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www.KMinsure.com Volume 129 • Issue 24
kmherald.com • 704-739-7496
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
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KMHS graduates 303 students
GIFT TO LIBRARY – Mr. and Mrs. John A. Scism of Bennettsville, SC have presented a check for $50,000 to the Jacob S. Mauney Memorial Library in honor of his mother, Fern Hovis Scism. Pictured at the presentation are City Manager Marilyn Sellers, Library Director Sharon Stack, John Scism, his sister, Sadie Patterson, and Mayor Scott Neisler. GRADUATION DAY PROGRAM SPEAKERS – Pictured are some of the speakers at Saturday’s KMHS commencement exercises at John Gamble Stadium. From left, Kaitlyn Moss, Richard Fernandez, Gretchen Boyles, Kaitlyn Venevongsoth, Julie Rikard, Danny Blanton, Kathy Falls, Shearra Miller, John Yarborough, Tyra Silaphet, Madison Green, Kassidy Hamrick, and Cooper Short. Standing in front of the stage are junior marshals David Friday and Alex Goff. See more graduation photos in today’s Herald on page 1B and 2B. Photo by GARY SMART
$50,000
Scisms give gift to Library Boyles, Weeks lead Commencement The Jacob S. Mauney Memorial Library announced this week the gift of $50,000 from Mr. and Mrs. John A. Scism, of Bennettsville, SC in honor of Mr. Scism’s mother, Fern Hovis Scism. Married to the late Grady Scism the couple lived and farmed in the Patterson Grove area of Kings Mountain. Blind in one eye from age eight, Mrs. Scism loved to read and lost her sight in her remaining eye late in life. Mr. Scism wishes his
funds to be used on tangible items for library customers that have special needs. Scism remembers his mother’s love of reading and credits her for encouraging him at a young age to emulate his successful peers. Mr. Scism particularly remembers the support of H. Lawrence Patrick who encouraged his business expertise. Mayor Scott Neisler says, “This fund and the opportunity that you are making available for future See SCISMS, Page 7A
Following in the pattern set by her parents and brother, Gretchen Boyles earned the honor of being Valedictorian of the Kings Mountain High School Class of 2017. She made the valedictory speech at commencement exercises Saturday morning in John Gamble Stadium where seniors said goodbye to high school, some entering the business
GRETCHEN BOYLES
MADISON WEEKS
world, the military, and others getting ready for college. Madison Weeks, Salutatorian and No. 2 in the 303- member class, gave the salutatory address. The two young women and a third, Abigail Morehouse, had tied scholastically up until the last minute of graduation week for the top award. Daughter of former Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bruce Boyles and Mrs. Boyles, Gretchen plans to attend Wake Forest University and major in Political Science and Communication. She will attend law school after graduation from Wake Forest. At KMHS, she played volleyball, was active in Band, Beta Club, National Honor Society, Student Government, and the local
chapter of Make a Wish Foundation in which the students raise money to grant a wish to a terminally ill child. Last year Gretchen attended Tar Heel Girls State sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary Unit 155 of Kings Mountain. She won a Provost Emeritus scholarship to Wake Forest University, a $10,000 Dover Foundation scholarship, and was honored as Outstanding Senior Girl by American Legion Post 155. Daughter of Madison and Sherri Weeks, Madison plans to attend East Carolina University and major in Exercise Physiology and after four years in college study three years to earn her degree as Doctor of Physical Therapy. See COMMENCEMENT, Page 7A
Business Showcase Liberty Mountain: City budget Thursday 5:30 p.m. public hearing Cleveland County Business Showcase will be held Thursday, June 15, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Duke Training Center, 1040 Beason Creek Road, Kings Mountain, in the Cleveland County Industrial Park on Highway 74 west of the city. This is a premier networking event and displays of businesses in Kings Mountain, Shelby, and other
areas of the county will be featured. Businesses will decorate their booths and displays with the theme “In Focus” and live music will be by the Dancing Fleas. There is no admission charge but sponsors are required for a successful showcase and can contact anna@clevelandchamber. org for more information on how to participate.
Summer Reading kick-off today Kick-off for the community summer reading program conducted by Mauney Memorial Library begins today (Wednesday) at 10 a.m. at Central United Methodist Church across the street from the library. The Green Bean Players will present “Pinocchio.” The Green Bean’s spin on the classic tale of Pinocchio with five actors, some special puppets and imagination make this story come to life. After the program, young people and their parents are invited to go to the library at 11 a.m.
and pick up fun crafts to make at home and check out books. Events continue this week with story time for children up to age 5 from 10-11 a.m. at Central Methodist Church and on Friday a family program will feature Story Walk at Kings Mountain Gateway Trail, 807 S. Battleground Ave., with stories and hiking. “Animal Architects” is an event the whole family can enjoy from 2-3 p.m. Friday at Central Methodist Church. Join representatives from the North Carolina Zoo who will bring animals, visuals, and hands-on animal artifacts in demonstrating creative ways animals build their houses, nests or community housing.
the Spirit of the Battlefield By Robert Inman One of the most exciting times in the production of any stage play is the day the cast and crew gather for the first time. It begins the journey toward molding a collection of talented individuals into a theatre INMAN family who work together to bring a unique and rewarding performance to the audience. That’s always been the case with “Liberty Mountain” as we begin our fourth season at the Joy Performance Center in Kings Mountain. Opening night is Friday, June 23, so there’s an enormous amount of work to be done in a short time, and it takes every person in the cast and crew bringing intensity and commitment to the production. It’s a tradition with “Liberty Mountain” that we always take part
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of that first day’s gathering to go to the source of our story – the Kings Mountain National Military Park -- where the battle took place in October, 1780 that turned the tide of the American Revolution. Together, we walk the trail that leads around the base of the mountain, ending on top at the impressive monument that pays tribute to the Patriot frontiersmen who fought here. It bears the names of 28 of their number who lost their lives in the savage, one-hour fight. If you haven’t visited the Kings Mountain battlefield, you should. The National Park Service does a wonderful job of preserving that sacred ground and telling the story of the battle and its significance. There’s a superb visitors center that includes a stirring movie produced by the History Channel and a museum with interactive exhibits that depict the life of the Carolina frontier country and graphically illustrate See LIBERTY MTN. Page 3A
Monday at 5:30 Citizens can have their say on the proposed $42.5M city budget at a hearing Monday night at 5:30 p.m. at Kings Mountain City Hall. Mayor Scott Neisler says he doesn’t expect to see a large crowd because the budget projections include no increases in any city service nor any increase in the ad valorem property tax rate of 43 cents per $100 valuation. The 2016-17 adopted budget was $45,566,186. The proposed budget for 2017-18 shows a decrease of $3,025,255. A copy of the budget is available at Mauney Memorial Library and city offices. During her presentation of the proposed budget at a recent workshop, City Manager Marilyn Sellers said, “I hope that you all are as excited about this budget as I am. It’s the beginning of a new day.” She added, “I’m beginning to see the’ light at the end of the tunnel’ thanks to a proactive staff, department heads, the mayor and city council. You made some hard decisions to get us where we are today.” Sellers said the city is in good financial position and $100,000 is budgeted for the
second year for a pay study to bring employee pay up to market standards via a “step” program. Outside professional agencies have assisted in the process and all city employees have been identified where they place in the market and about 70 percent have been addressed in the current budget. Sellers said that revenue was not impacted by the mild winter thanks to the additional electric load that NTE is utilizing during their construction period of the power plant, increased electric load by STI and new customer Plastic Products. Customer meter count saw a five percent increase as the growth continues in the city’s residential customer base. Due to higher than expected claims, the city was faced with a substantial rate increase but not to employees as their insurance benefits remain from the city with no changes. Capital outlay for 201718 is proposed at $1.12 M which includes 24 items to be purchased without financing. Only five are to be budgeted with lease payments See HEARING, Page 7A
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