Newspapers / The Chowan Herald (Edenton, … / June 12, 1986, edition 1 / Page 1
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Decks Cleared for November First off, we think congratula tions are due Pete Thompson, and apologies are due Vernon James. From the meager information we get up here, Thompson ap pears to have the Democratic nomination for one of two seats from the first State House district. That means, of course, that he will be running as a team with Rep. James in November under a combination of circumstances which would spell trouble in the Piedmont and west. Faced by a woman as their only Republican opponent in the General Election, they will have to be awfull> careful not to give Democratic women an excuse to vote for Shirley Perry of Perquimans. Tc win, she only has to beat the low man on the ticket. It wouldn’t take many James voters defecting tc the Republican candidate oi many Thompson voters kicking over the traces for some real oi imagined cause to put her in a very comfortable position. So, we hope the James-Thomp son team will be out front with a positive, well-thought-out pro gram for progress in northeasterr North Carolina. We believe that if elected in November, they car become a conduit through which such things as an Edenton Center for College of the Albemarle anc the development of a road systeir which will enable this communi ty to lure larger and better paj rolls. Now, for that apology. When we said we had it on good authority that Vernon James might not be Continued On Page 4 Town Jewelry Store Burglary Reported An Edenton jewelry store was burglarized over the weekend resulting in what store owner Russell Davis termed “a very substantial loss.” Items stolen in cluded diamond rings, watches, gold chains and cash. Davis said that an inventory would have to be completed before he could arrive at an accurate total of the loss. Phone lines to the store and several other businesses were cut. Entry was gained by taking the cylinder out of the lock on the front door according to Edenton Police Chief John Parrish. He said the safe at the back of the store was drilled and punched and emp tied of its contents. Davis said that he feels the burglary was done by profes sionals. He said that his drill was used on the safe where the most valuable merchandise was stored. Inexpensive jewelry and watches in the display cases went untouch ed. “The valuable stuff was in the safe. They didn’t drop the first dum piece,” he said. Chief Parrish set the time of the burglary at between 11 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. According to Parrish, the phone line across the roofs was cut in several places. He said that James Stillman, an employee of the Taylor Theater reported for work Sunday afternoon and began to notice that the phone wasn’t ringing. The phone company investi gated and reported to police at about 7 p.m. that the line had been cut. Davis said, “It had to have hap pened Saturday night. They had plenty of time.” He discovered his door unlocked Monday at 8 a.m. He said that apparently his door had not been checked by police from late Saturday night until Monday morning. Davis Jewelers has been broken into five times in the last 17 years according to Davis and before that in his Windsor store. In previous burglaries he said that he had found merchandise scat tered around. The thieves in the latest break in were much neater. Davis said empty merchandise boxes from the safe were neatly stacked near by. A three foot by two foot pasteboard box was emptied of its contents of silver plated hollow ware and used to carry away the stolen merchandise. Assisting the Edenton police in Monday’s investigation at the scene were two agents of the State Bureau of Investigation, Dwight Ransom of Windsor, and an agent from Greenville with a mobile crime lab. The Greenville agent was called away from the jewelry store to investigate a reported murder in Washington County. Davis said his store would re main closed for an indefinite period of time. “What am I going to sell?” he asked. Parrish, noting the method of gaining entry to the front door and the safe and the undisturbed display cases, said, “In my opi nion, whoever did it, looked like they knew what they were doing. ” The police chief said the investiga tion was continuing. SUPPORTS COUNCIL ACTION—Gil Burroughs spoke in support of town council’s recent action to change the town charter. If special legislation is passed by the state legislature, the town would go to the council-manager form of government instead of the current mayor-council system. Opposition Increases Over Charter Changes By JACK GROVE An emotionally charged town council chamber heard a mayor and former mayor exchange heated words Tuesday night. The fuse was lit during regular coun cil business by Councilman Steve Hampton. Hampton told his fellow council members that he had been receiv ing numerous phone calls con cerning a petition to stave off any change to the town's form of government. He asked why the petition, containing some 500 signatures was being ignored. Mayor John Dowd replied, “We didn’t ignore it. We sent it to the League of Municipalities’’ for review. Dowd said that the coun cil should have the original so that verification of names and town voter registration could be made. Town council recently voted to send a resolution to the N.C. General Assembly requesting that special legislation be passed changing the town charter to pro vide for the council-manager form of government from the present mayor-council form. Opponents to the measure have asked for a local referendum on the issue. “I’d like to make a motion that we honor that petition and have a referendum,” Hampton came back with. After a long pause, Dowd said, “The motion dies for lack of a second.” The last item on the agenda was “Informal discussion and com Continued On Page 4 Government Forms Discussed A letter was received by E.N. “Pete” Manning, town coun cilman and general manager of the Chowan Herald, from S. Ellis Hankins, associate general counsel of the N.C. League of Municipalities. The letter, dated June 4, 1986, includes an article explaining in detail the council-manager form of government that is being pro posed for Edenton. The town coun cil recently passed a resolution asking that the N.C. General Assembly pass special legislation changing the town charter to pro vide for this form rather than the existing mayor-council form of government. The article was requested in order to provide a clearer picture on the matter and is printed below. The North Carolina General Assembly is currently considering a bill to revise the Edenton Charter, as requested by the Town Board of Councilmen. Much of the discussion in Edenton has con cerned the proposed adoption of the council-manager form of government. The object of this ar ticle is to explain that form of government and its history in North Carolina. Local government in North Carolina works well. National ex perts frequently cite North Carolina cities and counties as ex amples of good management. North Carolina cities and coun ties also enjoy very favorable bond ratings on Wall Street. This means that when they borrow money by issuing bonds, the in terest rates are generally lower than those in all except two other states. Those interest savings mean lower taxes. Why mention these facts in an article about the council-manager form of municipal government? Continued On Page 4 BURGLARIZED—Davis Jewelers was burglarized over the weekend. Russell Davis, owner, said that the thieves got away with a “very substantial” amount of valuable merchandise. The entryway is shown taped to keep out the public while an investigation was underway in the store Monday. Judges Issue Contempt Citations Proper conduct is insisted upon in court as two people found out last week. Superior Court Judge Thomas S. Watts found Roy Roger Ford in contempt of court on Wednesday, June 4. Ford’s probation violation case was before the court and when it was called, the defendant was not in court. The judge ordered Sheriff Glenn Perry to apprehend Ford, who shortly appeared voluntarily and was taken into custody by Perry. The sheriff reported that Ford appeared to be intoxicated and Judge Watts asked Ford if he was willing to submit to a breathalyzer test. Ford agreed and was tested at the Edenton Police Depart ment. The test result indicated a blood alcohol level of .24 (a level of .10 is considered to be legally drunk). The judge found that such behavior and conduct was a direct contempt of court and he sentenc ed the defendant to five days in the county jail. Ford's probation violation case was continued. On Friday, Superior Court Judge Herbert Small found a man guilty of contempt in his court which was in session in Goldsboro. The case being heard was a first degree murder with the jury hav ing found the defendant guilty and Democratic Committee Meet Set The Chowan County Democratic Party Executive Committee will meet on Monday, June 16, at 8:00 p.m. in the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library. All interested citizens are in vited to attend. about to enter deliberations con cerning the sentence There are two standby jurors in a capital case and number 13 was excused because of illness. Number 14 also asked to be excus ed, but Judge Small said in a telephone interview, “Something about his demeanor made me suspicious.” The juror was asked to approach the bench and Small said that he detected a suspicious odor from about three feet away. Upon failure of a breathalyzer test, the juror was found in con tempt of court and Judge Small ordered him jailed for 22 days. Defendants sometimes use pro fane, violent or abusive language following sentencing and when in the court clerk's office to pay fines and executive necessary documents. They too risk being found in contempt of court, accor ding to Chowan Clerk of Superior Court, Marjorie Hollowed. The clerk’s office is considered to be an extension of the court room when court is in session and the defendants are still under the judge’s jurisdiction while there. CBS TV Visits Edenton American Legion baseball fans saw an added attraction at the Edenton-Greenville game Tues day night. A CBS camera crew from New York was on hand to film part of the game and a pre game interview with Edenton coach Jim "Catfish" Hunter. The crew reportedly spent most of the day with Hunter at his farm in Perquimans County. Wallace Evans, local American Legion baseball official, said that the filming was for promotional footage for an upcoming network airing of major league baseball’s “old-timers game.-’ Hunter was a star pitcher for the Oakland A s and the New York Yankees before his retirement in 1979. Edenton won the game 10-1. Washington County Man Found Murdered; Age 95 A 95 year old Washington Coun ty man was found dead at his home Monday at 10 a.m. George Washington McNair, who lived alone south of Plymouth on what is known locally as McNair Road, was found bound and gagged on the floor of his home according to Washington County Sheriff Jim Whitehurst. Close relatives reportedly live nearby. The State Bureau of Investiga tion is assisting in the investiga tion. A mobile crime lab unit was called to the scene while par ticipating in the investigation of a burglary at Davis Jewelers in Edenton. Whitehurst said that some potential suspects in the McNair death were being interviewed. He said that he couldn’t say that a robbery took place but that it hadn't been ruled out as a possi ble motive. The cause of death was still undetermined on Wednesday ac cording to investigating officer, Deputy Sheriff Janice Spruill. She said that the complete autopsy report had not been received and any preliminary findings have not yet been revealed. l, Hit i ! i i « si n r w-mamma' NEW CHARTER—New Edenton-Chowan Kiwanis Club President Shag Powell (second from right) receives the club’s new charter from Carolina District Governor Bernie Nettles of Charleston, S.C. Others (left to right) are Phil Donahue of Elizabeth City, past Dist. Lt. Gov.; Leo Sheets of Southern Shores,. N.C., Dist.Lt.Gov.; Nettles; Powell; and Aaron Creech of Henderson, N.C., Dist. representative far new club building.
The Chowan Herald (Edenton, N.C.)
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June 12, 1986, edition 1
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