INSIDE... New School Year ......... 2A MH Council ................. 3A Area Events ................. 4A
Serving Belmont, Mount Holly, Stanley, Cramerton, and McAdenville
Sports ........................ 5A
Volume 79 • Issue 34 • Wednesday, August 20, 2014
75¢
Goins convicted Sentenced to 34-43 years By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
The sexual misconduct case against former East Gaston High wrestling coach Gary Scott Goins went to the jury last Monday after three weeks of testimony and he was found guilty Tuesday on 17 out of 20 counts of sexual misconduct against three former members of the wrestling team. Superior Court Judge Jesse Caldwell sentenced Goins to between 34-43 years in prison. “The crimes the defendant has been convicted of shake the soul of the community,” CaldGoins well said. “I will be happy if he dies in prison,” said Gaston County District Attorney Locke Bell. Goins, 46, was charged with the sex crimes after three former members of the wrestling team came forward last year with accusations he molested them over the period 1998-2004. Goins was arrested in June See GOINS, 7A
Kaboom! representative Ted Friedman and the Met Life mascot met with about 30 kids at Stowe YMCA last week to design a new playground. The new playground will replace an older one behind the Y. Photo by Alan Hodge
New playground in the works for Stowe YMCA Dill racing into the MHS Hall of Fame By Alan Hodge
alan.bannernews@gmail.com
By Kathy Blake Special to the Banner News
Richard Dill could run fast. As a football player at East Gaston High School in the late 1970s, he rushed for 3,681 yards in three seasons, a county record. As a track team member, he anchored the 400yard relay team and Richard Dill made all-state. At East Tennessee State University, he ran fast enough to go through school on a full football scholarship, and was clocked, he said, at about 9.6 for 100 yards. The track coaches noticed, and put him on that team, too, where he said he was timed at about a 4.3 for 40 yards. And after college, his speed earned him a look-see from the Houston Oilers, for whom he tried out in 1983 before being cut in the last round. “I guess it started in about sixth grade, when I found out I was athletic when we used to have field day over at Ida Rankin (Elementary) in Mount Holly,” he said. “I played pee-wee ball, and it just took off from there.” Dill, whose accomplishments have placed him in the Mount Holly Sports Hall of Fame, spent his athletic career running toward goal posts, running through defenses, and running away from competitors in track. But ask which of those was his best move – which life merit means the most – and the See DILL, 7A
The Stowe YMCA will be getting a new playground and its users will have a lot of input regarding the design. To that end, kids and adults gathered at the Stowe YMCA last Wednesday to take part in what was dubbed “Design Day with KaBoom!”. Kaboom! is a national nonprofit that works to bring balanced and active play into the lives of all children- especially those living in poverty. The organization was founded in 1996 and has opened more than 15,000 playgrounds nationally with the help of over 1,000,000
volunteers to benefit 6,600,000 kids. KaBoom! representative Ted Friedman was at the Stowe YMCA Design Day and handed out sheets of paper where the kids could illustrate their playground “wish list”. “The Stowe YMCA is dedicated to play and its volunteers are highly engaged,” Friedman said. Six-year-old Abigail Stevens was one of the kids brainstorming ideas for the new playground. “It's pretty neat to make a playground,” she said. Another youth that was taking part in Design Day was 10-
year-old Justin Davis. “It's awesome,” he said. “My favorite is the swing set.” After the kids finished formulating their ideas, parents were shown photos of some of the actual playground equipment that will be installed on a hill behind the YMCA building. The pieces will replace an older play set and are made by Playwell Systems out of Pennsylvania. The actual installation of the new playground will take place October 4. Leading the charge in getting the playground built will be a group of 175 volunteers from MetLife Foundation. They will be joined by YMCA and other
local volunteers. The Stowe YMCA project will mark the 22nd collaboration between MetLife and KaBoom! With plenty of hands on board, it should only take about six hours to complete the job. The Stowe playground project is the third one between KaBoom! and Gaston County Family YMCAs. For Molly D'Avria, Stowe YMCA director of development, the new playground is a dream come true. “We are so excited, it's long overdue,” she said. “We're also thankful for MetLife and KaBoom! and can't wait to get started.”
Reagan appointed MH Land swap proposed Deputy Chief of Police in coal ash debate By Alan Hodge Brian K. Reagan was appointed Deputy Chief of Police for the City of Mount Holly Police Department on August 1. Reagan joined the Mount Holly Police Department in February 2002. Since joining the police department, Deputy Chief Reagan has served as a patrol officer, K-9 Officer, and a Vice/Narcotics Investigator. He was promoted to Patrol Corporal and K-9 Coordinator in March 2006. He was then promoted to Patrol Sergeant and K-9 Supervisor in September 2007, and served in the Patrol Division. Deputy Chief Reagan is a graduate of Gaston College, where he received his Basic Law Enforcement Training Certification and an Associate Degree in Applied Science in Criminal Justice. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Western Carolina University, and is the recipient of the Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate presented by the North Carolina Department of Justice Education and Training Standards Commission.
alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Brian Reagan was recently appointed Deputy Chief of Police for the Mount Holly Police Dept.
Officials with the City of Charlotte have approached Duke Energy with a land swap deal that could see coal ash from the Riverbend Steam Station on Mountain Island Lake near Mount Holly moved to a location near Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. The lake is the primary water supply for over 800,000 folks in Mount Holly, Gastonia, and Charlotte. Estimates are it would take 220 truckloads per day, five days a week, for five years to move the 4.7 million tons of coal ash currently stored in lagoons from the decommissioned Riverbend plant to Charlotte. One route would see the coal ash trucked down Brookshire Blvd. to I-485 and then to Wilkinson Blvd. Residents and business owners along the proposed route have expressed concerns about coal ash dust blowing off the trucks and onto vehicles and property. The property swap that Charlotte has approached Duke about would see 128 acres of vacant land near I485 and Wilkinson Blvd. exchanged for the 42-acre Duke service center site on Wilkinson near Little Rock Rd. The city would use the Duke service center site for offices and possibly more parking. Currently, about 250 Duke Energy workers are based there. According to Charlotte's assistant city manager
See REAGAN, 7A
See COAL ASH, 7A
Spread Some Natural Beauty. Mulch
Topsoil
Decorative Stone
www.laniermaterialsales.com 105 Hillandale Lane, Mt. Holly NC 28120 • (704)827-7055