CHOWA^HERALD
482-4418 Wednesday, February 13, 2019 7S^
Chowan
Art Council
to move
to Chero’s
Building - 6A
Edenton remembers Congressman Jones
Funeral to be held
Thursday in Greenville
BY MILES LAYTON AND
BOBBY BURNS
Adams Publishing Group
U.S. Rep. Walter Jones,
who campaigned hard for
Eastern North Carolina all
his life, has most likely won
the only election that mat
ters — a spot in heaven.
Jones, 76, died Sunday
after struggling with health
problems including a bro ¬
JONES
ken hip.
In lieu of
flowers, the
family asks
to consider
donations
to the Sem
per Fi Fund,
The Service
League of
Greenville Inpatient Hos
pice, or The ALS Associa-
tion-NC Chapter.
Congressman Jones will
lie in repose from 4-8 p.m.
today, Feb. 13, at St. Peter
Catholic Church in Green
ville for those who wish
to pay their respects. The
funeral will be held at 1:30
p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, at
St. Peter Catholic Church,
Greenville.
Private family interment
to follow. Online condolenc
es may be made at the Farm
ville Funeral Home website,
www.farmvillefh.com.
Jones, a Republican from
the Pitt County town of
Farmville, represented the
3rd Congressional District.
He was re-elected to his
13th term in November and
announced he would retire
at the end of the term. He
became ill before the new
session began, however, and
was excused on Dec. 11.
Jones’ office said at the
time he took the oath that
he was expected to return
to his seat. However, he un
derwent surgery for a bro
ken hip on Jan. 15 and his
office announced on Jan.
26 that he had entered hos
pice. His office announced
at 6 p.m. Sunday that he had
died earlier in the afternoon.
The statement gave a nod to
Jones’ deep faith. He was a
Catholic, who long opposed
abortion.
“Congressman Jones
was a man of the people,”
the statement said. “With a
kind heart and the coinage
of his convictions, he dedi
cated his life to serving his
savior and to standing up
for Americans who needed
a voice. He was a champion
for our men and women in
uniform and their families,
always mindful of their ser
vice and sacrifice.”
NC Sen. Bob Steinburg,
R-Chowan, was among
those who offered their con
dolences.
“Please join my wife
Marie and me in praying
for the family of Congress
man Walter Jones,” he said.
“Walter passed away today
at the age of 76. Whether
one agreed with him or not,
no one could ever say that
he was not a man of deep
faith and deep conviction. I
am confident in saying that
Walter Jones will be remem-
SeeJONES, 4A
Banquet
honors
football
players
BY MILES LAYTON
Sports Writer
A lot of history, truly a leg
acy on display, was shared
during the Henry Overton
Football Banquet.
Perhaps it was fitting that
the annual banquet took
place Thursday at Edenton
Baptist Church, founded in
1817.
Edenton-Chowan Cham
ber of Commerce Director
Win Dale gave an inspiring
keynote speech.
“Remember the blood,
sweat and tears of practices
and games,” said Dale, him
self a member of the Aces
long blue and gold line.
“Remember the last-second
wins, and the gut-wrench
ing losses. Remember your
teammates and the bonds
you’ve developed that will
last a lifetime. But most of
all remember how special
you are to this school and
to this community, and that
you’re set apart from all oth
ers. Your accomplishments
and your legacy will be for
ever remembered. Good
luck and God Speed to you
the rest of this year and into
the future.”
Before this country writ
er talks about the stats that
Dale shared, let’s get some
business out of the way first
— academic achievement.
Coach Paul Hoggard and
Athletic Director Wes Mat-
tera put a strong emphasis
on grades, studying and
going to class. Not eveiy
school can say the same.
Let’s say it: Before that
dynamic duo took over five
years ago or so, more than
a few players were flunking
two or more classes. Aver
age grade point average
then was 2.3 — a low “C”
— whereas today’s team
boasts an average 3.4 GPA
— a very solid “B”.
So far this year, 17 mem-
the highest grade point av
erage for the freshmen play
ers.
Seth Simmons topped the
ACEs Pride
PHOTO COURTESY KIM ULLOM
Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Win Dale gave the
keynote speech Thursday at the annual Henry Overton Football Banquet. Dale not
only spoke of the Aces’ legacy, but offered a treasure trove of statistics that show a
team that knows, by God’s grace, how to play and how to win.
H.O.G.S - that stands for Honor Our Great Students.
bers of the football team
earned a place on the
school’s Honor Roll.
Alex Bergevin achieved
sophomore class and Jake
Bass for the junior players.
Jackson Ray leads the se
nior squad.
Back to the Overton ban
quet with Dale as he offered
a spate of statistics that
should truly make this team
and our community beam
with pride. A self-described
numbers geek, Dale laid out
how the team’s humble be
ginnings in 1926 led to the
present day — 1,000 games
played.
“You are part of a football
tradition that dates back to
1926,” said Dale, who has
pursued painstaking re
search using old editions of
See FOOTBALL, 7A
Curtain closing on
Rocky Hock Playhouse
Theater may continue under
new ownership, new format
BY NICOLE BOWMAN-
LAYTON
Editor
After almost 20 years
of entertaining Chowan
County residents and visi
tors from throughout the
region, the curtain will be
closing at the Rocky House
Playhouse Dinner Theatre.
Jeff Emmerich and his
wife, Gloria, announced
that the Easter show, “It
Is Finished,” will be the
Advocate seeks better
NC broadband access
Says funding approach
flawed, potentially wasteful
BY JON HAWLEY
The Daily Advance
Everyone seems to agree
that fast,
affordable
internet ac
cess is im
portant in
rural North
Carolina.
Local
leaders
for cities,
SANDERS
counties, schools and eco
nomic development all talk
about it. Republicans and
Democrats both agree on
SUBMITTED
PHOTO
The Rocky
Hock
Playhouse,
located on NC
32 outside
of Edenton,
held annual
Christmas
productions,
such as
2017 s “What
Child is This?”
The upcoming
Easter
program, “It
is Finished,”
will be the
Christian
musical
theater’s last.
INFORMATION
“It Is Finished” will be per
formed March 23-April 27 at
the Rocky Hock Playhouse
Dinner Theatre. For informa
tion, visit http://www.
rockyhockplayhouse.com/
theater’s last as the couple
prepares to retire and move
back to the West Coast.
While the Rocky Hock
Playhouse may be finished
in its current form, there are
See PLAYHOUSE, 3A
INSIDE
Access to broadband
fundamental right - 5A
it, and even campaign on
the issue.
Yet the state only put $10
million toward expanding
access to broadband last
year — and that small pot
of money may be spent on
connections that are too
slqw, say both local law
makers and an advocate
for broadband expansion
in rural communities.
Last week, the North
See BROADBAND, 3A
f
Industrial Park project receives $65K grant
6
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©2019 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
Will extend underground
utilities to Midway Drive area
Adams Publishing Group
An underground utility
project for a Chowan Coun
ty industrial park is among
the projects that will re
ceive $3.1 million in grants
awarded the region by the
Golden LEAF Foundation
on Thursday.
The foundation, which
is based in Rocky Mount,
announced grants for six
different projects in four
area counties. The grants
are funded with the founda
tion’s share of money sent to
North Carolina as a result of
the state’s 1999 settlement
with the tobacco industry.
In Chowan County, the
Edenton-Chowan Partner
ship will receive a grant for
$65,000 to extend electri
cal services to an industrial
park.
Discussing the Edenton
Chowan Partnership grant,
Thomas Mallory Denham,
the agency’s executive di
rector, said the partnership
sought the grant to con
struct underground utilities
at the Midway Drive Indus
trial Park. Of the $65,000
awarded, $15,000 will to go
toward engineering and de
sign costs while the remain
der is for construction.
“The Edenton Chowan
Partnership would like ex
press it thanks to the Golden
LEAF Foundation for their
award of $65,000,” he said.
Currituck was awarded
the single-largest grant
from the foundation — $1
million. It plans to use the
LEAF funds helping expand
a wastewater treatment
plant to accommodate Cur
rituck Station, a large de
velopment project planned
See GRANT, 3A