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Volume 121 e Issue 49 « Wednesday, December 9, 2009
NEW DEVELOPMENT
Duke Energy
training plant
coming to KM
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Staff writer
Duke Energy will build a 150,000
square foot training and support facility
on 30 acres in Cleveland County Indus-
trial Park in the new year, Brett Carter,
Duke Energy Carolinas President, and VP
Bill Pitesa announced Thursday.
Local, county and state leaders includ-
ing Lt. Governor Walter Dalton and Sec-
retary of Commerce Keith Criscoe lauded
the move, making Duke the 5th new busi-
ness coming to Kings Mountain in the
new year. Four will be located on NC 161,
York Road, providing hundreds of job op-
portunities at Bell Lines Inc., a trucking
company; a new Dollar General; a Cook-
Out restaurant and Qual-Tech Industries, a
high tech machine shop.
See TRAINING, 7A
DOWNTOWN
50 year old
landmark to
close shop
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Staff writer
MeGinnis Department Store, a land-
mark Kings Mountain retail business
since 1952, will close its doors later this
month.
John McGinnis, co-owner with his
brother-in-law, Doyle Campbell, said the
closing marks "signs of the times."
Although he said he would miss his
customers, the Kings Mountain business-
man says he's ready for retirement and
See LANDMARK, 3A
Mountaineer
_ Christmas
Friday downtown
Parade moved to Friday
Due to the cold and wet weather
predicted for last Saturday, the
Kings Mountain Christmas Parade
has been moved to Friday and will
now be held at the beginning of
Mountaineer Christmas.
The parade will step off from the
corner of Battleground Ave. and
Gold St. at 4 p.m. with dignitaries
and this year's grand marshals lead-
ing the pack. In honor of the Boy
Scouts of America's 100th anniver-
‘sary, local scouts have been ap-
pointed grand marshals.
They will lead the procession
along with Melvin Proctor of the
Kings Mountain Police Depart-
ment, Frank Burns of the KM Fire
Department,
JR. Scruggs of
KM Rescue
‘Squad, Danny
Gordon of the
Cleveland
County = Sher-
iff's Department, Cindy Pruitt of the
county environmental enforcement
agency, Sgt. Luckadoo of the NC
Highway Patrol, the KMPD Ex-
plorer Unit Color Guard, and city
representatives: Mayor Rick Mur-
phrey, Mayor Pro Tem Rodney
See PARADE, 3A
Mountaineer Christmas
activities set downtown
The spirit of the season will
come to life in downtown Friday
night for Mountaineer Christmas
2009: "The Nativity Celebration".
Several merchants and associ-
ates will be offering family-friendly
yuletide activities in this Moun-
taineer Partnership-sponsored
event. The celebration will kick off
at 4 p.m. with the Kings Mountain
Christmas Parade and will last until
9pm.
Fitting with this year's theme, a
live nativity scene will be set up in
the courtyard behind the old First
National Bank building on Moun-
tain St.
A documentary of the Bethle-
hem Star will be playing for free at
‘the Joy Performance Theatre at 5
p.m., 6:15 and 7:30. Saint Nick will
be at Hometown Hardware, listen-
ing to Christmas requests, posing
EMILY WEAVER/HERALD
This manger scene is at Suzy
B’s Gift Shop.
for pictures with the children and
handing out themed gifts to the
kids.
Gingerbread nativity scenes, na-
tivity-themed cookies and "birth-
day" cakes iced for the King of
Kings are just a few of the treats
See ACTIVITIES, 3A
Police need toys for kids
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Staff writer
An out-of-work single Mom of three told KMPD Det.
Todd McDougle this week that it "breaks my heart" to have
to ask for Santa Claus gifts for the kids.
"It breaks our hearts too," say police who are seeing a
usually full Training Room of toys in the Police Depart-
ment almost bare of toys and clothing for needy children.
Police are scurrying to fill empty stockings this Christ-
mas.
From all accounts, it will be a bleak Christmas for many
families without the help of the community.
"Because there are so many families out of a job this
holiday season the need is genuine," says McDougle, who
is heading up the project for police. New toys, winter coats
and gloves, and any donation for comfort items may be
turned in at the dispatcher window at KMPD or delivered
to Joy Theatre this Friday from 4-9 p.m. during Moun-
See TOY DRIVE, 3A
LIB STEWART photo
KMPD Det. Todd McDougle stands in the Training
Room of the Police Department where a room of
toys at this time of the year is almost bare.
Ak i av ICV ty d
a 4
Nearly 1,200 turn out for job fair on Thursday at the YMCA, looking to fill a Prospective 400 noghioNs,
See story, 4A.
| Alliance
BankeTrust
Cars line up at the “business center” affering
sweepstakes in the old diner at the Dixon. School
Road truck stop.
Cities look
to freeze
growth of
sweepstakes
Grover asks county for moratorium,
KM looks at own moratorium to pause
the spread of sweepstakes machines
By EMILY WEAVER
Editor
A soft red light radiated from a new business on Main
Street in Grover Monday night. The name of the new es-
tablishment is The Red Room. And inside town hall the
mayor was seeing red.
The Red Room is the newest sweepstakes operation to
open in Grover. The town has six now. Kings Mountain has
about 10. 1
"We have three, probably four operating illegally," said
Mayor Robert Sides.
Five of the establishments fill all but three of the store-
fronts downtown. In the dark of night and shaded behind
blackened windows, they light up the business district with
colored floodlights and neon signs announcing the games
are here. :
Cyber Line, M&M; The Trading Post, The Red Room
and This-N-That make up the downtown block. Across the
railroad tracks is another business with gaming machines,
according to the mayor. :
Only one of the businesses - M&M - has the proper per-
mit to continue operating. Cyber Line Internet Cafe filed
for a conditional use permit, but was denied. Business
owner Reggie Medlin is appealing the decision in the
courts. As long as his case is under appeal he can continue
operating without being fined.
But what about those fines?
The $25 a day penalty, which is set in current ordinances
to be charged to businesses who don't comply with zoning,
See SWEEPSTAKES, 7A
TUESDAY NIGHT
City council
to take oath
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Staff writer
Swearing-in of three newly-elected councilmen will
highlight Tuesday night's 6 p.m. meeting of Kings Moun-
tain City Council at City Hall.
Mike Butler, Ward 2, Tommy Hawkins, Ward 3, and
Dean Spears, At-Large, will take the oath of office with
members of their families holding the Bible as they raise
their right hands and repeat the oath administered by State
Rep. Tim Moore.
Hawkins, who defeated incumbent Jerry Mullinax, rep-
resents the new face on the seven-member board. Board
members whose terms did not expire in December are
Howard Shipp, Ward [; mayor pro tem Rodney Gordon,
Ward 4; Rick Moore, Ward 5; Houston Corn, At-Large
commissioner and Mayor Rick Murphrey.
The mayor said that business on the agenda for the out-
going board will include two public hearings.
Council is expected to set a temporary moratorium on
See COUNCIL, 3A
"SUPER SAVINGS ACCOUNT!!!
1.50% $2,500.00 minimum to open
APY*
$2,500 minimum to earn advertised rate
209 S. Battleground Ave., Kings Mountain ® 704.739.5411
WWW. allizneshunlandinsg, com e MEMBER FDIC
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