Serving Belmont, Mount Holly, Stanley, Cramerton, and McAdenville
Volume 78 • Issue 21 • Wednesday, May 22, 2013
75¢
Remember those who served ALAN HODGE alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Editor’s note: Archival volumes containing both the Mount Holly News and Belmont Banner for 1945 are in our office and were used in researching this story.
they missed home. Some even received copies of the Banner or News delivered to them in farflung outposts, and that provided a
welcome connection to their communities. Thousands of men from Gaston County were drafted in WWII and
Memorials for fallen soldiers can come in many forms including stone, bronze, or the hometown newspaper. Both the Belmont Banner and the Mount Holly News were in print during WWII and their pages are full of news, good and bad, from the front about local men and women, where they were serving, and what was happening to them. Often, soldiers wrote letters to the papers, telling how much
hundreds never came back. According to Cope and Wellman’s “County of Gaston� book, about 300 men from here were killed in WWII. The wounded were many times that figure. The only volumes of the Banner and News from the WWII era still in existence are those from 1945. Turning the dry, brown pages opens up a window on just exactly how hard hit our area was in terms of casualties and deaths of local boys serving overseas. Nearly every issue for 1945 from January up until the surrender of the Japanese in August has mention of some local serviceman who was wounded or killed. The very first 1945 edition of
By Alan Hodge Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
After months of discussion by officials, a group of kudzu eating goats put boots, er, hooves, on the ground in Mount Holly early Friday morning and set to work clearing a 0.68-acre vacant lot owned by the city at the corner of Highland St. and E. Central Ave. The 30 goats are being leased from Horseshoe, N.C. based Wells
Contributed Photo
Justin (left) and Christopher Oplinger of Mount Holly are starting careers as race drivers in the quarter midget ranks. The brothers are the sons of Heather and Dale Oplinger, Mount Holly’s fire chief.
Oplinger brothers are tearing up the track alan.bannernews@gmail.com
NASCAR’s Busch siblings Kyle and Kurt had better watch out because there are two other brothers in Mount Holly coming up in the ranks of drivers looking to move into the big league of auto racing, as soon as they finish elementary school that is. The Mount Holly driving duo is 10-year-old Christopher and 8-year-old Justin Oplinger, the sons of Heather and Dale Oplinger. The kids attend Ida Rankin Elementary and Dale also happens to be Mount Holly’s fire chief. Racing is in the Oplinger blood. Dale’s dad was a driver and Heather’s brother took his share of turns around the track as well. When it came time for Christopher and Justin to stick their toes in the racing world waters, Dale and Heather took them to a quarter-midget car event as spectators. The boys liked what they saw and the rest is history. The cars that the boys drive are scaled down versions of midget racers and are built with tubular frames and fiberglas bodies. The single-cylinder engines propel the cars around a 1/20 mile paved track at speeds of up to 45mph. The cars are equipped with full roll cages, safety belt harnesses, and are painted to the driver’s specs. “They cost around $5,500 new,� said Dale. Like pro drivers, Christopher and Justin wear racing suits, shoes, full helmets, gloves, and neck braces. Each outfit adds another $1,000 or so to the racing bill. “All of the equipment is safety approved,� said Heather. According to the U.S. Auto Club, quarter midget racing has fewer injuries than little league baseball. The safety setup has come in handy. In one race, Christopher hit the guardrail at a track and flipped upside down over it. “He was a little sore the next day,� said Heather. “But I know they are safe in those cars. If I get butterflies before a race it’s because I want them to do well.� Both Christopher and Justin admit to having a few butterflies of their own before the green flag
See VETS, 5A
Goats hard at work in Mount Holly
NASCAR here we come!
ALAN HODGE
the Banner dated January 3 had front page articles announcing the combat deaths of US Navy sailor Clyde Muse and US Army Pvt. Charles Painter. The same page told of the wounding of Pvt. Wade Benfield and Gunners Mate James Craig. Only a few weeks later, January 31, more sad tidings were on the Banner and News front pages with the announcement that Pvt. Sidney Chaney and Lt. William Williams had been wounded and that Pfc. Charles Cowart and Lt. Frank Shook were missing in action. One week later, Conley Stowe
falls. “I feel like my stomach is nervous,� Christopher said. “On the track it goes away and I am confident I can win.� Christopher has a dozen victories in his three seasons behind the wheel and Justin four wins. Currently Justin is tied for first place in his class. There’s no money up for grabs in quartermidget racing, but pride and plaques are the rewards. There’s also the chance to gain experience and get exposure to potential sponsors. NASCAR drivers who got their start in quarter-midgets include Joey Logano, Jeff Gordon, and Ryan Newman to name a few. “Right now we are sponsored by True Timber and are looking for more sponsors,� said Dale. So, what do Christopher and Justin like most about quarter-midge racing? “I like how you go really fast and race with your friends,� said Christopher. That same feeling fuels Justin love of the sport as well. “You make good friends at the track and have a lot of fun,� he said. Both Dale and Heather point out that the quarter-midget tracks are family oriented and everyone watches out for everyone else’s kids. “They can be with their friends and we don’t worry,� said Dale. So, what does the future hold for the Oplinger brothers and their racing careers? “I would like to be on Kyle Busch’s team,� said Christopher. “I want to be on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team,� said Justin. Either way, the future looks bright for the Oplinger brothers and here’s wishing them luck on and off the track. The North Carolina Quarter Midget Association was started by NASCAR driver Bobby Labonte in 2004 and has a track at 1130 Speedway Blvd., Salisbury. The group has a website at www.ncqma.com with race schedules and other information about the sport and how to get started in it. Admission to races is free.
Farm and were delivered by Ron Searcy and assistant Jake Dorner. No sooner had Searcy and Dorner pulled the transport trailer up to the thicket and thrown the door open than the goats leapt out like paratroopers and attacked the scrub. In minutes they were cutting a swath though the tangled greenery. “The rougher it is the better they like it,� said Searcy. See GOATS, 5A
Argument ends with shooting Mount Holly Police responded to a shooting call at 109 Sella Ridge Dr. at approximately 8:40 pm on May 18, 2013. When officers arrived at the scene they observed that two adult males, a father and son, had been shot. The father was identified as Eugene Pittman, 59, the son was identified as Andrew Pittman, 22, both of 109 Sella Ridge Dr, Mount Holly, N.C. Preliminary investigation indi-
cated that father and son were arguing over a handgun, The handgun discharged hit the father in the torso area then the bullet hit the son in upper leg area. Both were transported to Carolina Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. Both are in good condition at this time. All facts of the case will be presented to the Gaston County District Attorney’s Office in reference to any charges.
Belmont’s water is good By Alan Hodge Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
The City of Belmont has issued its annual Water Quality Report and according to the facts and figures local citizens can drink up with little worry. Each year the NC Dept. of Environmental and Natural Resources (DNENR), Public Water Supply Section (PWS), Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) tests water sources across the state, including Belmont. The purpose of the tests is to determine the susceptibility of drinking water sources to Potential Contaminant Sources (PCSs). The results of the assessment are available in SWAP Assessment Reports that includes maps, background information, and relative susceptibility rating of Higher, Moderate, and Lower. Belmont gets its water from the Catawba River/Lake Wylie near the US 29/74 bridge. According to the DNENR report, that area was given a “Higher� susceptibility rating on Fe. 2010. However, that susceptibility rating does not imply poor quality water, only the system’s potential to become contaminated by PCSs in the assessment area. Belmont monitors its water for over 150 potential contaminants. Even if certain contaminants are present, that does not mean the water is a health risk. Recently, debate led by the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation has gone on over the possibility of the Catawba River’s water being
contaminated by seepage from coal ash ponds at Duke Energy’s Riverbend steam station on Mountain Island Lake and at the Allen steam station near Belmont. Allen steam station is downstream from Belmont’s water intake and the nowclosed Riverbend station ten miles upstream. The Belmont report is based on testing done from January 1 through December 31, 2012. Test results from that period indicate that Belmont water did not have any violation of coliform bacteria, fecal coliform or E. coli. Turbidity of Belmont’s water was also in the good range. Belmont’s water was also in the non-violation range regarding fluoride contaminants as well as copper, lead, and organic carbon. Overall, the reports numbers show that Belmont’s water is safe and good. The complete assessment for Belmont can be seen online at www.ncwater.org/pws/swap. Copies of the report are also available at City Hall. Questions about the SWAP report can be directed to Source Water Assessment staff at 919-707-9098. In Belmont, contact Joseph Roy, Senior Water Treatment Operator, at 704-825-2625.
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