Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / Jan. 22, 1981, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
• ' ir > • I « Book Bind ong Thursday 11 r! r« 11 20c VOLUME 94, NUMBER 6 THURSDAY, JANUARY22, 1981 KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA Cites Mayor Interference Rev. George Resigns As KM Aging Director CITY AT WORK — Employ*M of tho City Public Works Doportmont oro picturod boro preparing Bonnott Drie* for curbing and gut tering. The ciubing and guttering, which is ex- Photo by Gory Stewart pected to be completed within a week, is port of the Neighborhood Strategy project for Ben nett Drive and Chestnut Street wUch is being funded by HUD. Transfer Policy Considered Kings Mountain Board of Education Monday night delayed action on a school transfer policy until a committee of parents and teachers can study a specific plan but in dicated that children entering school for the first time next year will not be allowed to at tend elementary school outside their attendance zone except in extreme hardship cases. Supt. Bill Davis said the new policy needs to be implemented with the beginning of school next August 24 and recommend ed that hardship requests be documented. He also suggested that students already established in a schoohbe allowed to remain there, whether or not they are living in the correct attendance zone. Transfer requests from parents have been granted almost without question but schools are filling up and new families moving into the com munity and the school atten dance areas are having problems placing their children. Trustee Bill McDaniel sug gested that transfers not be granted unless there is evidence of “absolute hardships” and recommended that no excep tions in the policy be made. Responding to question of Trustee Kyle Smith, Supt. Davis said that student rolls are established by the tenth day of a new term and that the board could fianlize the action during the first week of school. Trustee June Lee also expressed the opi nion that “the board has no ne^ of going through this year after year and we need to remedy the problem.” Board Chairman Marion Thomasson concurred and added, “We almost had some hard feelings this year and we need to establish a policy when the child enters kindergarten.” Trustee Harold Lineberger made the motion that a committee be appointed and a new policy be established. Supt. Davis told the group that “this problem seems to get stickier every year and there is a whole gamut of things that can be done to remedy the situation.” “I don’t think we can cut off transfers completely,” said Lineberger, “but I think the hardship cases need to be spelled out.” Responding to question if The recount of votes in the November county commis sioners’ race in Cleveland Coun ty may prove that the race was decided by citizens who did not vote for anyone. The recount, ordered recently by the State B^d of Elections, began Tuesday at the County Courthouse in Shelby and was continuing at the Herald’s presstime Wednesday afternoon. The counters were working on the final 10 of the 29 precincts, but those 10 represented the largest precincts in the county, including both East and and West Kings Mountain. All of the precincts to be counted Wednesday were where Martel voting machines were us ed. Tuesday’s count, which in cluded all paper ballots, showed the three write4n candidates sponsored by the Association of t Cleveland County Taxpayers (Bobby Crawford, Duran Johnson and John Caveny Jr.) gaining about 800 votes each. Johnson narrowed the 2,000-vote gap by 874, Crawford by 701 and Caveny by 601. However, the count also showed that 434 people casting those ballots didn’t vote for t anyone for county commis- ',.*ioner, and 597 others voted a straight Republican ticket which meant none of those sbt can didates received a vote. The only person on the Republican ticket was Senate candidate Laverne Shirley. Fifty-six of the ballots counted Tuesday were disputed and will be sent to the State Board of Elections for a ruling. Bruce Seism, president of the ACT and who watched the counting process with Crawford, predicted the final tally will be close and admitted the persons who did not vote anclbr who voted a straight Republican ticket could prove the difference in the ACT candidates winning. “It’s going to be close either way. I just don’t know who’ll win but I’m hoping the big precincts will make up the dif ference for us,” he said. Seism has hinted that if the re count doesn’t prove the write-ins winners, the ACT may appeal to the courts for a new elections based on Crawford’s contention that the bailot used in November was illegal and did not provide sufficient space for writing in names under the incumbents. “Whether we appeal or not will have a lot to do with how close the final count is,” Seism said.'T would like for the three candidates and some others to get together and decide.” redrawing of school attendance zones and district lines would alleviate the problem, Supt. Davis said that “it would take a terrible amount of geramanding to improve much on the distric ting” but reminded that the board makes the final decision oa trtgrfer requests. In other actions, the board; •Set the opening of next school year on Aug. 24 and clos ing on June 4th and approved a school calendar. (Turn To Page 10-A) Caution Lights Okayed Non-Voters May Decide Cleveland County Election Two flashing caution lights will be installed at Grover School as part of improved safe ty measures for children walking to school. Kings Mountain Board of Education voted Monday night to pay for the lights, estimated to cost $550 each, from funds it receives from renting former home of Principal Jim Scruggs. Supt. Bill Davis, Grover Mayer W.W. McC^er and DOT Safety Consultant Bob Jenkins met at Grover School last week to discuss improved safety measures in front of the school, a problem which surfac ed again a week before Christmas when nine-year-old Kelli Harry was seriously injured by a pickup truck. The child re mains in a coma in Charlotte Memorial Hospital but has been moved from an Intensive Care Unit to a private room. Grover Town Board employed a cross ing guard on Carolina Avenue. The Town of Grover will pay the utility bills while the State Department of Transportation will maintain the lights, said Davis. The lights will be installed near present speed limit signs. Grover Town Board had re quested that the Board of Educa tion hire an additional school crossing guard but Supt. Davis said that the school system is not responsible for crossing guards at the schools but is eager to work with Grover and DOT officials solve the problems. School cross ing guards are on duty each mor ning at West, East and North schools in Kings Mountain but are paid by the city of Kings Mountain, Davis said. Grover hopes to mark off crosswalks on Carolina Avenue and at Highway 226 in the area of First Baptist Church, said Davis. Prin cipal Jim Scruggs is also revising loading points to eliminate the traffic off Carolina Avenue, said Davis. Rev. Kenneth George, direc tor of the Kings Mountain Ag ing Program since its inception, resigned his position Monday because of interference from Mayor John Henry Moss. Rev. George’s wife, Becky, a service aide in the program, also resigned. Rev. George, who organized the program in 1974 and worked without salary for the first six months, resigned Monday after Mayor Moss sent an employee back to work after the Aging Program’s five-member Ad visory Council voted unanimously to request that the employee be dismissed. Rev. George issued the follow ing public statement: “It was with deep regret for Becky and 1 to offer our letter of resignation January 19, 1981. ‘Two city employees had made very serious and unfound ed liable statements about the director of the Kings Mountain Aging Program. The director called two meetings of his Senior Center Advisory Council to discuss these statements and us ed documented material to show these statements were untrue. The Senior Center Advisory Council made a signed request asking that those who were caus ing problems in the Aging Pro gram not be continued in the Ag ing Program. This statement was unanimous, it was signed by all five members of the council, and all of these people are reputable citizens. We have documented material to prove the statements we have made. REV. KEN GEORGE “On Monday, January 19, 1981, at approximately 7:20 a.m., the Mayor called me and said one of these employees would return to the Depxjt Center to work beginning January 19, 1981. At approx imately 8:45 a.m., 1 went to the City Hall and received a memo from Mayor Moss stating this employee would be returning to work. ‘This is when 1 went into the Mayor’s Office and told him ver bally I would give him a written resignation that afternoon. I needed time to write a resigna tion, because 1 did not think of resigning until I saw there had been no concern for the director or the Advisory Council concer ning the matter that was very serious to all of us. I am trying to write only things I feel I must write at this time, it is impossible for many city employees to per form their duties because of those who continually interfere directly and indirectly in many ways into things they know very little about. “1 stated it is with regret that our resignations had to be of fered. Our main concern is that all of the citizens will continue to support the Kings Mountain Ag ing Program. We have made much progress but we have more to do. 1 made the statement recently that the program is needed even more now than it was in 1974 when the program was in the planning stage. Because of inflation, serious medical problems, depression, crime and fear our elderly citizens need us. The agony and cost of being placed in special homes or institutions is stagger ing. 1 am told wherever 1 go our program is unique, because 1 do not know of another program in North Carolina like the Kings Mountain Aging Program. I am requesting for you, the citizens, to see that it continues to help meet the needs of our elderly citizens who mean so much to many of us. “We have not had any serious problems working with our Senior Citizens because we love them and we are interested in their total life. Most of our pro blems have come from those who do not really understand what really needs to be done. “Some have asked me to let (Turn To Page 4-Jk) UTTLE THEATRE PLAYERS - Pictured is a group of Little Theatre Players who will pre sent a one act comedy as program for Monday night's Woman's Club meeting. From left, Mrs., Photo by Lib Stewart Aubrey Mauney. lim Champion, Mary Dilling and Lynne Mauney. Back row, from left, Kay lolley and Daune Brazzell, Little Theatre To Perform Little Theatre players will pre sent the one act hilarious com edy, “Reciprocity," as the pro gram for Monday night’s meeting of Kings Mountain Woman’s Club at 7:45 p.m. at the Woman’s Club. The play, by Martha L. Lever ing, features a large cast in what Nan Jean Grant, director, says is “a take off on a regular club meeting but presented with humor.” The play, which runs about 45 minutes, will delight visitors, who are welcome to at tend, as well as clubwomen. Setting for the play is the regular meeting of a woman’s club who has scheduled the ap pearance of a famous speaker. The speaker, who is played by Jim Champion, is preceded by numerous chairmen reports and a flowery introduction which gives him no time to present his illustrious message. • Mrs. Aubrey Mauney, as Mrs. Gansway the fine arts chairman, plays the cello and Mrs. Grant portrays Madame Melba, the state federation singer laureate. The Players will be donning hats, gloves and long dresses to resemble the various characters they will play. Appearing in the production, in addition to Mrs. Mauney, Mrs. Grant and Mr. Champion, are Jane Dixon, as Mrs. Bell the decorations chairman; Margaret Dilling as Mrs. Milton the house chairman; Robin Ramsey as Mrs. Lewis the program chair man; Lynne Mauney as Mrs. Owens the club president; Betty Potter as the state president Mrs. Tipton; Myra Sheffield as district president Mrs. McCall; Sarah Shaw as the environment and pollution chairman Mrs. Hibbs; Vivian Duncan as the drama chairman Mrs. Hampton; Florrie Hamrick as the physical fitness chairman Mrs. Jones; Mary Dilling as the garden chair man Mrs. Evans; and Bonnie Sheffield, Joe Ann McDaniel and Kaye Jolley as' club members.
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 22, 1981, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75