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VOLUME 94. NUMBER 65
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1981
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA
Kings Mountain United Fund
held its victory dinner Monday
night at Holiday Inn and an
nounced one of its most suc
cessful campaigns ever.
Rev. Clyde Bearden, cam
paign chairman, said that
pledges of $67,587.17 have been
reported and that seveal other
divisions still have some final
work to be done.
The goal was $62,150.
Jack Callaghan, station
4naiMg*r-of WSOC in Cbcnlntte,-
was guest speaker.
John L. McGill, who chaired
the professional division which
showed over a 200 percent in
crease over last year’s pledges,
was named winner of the fourth
annual President’s Award.
McGill’s division raised $2,452
of its $3,000 goal. The division
raised only $889 last year.
“He showed outstanding ser
vice,” said President Mark
AWARD WINNERS - lack Collaghan, center, station manager
of WSOC in Charlotte, poses with the top award winners at
Monday's United Fund Victory Dinner at the Holiday Inn. Left
to right are lohn McGill, Lavon Strickland, Becky Seism. Mark
Citizens
Protest
Permit
Land owners in the area of
Kings Creek, a stream in rural
Kings Mountain, appeared at a
public hearing Wednesday mor
ning at the Kings Mountain
Community Center to protest a
request by Foote Mineral Com
pany that it be allowed to con
tinue a practice of discharging an
average of two miligrams per
liter of flouride into tTi?¥tf?aIfi.
Foote has used that practice
since 1975 through a permit
from the Department of Natural
Resources and Community
Development, but the state
recently passed a standard which
allows the discharge of only 1.8
miligrams.
The hearing was still in pro
cess at the Herald’s presstime
Wednesday and was expected to
continue throughout most of the
day.
Following the hearing, Becky
French, hearing officer for the
Environmental Management
Department, will prepare her
decision and Foote and the
citizens will have 10 days in
which to appeal.
The only witness called during
the first hour of testimony
Wednesday was Walter Cooke,
operations manager at Foote
Mineral.
He claimed that the flouride
that Foote is discharging into the
creek is not dangerous to animal,
plant or humans and Foote’s at
torney, William Livingston of
Charlotte, said that if water is
consumed by humans in
substantial amounts, it would
only possibly discolor their teeth.
Two citizens-John Caveny
and Jack Hughes-during ques
tioning of Cooke, noted that
they have noticed bad odors, dir
ty water and dead fish in the
creek, and Dr. Charles Adams,
the spokesman for the citizens’
group, said at least three
unknown cattle deaths occurred
last year along the creek.
Cooke testified that flouride
does not have an odor, and is col
orless.
“I don’t have a degree and 1
can’t say if it’s flouride or not,”
Hughes said. “But I’ve lived on
the creek all my life. Before
Foote began operation, I fished
it it and played in it. But since
Foote started there, I can’t stand
on the bridge and see fish and
clear water.”
Although Wednesday’s hear
ing dealt only with the discharge
of flouride in the stream, Hughes
said the citizens of the area
“have come to a point to where
we’ve sat back and let this hap
pen a little at a time, because we
didn’t know what to do. But now
we wont it stopped.”
Cooke said the discharge of
two miligrams of flouride is
necessary to keep the felsphar
phase of the Foote business in
(Turn To Page 9-A)
Photo by Gary Stewart
Wilson, Rev. Clyde Bearden and Ron Bagwell. The Kings
Mountain campaign has topped its $62,150 goal by more than
$5,000.
Victory Dinner Held
Wilson. “He not only contacted
every person in his division, but
paid them a personal visit.”
Other plaques went to Ron
Bagwell, chairman of the
hospital division which raised
$2,769.84 (111 percent of its
$2,500 goal); Lavon Strickland,
chairman of the industrial divi
sion which reported $49,033.58
and will probably top $50,000
when final pleges are in Cits goal
was $41,000); Becky Seism,
Larry Wood,-Corky Fukon and
Jake Dixon, who are completing
their three-year terms on the
board of directors; Bearden,
whom Wilson said did an
“outstanding service as cam
paign chairman” and Wilson,
whom Bearden said he turned to
for “inspiration and help.”
A number of campaign
workers received special cam
paign awards, including Pat
Blanton, Polly Phifer, Earl Sear-
ON COMMISSION - Kinga Mountain Mayor John Moss, loit, is
sworn into oHlcs os ths nowost momber of tho Govomor's
Crims Control Commission Monday by State Senator Ollie
Harris. Moss will serve until March 1, 1984.
Governor Names Moss
To Crime Commission
Governor Jim Hunt has nam
ed Kings Mountain Mayor John
Henry Moss to the Governor’s
Crime Commission.
Moss was sworn into office
Monday by Senator J. Ollie Har
ris, chairman of the Senate
Human Resources Committee.
The commission will hold its
first meeting of this term Thurs
day and Friday in Wilmington.
Moss’s term will expire on
March 1, 1984.
Governor Hunt, in making
the announcement, said “During
our first administration, we
made progress in the areas of
education, economic develop
ment, crime control, and greater
efficiency in government. We
cannot, however, be content
with the progress we have made.
With the help of and dedication
of concerned citizens who are
willing to give their time in ser
vice to our state, we will con
tinue to build on the foundation
we have laid. We will continue
to improve the quality of life for
all our citizens.”
“I am honored to be appoint
ment to the commission and
recognize the importance of its
work,” Moss noted. “1 pledge to
work diligently with the commis
sion in an effort to develop a pro
gram that will reduce crime in
the state of North Carolina.”
Moss also serves on the States
and Local Government Working
Group on Energy, and the
Energy, Environment and
Natural Resources Policy Com
mittee of the National League of
Cities.
cy, Doyle Campbell, John
Warlick, Mildred Dixon, and
Kathleen Sisk.
Parkdale Mills was cited for
Ijaving 100 percent participa
tion.
Kings Mountain is the third
campaign to exceed its goal this
year, according to Pete Auer
bach of North Carolina United
Way.
The hospitaland industrial
divisions exceeded their goals.
Wilson praised Bearden and
other campaign workers for
spearheading Kings Mountain’s
most successful campaign ever.
“We increased our goal by
$10,000 over last year’s,” he
said, “and many of us honestly
thought we’d never reach it.”
Callaghan, who has been in
volved in a number of United
Way campaigns in Charlotte,
also praised the Kings Mountain
workers.
‘There is no more outpouring
of love than when people who
have helped other people come
out and celebrate," he said.
“After all, all we have in this
world is each other.”
Callaghan praised the group
for its committment.
“It’s tough to go out and raise
money,” he said. “You put on
the line what you believe in
when you go out and ask people
for their hard-earned money. But
when people care about other
people, go^ things happen.
‘To volunteer is to sacrifice
and become involved,” he went
on, “and it’s good to celebrate
after you’ve done a good job.
But if you really didn’t do as
good a job as you might have, I
hope you feel a little guilty and
come back next year and work
three times as hard.”
Parade
Taking
Shape
The annual Kings Mountain
Christmas Parade is scheduled
for Sun., Nov. 29 at 2:30 p.m.
Seventy units are already
entered in the parade and spaces
are available for others. Anyone
interesting in entering a unit
may call the Kings Mountain
Fire Department at 739-2552.
The parade will also feature a
number of beauty queens, bands,
and, of course, ^ta Claus.
The parade will reverse its
route from past years. It will line
up on West Mountain Street and
come across the railroad tracks
to Battleground, proceed south
on Battleground to East Gold,
turn left to Cherokee, go north
on Cherokee to West Mountain,
east on Mountain to South
Gaston, south on Gaston back
to East Gold, and disband in the
area of Mountain Rest
Cemetery.
City, School
Elections Set
Kings Mountain and Grover
voters will go to the polls Tues
day to elect city and school
board officials.
Kings Mountain voters will
elect one city commissioner to
serve a four-year term, and
Grover will elect a mayor and
five commissioners to a two-year
term. Both Grover and Kings
Mountain voters will elect two
members to the Kings Mountain
District Schools Board of Educa
tion.
In Kings Mountain, incum
bent city commissioner Jim
Dickey and Mrs. Jan Deaton will
have a runoff for the District Six
seat on the six-member board.
Dickey ran first among four can
didates in the October 6 primary,
but he did not have a majority
vote.
The winner of the race will
take office in December, along
with incumbent Humes
Houston, who ran unopposed
for the District Two seat, and
newly-elected District Five Com
missioner Curt Gaffney, who
defeated William Orr on October
6.
In the school board race, three
Kings Mountain residents are
seeking the two inside<ity seats.
On the ballot will be Marian
Thomasson, June Lee and Jerry
Ledford. Thomasson and Lee are
completing their first sbt-year
term and Ledford is seeking of
fice for the first time.
Both the Kings Mountain
Board of Commissioners and the
School Board operate on a stag
gered term, the city for four
years and the school board for
six.
In Grover, 12 people are seek
ing the five commissioner seats
and commissioner Martha Byers
is challenging incumbent Bill
McCarter for the mayor’s posi
tion.
McCarter has served three
terms as mayor and Mrs. Byers is
completing her second term as
commissioner.
Other incumbents seeking
commissioner seats are Quay
Moss, Edward Philbeck, Juanita
Pruitt and Ronald Queen. Also
running are Vickie Smith, Den
nis McDaniel, Jim Howell, Bill
Camp, James Grindstaff, Tom
Childers, Kenneth Anthony and
Grady Ross.
Kings Mountain voters are
reminded by Elections Board
Chairman Luther Bennett that
Tuesday’s elections are being
conducted by two different elec
tions boards. The School Board
election is conducted by the
county and the city commis
sioner election by the city.
For the county election, the
city is divided into two precincts,
east and west. Persons living
west of the Southern Railway
tracks must vote at the Nation^
Guard Armory, and persons liv
ing east of the tracks must vote
at the Community Center.
For the city election, the city
is divided into sbt districts.
Districts one, two and three vote
at the Community Center and
districts four, five and six at the
Armory.
There will be cases where
some citizens who live west of
the tracks will have to vote at
the Armory for the school board
election and at the community
center for the city commissioner
election.
' 4.
JERRY LEDFORD
JUNE LEE
MARIAN THOMASSON
JAN DEATON
JIM DICKEY
Judge Changes Mind
On Blanton Sentence
The 18 months active prison
sentence of Kings Mountain
High School teacher Kenneth
Blanton was suspended last week
by Judge Woodrow Jones.
Jones ordered Blanton to pay
a $5,000 fine for his conviction
of possession of two unregistered
machine guns. He was sentenced
on 0;t. 7 after pleading guilty to
the charge.
Jones also placed Blanton on
three months probation.
The judge said he had received
a number of letters and
character references on Blanton,
and since Blanton had no
he
previous record, he felt
should change his decision.
Blanton had been employed in
the Kings Mountain school
system for 10 years. Supt. Bill
Davis said he has talked with
Blanton about the possibility of
his returning to work but a deci
sion has not been reached.
Testimony during the trial
revealed that Frank Small, a
KMHS custodian, was a paid in
former for the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms,
which brought the charges
against Blanton and two men
from the Raleigh area.