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Volume 124 « Issue 42 « Wednesday, October 17, 2012 ¢ 75¢
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E. coli outbreak continues to grow
- ELIZABETH STEWART
_ lib.kmherald@gmail.com
The E. coli outbreak is widening with
near doubling of cases since the weekend
Public Health officials Monday identi-
fied at least 38 people - up from 16 Friday -
who became ill in an E. coli breakout linked
. to the Cleveland County Fair. :
Gage Lefevers, a two-year-old toddler
Death of 2-year old
boy linked to outbreak
The death of a
child is heart- -
wrenching.
“Understandably
caring people want
to know how they
"can help,” © said
Pastor Joan Grigg of :
Josh and Jessica
Lefevers, a grief- Gage Lefevers .
stricken Gaston County couple whose
two-year-old baby boy is the first death
from the outbreak of E-coli in the re-
gion.
Grigg said traffic by the family’s
home near Dallas has been very heavy
since blonde, blue-eyed Gage Lefevers
died Friday from complications of an E-
coli infection. As of Monday, E-coli
cases had nearly doubled - to 38.
““There’s just a lot of tears, people are
coming from everywhere wanting to
know how they can comfort,” said
Grigg, pastor of Trinity Church of the
- Living God in Kings Mountain where
the little boy has visited with family. His
grandparents, Wayne and Tammy
Lefevers, and great-grandmother, Linda
Lefevers, - attend the local church. Pastor
Grigg will conduct the funeral service in
Gastonia today.
“Everybody loved Gage, he was a
beautiful child,” said Grigg.
The family is asking for prayer and
friends have also opened a Gage
Lefevers Memorial Fund at Wells Fargo
banks, including the Kings Mountain
Wells Fargo. .
“The family attended the county fair
the first Sunday it opened and Gage and
his 5-year-old sister, Jaiden, loved it,”
Mrs. Grigg said she was told in visits to
the home. Soon after Gage became sick
‘with what doctors originally thought was
a virus. ‘It just happened so fast, we just
could not believe it,” said Grigg.
Mrs. Grigg said Gage would have
celebrated his third birthday next month.
His Halloween costume hangs in his
bedroom.
Friends send condolences on the
church’s face book page, “Trinity
Church Beautiful by Design,” also ask-
ing for prayer for others sickened by the
-deadly strain of bacteria.
“Gage had a huge support system
from his family,” said Grigg.
Gage Lefevers was born Nov. 18,
2009 and in addition to his parents and
sister is survived by seven grandparents,
nine great-grandparents, aunts, uncles
and cousins.
* Funeral arrangements are with the
South Chapel of Greene Funeral Service
and Crematorium in Gastonia. Interment
will be private.
from Gaston Com) died Friday, Oct. 12, of
complications from the infection.
As of Monday at 1 p.m., 22 children and
16 adults are known to be/have been affected
by this outbreak. Eight have been or are cur-
rently hospitalized. One young victims’ con-
dition in Gaston remains serious.
The county case counts are as follows:
Cleveland County 18; Gaston County 7; Lin-
coln County 9; Catawba County 1; Union
County 1; York County, SC 1; and Cherokee
County, SC 1.
Public health investigators have not yet
determined a specific source of the outbreak
but confirm that the Cleveland County Fair
is the common link between all cases. All
patients went to the Cleveland County Fair
between Sept. 26 and Oct. 7. E. coli are bac-
teria found in the feces of animals such as
cattle, sheep and goats. If people touch con-
taminated material, food or animals, they can
transfer the bacteria from their hands to their
mouths, or to others. E! coli outbreaks have
also been associated with food products.
Health officials are studying each case to de-
termine which strain of E. coli has affected
the patients — whether it came from animal
waste or from improperly prepared food.
Josh and Jessica Lefevers will be conducted
‘by Pastor Joan Grigg of Trinity Church of the
Living God of Kings Mountain Wednesday,
Oct. 17, at Greene Funeral Service South
Chapel in Gastonia. Interment is private.
" “We extend our deepest sympathies to the
family,” N. C. Department of Health &
Human Services Secretary Al Delia said.
“Losing a child is devastating for a family to
endure and our thoughts are with them at this
difficult time.”
State Health Director Laura Gerald ex-
pressed her sympathy in a news release.
She said,” This is a tragic reminder of the
seriousness of this kind of infection espe-
cially in young children. We want to remind
A funeral service for the young son of
anyone who is experiencing symptoms of E.
coli infection who visited the Cleveland
County Fair to see their doctor or heath care
provider right away.”
Gerald said symptoms of E. coli could’
See E. coli, 5A
Solar farm celebrates official opening
The Kings Mountain area’s
second solar farm, ATOOD, an
acronym for Alternative to our
Operational Dependency, will
cut the ribbon on its 156kw solar
field at 1835 S. Battleground Av-
enue Monday at 10 a.m.
Brian Adams, chief executive
less expensive energy.
Adams said that - ATOOD
started the project in late July on
1/2 acres on Highway 29 near
Grover (S. Battleground) to
power 20 homes initially. What
he loves about the project is that
he sees solar as a key to freedom,
from financial worties because
it’s a huge tax incentive with low
maintenance and energy efficient
with less dependence on foreign
oil. Adams is taking the “green”
project to the schools, suggesting
a curriculum piece about solar
energy and the workplace.
A 2006 graduate of N. C.
State University with major in
mechanical engineering, Adams
got the idea from his father, an
architect for the big Rockwood
(Chematal Foote) expansion and
a project that included a covered
officer, and Mayor Rick Mur-
phrey;-along with KM city offi-
cials, will officially open the
operations center after which
company officials will serve re-
freshments.
“We are dedicating our
largest project to date, a solar
field that will produce energy to
power 20 homes yearly,” said
Adams, 27, who stepped out on
faith, he said, to complete a proj-
ect that started out as a dream but
one that will provide cleaner,
photo by ELLIS NOELL
Mayor Rick Murphrey, left, and
Brian Adams, CEO of ATOOD,
look over Adams’ new solar
farm - the area’s second - at
1835 S. Battleground Avenue
which will cut the ribbon cele-
brating the new business Mon-
day morning.
Mary Accor to retire
from CC Schools
ELIZABETH STEWART
lib.kmherald@gmail.com
Mary Shear Accor, 55, grew up in
a Grover family that taught her that
Addition-
ally, Accor has
worn a num- f
ber of hats |
See SOLAR FARM, 5A
‘The
finale" of
Inman’s play “Dairy Queen
Days” by the Kings Moun-
tain Little Theatre is Satur-
day night at 7:30 p.m. at Joy
“Dairy Queen Days”
wraps up Saturday
. Bob beverages and desserts as
well as the opportunity to
meet and hear Inman discuss
the play. If you already have
a ticket for the play or a sea-
“tenchers touch li over the years. Performance Center and son pass, the special event
I 31.2012 She has | playwright Inman will “meet ticket is $15.
he will k33 1/2 £1 h served 15} and greet” the audience at Friday night’s perform-
$ Le ! hn d a ouch years on the | the performance. ance was canceled due to a
ne re 2 ioe a Sines: Cleveland) A special ticket for the scheduling conflict. with a
Clouse L Conny Lh County Board | show is $25 and inclydes ad- school program. Jackson
as a teacher or a i of Commis- | . inission and complimentary
! sioners and as Mary Accor. See PLAY, 5A
“I love the classroom and I may
opt to teach some college classes,”
said the personable, former principal
at both Parker Street and Bethware
Elementary Schools in Kings Moun-
tain and assistant principal at KM
Junior High. She has also served as
a Central Office Administrator in the
areas of Director of Administrative
Services, Director of Title I, Director
of Recruitment and Support Person-
nel and for the past four years has di-
rected the Office of School
Readiness (Pre-school.)
the first chair-
woman to the board from 2003-2004
and 2006-2007, she was the second
woman to’ be: elected on the board
which has included only three fe-
males in recent history. She also
served for two years as president of
the 100-county North Carolina Asso-
ciation of County Commissioners,
moving up through the ranks of of-
fices. Currently she is chair of the
public education steering committee
See ACCOR, 5A
Early voting starts Thursday
Early voting for the Nov. 6 general election begins Thurs-
day and continues through Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Cleveland
County Board of Elections in Shelby. Weekday times for vot-
ing are § a.m.-7 p.m., with Saturday hours on Oct. 27 from 8
a.m.-3 p.m. and on Saturday, Nov. 3 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
. A satellite voting place will open on October 29 and con-
tinue through Nov. 3 at Boyce Memorial ARP Church on
Edgemont Drive in Kings Mountain. Voting will take place
Mondays through Fridays from 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. with
. closing day on Saturday, Nov. 3, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
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