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Volume 124 • Issue 18 • Wednesday, May 2, 2012 • 75¢
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Hot decisions boiling up to Primary Tuesday EMILY WEAVER Editor
Voters will head to the polls May 8th to elect their favorites in party races for a variety of county, state and Congressional seats. Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. A hot race has developed for seats on the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners and a hot-button issue of whether or not to change the state's constitution regarding marriage has already brought several voters to the polls. On May 8th, polls will be open at Bethlehem Baptist Church's Life Enrichment Center, 1017 Bethlehem Rd.; Grover Town Hall, 207 Mulberry Rd., Grover; Kings Mountain Family YMCA (back entrance) for those residing in the KM North district, 211 N.
Cleveland Ave.; Mauney Memorial Library for those residing in the KM South voting district, 100 S. Piedmont Ave.; Oak Grove Baptist Church's Fellowship Hall, 1022 Oak Grove Rd.; and, Waco Community Building, 200 S. Main St., Waco. One stop voting at the Cleveland County Board of Elections, 215 Patton Dr., Shelby, continues through Saturday (8-1 p.m.; Wednesday-Friday, 8-6 p.m.). Locally, a hot race has developed for three seats on the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners. Incumbents Ronnie Hawkins and Johnny Hutchins, both Republicans, will face Jeff Gregory and Susan K. Allen in the Primary, where only the top three vote getters will remain in the race. See VOTERS, 7A
You decide MAY 8
Signs around town show opposing views.
Man struck, killed by train ‘Say it ain’t so, Newt’
KYRA TURNER / HERALD
KM Police investigate scene along tracks.
Christopher Lynn Wright, 45, of 701 Church Street was struck and killed Monday morning by a Norfolk Southern train as police say he was walking along the tracks near Battleground Avenue and King Street. Shortly before 6:47 a.m. railroad officials aboard the train, traveling northbound, spotted a man walking northbound along the tracks and attempted to alert him numerous times, according to Kings Mountain Police. "However, the individual failed to get clear from the train which resulted in his death," according to Det. Cpl. J.T. McDougal. Anyone with further information about the incident is asked to call Kings Mountain Police at 704-734-0444.
New townhouses get the green light from council The 800 block of East King Street will soon be home to Cambridge Oaks Apartments, 56 townhouses on 7.7 acres - an estimated $2 million project. Kings Mountain City Council gave the green light last Tuesday night to Greenway Residential Development Company of Charlotte and rezoned the property of Kiser Enterprises. The parcel is familiarly known as "Kiser's field" owned by Kiser Enterprises of Bellevue, Washington. John Kiser, formerly of Kings Mountain, asked for the rezoning from General Business to Conditional Use. Kings Mountain lawyer Tim Moore, who represented the developers, said the apart-
ments should be ready for occupancy by March 2013. He said the property was sold for nearly $300,000. Greenway officials at the public hearing conducted by city council were developer Brad Parker, engineer David Odum, and designer John Wood of Cline Design and Associates. Moore said the apartments will be similar to Kings Manor, Cleveland Ridge and Kings Row apartments in Kings Mountain but will have a townhouse style with a common breezeway and will be constructed in groups of eight.
KM runners finish 1st in Gateway
EMILY WEAVER / HERALD
Kings Mountain’s Kate Crowell nears the finish line in Saturday’s Gateway 10K. She finished first overall. Read the full story, 7A.
See APARTMENTS, 7A
Grant could bring more jobs to city Five or more jobs could be coming if a building reuse and restoration grant is approved for a manufacturing operation at 606 Charles Street. Kings Mountain City Council last Tuesday authorized Mayor Rick Murphrey to submit a grant application for $35,000 to the North Carolina Rural Center. The grant amount requested is based on eligible building upfit items and is contingent on creation of jobs, according to Steve Killian, the city’s director of Planning and Economic Development. The property is owned by Ruppe & Woody Associates Inc. The total tax value of the building and land is $237,694.
Wheel in the Savings!
photo by REG ALEXANDER
Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich speaks to a crowd at 238 Cherokee Street Tavern, while NC GOP Vice Chair Wayne King, left, and restaurant owner Robert Bolin, right, look on.
Supporters urge Newt not to drop out, Newt rallies them to defeat Obama EMILY WEAVER Editor
Although not out-right retracting his bid for the presidency Wednesday at a stop in Kings Mountain, Republican candidate Newt Gingrich did say that he believed Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will be named the party's nominee. The remark, which garnered a "say it ain't so, Newt" reaction from supporters in the crowd at 238 Cherokee Street Tavern, came amid the speaker's 16-minute call to action for America. "This may be the most important election in our lifetime because I think a reelected (President Barack) Obama would be a disaster," Gingrich said. After the event, Margaret Pearson and her son, Isaac, agreed: anybody but Obama. "I want you, not Romney," one woman said from the crowd. "If he gets the nomination, how do we make sure that your ideals and your philosophies get heard and implemented?" "I think you can count on me remaining noisy," Gingrich told the crowd. "I really want to make this clear to every conserva-
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See NEWT, 7A
photo by ELLIS NOELL
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich addresses a crowd inside of 238 Cherokee Street Tavern Wednesday. He rallied the crowd to defeat Obama, which he said is the main goal this election.
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tive in the country, this is not about perfection. We can all have things we disagree about…but if you take who Romney is going to pick as a judge and you take who Obama is going to pick as a judge, you're talking about two different planets and you can go down a long list like that." Reports last week indicated Gingrich was set to formally exit the race on Tuesday and that Romney had already invited him to join his team. Gingrich told supporters at a Gaston County GOP breakfast in Cramerton and at lunch in Kings Mountain, last week, that he is still committed to uniting the party and in making sure Obama is a one-term president. State GOP Vice Chairman Wayne King echoed the goal as he introduced the former House speaker. "If we elect a conservative team this fall that doesn't mean the left is going to go away. They're going to do everything they can to fight us next year," Gingrich said. "I think everybody is going to have an opportunity to be active and to be involved. I'm
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