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Volume 124 ¢ Issue 25 « Wednesday, June 20, 2012 ¢ 5¢
Fathers, mothers answer call for country
505th shipped out on Father’s Day, off to train for service in Kuwait
EMILY WEAVER
. Editor
GASTONIA - On the
237th birthday of the United
States Army and on National
Flag Day, Thursday, more
than 160 citizen soldiers of
the Army National Guard
stood ready to answer the
call of duty. They are going
to Kuwait.
Thronged by loved ones,
the state's soldiers stood tall,
filling the stadium inside of
Bethlehem Baptist Church in
Gastonia. The Guardsmen
shipped out from Wilkes-
boro on Father's Day Sun-
day, off to Fort Bliss in Texas
and then to Kuwait for nine
months in support of Opera-
tion Enduring Freedom. This
will be the unit's third de-
ployment in the nation's War
on Terror.
For 24-year-old’ Spc.
Dustin Dalton of Kings
* Mountain, this will be his
second tour. He served in
Iraq for Operation Iraqi
Freedom in 2005. He says
that he is looking forward to
going back.
"I miss it. I'm ready to go
back," said Dalton, who
- See GUARD, 5A
Hearing on closing RR
crossing set for Tuesday
ELIZABETH STEWART
lib.kmherald@gmail.com
The Oak Street railroad crossing remains
blocked and city officials dre considering
closing it for good.
"It's a-safety issue, we're very concerned,"
says Mayor Rick Murphrey,
Kings Mountain City Council will make
the final decision Tuesday at 6 p.m. on
whether to close or reopen Oak Street where
numerous wrecks have occurred as truck
drivers stuck on the track ignore posted "ab-
solutely no crossing" signs. Citizens can
have their say at a public hearing before the
vote is taken.
Local leaders have met with representa-
tives of Norfolk Southern and the N. C. De-
partment of Transportation to discuss safety
at all three downtown crossings (Oak, Gold
Rides light up
at Bethware pi
Open through Saturday
There is something about a fair
‘and Bethware Fair, which opened
Tuesday night for a five night run,
. promises fun for the whole family.
~~ Bethware Progressive Club
~ sponsors the 65th annual event
which opened in 1947 by farmers
in the Bethware Community get-
ting together and displaying their exhibits of home-grown
vegetables.
Over the years the fair has expanded to include school and
other community exhibits, an Inners Shows midway full of
rides and good food, pig races, pony rides, an electric bull
~ and an exhibit hall that offers cash prizes and ribbons to top
exhibitors.
Entertainment.acts for the remainder of the week Mickie!
Timber Ridge on Wednesday, Randy Lyles and Friends on
Thursday, South & South on Friday, and Travis Powell on Sat-
urday. Friday night fireworks are sponsored by Morris Scrap
Metal.
The fair is open daily from 6-11 p.m. through Saturday on
the grounds of Bethware School. There is no gate admission.
+and Mountain streets) because they say that
closing one affects all others. A representa-
tive of Norfolk Southern plans to attend
Tuesday night's council meeting.
+. Ward 3 Councilman Tommy Hawkins
says he wants to hear all the discussion and
the input from residents before making a de-
cision.
The mayor said that because of the eleva-
tion problem on the Battleground side of the
railroad track on Oak Street that no solution
has been forthcoming other than closing the
crossing.
Tractor-trailers aren't permitted in the
crossings, he said, due to the steep grade and
the likelihood that the landing gear will get
stuck on the train tracks, which has happened
a number of times. As recently as May 4 on
Oak Street the driver of an 18-wheeler bailed
out just seconds before the train hit.
Kings Mountain City
Council unanimously
adopted a $34.5 million city
budget Thursday night that
includes a 2 percent across-
the-board cost of living in-
crease for the 180 full paid
employees and no tax or util-
ity rate increases.
City Manager ‘Marilyn
Sellers said the 2012-2013
fiscal year budget is
$211,000 less than the previ-
ous year's budget but main-
tains. services without
increased costs to residents.
Mayor Rick Murphrey
and virtually all seven coun-
cil members gave a pat on
the back to Sellers, all
staffers and department
heads.
Spc. Dustin Dalton, 24, of Kings Mountain heads out to family and friends after a Mobilization
Ceremony for the 505th Engineer Combat Battalion Thursday at Bethlehem Baptist Church,
Gastonia. AT LEFT, Spc. Joshua Mincey of the NCNG 505th Engineer Combat Battalion, holds
his 3 month old daughter Aleicea Rose Mincey.
photos by EMILY WEAVER
BC hires new city manager, 3A
Wells one of top Democrats
elected to Electoral College
Kings Mountain's Betsy
Wells has been elected one
of 15 persons to represent .
North Carolina in the Elec-
toral College if President
- Barack Obama and Vice
President Joe Biden carry the
state in the 2012 general
election as they did in 2008.
Mrs. Wells was elected at
the 10th Congressional Dis-
trict Caucus held in conjunc-
tion with the N. C. State
Democratic Convention held
in Raleigh. A two-time dele-
gate to the National Demo-
cratic convention, she is
Cleveland County coordina-
tor for the 2012 national con-
vention to be held in
September in Charlotte.
Democratic chair in her
home precinct in Grover, she
is serving her 12th year on
the N. C. Democratic Party
Executive Committee and is
a member ofits platform and
resolutions committees.
"We're not totally recov- *
ered from.our losses," Sell-
ers said, referring to the
tough economic times,
adding "we're definitely on
the right track and our future
looks bright."
"Sellers, the mayor, and a
number of council members
referred to the city's big year
in economic development. In
her budget address Sellers
welcomed the new data cen-
ters coming to the’ city as
well as new business and ex-
pansion of current busi-
nesses. :
"This is a balanced and
responsible budget," said
Sellers.
Councilmen Tommy
Hawkins, Mike Butler and
"Formerly chair of the
Cleveland County Demo-
cratic Party for nine years,
she is also serving as presi-
dent of Cleveland County
Democratic Women.
In the process set forward
by Founding Fathers in the
U. S. Constitution, presi-
dents and vice presidents
aren’t elected directly by the
people ‘but indirectly by
“electors” representing
them. When you vote for
presidential and. vice presi-
« dential candidates, you actu-
ally are not voting for the
candidates themselves, but
for the “electors” their polit-
<ical parties have chosen to
vote for them in the Electoral
College process.
Assuming victory this
November, Mrs. Wells will
meet with other state Demo-
cratic electors in the old Hall
of the House of Representa-
tives in Raleigh on the first
Keith Miller heaped high
raise on the manager and
staff. "We are just so fortu-
nate to be in this position,"
said Hawkins. Butler, adding
his congratulations, wel-
comed new business in town
. and praised a budget with
less spending than last year
but with more programs for
citizens. "Kings Mountain
has many good people,"
Elite youth program
seeks city funds to
help keep kids off
the street, Page 3A
Monday after the second
Wednesday in; December.
The electors will formally
vote for Obama and Biden,
and the Governor will certify
their votes. Then, at 1 p.m.
BETSY WELLS
on a day between Jan. 6 and
Jan. 8, 2013, the U. S. Senate
and House of Representa-
See WELLS, 3A
v
~ Happy council passes budget
. with no Increases, except i in pay
added Miller.
Sellers noted that the City
of Kings Mountain operates
with six continuing separate
funds, which makes munici-
pal budgeting and account-
- ing somewhat different from
that in the private sector. She
said that while the city may
legally transfer mongy from
one fund to another, each
fund is a separate accounting
entity with assets, liabilities,
See KM, 3A
|
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