Miller out
for season
after wreck
DAVE BLANTON
i i dave.kmherald @gmail.com
A star player on the [§
KMHS football team
will likely miss the en-
tire season after an auto-
mobile accident last
week left him hospital- |
ized with serious neck’
injuries, according to
sources close to the stu-
dent’s family.
Jacob Miller, a rising
* senior who played line-
backer and was set to
switch to running back
in the 2013 season, frac-
tured several vertebrae
when the pick-up truck
he was riding in over- [cess
turned at high speeds on [4
U.S. 74 on Wednesday.
The other two passen-
gers in the vehicle — also
members of the school’s |
football team = were |
treated and released for
minor injuries the day of |
the crash. ;
Collen Queen, 16,
lost controi of the white
pickup he was driving
and overturned on Hwy.
74, near the Oak Grove
Rd. exit, according to
N.C. Highway Patrol Sgt. Tony Luckadoo.
Khalil Hopper, 17, was ejected from the
bed of the truck. Miller was pinned in the cab
with Queen.
Hopper and Queen were admitted to
Cleveland Regional Medical Center. Miller
was taken to Carolinas Medical Center,
where he remains. Sources close to the fam-
ily say doctors are confident Miller will not
suffer long-term injuries from the crash.
Miller, who was also a member of the
school’s wrestling team last season, posted a
video of himself on YouTube where he can
be seen lying in a hospital bed and wearing
a halo stabilizer. In the video he thanks the
Family Worship Center, where he attends
church, and asks viewers to pray for him. He
also talks of his faith and encourages others
to “be careful.”
Queen faces charges of exceeding safe
Jacob Miller, 17
Khalil Hopper, 17
' speed and having too many passengers in a
vehicle per the guidelines of the North Car-
olina graduated license program. Troopers on
the scene estimated the vehicle’s speed at 70
mph. :
Police, rescue
to reach out with
free food, music
The City of Kings Mountain will cele-
brate National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug.
6, at Patriots Park from 6-9 p.m. Local law
enforcement and first responders will have
displays and exhibits set up for the commu-
nity to learn about their agencies and get a
better understanding of the services they pro-
vide.
The Kings Mountain Police Department
See NATIONAL NIGHT OUT, 7A
8 lll 00200
. Football
~ Mini- Camp |
FUN AT THE LIBRARY — Mark Lippard hoists Sarah Adams on his shoul-
der for a ride on a unicycle at the closing day of the Summer Reading
Program for Mauney Memorial Library. Hundreds of young people have
enjoyed summer reading during a number of events held at Central
United Methodist Church education building.
Photo by ELLIS NOELL land
| TReRR®
Cleveland County School
administrators are taking a
hard look at the numbers
they have to work with
going into the 2013-2014
year after the state legisla-
ture approved a budget last
week that education officials
ge say was not kind to local
school systems.
Administrators say the
lean funding could result in
the loss of about 55 certified
teachers and 45 teacher as-
sistants, according to Cleve-
County
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Larger class sizes, fewer new books and
smaller teacher incentives are a few likely
outcomes of the education cuts, officials say.
= DAVE BLANTON
. dave.kmherald@gmail.com
2013-14 budget:
estimated cuts for
Cleveland County Schools
Approximately 55
licensed teacher positions.
Approximately 45 teacher as-
sistant positions.
75% decrease in money for
textbooks
Source: Cleveland County Schools
Financial Director David Lee
Financial Director David
Schools See SCHOOL BUDGET, 6A
Richardson named new county manager
ELIZABETH STEWART
lib.kmherald@gmail.com
Jeff Richardson, 50, Deputy
City Manager of the City of
Asheville and with close ties to
Cleveland County, will start his
new job as Cleveland County
manager in September.
“With over 22 years of local
governmerit experience, Jeff will
complement our fantastic team
of county employees,” said
County Commission Chairman
Ronnie Hawkins as commisgion-
ers announced at a special meet-
ing Monday morning that
Richardson had accepted the job.
Hawkins said that Richardson °
has a proven track record in
Asheville as a local government
Jeff Richardson, right, Cleveland County’s new manager is pictured
with Commissioner Ronnie Hawkins.
county government,” said
Richardson who was greeted
warmly by department heads and
former acquaintances in com-
missioners chambers of the
Charles Harry administrative of-
fice building in Shelby at 11
a.m. Monday.
Richardson said his family’s’
prior time in Cleveland County
was very special and the com-
munity made it that way.” I see
so many good things moving in
a positive direction and it is clear
that the county’s elected leader-
ship is committed to continue its
_ investments for long term suc-
cess. There is much more to ac-
complish and I am so excited to
join Cleveland County’s team at
this time. It’s been 16 years but I
leader who is community ori-
ented, collaborative, a problem
solver and one who is active and
accessible in the community he
served.
Commissioners concurred he
was the perfect fit for the county.
Richardson’s benefits and
salary are the same as the former
county manager Eddie Bailes,
sons April 30, 2013. His annual
salary will be $159,000 and in
addition to the benefits will be
paid moving expenses as his
family relocates from Asheville
to Shelby.
Richardson was hired by
then-county manager Lane
Alexander in 1991 as Human
Photo by LIB STEWART
Resources Director and moved
to Asheville in 1997 to become
that city’s human resource direc-
tor, moving up four years later to
the position of deputy city man-
ager
“I am excited about the op-
portunity to come back to Cleve-
land County and jump back into
see a lot of familiar faces in this
audience this morning,’ he said.
Hawkins said that commis-
sioners began interviewing can-
_ didates for the position of county
manager on July 9 and invited
four of 30 applicants to come to
Shelby for interviews. They said
that Richardson’s name kept
who resigned for personal rea-
See RICHARDSON, 7A
‘Building the Future’ fund continues to grow
ELIZABETH STEWART
€ lib.kmherald@gmail.com
“Building the Future” campaign for funds for
an expansion of the H. Lawrence Patrick
Senior Life & Conference Center now totals
$461,000 or 43% of the $1.2 million goal.
Monty Thornburg, the city’s veteran di-
rector of the senior program, says that a
steering committee to oversee the campaign
will officially kick off the public fundraising
campaign after Labor Day.
Currently, research developer Carl Elliott
is contacting businesses, foundations and
professionals in the county and surrounding
region for initial pledges. Elliott directed the
successful 1999 fundraiser to build the senior
center and four previous funding campaigtis
in Kings Moun- [&
tain.
“We are cur-
rently recruiting
campaign co-
chairs and a full
I5-member
steering com-
mittee,” said
Thornburg. He
said that Mayor
Rick Murphrey
will serve as
Monty Thornburg
honorary chairman of the fund drive which
runs July 2013 to January 2014.
Thornburg said that many rooms for sef-
ior programs at the Patrick Center are how
stretched because of rapid growth including
the = crafts and computer rooms,
financial/Medicare counseling offices, game
room, multipurpose meeting rooms and there
is insufficient storage space. He said expand-
ing the 17,000 square foot building by 4,305
square feet will allow for meetings for out-
side business and non-profit groups that use
the facility as a conference center.
An expanded lunch program, another fea-
ture of the program, will also allow the center
to prepare and serve meals.in-house and in-
crease food services for use of conference fa-
cilities, said Thornburg. The expansion will
add new space for a multi-purpose meeting
room, also to be used for crafts, an exercise
room, computer lab, nutritionist office, stor-
age space, a new rear lobby area, two new
See SENIOR CENTER, 7A
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