Thursday, July 26, 2007
KINGS MOUNTAIN
Vol. 119 No. 30 Since 1889
Moun.
Mountaineers
to open
football
practice
on Monday
50 Cents 1B
Southern
Power may
be coming
to KM area
Commissioners approve
incentives for potential
Battleground Rd. firm
EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
A new incentive and develop-
ment agreement approved by
the Cleveland County Board of
Commissioners at their bi-
monthly meeting Tuesday night,
could bring a “tremendous”
surge in tax revenue to the coun-
At a public hearing for the
incentive package, cloaked
“Project GIB,” Vice President of
Cleveland County's 20/20
Economic Development Dave
Hart said that the agreement is
between the county and
Southern Power, an Atlanta-
based energy company. “The
scope of this project has the
potential of $120-900 million
fully-built and is dependent on
Southern Power obtaining con-
tracts for the electrical output
for the plants,” he said. “The
fuel source for this project will
be natural gas and it is a win-
win situation for the county and
the company because the com-
pany would require very few, if
any, county services.”
The commission approved
basic incentives for the compa-
ny, consisting of: a grant of 68
percent of the property tax rate
See Power, 2A
Mayor, Shipp
and Mullinax
unopposed
GARY STEWART
gstewart@kingsmountainherald.com
Barring a serious write-in
campaign, Kings Mountain
mayor Rick Murphrey and
councilmen Howard Shipp and
Jerry Mullinax are home free for
the November election.
No one filed to oppose them
as the filing deadline expired
last Friday; however, most of the
other seats drew some more
attention.
“I appreciate the faith the peo-
ple have put in me during my
time on Council,” Mullinax
said. “I appreciate the opportu-
nity to serve again.”
The race for the two At-Large
seats became crowded as Curtis
Pressley and James Emmett
Carroll filed to oppose incum-
bents Dean Spears and Houston
Corn, and Ric Francis, all of
whom filed earlier.
Ward 2 also drew some more
interest as former Councilor
Brenda Ross and Danny
McAbee filed to oppose incum-
bent Mike Butler.
In Ward 4, former Councilor
Kay Hambright filed to run
against incumbent Rodney
Gordon, who defeated her in the
last election.
“I really was honored to serve
Kings Mountain the two years
that Iserved,” Hambright said.
“Iwas always courteous and
sensitive to people’s needs. My
main concern is to always con-
sider what the people present to
me and try to get back to them
as soon as possible. Irealized
when I made a decision it
See Filing, 2A
Photos by Charlie Smith
A Norfolk Southern Train ripped through the traller of an 18-wheeler stuck on the Oak Street crossing Friday aftermoon.
Below, Fire Chief Frank Burns keeps In touch with emergency workers.
Train splits tractor-trailer
stuck on Oak Street crossing
a EMILY WEAVER
WW eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com ah ye
In the most recent battle of train vs. truck, the train has
once again proven to be mightier than its opponent. A
Norfolk Southern train ripped through a truck stuck on the
tracks at the Oak Street crossing on Friday afternoon.
Ricardo Ercia, a driver for Ragan Transportation Ltd., had
just picked up a load of yarn from Parkdale Mills on Friday
afternoon and was headed back to Laredo, Texas. But this
haul would never leave Kings Mountain. As he reached the
intersection of Oak Street and Railroad Avenue he saw the
sign advising truckers to take the 2nd crossing.
“I was confused,” he said. “I thought this was the (second)
crossing.”
He slowly drove his truck over the tracks and waited for
traffic to clear. But traffic wasn’t the problem. He realized the
landing gear of his big rig was stuck on the tracks. He said
that he tried to move forward and backward, but he wasn’t
going anywhere. Ercia was stuck.
As he continued to try to free his truck from the tracks’
entangling grasp, the railway arms started to lower. The
lights started to flash. A Norfolk Southern train was travel-
ing north down the tracks, headed right for him. The impact
of the train hitting the trailer sent Ercia tumbling inside the
cab. But luckily he was not injured in the accident.
The train collided with the truck a little after noon, cutting
through it like a steak knife through butter. The trailer was
split nearly in half, spilling out thousands of rolls of yarn and
packaging. The cargo littered the land around the track for
over a quarter of a mile. The train stopped about half of a
mile from the collision. Workers climbed on top of the front
car of the train to peel off the debris. The conductor had
shards of glass in his hair, but no injuries have been report-
ed.
Black skid marks on the street after the cab was removed,
on Friday, illustrated Ercia’s desperate attempts at freedom.
He has been a truck driver for 20 years.
The stretch of Battleground Avenue that was rerouted after
the accident, reopened around 6 pm. Parkdale Mill employ-
ees helped gather the yarn and debris. KM Police Chief
Melvin Proctor said that the train was not warned ahead of
time of the truck on the tracks. Little time transpired between
the truck getting stuck and being hit.
There seems to be one big accident a year at the Oak Street
crossing with trucks getting stuck on the tracks. But this acci-
dent is the third of its kind over the past 10 months. Hebert
Bonello, carrying a load of batteries, got his landing gear
stuck at the same spot on the tracks in September of last year.
Another truck was also stuck just a few weeks ago. But luck-
ily rescue personnel was able to haul it off of the tracks
before a train came.
Although there have been no fatalities in the three acci-
dents and the trains have not derailed, some residents think
that it is just a matter of time if truck drivers continue to dis-
obey the signs.
“Last time we had a truck that got stuck on the railroad
track we put up additional and larger signage that this was
prohibited, that trucks and 18-wheelers could not go across
the track there,” said Mayor Rick Murphrey. “We think its
pretty obvious what it says.”
Besides the white sign which advises truck drivers to take
the 2nd crossing, a large yellow warning sign above it
depicts the fate of those who fail to comply. In bold black
paint, a truck is shown stuck on the track, broken, with light-
ning bolts - danger.
See Train, 6A
One of the ‘Gang’ joins faculty at KMHS
New choral director Shaye Truax was member of world famous Chuck Wagon Gang
EMILY WEAVER national
competitions.
The KMHS Principal Ronny
Gang, a popular gospel group. It
Postmortem?
State Commander suspends license
of KM AMVETS, revocation of charter
sought because of alleged activities
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
After the most recent law enforcement raid of
AMVETS Post 995 in Kings Mountain, the sta-
tion's operations may be coming to a halt.
The post's license has been suspended and its
charter is in the process of being revoked,
according to AMVETS Department of NC
Commander Bill Clark. ,
“The current activities of this post and its
Commander Charles Mashburn do not repre-
sent the aims and purposes of AMVETS,” Clark
said.
He added that shady incidents surrounding
the post date back to 1993. “We've had com-
plaints about them for several years,” said KM
Police Capt. Derek Johnson. But Clark said it:
wasn't until a recent raid, near the beginning of
June, that he was finally made aware of it.
“When they had their raid in June, we just
happened to have a member that was in town
and he let us know,” he said.
Since then, he has been in contact with the
local Alcohol Law Enforcement agency, Kings
Mountain Police and the City Codes
Department, investigating the post members’
alleged deeds. He discovered that Post 995 has
been raided several times. It has been charged
with being in violation of many codes and for
allegedly operating an illegal gaming facility,
selling lottery tickets and liquor and beer with-
out licensure, Clark said. He added that certain
members also provided “erroneous informa-
tion” to AMVETS.
See AMVETS, 2A
Sewer grant approved
for Ingles project,
groundbreaking soon
ELIZABETH STEWART
Herald Correspondent
Mayor Rick Murphrey said this week that
groundbreaking for the new Ingles on US 74
Business and Vestibule Church Road should
“happen soon.”
The mayor said that he has been in contact
with Ingles executives who say they “are ready
to move.” Tentative opening has been set for the
first quarter of 2008.
Currently at the site workmen are tearing
down the house on the property bought by
Ingles from Ethel Yarbro and her son, Eddie. Mr.
Yarbro has vacated the house he owned and
already the garage has been removed and the
back of the house has been demolished,
Murphrey said.
The city recently received a $131,600 grant to
develop infrastructure for the new grocery
store. A sewer line will be extended along US 74
Business to the site and the mayor says the grant
will go a long way toward spurring business
growth. “More infrastructure makes for more
attractive business, bringing new jobs, invest-
ments and the new Ingles,” he said.
City Council will meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. at
Kings Mountain City Hall. The board will con-
duct three public hearings, including voluntary
annexation requests from RARB properties,
owned by Robert Arey Jr. and Robert Burns, of
3.58 acres on the north side of 74 Business for a
One-stop Gas Convenience Center. The One
Stop Food Store at the location has been in busi-
ness since Feb. 1999.
See Ingles, 2A
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
Gene Bumgardner retired from
the music hall of Kings
Mountain High School this sum-
mer after 30 years conducting
the choral program.
Under his watch, he led the
chorus to high notes of success,
garnering several superior rat-
ings and trophies in local and
melodies and harmonies he
extracted from his choral groups
and soloists drew national
acclaim. He was a living legend
as he quietly bowed at his unsus-
pecting curtain call at the Class
of 2007 commencement exercis-
es.
“Bumgardner retiring was a
huge loss for KMHS, it’s going to
be tough to replace him,” said
Funderburke. But the show must
go on and stepping up to the
conductor’s stand is another leg-
end, in her own right.
Shaye Truax, who has been an
alto singer for the Chuck Wagon
Gang over the past 14 years, has
been named the new choral con-
ductor. Her grandmother, Anna
Carter Davis, was the original
alto singer for the Chuck Wagon
started in 1936, under the lead-
ership of her great grandfather
“Dad” David Carter. Growing
up in Baton Rouge, LA, Truax
was very close to her grand-
mother.
“To get to come in and sing
alto and step in her shoes held a
special meaning for me,” she
said. “I was real proud to be a
See Director, 2A
SHAYE TRUAX