KM Herald 7-17-19

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Volume 131 • Issue 28

kmherald.com • 704-739-7496

July 17, 2019

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Challengers shake up elections for Mayor and City Council By Loretta Cozart

WINGO NAMED ROTARY CITIZEN OF THE YEAR –Teresa Wingo was named the Kings Mountain Rotary Club’s Citizen of the year for her work and dedication helping the area’s homeless. Pictured (L-R) Rotary President Ed Blackburn, Teresa Wingo and Ronnie Franks, Seargentat-Arms. “Wingo is amazing and so passionate about giving of herself for others,” said Rotarian Shirley Bru tko. Photo by Shirley Brutko

Two challengers for the Mayor and City Council AtLarge seats are shaking up the November elections in Kings Mountain. Former Mayor Rick Murphrey filed Monday, challenging current Mayor Scott Neisler. Businessman David Brinkley also filed on Monday challenging incumbent Keith Miller for his Council At-large seat. Rick and wife Sandra Murphrey have been married 52 years and have a daughter, Tracy. They live at 402 Garrison Dr. in Kings Mountain. Murphrey is a graduate of Atlantic Christian College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and is retired after 42 years from Spectrum Dyed Yarns where he was vice president of sales and marketing. The Murphreys are members of First Baptist Church, where he is teacher of the men’s adult Sunday School class. Muphrey served the city

RICK MURPHREY

DAVID BRINKLEY

for 21 years, 15 years as Mayor of Kings Mountain and six years as a councilman, four of which he served as Mayor Pro-Tem. Regional Council C, which includes Cleveland, McDowell, Polk, and Rutherford Counties, of the North Carolina Association of Regional Councils of Governments twice honored Murphrey as Mayor of the Year. In his filing statement, Murphrey shared, “To keep taxes low, I worked with the State Department of

Commerce and Cleveland County EDC and city council, bringing 2000 new jobs and $3 billion plus in capital investment.” Cost saving programs he highlights in his filing statement include a 20-year contract with NTE Energy to be the new electric wholesale provider, saving the city $9 to $10 million dollars per year; negotiated with STEAG (now Cormetech) in 2015 to supply all electrical requirements for their entire campus which

brings in $300,000 in revenues annually; city installed a highly durable and sophisticated fiber-optic network. Dark Fiber was made available and data storage to the city’s large commercial and industrial customers generating $40,000 to $50,000 in revenue; and opening a second Natural Gas Gate station while working with NTE provides a redundant loop system and enhances reliability and cover future needs, generating $1.5 million in revenue. “I love our city and believe in its future. I believe in high standards with high expectations. I pledge to promote unity, family values, dignity, pride, security, personal growth and job satisfaction in our city associates and our community,” Murphrey said. “It is my fervent desire to devote my time and energy to the city again as Mayor. I would like to express my gratude and honor and pleasure of serving the City of Kings See ELECTIONS, Page 8A

Chief Frank Burns retires Friday By Loretta Cozart On Friday, July 19, Chief Frank Burns’ 45year career with the Kings Mountain Fire Department will be celebrated with a retirement ceremony at 4 pm at the Patrick Senior Center. In 1974, Burns joined the fire department as a full-time driver. A 1970 graduate of Kings Mountain High School, Burns worked his way through the ranks and was promoted to the Training Office in 1976. He went from fulltime to volunteer in 1979 and later that year became Volunteer Assistant Chief. He was promoted to Chief just ten years later in 1989 and has kept that role for the last 30 years. During his career, Burns commanded in many fire scenes, but a huge fire at the abandoned Margrace Mill stays with him still.

FRANK BURNS KM Fire Chief “The fire caught in the 2-story section of the old mill,” he said. “When we arrived, it was fully involved and there was little we could do but protect the remaining part of the building at the firewall. It took us ten to twelve hours to get that fire under control

Real to Reel returns to the Joy July 24 – 27 Lights, cameras, action! The Cleveland County Arts Council is proud to present the 20th annual Real to Reel International Film Festival, a unique festival celebrating the art of film. This year’s festival is co-sponsored by Kings

Burns fighting a fully involved fire.

See BURNS, Page 2A

Mountain Little Theatre and The Historic Kings Mountain Tourism Development Authority.

See REEL, Page 7A

Liberty Mountain performances This weekend is Liberty Mountain’s final weekend for the 2019 season, with performances at the Joy Performance Center. Performances are Friday, June 19, and Saturday, July 20, at 7:30 PM. Matinee performances are Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 pm. The box office opens an hour before show time. $10 discount coupons from the City of Kings Mountain are still available at City Hall, Mauney Memorial

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Library, and the KM Historical Museum. Tickets to all performances will be available at the door. A special performance of Into the Woods is scheduled for Thursday, July 18 at 7:30 pm. Ticket prices are “pay what you can.” Into the Woods is performed by an ensemble of actors from Liberty Mountain - The Revolutionary Drama. It is “Into the Woods - Out of a Box.

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KM Herald 7-17-19 by Community First Media - Issuu