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News From Along The Banks Of The Neuse
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AUiSaATIO
VOLUME 11 NO. 15
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VANCEBORO, NORTH CAROLINA
PHONE 2« 0780 OR 046 21«
(UPSP 412-110)
25 CENTS
SIX PAGES
Aldermen Address Code, Water Issues
By MIKE VOSS
Editor
COVE CITY — A minimum
housing code is in the works for
Cove City after the town's Board
of Aldermen unanimously voted
Monday night in a called meeting
to appoint a committee to draw
up the minimum housing code.
Alderman Eugene Massey
ao^ked that the committee review
a minimum housing code
obtained from another town and
develop a minimum housing
code tailored for Cove City. Mas
sey and other aldermen agreed
that some parts of the sample
minimum housing code might
not be suitable or apply to Cove
City.
Alderman Charlton Mitchell
said the sample minimum hous
ing code "made it so tight" and
he suggested the committee,
when appointed, try to write a
minimum housing code that
addresses the situations and
needs of Cove City. Mitchell said
he wanted a committee to de
velop the minimum housing
Dominicks Debuts
Doctored Chekhov^
At Dinner Theater
By MIKE VOSS
Editor
Some diners at Dominic's
"flestaurant over the weekend
not only got their checks, they
got a little Chekhov also.
The restaurant added din
ner theatre to its menu Friday
and Saturday night as the Car-
baret Players presented “Doc
tored Chekhov,” three one-act
plays by the Russian play
wright Anton Chekhov.
The New Bern-based troupe
presented “The Boor,” “In A
Music Shop” and “The Mar
riage Proposal” at two 8:15
p.m. performances last
weekend.
The Cabaret Players —
Robert Hennon, Lorraine
Hale and Leslie John Lee —
are from Craven County. Fri
day night's show didn't draw
too many people, but Satur
day night's performance ne
cessitated the addition of
tables and seating.
The in-the-round produc
tion was held in the main room
of the restaurant that is lo
cated south of Vanceboro on
U.S. 17.
The production continues
this weekend at O. Marks in
downtown New Bern. Shows
are set for 8 p.m. April 14-16.
Tickets are $6.
The players present two of
Chekhov’s one-act plays and a
one-act adaptation of one of
Chekhov’s short stories. The
production's name reflects the
first career of Chekhow — a
physician and as a reminder of
the troupe’s first performance,
a comic adaptation of
Chekhov stories by Neil
Simon in a show called “The
Good Doctor.”
The one-act presentations
are:
The Boor. Lee plays a man
who seeks to recover a debt
from a romantically-inclined
widow. The widow, still in
mourning, is portrayed by Ms.
Hale. The troupe clings to a
most-popular traditional
translation of the script.
Ute Marriage Propoaal. An ex
tremely excitable and nervous
suitor (Lee) begins proposing
to a yound and beautiful
woman (Ms. Hale) with the
approval of her father (Hen
non), but before long a quarrel
erupts over a boundary line.
In A Mutie Shop. A music shop
is the settng for this farce in
(See PLAY, Page 5)
Ft. Barnwell Educator
Gets PrincipaVs Award
With a strong belief that stu
dents, teachers and community
must work together to provide a
positive school atmosphere,
Valeria Barrow, principal of Fort
Barnwell Elementary School
and New Bern-Craven County’s
Principal of the Year, provides
• an environment in which that
philosophy prevails.
Students are the focus and
positive reinforcment in the
foundation of the instructional
program. Mrs. Barrow has initi
ated several programs that en
courage and reward good be
havior, academic achievement,
and positive character growth.
Teachers are proud of their posi
tive work environment and are
encouraged to share in the deci
sion-making process at Fort
Barnwell. Mrs. Barrow believes
in an open-door policy with her
faculty and parents. Parents
have many opportunities to par
ticipate in school activities and to
g^ input into the successful op-
*~tRttion of the school. Home visits
are also a part of Barrow’s activi
ties as principal of the school.
The school participates in com
munity events and encourages
the community to be active in the
school events. Mrs. Barrow attri
butes much of her success at Fort
Barnwell School to the over
whelming support of students,
staff and community people.
Barrow believes strongly in
open communication on a sys
temwide level sharing ideas
often with central office super
visors and other principals. She
enjoys a challenge and views her
self as a very goal-oriented per
son. "Most effective principall-
ing is a juggling act," according
to Barrow, "You never know
what you’re going to face from
day to day.”
Barrow received a B.S. and
M.S. from East Carolina Uni
versity. She is certified in excep
tional children as well as supervi
sion and administration. A high
light of her educational back
ground was the completion of
the Principal’s Executive Prog
ram at UNC at Chapel Hill. Past
professional experiences include
teaching in the Exceptional Chil
dren’s l^ogram, serving as assis
tant principal at J.T. Barber
Junior High School and provid
ing mentor teacher services to all
initially certified personnel in
the New Bern-Craven County
School System. She has been the
principal of Fort Barnwell
Elementary School for two years.
A supportive family consisting
(See PRINCIPAL, Page 2)
code in order to allow the public
to have input into the minimum
housing code.
The aldermen suggested the
committee use the sample mini
mum housing code as a guide
while writing the town’s mini
mum housing code. Housing
codes require specific conditions
be met and sets any action the
town can take to ensure adequate
and safe housing. In some inst
ances a town or city can con
demn, tear down or require re
pairs be made to houses.
"I want our inspectors to be
ft-om Cove City, not from New
Bern," said Mitchell.
The alderman agreed to meet
with county officials to discuss
possibly tying into the North
west Craven Water and Sewer
District water line. If the town
elects to tie into the system while
the contractor installing it has
equipment in the area, the cost of
the hook up is estimated at about
$20,000. The hook up would be
made near Wintergreen Church,
about three miles north of town.
Tire town is also in the process
of drilling a well for its water sys
tem, but is considering using the
hook up with the Northwest
Craven Water and Sewer District
as an emergency source of water
supply.
In February, Cove City filed a
lawsuit against the City of New
Bern and City Manager Walter B.
Hartman Jr. after the town and
city were unable to reach an
agreement on a water rate in
crease and New Bern threatened
to shut off Cove City’s water
Statue of the Combatant in Managua
Sandino caption reads: "Only the workers and the peasants will last until the end. **
Eye-Opening Visit
American’s Adventures In Managua
By Mike Hughes
Barrow with students
When an American thinks of
Nicaragua, he is probably more
likely to conjure images of battle-
torn buildings and jungle war
riors than of street musicians and
artisans.
After all, the Central American
nation has been in the throes of
war for more than just a few
years, what with its sweeping re
volution in the 1970s and with a
seven-year fight between the
Sandinista government and the
anti-government Contra rebels.
An American who returned
IVom the region recently says,
however, that contrary to popu
lar belief, a trip to the capital is
far more likely to be characte
rized by the sound of music than
the sight of war.
"Americans have a lot of pre
conceptions and misconceptions
about Nicaragua,” says Walter
Krochmal of New York, who
spent 10 days in January in the
capita] city, Managua.
Part of his Central American
trip was spent in neighboring
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where
he grew up and where his mother
still lives. Krochmal lived in the
Honduran capital from 1969-78.
More recently, he visited his
brother, Maurice, who lives in
Washington.
Krochmal, 28, an actor in New
York’s Spanish theatre, says he
traveled to Managua in part to
gather information and ideas for
a theatrical endeavor he is creat
ing and hopes to perform in the
near future.
"I went to Nicaragua out of
curiosity and out of a sense of
adventure," he says. “I wanted to
see what kinds of things the peo
ple were doing artistically since
the revolution.”
He saw much more than that.
Managua today, a city of about
a half-million in southwestern
Nicaragua, is a shattered rem
nant of the capital under former
leader Anastasio Somoza, Kroch
mal says. Set on a vast flatland,
the city is doughnut-shaped, a
series of isolated outthrusts prac
tically without a center.
The city’s hub fell prey to a
tremendous eartho.uake in 1972
and the revolutionary war
throughout the decade, and has
not yet been rebuilt, leaving the
terrain spotted with gutted
buildings. Moreover, with seven
faults running through the cen
ter of Managua, it is unlikely the
city will be restored to its pre
earthquake shape.
Many of Managua's wide
boulevards — paved under the
Somoza regime — are barren.
There is little industry. Poverty
and unemployment are high, and
many citizens rely on the black
market for necessities. The San
dinista government, named after
revolutonary leader Augusto
Sandino, issues ration coupons
for food, fiiel and other commod
ities, but food staples — beans
and rice — are in short supply on
the open market.
Double- and sometimes triple
digit inflation has left the na
tion’s economy in turmoil. U.S.
dollars are a precious resource,
so much so that all American
visitors to Nicaragua are re
quired at the airport in Managua
to exchange $60 U.S. for its
equivalent in Nicaraguan Cordo
bas. Current exchange rates are
about 16,000 Cordobas for $1 or
between 25,000 and 30,000 per $1
on the black market.
Economic woes are to be ex
pected in a war-tom country. But
there also were a few surprises,
Krochmal says.
For instance, there is no diffi-
(See NICARAGUA, Page 5)
supply.
A letter from Craven County
Manager Tyler Harris to Cove
City Mayor L.D. Davis stated: “It
is not the intention of the county
and the district to intervene in
any kind of legal action between
the Town of Cove City and the
City of New Bern. Our intent is to
sell water to people wishing to
become a part of the customer
base of our new system. As you
probably know, the district be-
(See ALDERMEN, Page 2)
Tourism
Big Bucks
In Craven
Just Small Change
In Jones, Pamlico
GREENVILLE — Gov. Jim
Martin released statistics Mon
day that indicated that counties
in the Neuse River area had a
mixed bag of participation in a
travel and tourism boom in the
state.
Martin said that tourism was “a
very strong part of the economy
in 1987,” generating $5.7 billion
in total revenue and $210 million
in state and local taxes. That was
a 12 percent increase over 1986,
Martin said.
Of the total, about $1.6 billion
was spent by North (Carolinians
traveling within the state and
$4.1 billion was from out-of-state
visitors, Martin said.
Acco^ing to figures released
at Martin’s news conference at
the Governor’s Conference on
Travel and Tourism, Craven
County fared well while Pamlico
and Jones counties were not
greatly affected by the boom.
Between them, the three coun
ties represented less than one
percent of the total revenue from
tourism in the state.
Martin said that the red tide —
an algae which closed shell-
fishing waters — reduced tour
ism in coastal areas because
some travelers were afraid to eat
seafood.
Still, he said, coastal counties
with good tourist attractions, like
beaches, drew more tourists in
1987.
"Just think what we could
have done if the red tide hadn’t
been here,” he said.
(See TOURISM. Page 2)
Vanceboro
Educator
Honored
The New Bern Area Chamber
of Commerce in conjunction
with the New Bern-Craven
County Board of Education spot
lights "Educators of the Month”
for March 1988. Myra Lewis,
Physical Education teacher at
Trent Park Elementary School
and F.R. Danyus Elementary
School; Merlyn Rodenberg,
sixth grade Language Arts
teacher at Havelock Middle
School; and Barbara Forrest,
kindergarten teacher at Vance
boro Farm Life Elementary
School, are the honorees.
Miss Lewis received her B.S.
and M.A. Ed. in the field of
physical education from East
Carolina University. She taught
high school physical education
as well as elementary physical
education in Craven County. A
few of the outstanding programs
implemented at Trent Park
School under the direction of
Myra Lewis are the 25 mile club
for students interested in partici
pating before school starts in the
mornings, a Winter Olympics
Program for kindergarten
through fourth grade, and field
day programs which include rib
bons for the finalists. Open com
munication with students and
teachers create a positive en
vironment for the physical
education program at iVent Park
and Miss Lewis strives for each
child to experience success.
Myra Lewis lives in New Bern
and enjoys hang gliding, white
water rafting, traveling, compu
ters and her two puppies.
Mrs. Merlyn Rodenburg holds
a B.S. degree in education ft-om
Texas A & M University with
teaching fields in English, social
(See VANCEBORO, Page S>