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15*
VOLUME 91 ■ NUMBER 51 ■ THURSO A Y, JUL Y 10,1980- KINGS MOUNTAIN,NOR TH CAROLINA
Police Continuing Investigation
•Man Churged In Fatal Shooting
By LIB AND GARY STEWART
Co-Editora
Henry Ervin Boone, 33-year-old Forest City man, has been charged
with second degree murder in the shooting death of 22-year-old Bever
ly Ernestine Mauney early Monday morning at Chesterfield Court
Apartments on Margrace Road.
Four other people - including KMPD Sgt. Johnny Belk, were hurt in
the gunfight which erupted after what police say was sparked by a
dispute between a white family and a neighboring black famUy.
Meantime, Kings Mountain PoUce, assisted by agents with the
Special Bureau of Investigation, are continuing a massive investigation
into the shooting spree and were interrogating more suspects this
week. They expect more arrests to be made but have not indicated
when their investigation wUl be completed.
Sgt. Belk, who was shot in the legs, the dead woman's father, Ernest
Mauney, 57, and Herman Queen Jr., 25, are all recuperating satisfac
torily from injuries at Kings Mountain Hospital. Gene Mauney,
brother of the dead woman, was treated for injuries at the hospital and
released. The body of Ms. Mauney, also white, was found in the home
of her mother, Mrs. Wilma Mauney, No. 23 Chesterfield Apts., when
police arrived on the scene to investigate a disturbance Monday morn
ing at 12:23 a.m.
Acting Police Chief Jackie D. Banett said Wednesday afternoon
that a final autopsy report from the Office of the Chief Medical Ex
aminer at Chapel Hill into the cause of Miss Mauney's death has not
been received but a preliminary report indicates her death was caused
by a shotgun wound to the chest. “Preliminary reports indicate death
occurred almost immediately after receiving the wound and that life
could not have been sustained for any period of time,” said Chief Bar
rett.
Barrett said that police investigation also indicates that the man
charged in the shooting death is a friend of the deceased’s mother, Mrs.
Wilma Mauney.
Chief Barrett said that during the investigation several firearms were
recovered by the Kings Mountain Police Department which have been
submitted to the SBl Lab in Raleigh for firearms examination. The
results of the examination had not been completed Wednesday, he
said. “The investigation also continues into who is responsible for the
gunshot wounds received by Sgt. Belk, by Herman Queen Jr. and by
Ernest Mauney during the exchange of gunfire by persons present at
the Chesterfield Complex,” said Barrett.
Chesterfield Arms is a 50-unit apartment complex three miles scuth
of the city on Margrace Rd. and is occupied by 22 white and 28 black
families, including 53 children from infant to 16 year olds.
Violence erupted at the low-rent housing project early Monday
morning, culminating what Housing Authority Tom Harper said was
a weekend of bickering and squabbling among the kids and continued
by the grownufK.
Chief Barrett, Harper and representatives of the N.C. Office of
Human Relations Office, in town for several days this week, have con
curred that the shooting spree was more domestic than racial. Ac
counts have differed over who started the shooting and what weapons
were used and the incident was blown into a full-scale racial issue by
news media who came from as far distant as Detroit, Michigan, Atlan
ta, Ga. and Washington, D.C. to question the occupants of the six-
year-old housing complex. According to Director Harper, he was
called by several families at the Complex Saturday and Sunday and
police were dispatched at least four times to check out reports of
residents who were urged to draw up warrants but refused to do so,
said Harper. Telephones were ringing at his home and office Saturday
and Sunday, said Harper who said the incident surfaced because of
bickering between two families.
“We can give advice to folks when they have problems but they
don’t take it sometimes,” said the veteran Housing Authority Director.
Contrary to published reports. Harper said that Chesterfield Apart
ments is much less congested than other apartments in the area and
that recreational activities are available to young people in the form of
hard-surfaced basketball and tennis courts and adjoining cleared-off
lots for softball games. “Unfortunately some of the facilities are abused
and particularly the Tot Lots which are sometimes filled with glass and
we get calls about that,” he sstid.
“It’s a normal instinct for people to become upset and declare their
intentions to leave home when trouble comes,” said Harprer. Only one
tenant, Mrs. Lillie Hall, 68, and her semi-invalid husband had vacated
the premises this week. The Halls, who were next door neighbors of
Mrs. Wilma Mauney, moved to another PHA housing complex on
Parrish Drive Monday.
Harper says that what happened at Chesterfield Court during the
weekend has resulted in occupants being cautious but that life is get
ting back to normal.
Grover Okays Street Project
By GARY STEWART
Co-Editor
Grover Town Council Mon
day night approved resurfacing
of Dogwood and Park Lane and
patching of “various other”
streets in the city.
Street Commissioner Juanita
Pruette presented the board a
proposal from Asphalt Paving of
Shelby, and said she would take
a representative of that company
around town, point out the
streets needing work and enter
into contract with the company
before any work begins.
The cost of the resurfacing
project, she said, would be
$12,099.
In another matter, the board
approved construction of 725
feet of water line and two
hydrants on Briarclift Drive, and
discussed, but took no action,
the possibility of constructing
612 feet of water line on
Highway 226 outside the city
limits.
The board agreed to get
estimates on that project and
take action later.
Later in the board meeting,
former Councilman Harold
Herndon criticized the board for
considering selling water to peo
ple living outside the city.
^ “Those people don’t pay any
^tity taxes and- you don’t even
have a full commitment from
them,” he said. Councilmtm
Ronard Queen (winted out that
the board has applications from
three persons and a verbal com
mitment from two others.
Herndon was told that tap
fees for outside the city water
users is $150, same as those in
side the city, but the outside
water rates are 30 percent
higher.
“Is that the right way to go
about it?,” he asked. “Who are
you looking after? They ought to
be taken into town and made to
pay city taxes.”
Herndon, a part owner in the
Spring Acres subdivision, told
the board that many new in
dustries were moving into the
area and “we’ve got to build up,
if we can get some service. They
(Spring Acre residents) are pay
ing more than their part of town
taxes. 1 don’t want something for
nothing. But right’s right and
wrong’s wrong.”
In another matter which drew
lengthy discussion, the board
voted 3-2 against a recommenda
tion by Mayor W.W. McCarter
to renovate the old police
quarters and make it a business
office for town clerk Gloria Hor
ton.
Turn To Page 3A
A
o •
o ♦
♦)
Striving For Excellence
By GARY STEWART
Co-Editor
One needs only to look at its
record to realize the importance
the young Kings Mountain
Economic Development Office
has played in the city’s ability to
attract new industry.
In only two years of existence,
the office has helped 15
businesses and industries move
in, expand or start construction
and approximately 700 new jobs
have b^n created as a result.
The Development Office,
however, doesn’t plan to rest on
its past accomplishments. It is
sponsoring the city in the Gover
nor’s Community of Excellence
Program which is designed to
help communities become better
prepared for industrial and
economic development and to
provide the state’s economic
development division and their
allies a better inventory of com
munities to bring to the atten
tion of industrial firms seeking
plant locations.
Jerry King, director of the
Development Office, is the pro
gram coordinator for the spon
soring organization, and Mayor
John Moss is program chairman.
But, King says, the city’s suc
cess in its strive for excellence
will depend on the combined ef
forts and cooperation of a
number of people.
Thus, King and Moss are in
the process of naming chairper
sons of the seven committees
and a number of sub-committees
who will help spearhead the ef
fort.
Chairpersons already selected
include Darrell Austin, promo
tion materials; Ollie Harris, ex
isting industry program; Mayor
Moss and Corky Fulton,
downtown revitalization; and
Connie Putnam, community
journal.
Committees still to be named
include research/tlient identifica
tion, marketing effort, and
development team.
The development team, which
will be the largest and perhaps
the most important committee,
will include 10 subcommittees
including sites/buildings, chaired
K.M. Economic Development Office
Conmunity Journal
Research/
Client Identification
Promotion
Materials
Marketing
Effort
Development Team
Existing Industry
Program
Downtown
Revitilization
by Josh Hinnant; transportation,
labor availability, taxes and
government, utilities, communi
ty profile, chaired by Ruby Alex
ander; finance, community plan
ning, chaired by Mayor Moss;
education and training, and
liveability, chaired by Commis
sioner Norman King.
“It’s a quite extensive pro
gram, with the involvement of a
lot of people, with the end result
of making the city more con
ducive to industrial growth,”
King said.
Acceptance will mean city of
ficials will be presented a plaque
by the Governor and a sign will
be erected at the city limits pro
claiming Kings Mountain as a
"Governor’s Community of Ex
cellence.” Inspection of city will
be made in Ctetober.
But, more importantly. King
said, participating in the pro
gram will better equip the town
to lure new industry and work
with existing industry, and will
mean Kings Mountain is part of
a state-wide economic develop
ment effort.
Cities which won the award
last year are being asked to par
ticipate in a review of the criteria
this year.
In a letter to King, Governor
Hunt pointed out that “in addi
tion to the recognition this pro
gram offers, it also can be the
key to a bright future for a com
munity that takes advantage of
the many benefits that can be
gained. Award-winning com-
Jerry King
munities are receiving priority
attention; not only in industrial
recruiting efforts, but also in
other state programs.”
Since the Economic Develop
ment Office was formed two
years ago. King said it has been
committed to a mission of
enhancing the quality of life for
the community by generation of
productive employment oppor
tunities and expansion of the
economic base.
“One of the first things 1 did,”
he recalled, “was start walking
the halls of the Department of
Commerce in Raleigh. We had
to form a good working relation
ship.”
He then compiled a statistical
package of the city and surroun
ding area and six of those
packages are filed in Raleigh to
be distributed to industrial
clients.
“We mailed and hand-
delivered packages to engineer
ing and construction firms, ar
chitectural firms, industrial real
estate representatives, potential
retail and commercial businesses
and went to banks and lending
institutions in the area and got to
know those people and establish
ed a working relationship with
them and made available infor
mation on industrial sites and
buildings.
That was only a beginning. As
a result of those initial contacts,
King frequently meets with pro
spective industries to show sites,
available buildings and discuss
the city in detail, and'attends a
number of meetings and
workshops that concern in
dustrial development and
downtown revitalization.
“But it’s a community effort
all the way,” he said. “I’ve gotten
cooperation from a number of
people and without that, we
couldn't be to the point we are
now.
“My secretary, Connie Put
nam, has lent valuable assistance
to the progress of the office and
it would have been an impossible
task to achieve what we have
already achieved and hope to
achieve without the concern and
full support of the mayor and
board of commissioners.
“We have several industries
•Sites/Buildings
-TranspqVtation
• Labor Availabi 1 i ty
—Taxes and Government
—Utilities
— Finance
—Education & Training
•Liveabi1ity
Conmmity Profile
— Conmunity Planning
that are very much interested in
Kings Mountain and expect to
have two announcements in the
very near future.”
“1 really appreciate the
assistance and dedication of
Walt OUis and Ted Huffman of
the Citizens Service Center,” he
went on. ‘They’re always giving
me their time and furnishing in
formation concerning utilities.
“Bill Davis, our Schools
Superintendent, has been very
helpful. Naturally, one of the
things industries want to know
before they move their families
in is what kind of school system
we have. Mr. Davis has been
gracious enough to give his time
and efforts to meet with them.
“Another group is the Zoning
and Planning B^rd,” he con
tinued, “because through their
efforts and concern it has made
it possile for us to locate in
dustry. Without their assistance,
it would be impossible.
“So, you can see, this is a very
competitive business in w hich no
one person is responsible for
locating an industry in our city.
It takes the cooperation of many
people in the city and govern
ment, all operating as one group
with one objective...to locate
that new industry.
King said it takes from 12 to
18 months from first contact un
til the industry is in operation or
has announced its plans.
‘The Economic Development
Office is also in the business of
assisting existing industry on re
location or plant expansion
within the area,” King added.
“Our office is just as concerned
with the welfare of existing in
dustry and their success as it is
with bringing in new industry,
and we stand ready to assist
them in any way that we can.”
Turn to page 2-A