HORD’S CONTAINER SERVICE (704) 466-6008 Volume 135 • Issue 42
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
kmherald.com • 704-484-1047
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Brock O’Brien making strides thanks to faith and family By Loretta Cozart On September 5, Brock O’Brien was on his way home to Grover from his job at Tryon Distributor’s in Charlotte. As he turned left with the light onto I-485 at Arrowood Road, a driver t-boned his car at high speed. Brock’s vehicle was reduced to half its width from the impact, and he was trapped inside. EMTs used the Jaws of Life to extract him; he was unresponsive and was taken by ambulance to Atrium Main. “I was supposed to be in the car that day,” said Brock’s younger brother Damien. “My brother and I are best friends and do everything together. We have jobs at the same company in Charlotte and commute. That day I had a photo shoot, so I wasn’t with him. If I had been, I would have been killed.” Damien was hours away when he got the call from his family, parents Cindy and Ben O’Brien, and younger brother Thor, that Brock had been in a serious car accident in Charlotte. He jumped in his car and drove directly to the hospital. Brock was in a coma on a ventilator. Damien recalls his family meeting with the doctors in a Boardroom at the hos-
Damien and Brock O'Brien before the accident. Photos provided pital days later. “They gave us no hope of recovery. We respect their training and expertise and heard their advice, but we decided to put our faith in God to heal Brock.” The day of the accident, Cindy and Damien quit their jobs to support Brock at the hospital. They stayed in a nearby hotel and Ben joined them on weekends. The family spent their time in the Panera at the hospital and took one-and-half-hour shifts sitting with Brock.
Only one person was allowed to be with him. “Two weeks after the accident, I was with Brock when physical therapy came in. They told me they were going to sit him up on the side of the bed, so I decided to record it for the family to see. I was looking at Brocks feet. As a tilted up, I could see that Brock’s eyes were open and he blinked his eyes.” When Damien ended his shift, he ran to the elevator See O’BRIEN, Page 8A
Shaniah Wright was crowned the 2021 KMHS Homecoming Queen Friday, October 15. Shaniah was nominated by the KMHS Ambassadors Club. She is the daughter of Joe and Theresa Wright and step daughter of Talathia Wright. See more Homecoming photos 8B. Photo by Gary Smart
KMLT announces School Board votes Christmas double-feature to sell Central School tickets on sale now and property behind Grover School Join KMLT for family friendly, heart-warming stories for the holidays and support local theatre in November. Enjoy an original, never-before-seen stage show and the classic Peanuts gang all in one night. This 2 for 1 holiday special will set you in the spirit for the upcoming holidays. You are invited to Cletus's tree farm where every tree is cut and carried with "lots of love" & to join the Smith family for their holidays. Then, celebrate the true meaning of Christmas with Charlie Brown, Linus, Snoopy, Sally, Lucy, Schroeder, Frieda, Pig Pen, Patty, Shermy, and Violet as they play in the snow, practice the Christmas play, search for a tree, and discover "what Christmas is all about." Performances are suitable for young children with short attention spans. Shows are scheduled the first and second weekends of the month: • Friday, November 5 and 12 at 7:30 p.m. • Saturday, November 6 and 13 at 7:30 p.m. • Sunday, November 7 and 14 at 3:30 p.m. Tickets went on Sale Monday, October 18. General admission tickets are $10. Tickets may be purchased online through the theater’s ThunderTix account, or at the ticket office before performance. For the best value, purchase a Season Pass by contacting Jim Champion at jim@kmlt.org. Details available at the KMLT website, Facebook, and Instagram.
By Loretta Cozart During the Cleveland County School Board Meeting on October 11, members voted unanimously to place Central School in Kings Mountain on their surplus property list. This is the first step in selling the property. A home and land behind Grover School are also being sold. According to a report by school board member Danny Blanton, “The Operations Committee met on Friday, September 24 at 9 a.m. and reaffirmed the decision to move forward with the potential sale of the house and property at Grover School and the Central School property. A formal motion to declare these properties as surplus will come at tonight’s board meeting and information about the sale of the property will be included on the district’s website,” he said. “Regarding the Central School property, the district will include a 12-month window to allow the district time to relocate the Plant Opera-
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tions Division.” Later in the meeting, when the topic of surplus property was discussed, Blanton spoke again saying, “I don’t remember us talking about the 12-months. You say we did. I must not have too good a memory. But it wouldn’t take me 12-months to go over there and take a truck, pack that up, and move them over to Plant Operations in Shelby,” he said. “I just can’t see if we got somebody wanting to buy the place that we take 12-months to move out, because that might cut the price of what somebody wants to give for it. But it shouldn’t take our maintenance crew 12-months to move out,” he concluded. Dr. Fisher explained that the idea behind the 12-month window was to allow ample time to plan and get things out of the facility. The school system also stores things in the gym. “We’ll need ample time to get things out,” he explained. School policy is to then See CENTRAL, Page 2A
Guests mingle with reenactors. Photos by Bryan Hallman
Celebrating 20-year history
KMLT 2021 Gala Theater complex becoming a leading regional entertainment venue Kings Mountain Little Theater celebrated their 20th anniversary at The Joy Performance Theater on October 9. Members and guests gathered in the Liberty Mountain Garden beside the theater. Kings Mountain Little Theatre, its officers, and board of directors announced a major restroom renovation and expansion earlier this year. Big news for next year is the return of Liberty Mountain to the stage next season. Due to the pandemic, the
performance was cancelled this year. In the meantime, KMLT has accomplished a great deal with the generous support of the community, allowing them to successfully complete numerous projects to improve their facility. This major renovation will enhance the original Joy Theater design elements for the façade, will extend the lobby area, and add bathrooms. All these elements will be features of the project. The Joy and the Liberty Mountain Garden are already cornerstones of downtown Kings Mountain. This project will transform the complex into one of the leading entertainment See GALA, Page 8A
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