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ATR AR RRL 1
TE Np ie a ae
CONSTRUCTI
New pub,
dollar store
on the way
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Staff writer
Business activity is picking up in Kings
Mountain with building plans submitted to
the city codes department for a new—and
third—Dollar General, a downtown bar/pub
named Stevo's, the new restaurant Cook-
Out, and grading and infrastructure under-
way at the site of an 84-unit apartment
complex on E. Gold Street.
"The fall season is ushering in a busy
time and hopefully bringing more jobs with
the new construction," said Holly Black, the
city's codes director.
Grading was underway this week on
York Road (beside Wendy's) for a new
9,000 square foot Dollar General, a mer-
chandising facility.
Robert Steven White submitted building
plans to the city for a bar/pub in the former
Beach Bingo building beside: Griffin Drug
Store downtown. The plans indicate a club
bar designed after the bar on the television
program "Cheers." Black said that interior
renovations are underway by White who is
See PUB, Page 3A
"GARAGE FIRE
Smoke from
Bethlehem
fire seen
miles away
Black smoke from a garage fire at the in-
tersection Of. Bethlehem Road and US 74
West could be seen for miles Monday af-
ternoon.
"A woman from Gastonia was on her
way to Bethware School and panicked be-
cause she thought the fire was at the
school," said KMPD Fire Chief Frank
Burns who along with firemen from KM,
Bethlehem, Oak Grove and Cleveland Fire
Departments battled the blaze. Grover Fire
Department also stood by.
Burns said a man was inside the garage
in the 1,000 square foot block building
working on a car, pulled the gas tank off
and vapors ignited. "He thought all the gas
was out of the car," said Bethlehem Fire
Chief Daryl Philbeck. "He got out in time."
See FIRE, Page 3A
Countryside
may be off
the table
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Staff writer
City council won't take a vote on an-
nexation plans until Nov. 24 but it's a safe
bet that Countryside Road will be elimi-
nated from. the plan following discussion
during public hearing by city council Tues-
day night.
Neighbors in the Countryside area
turned out last month to question the city's
plans to take the area into the city limits.
Council members have also questioned
the $600,000 cost to the city to run water
lines to serve 38 residences.
City planning director Steve Killian
See COUNTRYSIDE, Page 3A
Policeman | KM Homecoming
returns home Friday!
after training Gary previews the
officers in game...B1
iraq Ln, Homecoming
BA Banner...B3, B4
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Volume 121 + Issue Ale Wednesday, October 21, 2009 => 1
INTO THE WILD
Bears spotted along trail?
Sightings of multiple 'black bears’
viewed from the Gateway Trail leave
some doubting, some sure
By EMILY WEAVER
Editor
"We know there are deer, copperheads, box turtles and
Shirley Brutko.
But black bears? That “I'm highly
was a.new one to her. y
At least three people skep tical of. five
have spotted bears in the grown black bears
quarry along the Gateway
Trail, which is set to open (being tog ether J.
Nov. 7th. Jeffrey Lanier said ~ Bears don't run in
that he and his family took
their dog out for a walk on groups.”
the trail on Oct. 10 when .
they saw something move in Michael Juhan
the quarry. Wildlife Biologist
"It was two big black
masses," He said. "I asked
my wife if it looked like bears."
He returned his family to the car and came back out for
another look. Sure enough, he said, the big black shapes he
saw moving were black bears. "They were coming up out
See BEARS, Page 7A
Could the dark spot on the right be a black bear
climbing up the bank of the quarry?
EMILY WEAVER/HERALD
Coats for
East kids
Goins, Butler lead city-wide
effort to collect coats for East
Elementary students .
Roger Goins, of Roger's BBQ, and city
Councilman Mike Butler have been heading
citywide efforts lately to bring a little warmth
to the children of East Elementary.
They have been collecting gently used and
new coats, clothing and monetary donations to
29. give to the school for the children in grades K-
Rh]
EMILY WEAVER/HERALD
. KMHS student Daniel Wooten plows over a cone while sending a text -
message as Trooper Scott Meade cringes.
Students get ‘crash
course’ on texting
By EMILY WEAVER run.
Editor : Student Memory Bowles took out
Students at Kings Mountain High most of the course on her second run
School got a "crash course" on the dan- While she tried to text. ‘
gers of texting while driving. Many cones "She is a weapon of mass destruction,"
were massacred on the practice field Jjoked Trooper Scott Meade.
Tuesday. She killed five people, two dogs, three
Officers with the state Highway Patrol puppies and ‘plowed through a stop sign
came to the school to share the dangers of to send her text message, Meade said as
text messaging and being distracted be- .
hind the wheel. They placed bright orange See TEXVING, Page 3A
traffic cones, each representing a person,
pet, building or otherwise, throughout the
school's practice field, marking off three
Narrow Courses.
One student at a time was instructed to
drive a John Deere gator through. the
course with a trooper in the passenger
seat. The first time was practice. No dis-
tractions. But on the second run-through
the students were handed a cell phone,
sent a text message and were told to re-
. spond. With cell phone in hand the stu-
dents punched away at the keypad and
trampled cones they avoided in the first
"There's an urgent need for it because it's
cold in the morning," Goins said on Monday.
East Elementary has the highest population
of indigent children among the Kings Moun-
tain schools and the two said that they just
want to give back.
"We try to help who we can," Butler said.
Butler led the efforts of two shoe give-a-
ways in Kings Mountain over the past three
years with other city leaders. He said that they
were able to help about 1,600 people in those
two events. He and Goins hope to help as
many children at East as they can.
If the recent cold and rainy spells bear any
indication of this year's winter, Butler said that
coats will really be needed. When he found out
See COATS, Page 3A
Great Pumpkin
! Halloween Parade
~ setfor Oct. 30
; The City of Kings Mountain will host the
annual “Great Pumpkin Halloween Para
on Friday, Oct. 30. Participants will gat
at city hall plaza at 10 a.m. for a sondafe
Mayor Rick Murphrey.
The parade will start at the pla on the A
corner of Cherokee and Gold streets and will
continue to ‘Battleground Ave., then to
Mountain St. and down Railroad Ave. to the
See PARADE, Page mn
Megan Hoyle runs over a cone while
texting as Ofc. Scott Meade watches.
Alliance
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Building Communities
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" NSO
I Py ie aor Om tn HSA I i Ln Te NIT OR Re TN TR A TR
y bi “ y Wi
A od g & 2% 8 Eo i Fd i To
a coyote along the trail," said Gateway Trails President
~~
CS
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