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TOP 10
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By December, nearly all of the buildings
in Grover's main business district housed
the games. In what law enforcement have
said is a "loophole" in the state's gaming
laws, the shops were able to flourish offer-
ing sweepstakes to customers.
The machines popped up in businesses
and convenience stores across the state, in-
cluding over 10 locations in Kings Moun-
tain and six in Grover.
The games were offered for free to cus-
tomers, who either purchased internet time
on computers or phone time on cards that
were credited to consoles resembling the.
old video poker machines. Keno, eight-
liner, pot of gold - all games once played on
illegal machines were being offered again.
But these machines seem to pass the legal-
ity test, at least for now.
Superior court judges and justices in
other counties have prohibited law enforce-
ment and state officers from raiding, arrest-
ing or prosecuting these types of
establishments until their [oeatity’s is offi:
cially declared.
Without arrests or raids the county and
municipalities like Grover and Kings
Mountain have tried other ways to control
the growth of these establishments -
through zoning.
In Grover, which operates under county
zoning ordinances, proprietors are required
to obtain a conditional use permit to offer
sweepstakes in their stores. The permit
must be approved by the Grover Board of
Adjustment.
Although six establishments are in oper-
ation, the board has approved only one per-
mit. Those continuing to operate without a
permit, under county laws, are set to face a
$25-a-day fine. But Mayor Robert Sides
said that businesses, like The Trading Post
which has been operating without a permit *
for three months, seem to be unscathed by
the penalties since no money has been col-
lected.
© Sides has asked the county to increase
the fine to $200 a day.
At the last council meeting, he said that
he is prepared to file injunctions with the
courts on the businesses that refuse to come
into compliance or ¢ease operations.
Kings Mountain City Council adopted a
six-month moratorium on sweepstakes at its
last meeting, Dec. 15. From now until June
15, no new sweepstakes businesses will be
allowed to set up shop in city limits. City
fathers plan to use the time to reyamp cur-
rent zoning ordinances dealing with the use
of land for sweeps operations.
Grover leaders have asked the county to
initiate a moratorium for their town as well.
The Kings Mountain Herald
None has yet to be issued.
Three seats
3 contested in KM,
na’ Hawkins upsets
= Mullinax,
No one files for
election i in Grover
¢
Three seats were up for grabs in Kings
Mountain and in Grover this election.
Seven candidates ran in Kings Mountain.
No one filed in Grover.
The Kings Mountain race heated up as
councilmen Mark Butler, Jerry Mullinax
and Dean Spears filed for reelection. Each
incumbent was faced with opposition.
Brenda McFalls Ross challenged Butler,
Tommy Hawkins took on Mullinax and
Spears faced opposition from Gina Collias
and Curtis Pressley. After a heated race with
advertisements, campaign signs and even a
few radio and television ads, Mullinax, who
had served on the council for 10 years, lost
his seat to Hawkins (by 54 votes).
Spears and Butler were reelected, but
with small margins. Spears beat Collias
with only 26 votes. Butler beat Ross with a
mere 16 votes.
Although Grover council members J.D.
Ledford, Brent White and Cynthia O'Brien
were reelected this November, neither had
filed to run for office with the board of elec-
tions. They were turned off from signing up
when they saw the thick stack of filing
forms candidates are now required to fill
out, but each said they would continue to
serve if reelected.
The rise and fall
4 4 of unemployment
%.
Nr
‘Cleveland County has
E been plagued with historically
high unemployment rates this year as fac-
. tories have closed or trimmed their staff.
But hope remains for a turn-around in the
Kings Mountain economy with the an-
nouncement of new businesses and jobs on
the horizon.
In January, the jobless rate in Cleveland
County was calculated at 14.5%, inching
closer to 14.8% - the highest rate in 1983. A
month later, the rate had jumped to 15.8%.
In March, the figure was down to 15.7%
and then 15.1 in April. But in May, the rate
jumped back up to 15.6% and Cleveland
tied with two other counties for having the
fourth highest unemployment record in the
state. In Oct., the rate was back to 15.1%.
But aside from the bobbing jobless rate
the real and personal impact was seen on
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the faces of thousands who turned out for
job fairs in Kings Mountain.
Over 1,000. people attended a dual-
county job fair held at the KM YMCA in
January, where dozens of companies set up
to accept applications and resumes.
Nearly 1,200 people applied for one of
the 400 prospective positions announced by
a new trucking company coming to Kings
Mountain, in a December job fair at the
YMCA.
Bell Lines, LLC, announced that they
would be looking for two drivers for each
of their 200 trucks and other positions will
be available in administration and clerical
offices once they are in full gear in 2010.
ie Former mayor,
§ 5 & baseball legend
Seed® John Henry Moss
dies after stroke
PS
The Kings Mountain community and the
world of minor league baseball was sad-
dened to hear the passing of a great leader
- John Henry Moss.
Moss, 90, died July 1, 2009 after suffer-
ing a stroke. Flags flew at half-mast across
the city and citizens stopped to remember
the man they called mayor for 22 1/2 years.
He was Kings Mountain's longest serving
mayor and chief executive officer; coined
by Newsweek magazine as the "mayor with
the midas touch" for the millions of dollars
in grants he was able to obtain for the city.
One of the most influential men in all of (88
professional baseball, he was the founder of 4
the South Atlantic League and in December
2007 stepped down as president after 50
years. Under his leadership the SAL grew
into one of the largest and most successful
minor leagues in affiliated baseball with 16
clubs in eight states.
To recognize Moss' contribution to base-
ball, the SAL retired No. 50 throughout the
league, an honor previously accorded only
to Jackie Robinson. Stadiums across the
Southeast erected bronze plaques to honor
Moss's successful efforts.
Prior to his death, Moss was still actively
attending meetings and was leading the
Cleveland County Sports Commission in
planning a 300-acre $15 million Southern
Exposition Sports and Entertainment Cen-
ter. He also recently presented a handsome
donation to Gardner-Webb University,
which will name a new baseball stadium
complex in his honor. :
“8% Gateway Trails
’ opens phase 1
Gateway Trails, six years
in the making, officially
opened Nov. 7 with the completion of phase
1, which includes a trailhead park and two
miles of traversable paths, about a mile
south of downtown on Battleground Av-
enue. :
Another four miles will be started in the
near future that will continue the trail to the
south side of I-85. The final goal is to con-
nect downtown Kings Mountain to area
parks: Crowders Mountain, Kings Moun-
‘tain State Park and Kings Mountain Na-
tional Military Park.
It will hook up with the Overmountain
‘Victory Trail once trekked by overmountain
men, who fought a victorious battle that
scholars have said "changed the tide" of the “
Revolutionary War.
The grand opening was a momentous
day for Gateway Trails, Inc., and the city
that will benefit from this attraction. Presi-
dent of Gateway Trails, Inc., Shirley
Brutko, thanked all who took part in this
The Potter’
Place Sa on
Shannon Sellers ©
Jamie Sellers Murphy
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
first leg of the trail's creation.
Phase 1, complete with a mountain path
and a loop trail, allows for a very interesting
walk with beautiful views of the nearby
mountain ridge to the south.
& One of the worst
4 storms in years
toothpicks. Trailers were
pecled like cans of tuna. And baseball-size
hail broke out windows, smashed through
sidings on homes and dented automobiles.
Kings Mountain citizens were hit by one
of the most powerful storms in years on
June 16. Tornadoes tore through the eerily
darkened skies and touched down in parts
of the county, wreaking havoc. Wind, rain,
hail and lightning added their own punches
to the area.
The major destruction amounted to thou-
- sands of dollars in damages.
But in the aftermath, it was the acts of
kindness and bravery that appeared to be
the rainbow of this storm. Local businesses,
like Tom's Family Mart, offered shelter to
those stranded in vehicles. Neighbors
helped each other in clean-up efforts. And
several others, including construction com-
panies, offered help at no charge.
& Miracles, second
& chances
A few local stories of
x miraculous recoveries have
made the headlines this year.
Gary Lowery, of Kings Mountain,
dropped dead after a sudden heart attack
while walking with buddies on the walking
track on April 17. Some of the cooking
groups in the annual Firehouse Cook-off
were already at the track, preparing for the
competition that was to start that weekend,
when he fell.
One of the cookers had an AED in his
truck. He and another cooker, who hap-
pened to be a nurse, raced to action and re-
vived Lowery before the medical helicopter
arrived. After several surgeries, including a
quadruple bypass, Lowery survived and
now has a new lease on life.
Carolyn Robinson became increasingly
ill in February. A few days after Valentine's
she was rushed to the hospital, where she
suffered total renal failure and heart failure.
She was without oxygen 15 minutes and
then was intubated. Doctors gave her little
to no hope of survival.
But after hundreds of prayers, she pulled
through. Her recovery and survival has
been a true miracle and with each step she
takes today, she walks witness to the power
of prayer and of faith.
Julie Miller, who had been waiting for a
kidney transplant for three years, got an an-
swer to her prayers this fall. Although a rare
antibody in her blood made the search for a
kidney extremely difficult, one was found
and she underwent a successful transplant.
With her new kidney, she now has a new
- outlook on life...another chance, another
miracle.
§ gp Serial killer
&9 # plagues Gaffney,
: puts Grover and
KM on alert
A serial killer claimed the headlines in
local and national media outlets after claim-
ing the lives of five people during a week-
See TOP 10, Page 5A
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