INSIDE...
SPORTS - 1B
Obituaries ........................ 2A Police Log ........................ 2A Lifestyles ......................... 6A
■ KMHS Volleyball take top spot in SMAC See Page 3B
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Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Volume 128 • Issue 36
Indoor Air Quality Assesments • New Installations
75¢
Sunday alcohol sales
Council levels playing field KM Historical Museum President Susan Champion is ready to present the $10,000 cash prize to the lucky ticket holder at Saturday's 13th annual Museum benefit at the Patrick Senior Center. (file photo)
Tickets close to sell out for Museum event on Saturday, Sept. 10 Tickets are close to selling out for the 13th annual Reverse Raffle & Auctions set for Saturday by the Kings Mountain Historical Museum at 5:30 p.m. at the H. Lawrence Patrick Senior Life & Conference Center. Each $125 ticket provides dinner for two, a one in five chance to win a fantastic raffle prize and a 1 in 300 chance to win the $10,000 cash grand prize. Only 300 tickets will be
sold. This year's final five finale will feature prizes increasing in value up to the last ticket drawn. The last four tickets drawn prior to the grand prize winner will each receive a special gift. The second runner up will receive a vacation package valued at $500. Ticket holders do not have to be present to win. “We are so grateful for See TICKETS, Page 7A
DeHaan pled guilty to tax evasion WASHINGTON, DC A Kings Mountain, North Carolina man who set up straw companies to evade income taxes and used cash from his business to build an underground bunker, pleaded guilty this week to tax evasion and possession of an unregistered firearm, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo, head of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose for the Western District of North Carolina. According to documents filed with the court, Reuben T. DeHaan, 44, owned a holistic medicine business, which he operated out of his residence in Kings Moun-
tain under the names Health Care Ministries International Inc. and Get Well Stay Well. DeHaan admitted that, with the help of others, he set up straw companies and opened bank accounts in the name of the straw companies to hide his income and assets from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). DeHaan also admitted to dealing extensively in cash to evade the payment of income tax. During the years 2008 through 2014, DeHaan earned more than $2.7 million in gross receipts from his holistic medicine business, but failed to file income tax returns for those years
City Council last Tuesday “leveled the playing field” by voting 4-3 to amend a city ordinance to permit Sunday sales of beer and wine at convenience stores that had been restricted under the ordinance because they did not offer food to customers. Previously, only two businesses in the city could sell the beverage to customers on Sunday during the hours of 12 p.m. through 7 a.m. the following Monday and convenience store owners had objected that the policy was unfair. Mayor Scott Neisler opened the discussion by saying that “ I am for it and it's the fair and right thing to do.''
the law ( like Swiss cheese) allowing beer sales on Sunday during certain hours but only by grocery stores and restaurants who sold food. Miller voted against SCOTT NEISLER KEITH MILLER the amendment along MAYOR COUNCILMAN with councilman The mayor's Tommy Hawkins and statement set the tone of Jay Rhodes. conversation among the Councilman Curtis seven member council. Pressley made the motion, Councilman Keith seconded by Councilman Miller, who made the mo- Rodney Gordon, to approve tion to take the agenda item the amendment and also off the consent agenda to voting in favor were mayor be discussed by the board, pro tem Mike Butler and said “it's an opportunity for councilman Howard Shipp. all the community to come Convenience store owntogether.” ers must now obtain the Miller said the state proper permits with city pohad created loop holes in lice and Alcohol Beverage
Control officials. By the board's action, Section 110-30 “Alcoholic Beverages” and more particularly subsection B (precluding the sale of malt beverages, unfortified wines and forfeited wines during any and all hours from 12 p.m. on Sunday through 7 a.m. the following Monday) was deleted in its entirety. The change in the ordinance was effective August 31, 2016. In other business, city council approved several budget amendments. Among them, the increase of $68,000 the cost for upgrading the downtown Cherokee Street parking lot for which a $97,000 grant See SUNDAY ALCOHOL, Page 7A
County commissioners seek support of local sales tax on Nov. 8 ballot Cleveland County commissioners are seeking support of a 0.25 percent local sales tax increase as a referendum question on the general election ballot Nov. 8. The board, at a June 21 meeting in which they approved the resolution, said the sales tax increase proposed is for public safety, including money to support volunteer fire departments, and making clear the sales
tax increase proposed is a way to avoid a property tax increase. There is no property tax increase for 2016-17 and the referendum on the ballot is an alternative method of funding volunteer fire departments and not raising county property taxes. Commissioner Johnny Hutchins of Kings Mountain made the motion to accept the resolution and
move forward with placing the referendum on the November 8, 2016 ballot. His motion was seconded by Commissioner Ronnie Hawkins of Kings Mountain and passed unanimously. Commissioners Jason Falls of Kings Mountain, Susan K. Allen and Eddie Holbrook of Shelby voted in favor. “This is a fair tax,'' said Hutchins who noted that this proposed tax is based
on consumption and not the commissioners adding more to the county property tax. “This is a fair way to raise funds for public safety,'' said Commissioner Allen. “If citizens want to go back and read the county charter they will read that it is the responsibility of the commissioners to provide See SALES TAX, Page 7A
School prayer walk KM teacher David Reed is CCS Top Educator Sunday at 6 p.m. Join the school of your choice Sunday, Sept. 11, at 5 p.m. and participate in a prayer walk. The invitation is from the Kings Mountain Ministerial Association whose members will be leading the prayer walk at each of the schools in Kings Mountain and Grover. Pastor Ron Caulder, president of the Kings Mountain Ministerial As-
sociation, says if you are unable to attend you can pray where ever you are for the schools, students, teachers, assistants, administrators and all the school employees as they begin another school year. “We invite everyone to pray for all those going back to school this fall from all over Cleveland County,'' said Caulder.
See DEHAAN, Page 7A
Upbeat energy gets a big A plus in David Reed's 6th grade Language Arts Class at Kings Mountain Intermediate School. Reed got an A plus from the judges and other awards recently when he was named the Cleveland County School's Teacher of the Year among five finalists for the honor from Cleveland County Schools. Other finalists were two other Kings Mountain teachers Kala Ryan Cord from Bethware Elementary and Kate Kerr from KM Mid-
DAVID REED dle, Donna Stewart from See REED, Page 7A
Annexation okayed by city CCS graduation rate up City Council welcomed North Carolina State Employee Credit Union into the corporate limits last Tuesday night after voluntary contigu-
ous annexation petition from the business. The ordinance adopted unanimously by the board of commissioners after public hearing extends the city limits by 4.25 acres. The area will be provided with rolling services ( police, fire) that are substantially
equivalent to those within the existing corporate limits. All rolling services can be delivered without additional personnel. The land would be served by the city with public water and public sewer and it is possible to serve the site with commercial garbage pickup.
The high school graduation rate for Cleveland County Schools has increased again and surpassed the state average graduation rate, according to information released by the North Carolina State Board of Education. The Cleveland County
rate of 88.2 percent is above the state graduation rate of 85.8. Called the four-year cohort graduation rate, it reflects the percentage of students who entered the ninth grade in 2012-13 and graduated four years later in June 2016.
Cleveland County Schools increased its fouryear graduation rate from last year by 1.6 percent to 88.2 percent. The graduation rate for the Class of 2016 at Kings Mountain High School is 92.7 percent, compared to 91 percent in 2015.
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