Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Continued City m Page 1
New Year 2011 is an election year for Kings Mountain,
Terms of Mayor Rick Murphrey, Mayor Pro-Tem Rodney
Gordon, Ward I Councilman Rev. Howard Shipp, Ward 5
Councilman Rick Moore, and At Large Councilman Hous-
ton Corn are expiring,
New Year 2011 will see the opening in mid-January of
one new restaurant downtown (Center Street Tavern and
Smokehouse) and two others (Old Stone Steakhouse and
' Battleground Bar and JAX Back Street Tavern) with more
jobs coming, not only for construction workers, but also full
time employees,
One of the “biggies” that the city is involved in, along
with the county, is its fiber optics project. RST Communi-
cations started laying its fiber-optic network underground
in February.
This system will one day provide alimate broadcasting
services for cable television, and internet with ultra high
speed connectivity, and among other high tech accomplish-
ments energize a 260-plus acre data center in King Moun-
tain;
Infocrossing, a part of Wipro Ltd., nicknamed the Mi-
crosoft of India, has purchased the former Chris Craft build-
ing from Atlanta based T5 Partners, and technology may
sprout five or six new data centers in the near future off.
Countryside Drive. City and county leaders and Gov. Bev
Purdue, present for the industry announcement, called ita
new route for the future.
The mayor said that over the last 10 years grants totaling
$5 million have been awarded to bring jobs, rehabilitate and
replace wastewater collection lines. And in the last year with
the collaboration and leadership of Mountaineer Partnership
Inc. and a city Main Street designation, over a half million
in grants have been awarded for reuse/rehabilitation and
new business.
During the past year the city annexed 149 homes and 482
acres in six separate annexations, awarded industrial incen-
tive grants to new industry Solaris and longtime industry
Patrick Yarns, and awarded seven facade grants for down-
town revitalization.
The City of Kings Mountain was also recipient of grants,
including a major 911 up grade at the Kings Mountain Po-
lice Department, a fire department grant, also bicycle route
planning and three walking routes.
Residential areas saw growth in 2010- at Crocker Ridge,
Eagle Gate, Hall Crossing and the addition of 94 units of
housing - Cleveland Falls and Cleveland Ridge (across from
Mountain Rest Cemetery) and Cherokee Street Apartments.
Hospice House opened on Kings Mountain Boulevard, *
a much needed facility for the Kings Mountain community,
and Duke Power Training Center at Cleveland County In-
dustrial Park head a long list of newcomers to the commu-
nity expected to open up a wide area of Southwest Kings
Mountain for business in the years to come. Patriot Jack’s
opened in the old Herald building, Park Yarn and STI ex-
panded, the old Sadie Mill was sold, and small businesses
got a shot in the arm with grants and incentives.
Solaris Industries, an international tubing company lo-
cating at 133 Industrial Drive, will bring a potential of 40
jobs in the next three years to Kings Mountain and taxable
investment of $3.2 million. Qual-Tech, at the end of Qual-
ity Lane on York Road, is investing over $2 million in state-
of-the-art equipment, creating five new jobs for skilled
workers and expecting to hire 25-30 employees in the next
18 months.
A new lithium hydroxide plant to produce very high pu-
rity lithium materials for next generation transportation bat-
teries is proceeding from preparation to construction by
Rockwood Holdings Inc. at Chemetall Foote in Kings
Mountain. A total federal (stimulus funds) grant of $28.4M
went to Foote in 2009.
Southern Power is progressing in construction at its site
off Grover Road to supply both potable and raw/gray water
for the production of electricity.
Downsizing happened for numerous Kings Mountain
people as they moved into smaller quarters and into new
apartments currently leasing space.
“Going green” became popular.
The City of Kings Mountain will begin New Year 2011
with “single stream” recycling in January after receiving a
$100,000 grant. The mayor said the blue containers are here
but as of this week a new garbage truck had not arrived. The
mayor said that city crews will begin the new recycling with
one of its older truck models.
He said the new year will also see improved street lights
- from mercury vapor to sodium - to become more energy
efficient. The city is also partnering with industries like
Patrick Yarns who are interested in generating electricity
with solar energy. Council recently adopted a regeneration
electric rate and Patrick will be selling back the kilowatts it
produces to the city.
The mayor is obviously proud that the city has enjoyed
a perfect audit for 11 years in a row and mayor pro-tem Gor-
don said that in spite of a struggling economy the City of
Kings Mountain, under the leadership of Sellers and coun-
cil, had retained its 200 member staff of employees without
a layoff or furloughs. Sellers has continued to freeze hiring’
and made cuts internally, praising the employees for team
work. .
Two areas of the city were named on the National Reg-
ister of Historic Places - the Margrace Village area and West
End (west Kings Mountain) areas of town.
As an economic development tool, the city also main-
tains a website which maps available industrial sites.
Christmas came in July for 22 families on Grover Road
as the city awarded contract for a new water line to serve
residents whose wells dried up. The city applied for and got
a grant to take clean water to that area of town.
Kings Mountain Rescue Squad broke ground for a new
home on Shelby Road, a project that has been in the mak-
ing for 20 years.
MLK observance in
KM Jan. 17 at Joy
The City of Kings Mountain will host the annual Martin
Luther King Day observance on Monday, Jan. 17, at 6 p.m.
at the Joy Performance Center in downtown Kings Moun-
tain.
The keynote speaker will be the Rev. Lamont Littlejohn of
Mount Calvary Baptist Church.
A rendition of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, de-
livered originally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington,
DC, will be performed by Lester Williams.
Guest soloist will be Shana Adams and guest choir will
be Mount Calvary Baptist Church featuring Lyrical dancers.
Donna Huie-Broks will be emcee.
The Kings Mountain Herald
Page 3A
We had our share of crime
Several stories caught our attention
in 2010, including stories of crimes and
unfortunate accidents.
An early morning fire on Sunday,
Jan, 31st, gutted the chapel of J.W. Gill
& Sons Funeral Home, extensively
damaging the interior of the building.
Eighty percent of the structure was re-
portedly destroyed.
The fire started in a front room
around a space heater, which malfunc-
tioned, causing it to overheat the wall
behind the heater, according to Chief
Frank Burns. No one was in the build-
ing at the time.
Shamar Javon Byers, 30, of 111
School St., was arrested and charged
with murder Jan. 4th, in the death of 42-
. year-old John Allen Pettis that occurred
in the Long Branch community.
Within hours after the Movie
Gallery was robbed on Feb. 12, Kings
Mountain Police had identified and ar-
rested three suspects. Brothers Brandon
Scott Mills, 22, and Stephen Edward
Mills, 24, and Kylie Ann Dorman, 22,
were arrested and charged in the rob-
bery. In June, Cleveland County Supe-
rior Court Judge Forrest Bridges
sentenced Brandon Scott Mills to six-
to-eight years in prison; Dorman was
given a five-month split sentence; and,
Stephen Mills, who pleaded guilty to
conspiracy to commit robbery with a
dangerous weapon was also given
prison time for the robbery.
In an unrelated case, Judge Bridges
also sentenced Drayshawn Raymond
Banner and Samuel Aleko Jenkins, both
16, to prison for the October 2009 rob-
bery of Scott’s Jewelry and the assault
on the 77-year-old jewelry store owner.
In March; Stacey Hopper, 22, of
Grover, was arrested for hauling nearly
600 pounds of marijuana along an in-
terstate in Louisiana. Police allegedly
found 583 pounds of marijuana in a U-
Haul truck Hopper was driving.
Grover Police Department netted a
substantial drug bust for the town on
the night of March 19th, during a traf-
fic stop. Police pulled over Marquis Le-
brone Adams, 33, of 529 Crocker Rd.,
after they say he failed to stop at a stop
sign on Laurel Ave. A search of the ve-
hicle allegedly led officers to over a
pound of marijuana, loaded guns and
cocaine.
In a tragic case, Joseph Crosby was
arrested and charged with the murder of
his wife, Gaylain Degree Crosby, who
spent her 23-year career counseling
those in trouble. Cleveland County
Sheriff’s deputies said that Joseph
Crosby called 911 in the wee hours of
Aug. 14, to report that he “may have
killed his wife”. Family and friends
were shocked at the news and saddened
at the loss of the couple.
Three women — a mother and two
daughters — were jailed on felony drug
charges.in October, the second drug
bust to land a total of six in jail in two
weeks. Peggy Strickland Jones, 71,
Lisa Jones, 43, and Penny Jones Perry,
49, were arrested at their home on Oak
Grove Rd., where more than 300 pills
of Xanax, as well as opium, pill crush-
ers and hand scales were allegedly
seized.
Eleven people faced a total of 38
felony drug charges in a sting operation
codenamed “Operation Fall Harvest”
carried out in November. More war-
rants are pending. The sting targeted
sellers of narcotics and Police Det. Sgt.
Lisa Proctor said the operation could
not have been completed without the
help of Kings Mountain citizens who
have joined together with police in a
crack-down on illegal drugs.
KM Police identified the two men °
they suspect were behind the Fidelity
Bank heist on Nov. 22. Warrants were
issued for 32-year-old Philip A. Purdue,
of 212 Johnson St., Buffalo, NY, and
19-year-old Gregory K. Young, of 135
Butler Ave., Buffalo, NY, for armed
robbery and conspiracy to commit rob-
bery.
Purdue allegedly entered the bank
and, wielding a black, semi-automatic
handgun demanded money from the
teller who complied, according to
KMPD.
He reportedly left on foot before
hopping into a metallic blue, 80’s
model Oldsmobile.
Anyone with any information about
the whereabouts of these two men is
still encouraged to call the Kings
Mountain Police at 704-734-0444 or
CrimeStoppers at 704-484-TIPS.
x
photo by NIKI PAULSON
The newly sworn officers of the Stateline Masonic Lodge #375 in Grover are: front row, left to right, MC Pruette-treasurer,
Keith Clark-senior warden, Max Brooks-master, Rodney Paulson-junior warden, Royce Peeler-secretary; second row, Colton
White-steward, Henry Wedford-senior deacon, Robbie Philbeck-junior deacon, Jordon Perice-chaplain; back row, Michael
Morris-tyler, Ronnie Dixon-steward. The Stateline Masonic Lodge has over 60 Embers and has been active in the commu-
nity over 100 years.
*
Gregory to return to Joy in January
James Gregory, billed as
the Funniest Man in Amer-
ica, returns to the Kings
Mountain Little Theatre and
Joy Performing Arts Jan. 20
for two shows at 7 p.m. and
9pm.
Gregory is returning to
Kings Mountain by popular
demand. His first show last
January was a sell-out and a
second show was held to ac-
commodate overflow
crowds.
The Joy Theatre box of-
fice on Railroad Avenue is
open on Monday and Tues-
day evenings from 5-8 p.m.
beginning Dec. 27. James
Gregory tickets . remain
available for both shows.
General admission tickets
are $25. Reserved seating
tickets are $35 and VIP table
seating tickets are $50.
Kings Mountain Little The-
atre accepts cash or checks.
Gregory, a stand-up co-
median for over two
decades, has continued to set
attendance records in most
of the venues he performs
with little national exposure.
He has performed for over
300 corporate clients, ap-
peared live on over 200 radio
shows including the ‘’John
Boy and Bi Show” in
Charlotte. His critically ac-
claimed One Man Show
“Grease, Gravy and John
Wayne’s Momma” was
sponsored by HBO and fea-
tured at the US Comedy Arts
Festival in Aspen. This same
show had a month-long run
at the Hudson Theatre in
Hollywood. He has appeared
in concert with Randy:
Travis, Reba McEntire, The
Judds and George -Jones,
among others.
His unique brand of
humor packs in the crowds.
The absence of vulgarity sets
him apart and his stories are
carefully crafted art,
“I have lived long enough
to know people know life,”
Gregory reflects. “My com-
edy is based on my life ex-
periences. It’s real, it’s funny
“and the audience loves it.
That’s why I am still in busi-
ness.”
The Kings Mountain Herald,
The Cherryville Eagle,
& The Banner News
WILL BE CLOSED
| If you have requested copies |
i of the Herald be saved for
i you, but you have not picked |
{ them up, you must contact
| Kathy at 704-739-7496 if you |
| still want them. If we do not |
i hear from you by Friday, |
{ January 7th, they will be |
discarded. Thank you.
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