DISTRICT DECA WINNERS Six Distributive Education
students at John A. Holmes High School earned district honors at
a recent conference in Murfreesboro. All the students shown won
the Proficiency Award. Left to right are: Sherry Parrish, Jan
Burris, Jackie Hardy, Debbie Griffin, Martin Cross, and Kathy
Lane. Miss Burris won first place in the selling event of Food
Marketing Series; Miss Griffin, third place in the math event in
the same series; and Cross gained first place in the math event of
the General Merchandising Series.
Cross Burners Are Arrested
A cross burning at the residence
of a mixed couple in Cape Colony
has led to two arrests, including a
juvenile.
Tried Tuesday for the January
19 incident was Jeffrey Wayne
Vaughan, 16, of Cape Colony.
Sheriff Troy Toppin testified in
Chowan County District Court that
Vaughan and the juvenile &t the
cross in front of the mobile home
of Mr. and Mrs. Shane Massey and
struck a match to it.
The only damage was to a pine
tree, which Mrs. Massey valued at
S3OO.
Judge Grafton Beaman sen
tenced Vaughan to six months,
suspended upon payment of SIOO
fine and costs, make restitution
for damages to the tree and $35 for
loss of wages. He was placed on
probation for two years.
Vaughan was also charge in two
cases of larceny by trick involving
bogus barbecue supper tickets he
allegedly made from notebook
paper. He was sentenced to six
months, suspended upon
payment of $125 fine and costs
and ordered to make restitution.
The defendant gave notice of
appeal in each case.
In other cases called by Asst...
Dist. Atty. H.B. Williams the
following action was taken:
William Warren Barrow,
speeding, S3O fine and costs.
Dan Junior Bembry, three
counts of no operator’s license and
speeding, six months, suspended
upon payment of S3OO fine and
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TOP SCOUTMASTER Leo Lavoie was recently honored at
the annual Albemarle Area' Scout Appreciation Banquet in
Elizabeth City. Lavoie, scoutmaster of Troop 164 in Edenton,
received the Scoutmaster of The Year award for the district. A
rural mailcarrier, he has been activein scouting for the past 10
years. (Staff Photo by Luke Amburn.) . ■
costs. He gave notice of appeal.
Rowland Mark Holley, speeding,
$5 fine and costs.
John William Brabble, driving
after drinking and transporting
alcoholic beverage with the seal
broken, sllO fine and costs.
Walter Vance Wright, drunk
driving, second offense, 90 days,
suspended upon payment of $225
fine and costs.
Larry Lee Bond, speeding, $lO
fine and costs. Notice of appeal
entered.
George Alma Byrum, reckless
driving after drinking, SIOO fine
and costs.
Horace Dentist White, drunk
driving and reckless driving, 60
Continued on Page 4
Little Theater
Tryouts Slated
The Edenton Little Theater
Group is making preparations for
their second production of the
season. As was announced earlier,
Ross Inglis will direct an old
fashioned melodrama (comedy)
entitled “Dirtywork at the
t Crosa»ads”.
Tryouts will be held February 27
and 28 at 7:30 P.M. at the John A.
Holmes High School auditorium.
There are 10 parts seven for
women, and three for men. ,
If you have a desire to work with
the (day in any capacity, please
come to the tryouts.
Mayor; Town Council Clash On Issues
Mayor Roy L. Harrell and Town
Councilmen clashed on three
issues Tuesday night in the most
vocal meeting since adoption of
the 1978-79 budget.
The mayor tried unsuccessfully
to have the town “forget at this
time” further implementation of a
10-year-old Thoroughfare Plan.
The suggestion by Town Ad
ministrator W.B. Gardner was
that Edenton negotiate a right
of-way withproperty owners as a
THE CHOWAN HERALD
Volume XLV.-No. 7 Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, February 15, 1979 Single Copies 15 Cents
More Statistics
The saying goes that one can
find statistics to support a par
ticular point of view. While the N.C.
Highway Patrol doesn’t have to
rely on numbers to prove their
case, some figures distributed by
Capt. Carl Gilchrist of Troop A
won’t hurt a bit.
Troop A. which is composed of 23
Northeastern Tar Heel counties,
had a significant reduction in
fatalities in 1978 as compared to
the toll in 1977. The 7 per cent
reduction may not seem
significant until the increase in
miles driven is considered.
At the same time, arrests for
drunk driving, (7,087) increased 32
per cent, equal to 53 per trooper.
Capt. Gilchrist points out that this
does not necessarily mean that
more people are committing this
offense but only that more were
detected.
The patrol has a unique over
time program. A trooper can
voluntarily work an extra eight
hour shift per week and receive
pay at a rate of time and one-half
his regular salary for the additional
eight hours. This provides more
eyes for detection of speeders and
the drinking driver.
Also, special efforts are being
made to minimize off-the-road
time.
Capt. Gilchrist notes that the true
problem driver is a very small
part of the motoring public,
although they are not always the
only ones that are killed or maimed
by their unsafe actions.
But let’s lode at those other
statistics:
There are 143 working troopers
in the district, who spent 14,201
actual hours patroling. They in
vestigated 8,322 accidents, gave
43,137 warning tickets and made
49,824 speeding charges. Their
action resultedln 1,027 revocations
or suspension of licenses.
North Carolina is fortunate to
have a good Highway Patrol.
Closer home, those who meander
along the Public Parade are for
tunate to have good Highway
Patrolmen in Mike McArthur and
Pat Mitchell.
Like we said, they don’t need
statistics to support their case.
But they’ll make you one in a
heartbeat if you are detected
running afoul of the law.
No New Leads Reported
In Jones Murder Investigation
Sheriff Troy Toppin reported
“nothing new” Tuesday afternoon
in the investigation of the robbery
slaying of Les Jones, a rural
Chowan County merchant. He said
his department continues to get
leads but have gained nothing yet
to offer encouragement of an
immediate arrest.
Chowan County commisskmers
last week posted a 8500 reward for
information leading to the arrest
and conviction of the person or
persons involved. Gov. James B.
Hunt, Jr., has been petitioned to
post a reward on the state level.
A source last week said officers
needed a mighty big break in the
case bat this break had not come
by mid-week.
Jones was found dead in his
rural store in mid-afternoon an
January 31. An unidentified couple
step towards completion of a loop
road connecting US 17-Business
(West Queen Street) with High
way 32, via Twiddy Avenue.
At a later point Mayor Harrell
made “suggestions” aimed at
closer monitoring of Gardner’s
activities. Councilman Allen
Hornthal said the statement was
more of an “edict” while Coun
cilman Gil Burroughs said im
plementation would be
degrading” and it would be “in
Clark; Kirby Take Heart Fund Posts
Rhonda Kirby, 104 South Oakum
Street, and Alton Clark of Mont
pelier Acres, have accepted key
positions in the 1979 Heart Fund in
Edenton and Chowan County.
Vann H. Johnson, city executive
of Peoples Bank & Trust Company
who is chairman of the funds
campaign, said Miss Kirby will be
Balloon Sales Chairman while
Clark will chair the Business Day
activities.
Rhonda will be in charge of
volunteer Heart Fund workers
who will sell the bright red
balloons at shopping areas in
Edenton on Saturday when the
Chowan County Heart Association
conducts its annual fund raising
campaign, the city chairman said.
The city chairman said that
Home Destroyed
Fire destroyed the home of
Evelyn Simpson in the Green Hall
Section of Chowan County Friday
night, and although weather
conditions delayed firemen from
arriving on the scene, Chief
Luther C. Parks said the
firefighters did an excellent job.
‘ Firemen were alterted at 8:55
P.M. on the blaze. The residence
1 was located some 10 miles from
Edenton.
The highways were a solid sheet
1 of ice and it took firemen almost
twice as long to arrive on the
scene. The two story frame
house was completely destroyed.
Firemen remained on the scene
for some two hours.
■ Firemen responded to a call at
4:12 P.M. Saturday at the
Laundrymat in Mitchener
Village. There was a short in the
transformer on a boiler. There
1 was no reportable damage.
Citizens Support Rate Hike Protest
WASHINGTON - The people of
Northeastern North Carolina,
upset over rising electric rates
charged by Vepco and feeling that
they are not justified, will file a
petition of intervention with the
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, it was revealed
today.
Richard S. Coiner of
Washington, chairman of
Operation Overcharge, an
organization formed by Chambers
have given descriptions of two
Negroes seen at the store about
the time of the armed robbery.
The SBI has prepared composites
of the pair.
In the second homicide in this
county within a week, Fred Ed
ward Keeter, Jr., 28, will be given
a probable cause hearing in
Chowan County District Court
next Tuesday. The court has
appointed W.T. Culpepper, 111, to
represent the defendant who is
charged with the fatal shooting
February 6 of George Murphy
Daniels, 48.
Officers have identified the eye
witness to the incident as Anne
Miselle, who was described as
being Keeter’s girlfriend.
Keeter is charged with second
degree murder and is being held in
Tri-County Jail in Elizabeth City
in Men of |SO,Mt bond.
suiting” for the administrator to
keep a sign -out sheet.
At another point, Hornthal
charged the mayor with exceeding
his authority. The mayor coun
tered with a statement in the Town
Charter which makes him chief
executive officer, adding that
implementation of the suggestions
is needed to make it easier for him
to “keep in touch with the
situation. ” He said compliance with
his suggestions would be a lug help
proceeds from sales of the Heart
Fund balloons will be used to help
support Heart Association
programs that tend to detect
and prevent cardiovascular
disease, which is responsible for 52
per cent of all deaths in North
Carolina •
“The young people participating
in these sales are helping us help
them, because the money they
collect helps support the Heart
Association’s programs of
prevention of rheumatic fever,
rheumatic heart disease and
congenital heart defects. They are
also learning that helping each
other through volunteer action is
part of the American way,” states
Hr -w -Cm .
v JPs.
HEART FUND KEYS Vann H. Johnson this week announced
that Rhonda Kirby and Alton Clark have accepted key positions in
February’s Heart Fund solicitation in Edenton and Chowan
County. Johnson is chairman of this year’s efforts to raise funds
to combat heart disease. (Staff Photo by Luke Ambum.)
of Commerce in the region to fight
Vepco’s rates and backed up by
45,000 signatures on related
petitions, said his organization
will pursue the matter on behalf of
the people of the region.
Coiner said the people are
asking the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission Chair
man, Charles B. Curtis, of
Washington, D.C., to assign an
atttomey from the commission’s
legal staff to the people, on a
temporary basis, to represent
them in the matter.
Specifically, the people will
intervene in Docket No. ER 78522,
a matter currently before FERC
in which Vepco has asked for a,
19.86 per cent increase in the rate it
charges wholesale to municipal
electric systems and to electric co- j
ops in the region.
This is the same matter in which
Gov. Jim Hunt instructed te At
torney General to start an in
tervention action on behalf of the
State of North Carolina.
North Carolina Electricities is
already fighting the matter as are
a number of South side Virginia
Co-ops.
“The Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission has been
insensitive to the people, wittingly
or unwittingly.” Coiner said,
“even though it is our contention
that FERC was set up to protect
the interest of the people.” They
have set themselves up as some
kind of supreme court, not wan
ting to take sides,” he contended.
“We just want them to provide the
service for which they were'
to him, noting “it will make it
easier on me.”
The third point of contention was
a recent trip by representatives of
the town to Opp, Ala., to gather
information regarding a
municipally owned cable tele
vision system. Mayor Harrell
charged that the trip by Coun
cilmen Jesse L. Harrell and
James P. Ricks, Jr., in the
company of Gardner and James
Martin, director of utilities, was
not authorized and “gross
neglect” on the part of those in
volved.
He said he was unsuccessful in
attempting to stop the trip and
threatened not to sign the expense
checks which total $1,161.
Continued on Page 4
Johnson.
Clark will head the group of 19
volunteers who will solicit con
tributions from business owners
and managers and professional
people, beginning February 15th.
In making the announcement,
Johnson said, “The support of the
business and professional com
munity in Edenton has always
beenimportantinhelping the Heart
Association to serve this area. It is
estimated that diseases of the
heart and blood vessels cost the
nation $27-billion a year. Eight
billion of this figure is due to lost
output from disability caused by
heart disease.
Continued on Page 4
established.”
Coiner said FERC has no public
advocate to represent the people
and the “people need represen
tation against Vepco.”
Coiner said that’s the reason the
people have asked Chairman
Curtis for assignment of a
member of the FERC legal staff
on a temporary basis.
“Even though North Carolina is
considered somewhat provincial
in the nation’s capitol, even our
state has a Public Staff to
represent the people in matters
Continued on Page 4
Parrish Accepts
i
Association Post
The appointment of JtM.
Parrish, Jr., to the board'd*,
directors of Edenton Savings A\
Loan Association was announced
today by James C. Dail, president.
Parrish fills one of two vacancies
on the board.
A native of Edenton, Parrish
graduated from local schools and
attended Chowan College before
graduating from N.C. State
University.
He is a member of Edenton
Jaycees, Edenton Investment
Club, Chowan County Farm
Bureau and Chowan County
Young Farmers & Ranchers. He
has received both the Outstanding
Young Farmer and Outstanding
Young Man of America awards.
> Parrish is married to the former
• Anne Leary and they have a son.