CHRISTMAS FANTASY LIGHTS attracting crowds to downtown 5:30 PM Nightly through January 1
Photo by Ellen Devenny
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www.KMinsure.com Volume 127
Issue 49
Grover Mayor Willis takes oath Monday
Retiring Grover Mayor J. D. Ledford, left, swears in new Mayor Bill Willis Monday night at Grover Town Hall. Photos by LIB STEW ART ELIZABETH STEWART lib.kmherald@gmail.com
GROVER – Mayor pro tem Bill Willis took the oath of office as the new Mayor of Grover Monday night at Town Hall. Retiring Mayor J. D. Ledford administered the oath to the mayor and also to newly-elected council members Tony Willis, Patrick Shannon and Angelia Early. The board elected Jackie Bennett, who has served 12 years on the board, as Mayor pro tem. During business of the meeting Kings Mountain
attorney Mickey Corry was elected town attorney and Lela Allen was appointed deputy clerk. “I look forward to being a regular citizen,'' said the retiring mayor who acknowledged that the job of mayor is a challenge but that he had enjoyed his service to the community and would be available as a volunteer to help out at any time. Mayor Willis thanked Ledford for his service to the city and the board voted to retain Ledford as a consultant through the 201415 audit period
Caldwell to administer new Mayor's oath Superior Court Judge Jesse Caldwell of Gastonia will administer the oath of office Scott Neisler to Scott Neisler Tuesday evening at City Hall as he assumes
kmherald.com
Wednesday, Decembe December 9, 2015
duties as Kings Mountain Mayor. Prior to the swearing-in of the two new faces on city council – the mayor and Ward 5 councilman Jay Rhodes, the Rick Murphrey administration will meet at 6 p.m. to discuss city business followed by an organizational meeting of the new Neisler administration and major business will be the election of a mayor pro tem and appointment of the city attorney. At the close of the organizational meeting a reception will be held to which the public is invited.
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Thousands turn out for Christmas parade DAVE BLANTON dave.kmherald@gmail.com
The weather couldn’t have been much more accommodating for Saturday’s Christmas parade, which snaked through downtown under sunny skies as it showed off the area’s finest churches, teams, bands, dance troupes and businesses. The longtime Christmas tradition drew a healthy crowd along its 1.1-mile route as young and old alike could be seen competing for candy all along the route that winds from City Hall through Battleground Ave. and down along King St. until close to York Rd. The Kings Mountain High School marching band provided a moving concert along the route, while a host of pageant winners, elected officials and dancers enlivened the crowds that lined the streets. Kings Mountain Mayor Rick Murphrey led the line of floats and cars. Murphrey this month is completing more than two decades in city government. He was
Cox killed in wood chipper accident A Gastonia man was killed in Kings Mountain Saturday afternoon after he was pulled into a wood chipper, according to Kings Mountain Police. Police and emergency personnel responded to 402 Hawthorne Road where they found Mason Scott Cox, 19, of 3006 Lowell Road, inside the wood chipper. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. Det. Cpl. B. M. Black said that after investigation it was determined that the death was accidental and no foul play was involved. According to the incident report filed by Ptl. B.C. McGinnis the man became trapped inside the machine. Cox was employed by Crawford Tree Service of Belmont. It was his first day on the job filling in with the tree service when the fatal accident happened.
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joined by Police Chief Melvin Proctor, Kings Mountain Fire Chief Frank Burns, a number of Kings Mountain City Council members, Cleveland County Board of Education members and N.C. State House of Representatives Speaker Tim Moore. Car clubs, football teams and cheerleading squads rounded out the list of marchers and float passengers. The parade’s final element was Santa Claus, who probably threw more candy than anyone else. As in years past, the parade was videotaped by Cleveland Community College and will be shown at various times this week on C-19. Hosts of the show were Kings Mountain Tourism Development Authority Executive Director Ellis Noell and Cleveland County Board of Education member Shearra Miller. KTC Broadcasting will also stream the parade on its website, www.ktcbroadcasting.com. Earlier in the week, organizers kicked off the
GRAND MARSHAL – Mayor Rick Murphrey and his wife, Sandra, are pictured in the Kings Mountain Christmas Parade Saturday. Murphrey will complete 21 years in city government Tuesday night at 6 p.m. when he presides at a meeting of his board which precedes the swearing-in of a new mayor. Photo by HALEY WILSON Christmas Fantasy Light Show in downtown Kings Mountain. The light show features thousands of LED lights in all colors, animated to music. Motorists can tune in to “Let is Snow, Radio (101.5) to
hear the music or can leave their cars to get the full effect of the extravaganza. Outdoor speakers are also broadcasting the program’s music along Railroad and Battleground Avenues downtown.
Going out or shopping online? DAVE BLANTON dave.kmherald@gmail.com
Kings Mountain shoppers are divided on how they go about their annual Christmas buying binges. In this they join the rest of the country. Despite big shifts toward online shopping in the last ten years, about half of Americans still do the majority of their Christmas gift buying at physical stores.
With few retail options (and no so-called “big box” stores) Kings Mountain residents are easily tempted by the lure of scrolling, clicking and paying from the comfort of their couch. “Absolutely, I do a lot of online shopping,” said Nancy Rabb, who is retired but works on a part-time basis at a Kings Mountain boutique. “I’m just looking and I’ll pull something up (online) and I’ll buy it.”
Rabb is quick to point out that she’s a devoted shopper no matter the format. She says she likes the experience of shopping in actual stores like Kirkland’s and Kohl’s. But a year or so ago she found herself browsing more and buying more on web sites, including those managed by individual retailers and one-stop Internet malls like eBay and Amazon. See SHOPPING, Page 7A
Commissioners re-elect Falls Cleveland County Commissioners last Tuesday reelected Jason Falls, Republican from Kings Mountain, as chairman of the board for a Jason Falls third term. The Commission also re-elected Eddie Holcomb, Democrat, of Shelby as vice-chairman.
Falls said, ''I am honored that the Board of Commissioners elected me as Chairman for a 3rd consecutive term (each term is for one year). I consider it an honor to serve the residents of Cleveland County. The Board of Commissioners has worked hard to provide quality services to our residents and remain fiscally conservative. We have many challenges ahead of us in 2016 with property re-evaluation
being one of those, along with public safety and a continued focus on bringing jobs to our area. Our Board is united in working towards those goals with our community partners, municipalities and County employee force for a better Cleveland County.'' Other members of the board are Ronnie Hawkins, Johnny Hutchins, and Susan Allen, all Republicans from Kings Mountain.
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