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Sneezing fit
causes $14K
in damages
By LIB STEWART
staff writer
Police say a Gastonia driver's
"sneezing fit" on York Road
(Hwy. 161) Sunday resulted in a
freak accident with high prop-
erty damages, but luckily no in-
juries and no tickets.
Cpl. Mark Butler said that
John Ward, 65, of 925 N. High-
land St.,was driving his 2004
Ford north on 161 (York Road)
and started sneezing. His vehicle
left the road, hit a NCDOT
speed limit sign, then a chain
link fence at Patrick Yarn Mills,
501 York Rd., and two City of
Kings Mountain street signs.
After the collision, the car
crossed Bennett Street and slid
through the parking lot of C&C
Heating and Cooling, 502 York
Road.
Damages totaled $13,000 to
the vehicle, $1,000 to the fence,
$100 to the driveway of C&C
Heating, and $300 to the signs.
Rain didn’t stop
yule light show
Rain on Christmas Eve didn't
keep traffic from moving briskly
through Mountain Rest Cemetery
for thousands of people to view
the beautiful display of luminaries.
"We didn't have a counter but
we estimated 4,000 cars and with
two people in a car that's 8,000
people,” said Jim Belt, who with
his wife Brenda, initiated the lu-
minary show 15 years ago with
one candle on his mother's grave,
then added more candles the next
year for relatives and friends and
the idea caught on big and quickly.
Belt said the turnout was
not as big as in previous years
"but it was a good turnout,"
he said. He said numerous
people commented on how
pretty the lights were and
were impressed with the bell:
tower from which music
played as the procession of
cars moved through the
cemetery.
Looking back at top 10 stories of 2008
Economy, gas prices, historic election top list
By EMILY WEAVER
Editor
Thete have been a lot of otkSeorthy head-
lines in 2008 so finding the top 10 stories has
not been easy. Some of the stories were con-
troversial, but all were important to our town,
The economy wanes, Kings Mountain pains
The top story from 2008 revolves
around a subject that has’ weighed
heavily in the minds of folks across
the nation and especially in Kings
Mountain — the economy.
Earlier this year, the very mention o
the word “recession” seemed to plague
the markets. An economic stimulus
bill, geared at “priming the pump”, put a few
hundred dollars back into the pockets of the
American public. But recession remained.
The Dow Jones Industrial plummeted 777
points and NASDAQ dropped 199 points in
one day, causing some to fear the eminence of
another great depression. The financial mar-
kets cried for help.
And after some debate and pre-presidential-
election political ploys, Congress answered
with a $700 billion bailout earmarked to shore
up the financial institutions. The plans and/or
by those institutions have. yet to be publicly ac-
counted for.
But America wasn’t done paying yet. The
automobile industry began to suffer. They too
cried for help. To avoid bankruptcy and mass
layoffs in the sector, the president announced a
$17.4 billion loan program for the auto indus-
try with strings attached in December. General
Motors (set to receive $9.4 billion), Chrysler
($4 billion) and other automakers would have
immediate access to money through January;
drawn from the $700 billion bailout of finan-
cial institutions. But the money will be offered
in a short-term financing agreement with the
date of March 31, 2009 set for auto-makers to
“prove viability” less the money be repaid.
It was Christmastime. Consumers, in sur-
vival mode, were spending l&ss. While the na-
tion was bobbing in this sea of economic
uncertainty, it became clear that what happens
on Wall Street is reflected on Main streets -
everywhere.
Wade Ford, the last franchised car dealer-
ship in Kings Mountain, closed its doors on
May 21, after 38 years of service to the com-
munity.
Chris*Craft let 40 workers go in August,
trimming the staff at its new KM plant to less
than 10 current employees today.
President-elect Obama
‘Spectrum Dyed Yarns closed its KM plant at
the end of September, leaving 145 jobless.
Ultra Machine and Fabrication, which ex-
perienced growth last year with expansions in
Kings Mountain and Shelby, was forced to lay-
off 38 employees in October. Management was
optimistic for a * ‘turn- around in the first quar-
ter of the new year.”
EDC (Entertainment Distribution Com-
pany) announced the closing of its plant, lo-
whereabouts of that taxpayer money received
Old year 2008 marked
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Staff Writer
As the strains of Auld Lang Syne,
harbinger of a brand new year ring out
Wednesday night, Kings Mountain citi-
zens could look back at a year marked
by challenge and change.
New Year 2009 is just around the cor-
ner and Mayor Rick Murphrey predicts
that in spite of plant closings and heavy
layoffs that Kings Mountain citizens can
look back on an old year that was gener-
ally good with major accomplishments
and a bright new year that will bring
Progress.
Although it is difficult to pick out top
stories that reflect the city accomplish-
ments, these are are some of the reports
from city department heads that reflect
some of them.
No. 1
The early Christmas present in De-
cember that Southern Power Company
would begin construction near Grover in
2010 of a natural gas fueled electric gen-
erating plant was good news for a fledg-
ling economy. that has resulted in plant
- shutdowns and 900 layoffs in the last
few months. The town made history
‘by challenges, change
with the signing of a 20 year contract to
supply raw water to the new industry
which in full production in 2012 could
become the county’s largest taxpayer
with what officials predict will be a bil-
lion dollar business. F
No. 2
Ingles, the Asheville-based food
. chain, opened a brand new super store
on Shelby Road Sept. 20 bringing in not
only tax revenue for the city with an-
nexation but increasing the number of
grocery markets to the community. Over
1,000 attended the store’s Job Fair ex-
pecting to hire 200 workers.
No. 3
The city lost its biggest water and
sewer customer (1.0 million gallons
daily) with the closing of Spectrum
Dyed Yarns on Sept. 30 and more bad
news followed with the announcement
of closing of EDC, (the compact disk
plant on Grover Road) and the Grover
plant AGI, all customers of the city util-
ity departments. Water Resources Di-
rector Dennis Wells reported that the city
pumped 859,898,000 gallons in 2008,
down from 1,113,199,000 in 2007 and
treated 687,827,000 gallons of waste-
See CITY STORIES, Page 4A
But another big hit for the city came when
See TOP 10, Page 4A
Caring town rallies
to help injured mother
Other 2008 top stories from Grover
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Staff Writer
GROVER- Being the caring town it is, this community
in 2008 rallied to help a young mother traumatized by brain
injuries. Cheryl Green, 32, is obviously living proof of the
power of prayer.
Green gave chase to two shoplifters Christmas Day
2007, jumped on the hood of their getaway car to avoid
being hit, but was thrown from the vehicle and suffered in-
juries. The prayer chains started and Green regained con-
sciousness but it was mid February before she went home.
Benefits sponsored by Grover Rescue Squad, friends in the
community, and a big pro wrestling match at Grover School
all helped the family and the mother during a long recov-
ery before she returned to work.
"Grover is a generous community," says Mayor Robert
Sides.
Other top news stories in 2008 in Grover:
MKings Mountain resident Scott Grigg opened a new
business, Wood Wise Pallets, in the old Minette Mills and
it was a major job cleaning up the building after fires be-
lieved to be set intentionally in 2005 caused major dam-
‘age. It took many loads of debris to the landfill before the
major restoration effort was completed.
MA new dentist, Dr. William Weathers, was welcomed
and is enjoying a brisk business.
BMA new tax office was opened by Eugene Hart of Kings
Mountain across from Wilco Travel Plaza.
BGrover's second annual Fall Festival brought hundreds
See GROVER, Page 3A
Lib Stewart Photo
Mayor Rick Murphrey, far right, accepts for the city the Garden of Rest
presented by Brad Ellis and Eric Wright at Mountain Rest Cemetery. L-
R, Cemetery Supt. Jackie Barnette, Ellis, Wright and Murphrey.
‘pressive ceremony conducted by Harris Funeral Home
‘Garden of Rest’
dedicated at cemetery
by ELIZABETH STEWART
staff writer
"The Garden of Rest" was dedicated last Tuesday af- |
ternoon at Mountain Rest Cemetery in a solemn and im-
staffers Eric Wright and Brad Ellis who presented the
statue of Jesus which centers the garden in memory and
honor of loved ones.
Appropriately, the Rev. James Lockridge, pastor of
Second Baptist Church, opened the ceremony by singing
"Come Unto Me and I will Give You Rest," his own ren-
dition from a CD of scripture songs he released in Italy.
See DEDICATION, Page 3A
nce
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