Ee
KM’s Denese
Stallings to
retire after
32 years in
health field
By ELIZABETH STEWART
staff writer
Cleveland County
Health Department Execu-
tive Director Denese
Stallings is retiring May 1
after
career
as a
health
profes-
sional.
“De-
nese has
had a
very successful career at
the Cleveland County
Health Department and her
See STALLINGS, 3A
Grover man
cuffed for
hauling 583
Ibs. of pot
A Grover man was re-
cently arrested for hauling
nearly 600 pounds of
marijuana along an inter-
state in Louisiana.
Stacey Hopper, 22,
was driving a U-Haul
truck down Interstate 12
when authorities say that
they pulled him over for a
moving violation. Suspi-
cions during the stop led
to a search of the truck,
~ which ended with Hopper -
in handcuffs. Police
found 583 pounds of mar-
.See POT, 3A
Open potato
planting for
CCPP Friday
Members of the Cleve-
land County Potato Proj-
ect plan to plant seed
potatoes for their initiative
to feed the hungry Friday
morning.
This is the third plant:
ing the group has con-
ducted so far, but it will
be the first one done by an
all-volunteer work force,
said Doug Sharp, one of
the founding members of
-CCPP who lives in the
Moss Lake community in
Kings Mountain.
They will begin plant-
ing on a plot of land at
1327 W. Stagecoach Trail,
Lawndale, on the property
of Jack Lee, at 8 a.m.
See POTATO, 3A
Auditions for ‘Funny
Money’ begin Friday at
Joy Theatre
Mountaineer kickers blank
Shelby in first season match
More CRITTERS
Thornburg
finds
‘Grace’ in
man’s best
friend
©000000c0sc0s0sscsccsseen
ings Mat
Volume 122 ¢ Issue 11 SIE March 17, 2010
KM man charged with 21
counts of operating machines
and gambling; seven terminals
confiscated; two others from
KM charged in BC raid
By EMILY WEAVER
Editor
Kings Mountain businessman Don John-
son faces 10 counts of operating a video
gaming machine and 11 counts of gambling
in Gaston County after police raided two
gaming locations they suspected were under
his "domain" in Bessemer City.
Gaston County Police have also charged
April Morrison, 33, of 129 McGinnis St.,
Kings Mountain, and Kathy Bush, 53; of
1010 Watertank Rd., Kings Mountain, with
one and five counts each, respectively, of
gambling and operating a video gaming ma-
chine.
Criminal summons issued by GCPD were
served without incident March 10 by officers
of the Kings Mountain Police Department.
Gaston County Police Det. M.T. Dellinger
said that although each case will stand alone
in court, all three are related. Morrison and
Bush were working at the locations that were
under investigation, he added.
Dellinger said that Johnson is suspected
to have "domain" over both of the businesses
and is owner of one at 905 Gastonia Hwy.
Johnson, 50, seems to be no stranger to
the video sweepstakes business.
For the past few months, Johnson's sea-
— —
Dilling Heating or
Vice Since 1955
EMILY WEAVER/HERALD
Gaston County Police have been hard-nosed against video sweepstakes centers that
have popped up throughout the area, like those pictured here, which take up nearly
the entire stretch of Main Street in Grover. In a recent raid on two establishments in
Bessemer City, three from KM have been charged; one with ties to Grover. Unlike
Gaston County, Cleveland has shied away from prosecuting those involved with
sweepstakes video gaming. Towns have had to look to zoning laws and creating new
ordinances to control the spread.
sonal’ Hwy. 161 produce market on York
Road has donned a new sign, simply ex-.
claiming: "SWEEPSTAKES". Many of the
properties he owns, which line Main Street
in Grover, have also been housing gaming
centers since as early as April last year.
Investigation
Gaston County Police say they have kept
an eagle eye on the Bessemer City locations
for over two years. After months of investi-
gation they were able to wrap up the case by
confiscating seven machines and charging at
least four people.
When the investigation began, the gam-
ing consoles at these locations were no dif-
ferent from the old Keno machines. "For
lack of a better term,"
See GAMING, 7A
Springing into work
The weather has slowed progress
on the new 84-unit E. Gold Street
apartment complex but spring-like >
weather a couple days this week is
giving construction workers for
Pendegraph Company of Greens-
boro a chance to pour concrete and .
put up some walls. The new hous-
ing, expected to be competed in
2010, will provide 38 units for sen-
ior citizens.
Happy Customers
Dur
Db als o Fr aa {a
Business!
209 S. Battleground Ave., Kings Mountain ¢ 704.739.5411
www.alliancebankandtrust.com © MEMBER FDIC
By EMILY WEAVER
Editor
Guard challenges gute students
Their mission, if the Career-Technical stu-
dents at Kings Mountain High chose to ac-
cept it, was to partake in a variety of
challenging courses on Monday. Nearly 800
accepted that mission and enjoyed a class pe-
riod of excitement where "be all you can be"
was put to the test.
Waiting for them was a high-rise rope
walking course, a surfing simulator, a push-
up mat and a shooting range with paint ball
guns.
Retired and active members of the Army
National Guard brought these challenging ac-
tivities to the high school. The field of mis-
sions was stationed behind the Business,
See GUARD, 4A
EMILY WEAVER/HERALD
NEXT STEP'S A DOOZY - Students at
Kings Mountain High participate in
the rope walking course outside of
the school's BIT building on Monday.
Alliance
Bank&Trust
“Building Communities i
Sonat Baw ih ried brand