on her bagpipe. KMPD Captain Jerry Tessneer led the }
crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. Rev. Danielle Duncan
gave the invocation. KMPD Officer Todd McDougal and
the KM Police Explorers presented the colors.
“I want to thank everybody for coming out today for
our annual service,” said Mayor Rick Murphrey. “Today
is a day to honor and to give thanks to all service per-
sonnel who were killed in wars and in defense of our
country.”
He said that the brave men and women who gave
their lives for America and for Kings Mountain, did so
freely, “believing in duty, honor, family and a commit-
ment to freedom...They put on our country’s uniform
and they stood fast to the threat to our home and to our
country and our freedom.
“Kings Mountain is a grateful community. We will
always remember the personal sacrifices made by so
many that we may enjoy our way of life today.”
Murphrey added that the American flags next to the
graves, “mark the final resting place of men and women
of all services and they remind us that we are all equal
under the eyes of God and are united by the love of
country. We are also reminded that freedom does not
come without a price.”
The angelic melody of the “National Anthem,” sung
by Shana Adams, floated over the patriotic valley, prick-
ing the hearts of veteran spectators.
The Kings Mountain City Council Tuesday night
unanimously adopted a $30.4 million budget for
fiscal year 2007-08. z
The budget includes no increase in property
taxes, water rates, sewer rates and gas rates for
residential customers, but does include a 7 percent
increase in electric rates across the board. The rise
in electric rates is the first increase in 14 years:
“We have a contract and we buy wholesale from
Duke (Energy) for our electricity,” said Mayor
Rick Murphrey at the State of the City Breakfast
Tuesday morning. “Nick (Hendricks) and his staff
(at the city electric department) have for 14 years
absorbed all of the different costs that have
derived from, for an example, the increase of utili- 3
ty poles from $295 last year to $493 this year. Just
in a transformer, the cost was $2,777 last year and
now it’s at about $3,400 this year.”
He said that all costs go up. “We're real proud
that we’ve been able to hold down those costs and
Veteran and Chaplain Ray Long of the American
Legion Post 155 gave the Veteran's Address. “For most
of us it has been instilled since the time we were born to
be free, not thinking of the sacrifices we might be called
upon to bear,” he said. Those who have made the
extreme sacrifice are remembered today, he added.
“Some were well known for their heroics, but the
unsung ones you don’t hear about are of equal impor-
tance,” Long said, adding that every time we pass their
resting place we should pause in gratitude and in
remembrance of their sacrifice.
After his address, Gulden piped i in with the soft, rev-
erent tune of “Amazing Grace,” as Murphrey and Long
placed a wreath of flowers on the war memorial in the
cemetery. Paul Fulton provided the finale with the call
of “Taps” on the trumpet. “God bless Kings Mountain
and God bless the United States of America,” Murphrey
said.
held from 10-11 p.m. Music and
mingling will follow the pag-
eant along with a midnight
movie. To fight off heavy eye-
lids, a scavenger hunt is sched-
uled for 2 a.m., followed by
crazy hat and hula hoop con-
tests at 3 a.m., low-impact aero-
bics and stretching at 4 a.m. and
a closing ceremony at 5 a.m.
Team sports will be held in the
center of the walking track,
including kickball, football, and
SOCCer.
Bethware Elementary is hav-
ing a mini-Relay for Life on
Friday afternoon. “They are the
first school in Kings Mountain
to do it,” Hogue said. “It gives
children a chance to participate,
most of whom can’t come out on
Friday night.” The mini-Relay
will be complete with a kick-off,
survivor's lap, luminaries, and a
release of 600 balloons. The laps
‘will be walked on the school’s
‘own walking track. At least one
student and several teachers
will be walking the survivor's
lap. Each child will have their
own luminary bag.
Bethware Elementary
Assistant Principal Jada Hardin
is the school’s team captain.
Rumanians visiting KM
EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
Kings Mountain's foreign friends and
sister city delegates will be visiting this
weekend for a six-day stay and many
activities await their arrival.
‘This weekend is set to be full of excite-
ment with KM’s 10th annual Relay for
Life and the 2007 Over the Mountain
Triathlon. The community is encouraged
to extend their hospitality, support and a
Kings Mountain welcome to these special
guests.
Delegates from the sister-land across
the pond, Stei, Romania, will by flying
into Charlotte International Airport on
Friday afternoon. Greeted by Kings
Mountain's welcoming committee,
Mayor Rick Murphrey, KMPD Chief
Melvin Proctor, Special Events Director
Ellis Noell, City Manager Marilyn Sellers,
and Information Technologist Todd
Moore.
It is uncertain whether or not visiting
officials will be up for attending KM’s
Relay for Life after their long flight from
Romania. But they will be front and cen-
ter at Moss Lake for the start of 2007's
Over the Mountain Triathlon.
After the athletes have cleared the
waters, the visitors are planning to take a
boat tour around Moss Lake. Then it’s off
to Patriot's Park to watch the athletes fin-
ish up the last leg of the three part race.
The rest of the afternoon and evening
will be filled with fellowship, parties and
receptions.
On Sunday, their itinerary details that
they will attend the worship service at
First Baptist Church and take a stroll
through the city’s namesake at the Kings
Mountain National Military and South
Carolina State parks.
. On Monday, they will tour Lowe's
Motor Speedway’s “Feel the Thrill” and
enjoy a favorite American pastime, base-
ball, game between the Greenville Drive
and the Kannapolis Intimidators.
On Tuesday, they will enjoy a sister city
community breakfast at the H. Lawrence
Patrick Senior Center, followed by a tour
See Visiting, 2A
See Budget, 5A
Triathlon is Saturday
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
Hundreds of contestants will pour into
Kings Mountain this weekend to com-
pete in the 2007 Over the Mountain
Triathlon.
A three-part challenge of strength,
endurance, and agility will be undertak-
en by about 400 athletes, but only a select
few will cross the finish line victorious.
Over the Mountain Competitors must
swim 1,500 meters (almost 1 mile), bike
~ 27 miles, and run 6.2 miles in less than 4
hours and 15 minutes to even qualify in
this USA Triathlon (USAT) sanctioned
race, ‘i
Signed up to represnt Kings Mountain
in the 2007 Over the Mountain Triathlon,
is 36-year-old Bryan Dellinger, 34-year-
old Erin Johnson, 16-year-old Alan Riggs,
56-year-old James Sotelo, Michael and
Rosemary Suess, 46-year-old Gene
Summey, 36-year-old Virginia Ware, and
24-year-old Jordan Wollak. Graham
Weihmiller, 32, is traveling all the way
from New York, NY, to compete. Vann
Simmons, 40, is traveling from as far
south as Amelia Island, Fla., and Darrin
Rohr, 42, is traveling from as far west as
Reno, Nev., to compete in the 2007 Over
the Mountain Triathlon.
A pasta dinner packed with carbs to
fuel the athletes will be held on Friday at
6 pm at the Kings Mountain Woman's
Club at 108 E. Mountain Street. The din-
ner is free to all participants and their
guests. Race packets will be available for
pick-up at the dinner and a USAT repre-
sentative will be present to go over rules
and safety regulations.
The race will begin at 8 a.m. on the
beach at Moss Lake near the Moss Lake
Park Department and boat ramp. At the
sound of the horn, swimmers will cut
through the L-shaped course in the water
until they reach the swim finish at the
boat ramp near New Camp Creek
Church Road. Coming out of the water,
the swimmers must conquer a steep hill
to the first transition area where they will
trade their goggles and swim caps for
See Triathlon, 2A