Southern Arts
exhibit Sunday
with featured
artist Brenda
Society opens new
Beard-Bostian B4
Kings M&TE:
Volume 122 ¢ Issue 10 * Wednesday, March 10, 2010
homer lifts
KMHS over
W. Lincoln
SPORTS 1B
Austin’s 3-run
CODY AUSTIN
ill.
} LY
PIZZA DELIVERYMAN
ROBBED AT GUNPOINT
Police on
look out
for robber
Kings Mountain Police need the public's help
in apprehending a suspect who robbed a Pizza
deliveryman Thursday, March 4, at 9:45 p.m.
Det. Cpl. S. D. Shockley said that the Pizza
Hut employee was making a delivery on North
Cansler Street when he was robbed at gunpoint
by a man who walked from underneath a car-
port and: demanded his wallet "and ‘all the
money." The victim handed over his wallet and
the suspect told him to get into his car and leave.
Police said the victim was not hurt and the sus-
pect left the scene on foot.
Police say the suspect is described as a black
male 5'8" to 5'9" tall of medium build wearing a
dark blue or black jacket or hoodie dark pants
and dark bandana.
Anyone with information may contact Cpl.
* 8. D. Shockley at the Kings Mountain Police
Department at 704-734-4581 or Crime Stoppers
at 704-481-8477.
City’s $82K grant
to be used for QT
plant renovation
By ELIZABETH STEWART
"Staff writer
The City of Kings Mountain is the recipient
of an $82,678 grant from the N.C. Rural Devel-
opment Center to renovate a former manufac-
turing building for reuse by the new Qual-Tech
Industries, Inc. This company will create ini-
tially five new jobs for skilled workers.
Mayor Rick Murphrey said that Pennsylva-
nia businessman Jeff Latchaw is investing over
$2 million in state-of-the-art equipment and ad-
ditions to the former Sterling Equipment build-
ing, located at the end of Quality Lane off NC
161 (York Road) to house the new industry.
Qual-Tech produces machine parts for use in
water treatment, food processing, airplane con-
struction and other applications.
Because of the downturn in the economy, the
company will hire only five people initially but
hopes to add 25 or 30 employees in the next 12-
18 months.
Latchaw has purchased a 60,000 pound (30
ton) state-of-the-art piece of high-tech, highly
efficient machining equipment that will be
moved to Kings Mountain. The employees will
See GRANT, 3A
Could new city zoning
law banish sweepstakes?
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Staff writer
An emergence of gaming es-
tablishments has city officials
mapping out a strategy: about
how to regulate them, as law-
makers and state courts debate
whether the businesses are
legal.
Kings Mountain City Coun-
cil will get its first look at a pro-
posed new zoning amendment
, for amusement video game ar-
cades, including Internet cafes
and businesses (including retail)
with sweepstakes-gaming ma-
chines and the like, at public
hearing at the 6 p.m meeting
April 27.
County unites to save youth
After reviewing a draft text
amendment that has been in the
works since City Council an-
nounced last December a six
month's moratorium on new
sweepstakes operations, the
Kings Mountain Planning &
Zoning Board Tuesday night
recommended City Council call
for a public hearing at its March
30 meeting for a vote on April
27.
Planning Director Steve Kil-
lian said the board looked at dif-
ferences between sweepstakes
gaming/gambling and legiti-
mate cyber and internet cafes.
The board also looked at the im-
pact of these businesses on
other businesses, churches,
schools and residential areas
and their impact on other mat-
ters of public safety.
The recommended text
amendment to the city ordi-
nance - implements stringent
local regulations on new sweep-
stakes operations. These in-
clude a maximum of three
machines per business allowed
within the city limits, and their
location including 200 feet from
a residential zone, 200 feet from
a church, 300 feet from a school
and 300 feet from other similar
businesses. No sweepstakes
gaming/gambling businesses
are allowed in downtown nor in
Editor
EMILY WEAVER/HERALD
Worship Pastor Jeff Renn, right, talks to business leaders and minis-
ters about the upcoming Nicky Cruz Outreach.
Local pastors
seek help to
reach teens
Former warlord
Nicky Crug coming
to speak May 1 at
fairgrounds
about it?
"religion".
By EMILY WEAVER
Editor
“Run Baby Run” — Nicky Cruz is com-
ing and the time is right. *
Ten out of 53 students in a recent ran-
dom and voluntary survey in Kings
Mountain said that the gang lifestyle is at-
tractive to them. What does this mean for
Kings Mountain and what can we do
According to Kings Mountain police,
who conducted the survey in Sept. 2007,
the number one reason why students said
. they steer away from the gang lifestyle is
That same word was mentioned again
as the second top answer when asked what
See TEENS, 3A
sponsible.
CARD-CARRYING SAFETY TIPS
| Police: protect yourself
from identity
By EMILY WEAVER
Editor ;
‘A new kind of card fraud called
"debit-card skimming" has put finan-
cial institutions and law enforcement
around the country on edge. With
specialized equipment thieves are
able to capture the magnetic stripe :
~ and keypad information, which leads ie
to PIN numbers, when a debit card is
used at an ATM machine, os pump
theft
Although Hos are several ish a
fu thief can use to steal that identity,
there are also several safety tips a per-
son can use to reduce the risk of theft.
Sgt. Moore advised that if you are
worried about debit-card skimming,
use the ATM at your bank.
- Watch what you are doing and
who i is around, he'added.
Det. Sgt. Lisa Proctor added that
© if you use the ATM at your bank and
the machine keeps your card or you
the overlay districts which pro-
tect the main corridors into the
city. The amendment also spells
out the definitions and distin-
guishes between an internet
cafe and sweepstakes opera-.
tions.
Killian said that a condi-
tional use permit would be re-
quired of non-conforming
existing and new businesses.
The amended zoning means
that those non-conforming busi-
nesses affected must comply
with all the requirements of city
ordinances, including the con-
ditional use permit, or shut
down by October /November
2010.
r= CRIME WATCH
Police check
out new scam
Fraudulent money
orders, employment ad
looked genuine
By EMILY WEAVER
White collar crimes, including identity
thefts, are on the rise and, each year, the crim-
inals seem to employ new tactics to swindle
and rob the citizenry.
A few years ago, the Kings Mountain Po-
lice remember investigating a case or two of
"Nigerian scams" that conned people through
emails or letters which claimed they had in-
herited money or won a lottery.
The "inheritance" was from a person the
victim had never met. The lottery jackpots
were from games never played and usually
from countries the victim had never visited.
But the enticement came ina check that
looked genuine.
The scammer would often tell the victim,
"Keep your portion of the check and wire us
back the amount shown for handling fees".
By the time the check was determined to
be "no good" some victims had already spent
some of the money. The banks held them re-
But the crime that sat on Det. Sgt. Lisa
See SCAM, 4A
Keller sets off for 2nd tour of Iraq
By ELIZABETH STEWART
staff writer
There were a lot of hugs and
"best wishes" for Kings Moun-
tain serviceman SSG John Vin-
cent Keller, 25, last Thursday as
he left home for Iraq.
Keller said his second de-
ployment by the NC National
Guard to Iraq will be "different
but a challenge."
Keller, a medic, will be "re
sponsible," he said, for 22 other
soldiers working with him dur-
ing the next year but he's opti-
mistic, he said, at a family 'bon
voyage' party in the Community
Vari STARR NS a
what
ra ATS
“notice anything suspicious you will
or other retailer.
“be able to go inside and epost it to the
. KM Police Det, Sgt. Chris Moore
SSG Vincent Keller with his grandmother, Patricia
Room at Kings Mountain Hos-
pital. Brown, seated, and his mother, Deana Hamrick.
Said that he has not heard of anything bank. TR ’ ; s |
like this happening in the city and Er Proctor and Moore also advise The miliary isnosyengerio father. Jistmy P bit hie "an
folks to monitor bank statements con- the Keller family. His father, Jimmy Poovey, now - in Iraq that he "ran into Uncle
cases involving debit-card skimming
have been reported to the department, Te
But identity theft is a serious crime. ane
lives in Gastonia but his uncle,
Wade Poovey, is still a member
of the Guard and it was during
young Keller's first assignment
Vincent follows in the foot-
steps of both his father and
uncle, both career soldiers in the
North Carolina National Guard.
Wade." After graduating from
Kings Mountain High School at
age 17, Vincent joined the
See KELLER, 4A A
See SAFETY, 5A
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