i
a
4
I
¥
¢
Champion, Janey Ollis, Liz
on-going production of “Play
Volume 122 « Issue 33 ¢ Wednesday, August 18, 2010
‘Play On’ plays
on at Joy Friday
photo courtesy of BRYAN
HALLMAN
KMLT actors, I-r, Susan
Nichols, Mike Davis, Karen
Davison, and Aubrey Hall-
man act out a scene in the
On!” at the Joy. Read more
about this comedy, page 3A.
oma
Dilling Heating Co.
J0430as4"
Beat the heat with
one of our great
Home Comfort Systems!
Premier Dealer ™ . /nnovation never felt so good.™
sales & Service Since 1955 « Lic. #09350
1250 Linwood Rd., Kings Mountain
104.297.0397
i
!
|
{
|
|
{
|
|
—— Backstreet hopeful ——
This photograph shows the interior of JAX Backstreet Tavern, a restaurant owned by
Nick and Regina LaVecchia that serves fresh gourmet pizzas, sandwiches, sliders and |
© wings in Belmont. JAX opened in Belmont on August 8th. Another JAX Backstreet Tav-.
ern is in the works for downtown Kings Mountain, pending the approval of an amended
NC Main Street Solutions Fund grant for:$185,000.
‘Grant could bring new
‘restaurant to downtown
Contributed by MPI
Husband charged
in wife’s death
iE amily in shock,
leaning on faith
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Staff writer }
The close-knit Kings Mountain family of
Gaylain Degree Crosby, 51, says their Chris-
tian faith will sustain them as they grieve for
a woman who spent her 23-year career as a
counselor helping the troubled, and as they
continue to support the husband accused of
‘Perfect marriage
takes tragic turn
By MICHAEL E. POWELL
Special to The Herald
Cherryville natives and brothers Harvey
"Boot" Degree and Chris Degree shake
their heads and wonder how the "perfect
couple" some said "the perfect marriage"
could have taken the turn it did in the wee
morning hours I% Someday.
killing her.
Cleveland Conty
Sheriff's deputies say
that Saturday morning
around 1 a.m. Joseph
Crosby called 911 and
told dispatchers that
he "may have killed
his wife." Crosby, 46,
is charged with first
degree murder.
"A family who
loved one another and
were happy always
together," that's how
Deborah Terry of
Their sister, Gay-
“lain Degree Crosby,
51 of 323 Mary's
Grove Church Road,
Kings Mountain, was
reported deceased ‘at
the home by para-
medics who arrived
there shortly after an
early morning 911 call
by her husband,
Bl Joseph Crosby. Har-
8 vey said he has heard
the 911 call in which
Crosby © ‘stated he
1 thought he might have
3
|. By ELIZABETH STEWART
| Staff wi y
Two small businesses
and JAX Backstreet Tav-
ern, a second new restau-
rant, ate eyeing part of the
old Plonk Brothers De-
partment Store location on
S. Railroad Ave. with a po-
tential of bringing 30 full-
time and 11 part-time jobs
within a year's time to
Kings Mountain.
The project will also
provide 70 temporary con-
struction jobs and bring an
investment to the down-
town of $600,000 not in-
cluding the building.
Project developers en-
vision that the previously
announced first tenant of
"the Plonk property, the Old
Stone Steakhouse at 220
Railroad Ave., and the new
partner JAX Backstreet:
Tavern at 218 Railroad
Ave., will be complimen-
tary anchors and catalysts
for downtown revitaliza-
tion located close to Pa-
triot's © Park, the city's
primary festival site. Other
formal partners listed in
the new grant application
are Campbell & Campbell
of NC, SG6 Enterprises,
and Sparrow Eye Creative.
Kings Mountain City
Council gave the green
light to an amended Main
Street Solutions fund ap-
plication from Moun- |,
taineer Partnership Inc.
and the new business part-
ners at a special meeting
last Wednesday and the
application, signed by
Mayor Rick Murphrey and
MPI president Suzanne
Amos, was forwarded
Monday to the Raleigh
Main Street agency.
If approved, the grant
for $185,000 would be
used for a portion of the
rehabilitation of the prop-
erty at 218 Railroad Av-
enue for a restaurant on the
main level and two of a
potential five offices on
the second floor.
RENOVATION, 7A
CLEVELAND COUNTY SCHOOLS
Kings Mountain re-
members her sister,
hér best friend that
she affectionaly
called "Aggie".
"We can't believe
that Joe intentionally
Gaylain Degree Crosby, her hushand Joseph
Crosby, and their daughter, Tia, then age 6. /
Joseph Crosby is charged with first degree
murder in the death of his wife early Satur-
day.
lain.
Crosby, 46, is cut-
rently being held with-
out bond after being
‘charged with first-de-
gree murder Saturday,
killed his wife, we hold no malice toward my Aug. 14, according to the Cleveland County
_ brother-in-law. We know his and my sister's
Sheriff's Departme
‘WE HOLD NO MALICE’, 7A
nt report to local media
FAMILY, 7A
Bethlehem Fire District
killed his wife, Gay- .
Getting ready for school to start
Repairs, renovations
underway at local schools
for opening day Aug. 25
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Staff writer
School bells ring next Wednesday, Aug.
25 for the fall term and workmen are putting
the finishing touches on plant improvements
totaling $1.6 million at 29 schools.
A visitor to any of the school campuses
can see marked renovation - and more to
come. Security is top priority.
Completed renovations have included se-
curity entrance locks, security walls, perime-
ter fence work, fire alarm repair, security
camera replacement, wheelchair accessible
lift, etc., plus paving, window replacements,
field house renovation, parking lot and tree
removal.
Completed projects at the eight local
schools included the following:
Bethware Elementary - asphalt repairs,
window replacement storm/insurance, new
retaining wall, gym roof repair-storm/insut-
ance, walk-in-cooler coil storm/insurance,
exterior steel door for security, canopy re-
pairs, replacement skylights 9, storm/insur-
ance. Two sets of Pella windows, insert
blinds, electronic door hardware, and new
controlled security entrance are projects in
the works.
East Elementary - one wing has been
painted. A new controlled security entrance
and electric door hardware, fabrication duct
work and a new roof top on a cafeteria unit
are in the works.
SCHOOLS, 7A
~ |CRIME SCENE
Vandals strike
downtown KM
, Police looking into shattered windows
Vandals apparently struck downtown
Kings Mountain over the weekend. Kings
Mountain Police responded to a call
Monday morning and found the win-
dows, of three properties on Battleground
Ave., to be shattered.
Damage to property at 213 S. Battle-
ground (owned by Wallace Properties),
Body Junction at 309 S. Battleground,
and Timms Furniture at 909 S. Battle-
ground, was reportedly caused when win-
dows at the businesses were broken "with
an unknown device" sometime over the
weekend, according to the police report.
WINDOWS, 2A
LIB STEWART/Herald
Bethlehem Fire Chief John Bridges, left, and board of directors chairman Jeff Dixon, show a
map of the "Big B" fire district, at Bethlehem Fire Department.
‘Big B’ fire district
meeting set
Bethlehem "Big B" Fire Department/Fi ire
District will hold an informational meeting
Monday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. in the Bethlehem
Baptist Church fellowship building espe-
cially for residents in the York Road and
Lake Montonia Road areas of Kings Moun-
tain.
Fire Chief John"McDaniel and Board of
Directors Chairman: Jeff Dixon said that the
North Carolina Department of Insurance has
for Aug. 30
removed York Road (Hwy. 161) and Lake
Montonia Road from the Bethlehem fire dis-
trict because of the distance from the fire de-
partment to the southern area of Kings
Mountain and those homeowners have seen
their fire insurance rates double and triple.
Bethlehem Fire Department is located six
miles from York Road (Hwy. 161) and some
nine miles from the most distant point on
SATELLITE, 2A
i
J
{
|