INSIDE... New Principal .............. 2A Shop Local! ................ 3A Opinion ....................... 4A Obituaries ................... 5A Miss Gastonia ............. 6A Legion Baseball ........... 8A
Serving Belmont, Mount Holly, Stanley, Cramerton, and McAdenville | Volume 79 • Issue 31 • Wednesday, July 30, 2014
75¢
Airport noise Is it affecting your quality of life? By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
It's a fact that CharlotteDouglas International Airport is growing by leaps and bounds, that it has created lots of jobs, and that it pumps millions of dollars into the local economy. But all that prosperity has come at a cost - noise from jets departing and arriving with greater frequency. Just because the airport is situated in Mecklenburg County doesn't mean those flights don't have an effect on people who live west of the Catawba River. As the crow, or the jetliner, flies Belmont is just nine nautical miles from the airport center and Mount Holly is just 10.3 miles away. Hazel Byrd moved back to Belmont after being aggravated by the loud sound of planes over her West Charlotte home, only to still
hear them here. “When I was in Charlotte they came over so low it cracked the ceiling and walls in my house,” Byrd said. “You couldn't watch TV. One night I got under the bed. I had cold chills. Now, I can still hear them going over.” Calvin McGuirt's home is just over nine miles from the airport and the increasing air traffic has gotten on his nerves as well. “The sound is a severe degradation in my quality of life,” he said. “It's sad you can't sit in your yard or work in the garden in peace. Those planes are the first things I hear in the morning and the last thing I hear at night. It is never ceasing.” One of the main reasons that air traffic noise is on the increase for citizens who live in our area is the new runway that opened in 2010 See NOISE, 7A
Goins on trial Former EG coach charged with felony sex crimes By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
The trial of former East Gaston High wrestling coach Gary Scott Goins continued last week. Goins, 46, was accused by three former wrestling team members of molesting them during the period 1998-2004. He was arrested in June 2013 after one of the members went to police. Goins was subsequently charged with 22 felony sex crimes including crimes against nature, indecent liberties with a child, statutory rape, and sex offense with a student. Jury selection and opening testimony took place July 14-18. Testimony continued Monday, July 21, with a second accuser taking the stand. The former wrestler declared that he went on a camping trip with Goins and other team members. He testified that he and other wrestlers were blindfolded and taken into the forest and told to perform a sex act but after they took off the blindfolds it was revealed to have been with a piece of food. Another team member said he had gone to the grocery store with Goins earlier that very day and the coach had selected hot dog weiners. Another team member that testified Monday did not
accuse Goins of abuse, but said he saw a photo in the former coach's desk that showed a wrestler in underclothes with makeup on his face. Tuesday saw more testimony. A witness said that the wrestling team traveled in a van dubbed the “war wagon” and that Goins would hit members in the head with his ring if they failed to follow rules. The witness also alleged that older team members would beat younger ones and that Goins coined a phrase “what happens on road trips stays on road trips”. The witness also alleged that Goins made him lie on a bed and then punched him in the stomach repeatedly. On Wednesday another former wrestling team member took the stand and alleged that Goins had met him in eighth grade and was 13 years old when the coach began inappropriate touching. The witness testified he lost count of how many times the incidents took place over a four year span. The same witness took the stand again on Thursday and described an incident in which Goins allegedly involved him in a suicide attempt on April 12, 2013 at Poston Park. Defense attorney Brent Ratchford declared the event not a suicide attempt, but an attack on Goins by the witness. The prosecution rested its case on Friday. Several times throughout the week, Ratchford urged the jury to keep an open mind and said parents and siblings were at practices and on road trips.
Art Duckworth from Apple Orchard Farm in Stanley serves customer Janet Kulick at the Mount Holly Farmers Market. The market has been a great success again this year. Photo by Alan Hodge
Farm fresh goodness By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
The corn and tomatoes are ready for picking and local farmers markets are bulging with fresh produce- and much more. Even the federal government is recognizing the important role that farmers markets play not only in local economies, but in nutrition as well. In fact, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has declared August 3 through 9 "National Farmers Market Week". Throughout the week, USDA will celebrate our nation's thousands of farm-
ers markets, farmers who make them possible and the communities that host them. The declaration was made via an official proclamation signed by Secretary Vilsack. This year marks the 15th Annual National Farmers Market Week recognizing the important role that farmers markets play in the agricultural and food economy. The U.S. Department of Agriculture began declaring National Farmers Market Week in 2000. "National Farmers Market Week is a great opportunity for farmers markets across the country to host special
events to showcase all the tremendous services they provide," said Secretary Vilsack. "Farmers markets play a key role in developing local and regional food systems that support family farms, and help grow rural economies. They bring communities together, connecting cities with the farms that support them and provide Americans across the country with fresh, healthy food." On the local scene, the Mount Holly Farmers Market has been around since 2006 and gets bigger every year. In 2012, the market was voted the third See FARMERS MARKET, 2A
Eddie Wilson – football, Hall of Fame officer By Kathy Blake Special to the Banner News
Eddie Wilson has always been in the Mount Holly Sports Hall of Fame – as its founder, and as president, treasurer and secretary. So, when Wilson and the nominating committee were sorting through names last spring for the 2014 ceremony, the process was predictably routine – until the others asked him to leave the room. “We went through the names and I told them it sounded like a great slate, then they said, ‘We have one more name…’ and I had to walk out, then they threw my name out and voted on it,” Wilson said. “And I said, ‘No!’ I couldn’t believe it.” Wilson is inducted not only for his role with the Hall of Fame, but for his athletic performance – mainly with the Mount Holly High School football team, which won the Western state championship game in 1967, 26-20 over Glen Alpine. “Eddie Wilson was the heart of the championship team in 1967. He was a leader in every way,” said past Hall of Fame president and current treasurer Gary Neely. “Depending on the situation, he could be an encourager, or he could get in your face and issue a challenge. Eddie was the vocal leader that See WILSON, 7A
Stowe Family YMCA staffer Molly D'Avria is seen with some of the kids who took part in last week's Summer Feeding program in Catawba Heights. The weekly event combines a free lunch with learning and fun. Photo by Alan Hodge
Sun, fun & a free lunch too! By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Start with a free, nutritious lunch, add some book learning time, throw in some outdoor exercise, then stir in a healthy dose of kid camaraderie and what do you have? The Stowe Family YMCA summer feeding experience. Last week saw a group of about ten or so youngsters gather at Catawba Heights Neighborhood Park where they enjoyed sandwiches, spent some time socializing, did a science experiment, and had a story read to them by Mount Holly police Sgt. Kelly Hoyle.
According to Molly D'Avria, Stowe Family YMCA director of advancement, the program is part of Gaston County Schools “Summer Feeding” endeavor whereby kids can meet at selected locations countywide, and get a free bag lunch as well as structured play and learning. “We started June 24 and will continue to meet on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 11:30am at the Catawba Heights location until August 13,” D'Avria said. “This is one of 49 sites in the county where the Summer Feeding is held. So far, we've served 76 See STOWE YMCA, 7A
Spread Some Natural Beauty. Mulch
Topsoil
Decorative Stone
www.laniermaterialsales.com 105 Hillandale Lane, Mt. Holly NC 28120 • (704)827-7055