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iry3, 2018 50*
Aces, Knights win state
championships - B4
The most influential people of 2017
Meeting an author
Those visiting the
Chowan Arts Council
during Christmastime
experienced a rare
treat — the opportunity
to meet northeastern
North Carolina author
Douglas Quinn who
was there signing
copies of his books
including three highly
successful children’s
book series. — Bl
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Personalities dominated much of
the news coverage in 2017 in Chow
an Coimty.
State Representative Bob Stein
burg, R-Chowan, Mayor Roland
Vaughan and Superintendent Rob
Jackson set the tone for the conver
sation through much of the year.
Steinburg was in the headlines for
his conservative approach to gov
ernment, co-sponsoring HB2 legis
lation and his plans to shed a light
on the “secret society” of the prison
system in the wake of violence from
a failed inmate escape at Pasquo ¬
tank Correc
tional Institu
tion.
Steinburg
compares
himself to
U.S. Senator
Jesse Helms,
a conserva
tive Republi ¬
STEINBURG
can who served five terms.
VAUGHAN JACKSON
“I really admire his ability to
stand up for things and fight like
nobody else I’d ever seen — he was
a rock star,” Steinburg said during
an interview last spring when HB2
“the bathroom bill” was dominating
the news cycle. “I said if I were ever
in office,
this is
who I
would
like to
emulate
in my
philoso-.
phy. I
have
constituents tell me all the time ‘you
remind me of Jesse Helms because
you are very outspoken, very ar
ticulate and you don’t care if people
like what you are saying and you’re
not playing to the crowd, hi many
regards, I consider it to be a compli
ment.”
Like Helms, Steinburg’s convic
tions held firm as he championed
HB2 legislation that drew national
media attention.
“The number one job of govern
ment, in my opinion, is to protect
the citizens that I represent; to make
sure they are safe,” he said. “That’s
the president’s number one job. It’s
the governor’s number one job. It’s
any elected official and state offi
cial, so it’s not just an after thought.
That is our primary responsibility to
promote and protect the safety and
welfare of each and every individu
al. That’s what we’re there to do.”
See PEOPLE, 3A
GOODBYE TO 2017
Pets of the Week
Check out some of
the pets the Tri-County
Animal Shelter offers
that would love to
start the new year in
a home of their very
own. — B2
Year for record books
Between Aces’ base-
ball winning the cham
pionship and football
and softball victories,
among others, last year
was one for the record
books for Aces’ sports
teams. — B4
CHOWAN HERALD FILE PHOTOS
2017’s legacy of memories
Prayer is powerful
Chris Cordon relates
how prayer helped
him in his journey of
winning first place in a
body-building com
petition and having
his aortic heart valve
replaced — A4
Program betters lives
Ruth Bass and Mary
Swanner of Edenton
Baptist Church would
like to hear from local
women who are inter
ested in bettering their
lives through involve
ment in “Pathways to
Hope,” a program of
the Christian Women’s
Job Corps. — Bl
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Though 2017 is in the his
tory books, we should re
flect on the events, person
alities and achievements that
shaped Chowan County this
past year.
We endured an algal bloom,
celebrated anniversaries, won
a state championship and cre
ated much good will through
Charity-
January
Alexander James Perry was
the first baby of 2017 born at
Vidant Chowan Hospital.
The little guy was bom New
Year’s Day and he weighed 10
pounds, 2 ounces and was 21
‘/a inches long. Wow! That was
a big baby.
Other news that month in
volved how Chowan County
property owners who lived
near a planned wind energy
facility in the county filed a
second lawsuit seeking to
overturn county decisions
that allowed the project to
move forward.
The lawsuit asked the court
to revoke the Timbermill
Windmill conditional use per
mit on the grounds that En
vironmental Assessment and
completeness issues were not
completely argued.
February
The Chowan County Com
mission approved an agree
ment allowing the Edenton
Historical Commission to
restore the historic Chowan
County Jail and make it avail
able as a public exhibit.
Edenton-Chowan Chamber
of Commerce recognized the
contributions of Gigi Charel-
bois, Ben Speller and to Katy
Ebersole, posthumously.
March
March came in like a lamb,
but left like a lion.
County officials discussed
plans to address critical facility
issues at John A. Holmes High
School. Edenton-Chowan
Schools Superintendent Rob
Jackson described the school
board as being at a crossroads
in regards to the high school
The board needed direction
about replacing or renovating
the current facility.
In other news, Cathy Smith
was hired as the county’s fi
nance officer. The post had
been vacant for nearly a year
following the departure of
Willie Mark Carawan. Smith
had worked at the local hospi
tal for 33 years, most recently
as staff accountant.
Also, Miles Layton was
hired as editor of the Chowan
Herald. Layton replaced for
mer Chowan Herald editor
Reggie Ponder, who had as
sumed reporting duties for the
Daily Advance.
And Ronald Wynegar was
named as the 10th president
of College of the Albemarle.
A veteran community col
lege teacher and administra ¬
tor, Wynegar came to COA
from Western Nevada College
where he was serving as vice
president of student and aca
demic affairs.
Edenton Baptist Church
celebrated its 200th anniver-
sary. Banners that read “great
is thy faithfulness” and “enter
taining a hope” hung from the
walls that had seen decades of
worship.
“Whoever has studied
church history church history
and through every contribu
tion of every pastor, the con
stant reality has been the faith-
fir! presence and leadership of
God,” said Reverend Kenneth
Word, pastor emeritus.
The Chowan County Emer
gency Response Dive Team re
covered a gun tossed into the
Chowan River during a high
speed chase. Detective John
McArthur found the handgun
See YEAR, 6A
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First baby born in Chowan County in 2018
6 m, 8 9076"44813 1
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
0
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
One lucky couple started
2018 with a special event in
their lives that they won’t
ever forget — they are the
parents of the area’s first
New Year’s baby.
On Jan. 1, at 10:47 a.m.,
Jessica Lawrence, 35, and
her fiance, Carlton Williams,
50, of Plymouth, welcomed
little Carley Raye Williams,
who weighed 6 pounds, 10
ounces and was 19 % inches
long. The baby was deliv
ered by Caesarean section
at Vidant Chowan Hospital
by Dr. Peter Boehling of
Edenton.
Lawrence said she had
experienced blood pressure
problems prior to her preg
nancy and had developed
gestational diabetes during
it that had required close
monitoring. She said that
during a doctor’s appoint
ment she went to last week
her blood pressure had got
ten so high that a decision
was made that she should
go ahead and have the baby
prior to her February due
date.
“I left my doctor’s office
and came straight to the
See BABY, 5A
Veteran,
gentleman
joins God’s
legions
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Longtime Edenton
Postmaster James Madi
son Bond
died
Christ
mas Day
at the
Crystal
Coast
Hospice
House in
Newport,
NC. He was 94.
See Bond’s obituary on
pageA2.
During World War II,
Bond served in the high
risk position of tail-gun
ner in numerous sorties
over Germany with the
Eighth Air Force’s 385th
Bombardment Group.
Bond was among a group
of American soldiers hon
ored in 2016 with the Na
tional Order of the Legion
of France for his service
during the war in helping
to liberate France from
the Nazis. A reception
in his honor was held at
American Legion Post 40
in Edenton where Bond
was a member for about
30 years.
Former Post 40 Com-
See BOND, 5A
New
prison
official
named
BY JON HAWLEY
For the Chowan Herald
A former secretary of
the N.C. Department of
Public Safety is returning
t o the di 1 -
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who
stepped ^ '^|S
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after the YOUNG
murders
of four correctional em
ployees at Pasquotank
Correctional Institution.
DPS announced last
week that Reuben Young
will become the interim
chief deputy secretary of
Adult Correction and Ju
venile Justice. Young re
places David Guice, who
stepped down less than
three weeks after a failed
See PRISON, 2A