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East Mountain Street 704.739.3611 106 Kings Mountain, NC 28086
www.KMinsure.com Volume 138 • Issue 2
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
kmherald.com • 704-484-1047
75¢
Program at the Patrick Center in KM helps seniors write their life stories By Alan Hodge “Everyone has a story to tell, but they don’t know they have it.” That’s what Regina Baynard tells folks who take part in the “Your Story, Your Way” journaling program held the first and third Wednesday of each month from 11:30am12:30pm at the H. Lawrence Patrick Senior Life and Conference Center, 909 E. Kings St., in Kings Mountain. The program lets participants share stories from their life and learn how to chronicle them not only for their own pleasure but for anyone they care to share them within this or future generations. Baynard, who was born on a farm in Ohio in 1948,
Your Story, Your Way program leader Regina Baynard (left), and participants Marlene Newman and Gayle Tapy shared some stories and writing tips last week. (Photo by Alan Hodge) has been volunteering to lead the class for about two years. She comes by her love of writing naturally. “My mother was very creative,” Baynard says. “She was a poet, an artist, and very musical. I inherited my love of poetry from
her.” Baynard put her writing skills to work at an early age. “When I was in eighth grade we had a poetry contest,” she said. “Some of the other kids asked me to write poems for them. The
teacher said it was curious how so many of the entries were similar.” More recently, Baynard has been working on her own life journey story. She has taken photos of her family and herself going back many, many,
decades and is penning an epic poem describing the scenes. So far, the work has filled two large albums. Baynard is sharing her talent with “Your Story, Your Way” participants. “We start by writing a sentence or a word and just let it flow from there in free association,” she said. “That can trigger memories. Some people will want to publish their story, some want to share with their family, some simply enjoy writing.” Last week, two ladies showed up for the program, Gayle Tapy from Gastonia and Marlene Newman from Kings Mtn. Tapy is basing her journal work on a book her father, a US Navy WWII veteran, had started writing, but never finished,
about his wartime adventures. “He told one story about the ship he was on taking government gold from Poland to America,” she said. “I started thinking about what other things he must have done and use my imagination to write them down. This helps me try to understand what he did.” Newman grew up in Kings Mtn. Last week was her first time taking part in the program. “I like to write and just want to see where the spirit directs me,” she said. “I especially want to write about the things I have seen in Kings Mtn.” Newman also has another rich source for journal material. “I was a missionary in See PATRICK, Page 8A
New Fiber Internet KM Forward Workbench session on Downtown Revitalization provider for KM The home internet provider, Ripple Fiber, is planning further expansion into the area. Ripple has a corporate headquarters in nearby Charlotte, NC, off Fairview Road. Announcing its plan to expand to Cherryville in 2024 via press release, Ripple now offers services in Shelby, Gastonia, Cherryville, and Hickory areas, and intends to further expand into Kings Mountain. Ripple has its origins in South Africa and has been a company since 2019. It came to North Carolina in 2021 and has continued to expand into other states. It is continuing to expand in North Carolina. The Company was merged recently with Hyper Fiber. CEO Greg Wilson is from South Africa. Other offices in the area include office locations in Mathews and Hickory. Ac-
cording to a source at Ripple and to the NC Secretary of State business filings for Ripple Fiber LLC, other officers in the company include: Mathew Billing (SVP of Corp Dev), Joshua Runyan (General Counsel), and Lance Van Der Spuy (President). The Charlotte office source denied further inquiries for information about Corporate Officers citing the company’s online presence as a primary source of information. The expansion is a notable one for the area, an area often served almost exclusively by Spectrum (formerly “Time Warner”) and AT&T (formally “BellSouth”). While other home internet service providers for the area include T-Mobile, they are often not fiber networks. T-Mobile recently announced it will also be rolling out a fiber network for its home internet service,
but few details are known about how or when it will come to Kings Mountain. Fiber internet is faster and newer than traditional cable internet. It gets its name from the fibers that are used to connect it. It, however, unlike satellite internet or 5G home internet, has to have more of a physical infrastructure to connect. Ripple is known for its packages like 500 Mbps, 1 GB, and 2 GB. It is also known for its price locks for life for the 1 GB and 2 GB packages. In addition to the life lock for price, each of the three Ripple plans offer free, professional installation. Any potential service address can be checked on Ripple’s website. If there is no coverage for the address, then interest for coverage can also be expressed on their website (Ripplefiber.com).
Notice of Discharge of Untreated Sewage The City of Kings Mountain had a discharge of untreated wastewater from their collection system located on the sewer outfall near Little Creek Church Road of approximately 120,000 gallons. The discharge occurred
on 1/5/2026 for approximately nine hours, the untreated wastewater was discharged into Beason Creek. The City of Kings Mountain cleared the roots from the sewer main and
has surveyed the line to check for additional roots or blockages that create additional untreated discharges. This notice was required by North Carolina General Status Article 21, Chapter 143.215C. For additional information contact William Nash, Water Resources Director at 704734-4531.
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The community is invited to a conversation on downtown revitalization with Steve D’Avria, Senior Vice President of the Gaston Business Association, on Thursday, January 22, at 5:30 p.m., in the Kings Mountain City Hall Council Chamber. Join KM Forward for an insightful and timely discussion with Steve D’Avria. As a driving force behind the Gaston Business Association’s operations and continued success, Steve brings firsthand experience and practical
STEVE D’AVRIA insight into what it takes to build vibrant downtowns. Steve will share proven strategies and real-world
Special programs at The Schiele Museum in 2026 Visitors Can Enjoy Free and Low-Cost Fun and Learning Thanks to Community Partners The Schiele Museum of Natural History is proud to offer a variety of special programs to the public this year, thanks to the generosity of local business partners. Monthly Free Tuesdays, a Community STEM Night, the Explorer’s Outpost, and Kid’s Quest Afterschool Adventures in the Curiosity Lab are all open and available in 2026. Since 2012, Duke Energy has sponsored monthly Free Tuesdays at The Schiele Museum. Admission is free for all visitors from 4:00 – 8:00 PM on the second Tuesday of each month in 2026. In addition, Duke Energy has also generously funded a free Community STEM Night on Thursday, January 15, from 5:00 – 8:00 PM. Visitors See SCHIELE, Page 4A
Free Tuesdays at The Schiele Museum– Admission is free for all visitors from 4:00 – 8:00 PM on the second Tuesday of each month in 2026.
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