kmherald.net
ELIZABETH STEWART
« lib.kmherald@gmail.com
Monitor your financial accounts
daily. Hacking is nothing to take
lightly.
That’s the warning from Det.
Cpl. Todd McDougal of the Kings
Mountain Police Department who
says he’s finding out from fraud in-
vestigators that the recent hacking
of bank cards isn’t only happening
in Kings Mountain but it’s nation-
wide.
McDougal was also a victim.
~ When his bank account was com-
promised he called his bank, signed .
an affidavit and the money “went
right back into my account.”
But he added, “banks have dif-
ferent policies and they may re-
quire you to file a police report.”
Many of the people who left
comments on Facebook last week
‘said a common link seemed to be
238 Cherokee Street Tavern in
Kings Mountain. Cherokee Street
Tavern isn’t the only business in
town affected; other victims say
they used their debit cards at gro-
a
_umme 124 + Issue 50 » Wednesday, December 12, 2012 ¢ 75¢
Beware!
Hackers active nationwide
cery stores and service
stations, say police.
“Rob Bolin and his
business have been get-
ting a black eye and
don’t deserve it,” McDougal was
quick to say. He said Cherokee
Street Tavern and its employees
“have done nothing wrong,”
adding that Bolin has been working
with federal agents and with local
police trying to track down what is
happening.
* McDougal says that no local
business “is to blame, it isn’t any-
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thing any of them have done
wrong.”
He said that proof of how often
fraud cases occur is that one bank
in town notified a customer that his
account was compromised, can-
celled the account, reopened an ac-
count and the next day it happened
again.
an unknown outside entity, possi-
bly one as far distant as overseas,
is hacking computer systems
everywhere,” said McDougal.
He was told a computer system
is being used to “mine” into peo-
ple’s accounts and gather personal
information. The thief then
Playing Santa
if Nd
4 SY i
5 i
Photo by LIB STEWART
Meranda Hamrick, Sgt. Ken Bachman, Kim Reel and Maricara Montgomery, left to right,
are pictured with Christmas gifts for 47 children from Ultra Machine Company. The Kings
Mountain industry responded to an angel tree at East Elementary School and bought
clothes, toys and shoes.
Caring ‘Kings Mountain area people are
playing Santa this season for the less fortu-
nate.
East Elementary School’s angel tree for
Mountain.
Sgt. Ken
153 kids is lighter today, thanks to the coats, °
toys and shoes provided for 47 of those “an-
gels” by Ultra Machine Company of Kings
Bachman of the Kings
See PLAYING SANTA, 7A
Lawing votes with Brown
breaking 4-4 tie over zoning
ELIZABETH STEWART
lib.kmherald@gmail.com
Kings Mountain Planning
Board Chairman Doug Law-
ing broke a 4-4 tie Monday
night, siding with developer
Mike Brown who challenged
the board on 100 feet set-
backs for recreational facili-
ties proposed in a new, text
amendment that regulates
multiple uses of recreation
city wide.
Currently there is no pro-
vision for multiple recreation
in city ordinances.
Brown is developing
Hounds Campground on S.
Battleground (old Grover
Road) which will feature a
variety of recreation.
Vice-chairman Jim Pot-
ter’s motion to “leave as
written 100 feet from a prop-
erty line” was seconded by
Christy McCleary. Voting for
the motion were Potter, Phil
3""98525
00200"
Dee, Bobby Pearson and
McCleary. Voting against
were Ernest Rome, Lamar
Fletcher, Bill McMurrey,
and Wayne Paul.
Lawing, in breaking the
tie, agreed with Rome,
Fletcher, McMurrey and
Paul with “100 feet buffers
along residential property
only” in the zoning ordi-
nance text amendment.
City Council, which has
the final say on zoning mat-
ters, was voting on the .
amendment at The Herald’s
press time Tuesday.
Said Brown's attorney
Doug Arthurs, “All that we
want to address tonight is the
100 feet setbacks for recre-
ational uses. If you agree
with how it is written this
will mean eight acres of my
client’s campground will be
taken up in setbacks and
can’t be developed.”
Brown said he had never
questioned the 100 feet
buffers along: residential
property. “Why put more re-
strictions on me?” he asked
the board.
“I am struggling with this
setback issue because what
we recommend to the city
council will apply to every
public commercial, multiple
recreational and entertain-
ment uses facility in the
city,” said Lawing, adding,
“We need to come up with a
solution.”
Lamar Fletcher ques-
tioned “100 feet setbacks
applying to all uses,” adding,
“I don’t want to cause any-
one’s property not to be de-
veloped.”
“Our goal is to protect all
property owners,” said Mc-
Cleary. ;
In other business of the
meeting:
eLawing was re-elected
chairman of the Planning &
Zoning Board and Jim Potter
was elected vice-chairman.
Planning Director Steve Kil-
lian was elected secretary.
*The board continued
until January 29, 2013 at
5:30 p.m. a request by
Faunce Properties, Inc. for
rezoning from Residential
S8 to Conditional Use Office
his property at 813 W. King
St., formerly 814 W. Moun-
tain St.
“What we have found out is that
See HACKERS, 7A
City, STEAG get $480k grant
Mayor Rick Murphrey
announced this week that the
North Carolina Rural Center
has funded the city’s applica-
tion for $480,000 for its Va-
cant Building Reuse
Program.
The funds will be used by
STEAG Energy Services, a
provider of environmental
consulting and manufactur-
ing services, to expand its fa-
cility at the former Anvil
Knitwear site in Kings
Mountain.
The project will create 40
jobs and STEAG will invest
approximately $6 million in
developing an advanced
technological service to the
power producing companies
in Ancrica. i
“The City continues to
support a pro-business cli-
mate for our region and
North Carolina,” said the
mayor. ‘Working with com-
panies like STEAG, an ex-
cellent corporate citizen and
one of our top five utility
customers, benefits both our
businesses - and our local
economy.” Congratulating
STEAG on the expansion
plans,’ the mayor thanked
them for commitment to the
community.
STEAG has been an in-
dustrial citizen of Kings
Mountain since 2006.
In April, Hans-Ulrich-
Hartenstein and his wife,
Brigette, announced an ex-
pansion of 15 full time jobs
and an investment of $3 mil
lion.
The Rural Center grant
will enable the Hartensteins
to add a third and fourth pro-
duction line and hire more
employees.
The STEAG facility
cleans honeycomb-like
structures called catalysts
which help power plants
control the emission of nitro-
gen oxides. The mayor terms
the process as “refurbishing
smokestacks of power
plants.” :
In 2013 the Hartensteins
will offer an apprenticeship
program with area schools
and colleges where students
interested in chemistry and
engineering can work, earn a
salary and go to school,
graduating withran associate
degree.
photo by ELLIS NOEL
An employee works in STEAG Energy Services in Kings Mountain. The City of Kings Moun-
tain’s application for $480,000 to the N.C. Rural Service for STEAG expansion was approved
this week.
Santa Claus will be in
Kings Mountain on his “Fire
Truck Express” for a couple
of last minute stops to see the
children before Christmas
and to get an update on their
Christmas lists.
On Thursday morning,
Dec. 13, Santa will visit local
daycare centers.
On Saturday, Dec. 15,
Santa and his helpers will ar-
rive on his “Fire Truck Ex-
press” for a visit to the Kings
Mountain Historical Mu-
seum, during the Toys,
Games & Trains Exhibit,
from 1-p.m.~3 p.m. Children
are encouraged to stop by to
‘visit with Santa. During hts
visit, the annual model train
display will be traveling
around the tracks for the chil-
dren and adults to enjoy. This
highly popular and interac-
tive display was built and is
maintained by the Piedmont
“S” Gaugers, a group of
model train enthusiasts.
The event is free and open
to the public. All donations
go toward supporting the
Museum’s mission of in-
forming the public of the his-
Wanted: more toys for
the Kings Mountain Police
Department’s annual Toys
for Tots program.
The pinch in the econ-
omy is very real, say police,
who are seeing the big toy
collection room at the po-
lice department only about
1/4 full.
“Fire Truck Express” coming to town
tory of Kings Mountain, and
surrounding areas, by pre-
serving and exhibiting the
19th and early 20th century
collection.
The Gift Shop at the Main
Exhibit Hall will also be
open and a perfect place for
those last minute ideas for
unique Christmas gifts.
. Toys still needed
Det. Cpl. Todd McDou-
gal and Det. Sgt. Lisa Proc-
tor, heading up the drive
again this year, are worried
they won't be able to supply
the need. die
Christmas Eve is only 11
days away and police want
to see every needy child
with a toy for Christmas.
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vi