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www.KMinsure.com Volume 135 • Issue 2
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Tillis, Burr help pass same-sex marriage bill by Carolina Journal Staff North Carolina U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis has been working on fellow Republicans to support the Respect for Marriage Act, and found success last week as it passed the chamber, 61-36. North Carolina’s senior senator, Richard Burr, was among the 12 Republicans who voted for it. While the act does not require states to permit same-sex marriages, it does require that states recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. Tillis played a pivotal role in negotiating the finer points of the bill and generating Republican support. He called it “a good compromise.” “It’s one that’s based on mutual respect for our fellow Americans, protecting the rights of Americans who may have different lifestyles or different viewpoints,” he
SENATOR THOM TILLIS of North Carolina
SENATOR RICHARD BURR of North Carolina
said on the Senate floor last week. The U.S. House is expected to pass the bill by the end of the year. It will then go to President Biden’s desk for signature. The House passed its version in July 2022 with a vote of 267-157, including 47 Republicans. Tillis was a negotiator on the final version’s details,
which include protections for nonprofits and religious organizations from being required to support same-sex marriages with services, facilities, or goods. “One, it maintains the status quo with respect to samesex marriage that was set forth by the Supreme Court decision, but then we make See SAME-SEX, Page 5A
KM Special Events brought lots of joy and fun in 2022 By Loretta Cozart City of Kings Mountain’s Special Events Department outdid themselves this year, planning special activities to engage and inform the community. Adding fun activities, games, rides, and tasty food offering only enhances the experience. In April, King City Church and Big Red’s Cafe partnered with City of Kings Mountain to sponsor a Spring Carnival filled with special needs accessible activities in the YMCA gym. The event included inflatables, music, food, sensory activities, pony rides, and free food and treats for children and their families. Wendell the Easter Bunny was also on hand for hugs and photos. Outdoor activities included a petting zoo, compliments of Son Ridge Farms, pony rides, along with vendors offering free snow cones, popcorn, and cotton candy. Battleground Community Church provided free hotdogs and local businesses like, Child Care Connections, Cleveland County Partnership for Children,
Budding artists paint at City of KM’s Easter event. Photos by Damien O’Brien
kmherald.com • 704-484-1047
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“Meet Dr. King” performance at Joy Theatre, January 16 To honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mauney Memorial Library, and the City of Kings Mountain welcome Bright Star Touring Theatre to perform, “Meet Dr. King” at the Joy Performance Center, January 16, at 2:00 pm. . “Meet Dr. King” is a wonderful introduction to the life and work of one of America’s most influential men. Perfect for younger audiences, this production serves to introduce students to major concepts of Black History like freedom, integration, and equality. “Meet Dr. King” helps young people begin to understand the importance of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement. This special play takes us from Dr. King’s life as just a
Bright Star Theater actor brings to life the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Photos provided
WBTV’s own Emmy winning journalist, Steve Crump is the guest speaker.
young boy experiencing racism for the first time, to meeting his wife, Coretta, to becoming a pastor and finally a national inspiration. Joining us for the performance as guest speaker is WBTV’s own Emmy winning journalist, Steve Crump.
The event, scheduled to begin at 2:00 pm, is free and open to the public. The Joy Performance Center is located at 202 South Railroad Avenue, Kings Mountain. For more information, please call Mauney Memorial Library, at 704-7392371.
Thrive Kings Mountain! opposes warehouses near I-85 at Exit 5 By Loretta Cozart Thrive Kings Mountain! opposes the 3.5 million square feet warehouse space proposed by development partners Insignis Partners and Panattoni Development Co. Inc. for property just south of I-85 at Exit 5 in the Dixon Community and is asking citizens to sign a petition against it at their website of the same name. Thrive Kings Mountain! wants to bring those who own land and/or live in Kings Mountain together to protest the rezoning of this rural land, to preserve the character of Kings Mountain. The outside developer is requesting four residential and rural parcels, totaling over 200 acres, on
Shepherd Mountain to be zoned Auto-Urban (Light Industrial) to build eight huge warehouses, totaling 3.5 million square feet. Thrive Kings Mountain! fears that if the property is rezoned to Light Industrial, and it “may include fabrication and assembly that does not meet the standard of heavy industry and warehousing with both indoor and outdoor storage and may have heavy truck and traffic.” The land in question are parcels 11599, 12880 and 12879 that will be requested to be rezoned from Suburban Residential to Light Industrial, and 58799 that will be requested to be rezoned from Rural to Light Industrial. Kings Mountain recently completed a Com-
prehensive Plan 2040 for the city, to be used to guide the “growth, redevelopment, and overall improvement of the City. The plan serves as official policy for the City of Kings Mountain and detail our vision, goals, policies, and strategies to manage growth, define and reinforce its identity and character and provide high-quality public facilities and services for all residents.” Per the Kings Mountain Comprehensive Plan 2040, “Character is the feeling an area has that comes from aesthetic enhancements such as architectural design, landscaping and screening, signage standards, and site amenities. These all contribute to development appearance. See THRIVE!, Page 8A
MLK Breakfast January 16 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church Two fellows enjoy a pony ride at the city’s Easter event last April. Kings Mountain YMCA, and Scoop Kings Mountain offered activities for participants. Outside, vendors like Jack Ross with Kettle King served free full-sized bags of popcorn and snow cones. Earth Day sponsored by Gateway Trail, City of Kings Mountain Special Events, and Mauney Memorial Library, brought
thousands to downtown Kings Mountain on April 30. After the butterflies were released, packets of red sand were distributed to the crowd to support the Red Sand Project, an organization that sheds light on human trafficking. Artisan vendors and demonstrators offered a wide variety See EVENTS, Page 3A
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The Davidson Association, in partnership with Bynum Chapel AME Church and Mt. Zion Baptist Church, will host the MLK, Jr. Breakfast honoring Mrs. Ina Hager, who passed away in 2022. Mrs. Hager hosted the MLK, Jr. Breakfast for years at Bynum Chapel and would open it to the public for a small $5.00 donation. This year the $5.00 per person raised will be donated to Cleveland County Hospice in honor of Mrs.
Martin Luther King, Jr. photographed by Marion S. Trikosko, 1964. ( LC-DIGppmsc-01269 Source: Library of Congress)
Hager. Members of Zeta Mu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. will also be there to serve and assist as they have in the past. Davidson Association continues to serve the community. Their Vision is to have the school facility become a center of Hope and Empowerment through Education and Training, as a model of self-determination. See BREAKFAST, Page 2A
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