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MAUNEY MEMORIAL LIBRARY
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KINGS MOUNTAIN NC 28086-3450
HERAL
kmherald.com
Volume 126 Issue 35 ¢ Wednesday, August 27, 2014
15¢
29 charged
with prescription drug crimes
su ELIZABETH STEWART
* lib.kmherald@gmail.com
The Cleveland County
Sheriff’s Department has ar-
rested 21 people for pre-
scription medication crimes,
including a Shelby doctor,
and arrest warrants are out-
standing for another eight
people, according to Sheriff
Alan Norman.
The 29 are charged with
88 felonies and 20 misde-
meanors for a total of 108
charges.
The arrests follow a drug
diversion investigation pro-
gram federally funded in
2012 in which one full-time
investigator and one part-
time investigator focused on
prescription drug crimes
within the county.
Norman said that shortly
after announcing the pro-
gram the Sheriff’s Office
started to receive complaints
on several area doctors for
aggressive prescribing prac-
tices.
“Prescription drug abuse
and misuse has become an
epidemic in Cleveland
County and throughout
North Carolina,” said Nor-
man. He said that combating
the problem takes more than
law enforcement, it takes
everyone who takes, dis-
penses and prescribes medi-
cines.
Said Norman, “We will
continue our efforts not only
with the enforcement part
but the preventive part
which is educating the pub-
lic about this problem and
asking for their help.” The
Sheriff’s Office has pur-
chased prescription drug
drop off boxes and they are
located throughout the
county for residents to dis-
pose of their unused and
outdated medicines prop-
erly.
On Thursday, Aug. 21,
investigators executed a
search warrant at Carolina
See DRUG BUST, 7A
Reverse Raffle
& Auction
riekets-on
Get your tickets now for
Kings Mountain Historical
Museum’s “Tracks Through
Time” event, our 11th An-
nual Reverse Raffle & Auc-
tions, which will be held on
Saturday, September 13, at
the H. Lawrence Patrick
Senior Life & Conference
Center. = Tickets
will be on sale at
the Museum
from now until
the day of the
sale now!
“This is one of the best
ways people can support
their local history museum,”
said Board President Susan
Champion. “The event is
very exciting, it’s a lot of
fun, and everyone walks
away with something — be it
dinner with friends, a door
tien mens SPTIZE, AAUCHION
1 in 300 will
win $10,000
& 1in 5 will
item — and espe-
cially the satis-
faction of
supporting a
raffle. Tickets good cause. It’s
may also be pur- win a fabulous a win-win for the
chased at the 2 community.”
door starting at door pri ize! Last year, the
530. pmeonithe == Museum: ‘sold
night of the event.
As a nonprofit organiza-
tion, Kings Mountain His-
torical Museum depends on
the revenue generated from
this event to provide ex-
hibits and other educational
programming to our visitors
free of charge. Each $100
raffle ticket provides dinner
for two guests; the grand
prize winner will receive
$10,000 and at least every
fifth ticket drawn will win a
fabulous door prize. Ticket
holders do not have to be
present at the event to win
these great prizes.
[1]
8525700200
286 tickets to individuals
throughout the region. The
goal this year is an even 300,
and we are currently about
halfway to that goal. Three
hundred is the maximum
number of tickets the Mu-
seum will sell this year, so
odds will be 1 in 300 (or bet-
ter!) for each ticket holder to
win the $10,000 grand prize.
“A one in 300 chance at
$10,000 and a 100% chance
of supporting the Museum -
you can’t beat those odds!”
said Director & Curator
Adria Focht. For more infor-
mation, including an up-to-
date listing of sponsors and
donors, please visit our web
page: http://www.kings
mountainmuseum.org/an-
nual-fundraiser.html. You
can also call (704) 739-
1019, or follow us on Face-
book, Twitter, & Pinterest.
Legacy Run pulls in $375,000
DAVE BLANTON
| dave.kmherald@gmail.com
After a long ride that was
at times hot and dusty and
other times stormy and
rainy, more than 500 Amer-
ican Legion Riders pulled
into town Thursday on the
last stop of a fundraising
rally that pulled in more
than $375,000.
“It’s been a long five
days,” said Ron “Gypsy”
Moore, the chaplain for the
American Legion’s Depart-
ment of Friends. “It’s been
hot. It’s been rainy. And no-
body complained ... not
very much anyway.” The
American Legion Legacy
Run took riders 1,336 miles
through eight states before
ending up in mid-afternoon
at American Legion Post
155, where they were
greeted by old friends, cold
beers and barbecue. The
money raised provides col-
lege scholarships for the
sons and daughters of those
killed in action since Sept.
11, 2001.
No accidents or injuries
were reported in the long
run, which began in Indi-
anapolis, the national head-
quarters of the service
organization.
Members of the Ameri-
can Legion and a host of
veterans, biking enthusiasts
and city officials were on
hand to greet the tired bik-
ers, who had left out that
morning from near Atlanta.
American Legion's Na-
tional Commander, who
made the trip with the other
riders, was on hand to con-
gratulate the group’s
fundraising. Meanwhile,
Schools open doors
to kick off n new year
1 DAVE BLANTON
| dave. kmherald@gmail.com
School buses and, hope-
fully, thinking caps along
with them roared to life
early Monday morning as
more than 16,000 Cleveland
County students flowed into
classrooms on the first day
of school.
Principals and teachers
across the county’s 29 pub-
lic schools said the transition
— which marks the unofficial
end to summer to many fam-
ilies — was going as well as
expected given the numbers
and logistics involved.
“It’s going very smoothly
for the first day,” com-
mented East Elementary
Principal Becky Bailey, who
said beginning of year en-
rollment was expected to be
270. “There’s been a little
See SCHOOL, 8A
Hunter Cruise, a 3rd grader at West Elementary, is all smiles as
he gets off the bus at the high school drop-off after school.
Kings Mountain Mayor
Rick - Murphrey declared
Aug. 21 American Legion
Riders Day.
“There’s a lot of history
and a lot of patriotism in
Kings Mountain,” Murphrey
said, referring the 1780 Bat-
tle of Kings Mountain and
Patriot Park, where the
fallen veterans from five
American wars are honored.
“I can’t tell you how proud
we are to be your host.” The
Legacy Run took the riders
through Kentucky, Virginia,
See LEGION RIDERS, 8A
Wounded
Warriors
bike the
Garden
By Alan Hodge
alan.bannernews @gmail.com
Daniel Stowe Botanical
Garden is well-known for its
beautiful flora, but Saturday
the grounds saw a new type
of beauty there in the form
of more than 50 Wounded
Warriors bicycling their way
in colorful outfits through
the foliage.
The Wounded Warriors
that visited DSBG were tak-
ing part in “Soldier Ride
North Carolina.”
Wounded Warrior Project
Soldier Ride is a rehabilita-
tive cycling event designed
to heal the physical, mental
and emotional wounds of
war. Every Soldier Ride be-
gins with a bike fitting,
See WOUNDED WARRIORS, 7A
Creating Dazzling Smiles that Brighten Your Life
Preventative, Restorative & Cosmetic Dentistry
To schedule an appointment contact Baker Dental Care today! Call 704-739-4461
703 E. Kings St., Suite 9, Kings Mountain * www.BakerDentalCare.com
Now
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Fridays!