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4 Wednesday, April 13, 2011 The Kings Mountain Herald Page 3A SS eR i a) Sia Jo AAA A £ 3 pe ran - County Manager Pain at the pump By KYRA ALEXANDER Kyra:kmherald@gmail.com This news article today has been brought to you by the letter E...Everybody, Eventually, Experiences, Empty. E-gads! It’s time for another fill up. Exasperated, John Cass headed to the pumps Mon- ' day morning, March 30th, for just that. Pumping his gas at the Marathon station on Cleve- land Avenue, where gas was $3.64 per regular gallon, Cass said that the gas prices are “too high”. Within a week the aver- age price for a gallon of reg- ular gas in the- state had climbed to $3.72, according to AAA Fuel Gauge Report. Larger increases are foreseen on the horizon. The national current aver- age is $3.79 per gallon of regular gas, up 24 cents from last ‘month’s average and nearly a dollar from last year. In 2009 the world’s oil con- sumption was.over 84 mil- lion barrels a day, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores. Oil prices ‘have risen 133% in the last three years and gas prices have climbed 70.4%. The public has felt it. Many individuals are modi- fying their own travel be- cause of the prices. Governmental agencies that are on fixed budgets are also recalculating their gas ex- penses. Yl According to Cleveland David Dear, “The County is trying to be more cautious and dili- gent but we cannot do much different since most of our vehicles are (for) public safety and have to (be used to) respond immediately, al- though we have coordinated and lined up our expecta- tions to have no wasted miles.” In also talking with Donna Carpenter, spokes- woman © for Cleveland County Schools; she ex- plained that, “The schools check the price of gas daily to find the lowest prices as well as keep a supply. Some things we are doing, since the buses have to run 180- days a year, twice a day, are making the bus routes as ef- ficient as possible and com- bining bus stops but not sacrificing safety.” Many experts say the rea- son for this continual in- crease in price is the unrest in the Middle East from where a lot of oil flows. Un- rest in the Middle East mat- ters because the price of crude oil rises with the un- certainties and anxieties in those countries, according to AAA Carolinas spokesman for the Charlotte region, ' Brendan Byrnes. Even though the top five exporters of oil to the United States are Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Venezuela, what happens in the Middle East can influ- ence prices everywhere. “There is nothing anyone can do in the United States to help lower the price. This is not a supply and demand issue. Everything has to rest in the Middle East,” Byrnes explained. More and more people are feeling that the best way for Americans to become in- dependent of foreign oil, is for the government to allow us to drill in the abundant oil reserves that are found in the United States. As Cass filled up his tank he had the same suggestion. “Drill baby drill,” he ex- claimed while shaking a fin- ger at his high total. Many Americans are wondering why our country allows other countries to drill off our coasts but our own country cannot. They point out that being able to drill in the mountains of North Dakota and Mon- tana as well as Alaska could immediately begin reducing viding a much-needed boost to job formation). Studies in- dicate there may be more than one trillion barrels of oil sedimentary rock found in Wyoming, Utah, and Col- orado’s Western Slope. That is nearly three times the re- serves in Saudi Arabia. Another idea some have is the oil made from corn, biofuel. Experts have said that biofuels would be a part . of the answer toward inde- pendence from foreign oil and toward a cleaner envi- ronment, but rising corn costs have all but eradicated the financial difference be- tween biofuels and gasoline. Recent scientific testing shows biofuels actually do not reduce emissions into the environment, as thought. Byrnes predicts a rise of 10 to 15 cents per gallon in the coming weeks because once KYRA ALEXANDER/HERALD John Cass pumps gasoline at the Kings Mountain Marathon station Monday. the refineries are switching to cleaner gas. “The price may - start coming down in the sum- mer,” Byrnes said. “The an- nual day of the highest gas prices is May 31st. This year it may peak sooner. How- ever, the gasoline prices al- ways do bump up on July 4th weekend and Memorial Day weekend.” “It’s pretty unlikely we’ll * hit $5 per gallon in 2012,” said Jessica Brady with AAA Auto Club South. “Worst- case scenario, we’re proba- bly going to get back to the $4" range like we saw in 2008”..,only this time the rise comes without a hurri-" cane. Electric cars sound like a great idea but limited supply, high price, short battery life, and a long charging time are detractions to the average consumer. However, tech- nology is improving and more electric cars (with stronger batteries) are set to roll off the assembly lines, _ and tax breaks through the oil prices (in addition to pro- federal government are chip- ping away at the prices. Byrnes did give some tips to help consumers conserve gasoline for the coming weeks: Use public transportation; Do not slam on your brakes and push on the accelerator so often, it will consume your fuel more rapidly; Drive the speed limit; Keep your RPM under 3000. A website to access if you are trying to find the cheap- est gas around is gas- buddy.com. As of Tuesday the lowest price in town was recorded as $3.69 pet gallon at the Marathon Station on Cleveland Ave. Just across the state line in Blacksburg, SC, a gallon of regular gaso- line was $3.55 on Tuesday. The simple fact is that for the present we are totally de- pendent on gas as the pri- mary way to keep the wheels rolling in America. Buy life insurance and save on your home and car. hen you buy life insurance from us through Auto-Owners Insurance, you'll receive special discounts on your home, mobile home or car insurance. We'll save you Ki money. As an independent Auto-Owners agent, we take great interest in you — as well as your home and car. We are specialists in insuring people — and the things they own. ( Auto-Owners Insurance Warlick and Hamrick Insurance 704.739.3611 Tim Miller right amount of fertilizer. Green Thumb fertilizers. Value Hardware. : Just the ‘Hard’ware Facts Growing a lush, green lawn is easy! With all the rain and warm weather we've had recently, many of you will want to improve your lawn’s appear- ance by fertilizing. Most lawns in our area are Tall Fescue or an improved turf-type fescue. _ This type of lawn responds best to slow release fertil- izers containing high Nitrogen applied in early Spring, A few tips to remember: Measure your lawn’s square footage to insure the Refer to the fertilizer manufacturers information re- garding spreader types and settings. Unless you're using a Weed and Feed product, always fertilize over a dry lawn, then water in. For a lush, healthy lawn that will discourage weeds “and attract compliments from your neighbors, use And that is the Tim’s tip of the week from Bridges True Bridges 7zuel/atue Hardware 100 S. Cansler St. « Kings Mountain ~ www.bridgeshardware.com 704-739-5461 ‘Monday-Friday 8-8; Saturday 8-6 It’s National Library Week. Tuesday is National Library Workers Day. Making a differ- ence is important to me. I wrote that statement when writing my essay for entrance to the Uni- versity of Alabama School of Library Science for. my Mas- ter’s program. It has become my personal mission statement and is as relevant today as when I wrote it 17 years ago. As a library director in a small library, the work is a se- ries of switching tasks. From crawling around on the floor to find the model number of a bat- tery back up in need of replace- ment; to guiding staff in their program planning; to the pro- fessional tasks of book selec- tion/purchasing/cataloging and deselection; to facility mainte- nance; working with trustees, Friends of the Library and other community groups; the work is an endless variety of hats to wear. What fun! And yet, as these decisions are collectively made with input from the community and its cit- izens, the end result is a place where citizens feel welcome, and library services are a posi- tive reflection of answering their needs. Libraries have been meeting those needs for years. In fact, in 2012, the State Library of North Carolina will celebrate 200 years of library services in North Carolina. In Kings Mountain, the,city and its citi- zens have supported library services for nearly 75 years. Pat Plonk, former library trustee, re- cently told me, “I believe in publi¢ libraries.” ‘That belief continues to translate into the volunteer hours of the Library Board of trustees and the Libraries; it’s about making a difference Sharon Stack Guest Columnist Mauney Memorial Library Friends of the Library. These volunteers help to guide the services and direction of what the library offers as we cement ourselves into the 21st century. For me, it is the thoughtful guidance and the passion to serve the civic good that rein- forces the power of the public li- brary to make meaningful change in a person’s life. In my work, the power to make a difference is com- pelling. I remember opening the newly renovated Rockwood Branch of Multnomah County, Oregon. That branch served a dense Eastern European immi- grant population. Imagine these new immigrants’ delight at using the computers to read the newspapers of ‘home’ in their own language. In Kings Mountain, the pull of the public library takes many forms. The power of a gathering place, I first met Ebony Wingo sitting on the floor in the corner of the non-fiction room study- ing for the MCAT test. She’s now a future doctor in the mak- ing. 3 The power of a good book, Landon Hulsey, our li- Letter to the Editor Dear Editor: . First, please allow me to thank Lib Stewart and the Herald for the article that appeared in the news- paper two weeks age concerning my attempts to help Mark Mc- Daniel win his release from prison. However I must say that I was somewhat disappointed that Ms. concerning the article before it was published. Had she done so, I would have tried to clear up some of the statements made in the arti- cle as well as to the reason why I am trying to help Mark. Some may ask, “Why are you trying to help someone who was responsible for the death of your own nephew?” Unlike others who would like to consider Mark’s case closed, I have taken the time and spent thousands of dollars of my own money looking for the truth con- cerning what happened the night my nephew was killed at Mark’s house. The following are just a few of the things that I have found: « | have found, in my opinion, that Mark did not receive a fair trial. His own public defender ad- mitted to him that he had not done all that he could do to win Mark’s case and wished him luck in his appeals. » I found out that in Mark’s first appeal the trial judge stated in open court that he had no recourse but to remand Marks case back to the courts. Yet, when his official ruling came out, he had ruled against Mark. > « I found out that when Mark appealed to the South Carolina State Supreme Court that they too stated that Mark had a right to have his case heard, but they later ruled that they had providentially _ misspoke. Stewart never got back with me ° « It is my opinion that the state pathologist twisted the truth so that the state could convict Mark as a brutal murderer. In the trial transcript he repeatedly testified that “all shots were distant shots, and that it was the shot to the back of the head that killed Allen.” When in truth, the SLED reports contradict almost his entire testi- mony. Those reports indicated that the fatal shot entered under the left ear and exited under the right ear. They also indicate that there was powder residue on my nephew’s hands which would indicate that his hands were either on or very close to the gun when it dis- charged as Mark has always claimed. The pathologist’s own report stated that my nephew had powder abrasions on his body. Yet in his testimony he said that there was no such thing as powder abra- sions, and that he meant to say a partial abrasion. Mark and [ have never wanted to have his case retried. Not be- cause we feel he would be con- victed again, but because of the emotional stress it would be for all tools of reading, i.e. digital read- brary shelver stated that it was three years before she shelved a “Twilight” book, and James Patterson just can’t write fast enough for Kings Mountain readers, The power of community, Inni and her one and a half year old daughter, Frances come to the library to use the computers and the children’s room, as well as talk to staff. Frances comes to take a nap in her mother’s arms sometimes. The power to change a life, Beth Sellers, Kings Mountain media specialist at East Ele- mentary School teaches the li- brary computer classes. She sees the difference these classes make in people’s lives. In fact, she was so excited about teach- ing adults she returned to library school for her master’s program and graduated Summa Cum Laude from East Carolina in December, 2010. It’s the individual and col- lective work that makes the work of public library work so exciting. In the next’ few months, our library along with the Cleveland County Library and the Asheville-Buncombe County Library will be part of the initial stages of a project called, NCCARD. These initial steps will form the building blocks for a potential statewide library card in a few yeats. Imagine that! The opportunities that await the next 75 or 100 years of serv- ice in libraries is yet to be deter- mined, especially with the new ers, etc. Yet, as I consider Na- tional Library Week and the work as a library director, the opportunity to make a differ- ence sustains. individuals concerned. We are asking that mercy be shown to him and his mother, and that the state release him for time served. He has been incarcerated for 20 years for something that happened in his own home. He has always expressed sincere re- morse for his part in my nephew’s death. I am convinced that his re- morse is sincere since he has served his entire prison sentence without having had one discipli- nary write-up. Mark is well thought of by all who know him in the prison sys- tem from the staff and other prison officials to the inmates. His mother is 87 years old and is in desperate need of his support at home. Unlike many who are re- leased from prison every: day, Mark has a home and a job wait- ing for him when he is released. He has plans to bless his fam- ily and our local community by becoming involved in a ministry called Miracle Workers which will encourage others to use their talents and skills to bless the poor and those who are less fortunate. We also want to help prevent young people from making poor decisions that will result in them having to spend almost their en- tire life behind bars as Mark has done. : If you know Mark and/or his family I urge you to sign our peti- tion and/or write a letter support- ing his release. Thank you, Michael S. Smith Kings Mountain, NC Micki Padgett Realtor/Broker micki.padgett@allentate.com 305 E. Warren St., Shelby NC 521 Davis Rd. Shelby 3BR, 2BA $129,900 MLS#48844 416 Rollingbrook Rd. Kings Mountain 3BR,2BA, $124,900 MLS#48610 217 Cider Dr. Shelby 3BR, 2BA $92,500 MLS#48662 704-418-1199 : REALTOR® MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE MLS.
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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