Chasm In Two Leaps?
In its issue of August 4, the U.S.
News and World Report accuses
President Reagan of trying to leap
the chasm created by his growing
national deficits in two jumps,
which they term a hazardous
strategy.
But let Mortimer B. Zukerman,
chairman and editor in chief of the
magazine, put it in his own words:
“President Reagan has failed
miserably on this issue,” he
writes. “Without major deficit
reductions, the national debt by
the time Reagan leaves office will
have nearly tripled, from approx
imately $4,000 per person to some
$11,000. This is not an abstraction.
At today’s interest rates, this
means that a family of four will
have to pay additional taxes of
$2,100 a year just to meet the in
creased debt service. That might
well be the most enduring legacy
of the Reagan years.
“It has damaged the American
economy and financial system,
diminished the competitiveness of
our export economy and contri
buted to the loss of millions of jobs
and a $150 billion trade deficit.
The compound burden of debt is
like some cancer growing on the
economy and on Reagan’s Presi
dency.”
Zuckerman says that Congress
made the first leap, quite spec
tacular and appropriate to the
width of the chasm, with the
passage of the Gramm-Rudman
act to cut the federal deficit over
a number of years, empowering
the Comptroller General to make
across-the-board budget cuts to
bring the red ink down to the
targeted $151 billion this fiscal
year.
But a funny thing happened on
the way to that Beulah Land of the
budget. The Supreme Court ruled
the Comptroller General provision
violated the separation of powers
provision of the constitution. That
left Congress on the descent side
of its first giant leap and it is now
trying to remedy the situation by
amending Gramm-Rudman to
empower the Office of Manage
ment and Budget, an executive
agency, to make the necessary
cuts.
Meanwhile, President Reagan
has stood pat on his no tax in
crease, insisting that even the
reform bill now in Conference
Committee in Congress be
“revenue neutral.” More than
that, he is still bent on continuing
his defense build-up which every
one except Caspar Weinberger
now recognizes as merely a
spend-up. Then there is the Stealth
plane on which not even Congress
has the price tag, not to mention
Star Wars, estimates on the cost
of which await the development of
bigger computers.
Against that background of
White House encouragement,
Congress is wrestling with the
Gramm-Rudman revision, which
is not universally popular.
Whether they will have the
political courage to place the
future of pet projects under the
thumb of OMB, an agency over
which they have no direct control,
is uncertain in an election year.
So the President has come for
ward with his version of the se
cond leap. He has a bill pending in
Congress to raise the debt ceiling
Continued On Page 4
CANCER CHECK—Bill Vogedes, Crusade Chairman for Chowan of
the American Cancer Society (r.) accepts a check from Brad Brooks,
Co-chairman of the Cancer Golf Tournament at the Chowan Oolf and
Country Club. The recent tourney netted $1,330 for the Cancer Society.
n
THE CHOWAN HERALD gb
Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
Volume III ■ No. 33
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, August 14, 1986
Single Copies 25 Cents
EHA COMMISSIONERS ATTEND MEETING—Officials from the EHA were on hand for the meeting
at which town council members took the first step in abolishing their agency. From left, they are Com
missioners Haywood Harrell, Daisy Berabry (in 2nd row), Ken Lowe, Town Attorney Chris Bean, Gerald
Lassiter, and Executive Director Bruce White.
Permit Denied To Operate Laundry
A marathon town council
meeting Tuesday night contained
five public hearings, heard com
mittee reports and conducted
other business which included the
decision to draft a resolution to
abolish the Edenton Housing
Authority (see related story-). The
meeting, convened at 8 p.m., did
not end until 10:30 p.m.
A request from Claude Small
for a special use permit to operate
a coin laundry and a car wash on
his property on Badham Road
was considered. Opposition from
the neighborhood bordering
Small’s property surfaced at a re
cent council meeting and action
was delayed to see if Small and
the residents could resolve their
'differences.
A report on a July 15 meeting
with Small and residents was
presented by Hugh Dial. He said
that although Small had agreed to
a list of restrictions, they were
skeptical that all would be im
plemented and that, in case of the
failures of the businesses, a new
operator might not abide by any
of them.
Dial concluded by saying, “If
County Dog Thefts Investigated
By JACK GROVE
Chowan County Sheriff Glenn
Perry said Tuesday that his
department is investigating the
disappearance of a number of
dogs around the county. A ring of
dog thieves is believed to be
operating in the area and may be
selling the animals to research
facilities, he said.
The thefts began several weeks
ago and the number of dogs stolen
is unknown, since owners have
been reporting their loss to the
Edenton-Chowan SPCA, County
Dog Warden Jerome Purvis, and,
in only a few cases, to the sheriff’s
department. Authorities believe
that more than a few owners
possibly have not reported miss
ing pets at all, thinking their dogs
may have just wandered off.
Marcia Crandall of the local
SPCA said most of the dogs taken
have been pure-bred. After
receiving a number of calls con
cerning the missing dogs, she con
tacted Sheriff Perry and the
Edenton Police Department.
Perry said of the possible thefts,
“It came to our attention a couple
of weeks ago.” He said, “We are
investigating and have a suspect
in mind. I feei like we’re on the
right track.”
Dogs have been reported miss
ing from Cape Colony, Mexico
Road and the Center Hill area.
Most of the reports have been
made to the county animal control
office.
Patty Madry at animal control
said that “probably as few as ten
dogs, mostly pure-bred”, have
been reported missing. She added
that “There is not really any area
of the county that has not been af
fected. Some of the dogs reported
taken are German shepherds, in
cluding one female and her four
pups.
“I wouldn’t walk up on a
strange dog of the types being
taken,” Madry commented
Perry said that the dog thieves
may be using a tranquilizer gun in
their operation.
Hope Ward of Center Hill and
her husband owned the female
German shepherd with the pup
pies that were believed stolen.
They disappeared on the night of
Sunday, August 3 from their
home. She said the mother return
ed homo l ist Friday morning, “in
bad shape, hungry and thirsty.”
The puppies are still missing.
Ward said, “When I found out
that this was going on in the coun
ty, I was very upset. Having
something stolen, like a bicycle,
that’s bad. But when you can’t
even keep a dog....” She said the
puppies, pedigreed animals, had
been spoken for and that she and
her husband had planned to give
them away, rather than sell them.
One of the litter had already
been given to Mrs. Rosa Ward,
her mother-in-law, who lives near
by. That eight-week-old pup is
missing also, according to Mrs.
Ward, who works at Britthaven.
She said the puppy was loose in
Continued On Page 4
System
Under Repair
Due to a mechanical
breakdown within The Chowan
Herald’s computerized
typesetting system, readers
may notice some deviation
from the normal appearance
of the type used in news stories
and advertising copy appear
ing in this week’s edition.
The difficulty could not be
corrected prior to publication
this week, but it is hoped that
the necessary repairs can be
completed in the next few
days.
this special use permit is granted,
it will be done solely by the coun
cil and what you feel - not with the
blessings of the people who are
directly to be affected by your
decision.
Ed Taylor told the council, “I
oppose the car wash, more traffic
and loud music. I haven’t seen a
car wash pay off in this town yet.”
Small asked the council to vote
on each business separately.
Councilman A.B. Harless remind
ed the council that he had
presented a petition in opposition
from local citizens and “‘I go with
the public opposition. “I’d like to
know what is permissable around
there,” Small noted.
Council denied the special use
permit.
In a hearing on a request from
Bob Thomas to rezone 20 acres of
land at the northeast corner of
N.C. 32 north and B-Lane Road
from highway commercial to
shopping center commercial,
Mayor John Dowd removed him
self as presiding officer. Dowd
Continued On Page 4
J AYVEES READIED —The Edenton Aces Junior Varsity team worked out in pre-season practice last
Saturday morning. Supervising the workout are coaches Tyronne Spellman and Billy Sugg. The squad’s
season begins Aug. 28 playing Bertie in a home game.
Edenton Aces Prepare For Fall Football Season
The Edenton Aces of John A.
Holmes High School will soon
begin their fall football schedule
and his team is ready, according
to Coach Jay Swicegood. “Most of
the kids are back from last year,
18 kids,” the coach said of his 35
member squad, “if we keep peo
ple healthy, we look good right
now.”
Swicegood said of the 18,
“They’re good leaders.” This
year’s team will consist of eight
seniors, 18 juniors and 10
sophomores.
The head coach said that last
year saw the three football
coaches working together for the
first time and with a new offense.
“We expect to be better than we
were last year.” The Aces ended
the season with a 5-5 record. “We
expect to be able to move the foot
Continued On Page 4
Dry Spring Weather Takes Toll On Farmers
An extremely dry spring and
summer has taken its toll on
Chowan County com crops ac
cording to agricultural extension
chairman Mike Williams. He said
that the local crop is “about one
half what we usually get in yield.”
This, coupled with lower prices for
com is a real cause for concern
among farmers.
The rain over the past week has
produced a much needed relief for
other crops. The extension agent
said that rainfall over the past
week has ranged from l'» to 31*
inches across the county. ‘‘The
rain is coming at a real good time
for soybean,” Williams said.
Area farmers have been ex
periencing problems getting out in
the fields to spray for corn ear
worm in peanut and soybean
crops. Williams termed the in
festation as at “very high levels.”
Concerning cotton, the agent
said “I think we’re looking at a
good crop,” while he cautioned,
“scouting and spraying for boll
worms has been critical. The need
Continued On Page 4
FOLLOW PRESENTATION—Edenton Mayor John Dowd and new
ly appointed Town Manager Sara Noble follow a prepared presenta
tion during one of the five hearings at the lengthy council meeting Tues
day night.
Council Considers
Abolishing Authority
Angry voices were raised Tues
day night in the town council
chamber as charges and counter
charges were exchanged over the
administration of the Edenton
Housing Authority.
The authority was created to
provide housing for low income
families. Built with federal
grants, Edenton’s 100 units are ad
ministered by a five member
commission appointed by the
mayor. The day-to-day operation
of the apartment complex is under
the supervision of Executive
Director Bruce White.
White and the commission
came under fire from the council
at its June meeting as the result
of a critical inspection report from
the federal Dept, of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD). Of
ficials from the Greensboro office
of HUD were on hand for that
meeting.
The report cited administrative
and financial irregularities in the
EH A operation. HUD inspector
Bettye Jackson told the council in
June that many of the items in the
report were repeat discrepancies.
EHA commissioners and the
director contend that the town has
no authority over operation and
administration of EHA. HUD of
ficial Robert Frazier said in the
June meeting that the commission
“is still under the jurisdiction of
the mayor.”
Tuesday night, Mayor John
Dowd asked former mayor Roy
Harrell “why you chose to ignore
these (HUD) reports for twelve
years?” Harrell responded that
Dowd should “Call a public hear
ing and let’s discuss it.”
In a verbal flurry in the crowd
ed council chamber, Dowd asked
the commissioners present why
they had not met with the council
in June. Commissioner Ken Lowe
responded, “You did not attend
our meetings.” White added that
“You didn’t respond to our
invitations.”
White asked Dowd what pur
pose there was in making a
“public spectacle” of the authori
ty and its problems. “I think
you’re making an issue out of this.
Sara (Noble) kicked me out of his
office. I think you’re mishandling
the whole thing,” White charged.
Dowd came back with, “I don’t
have a personal vendetta against
you, Bruce. This is taxpayers’
dollars. I don’t care what you
say.”
Councilman Steve Hampton in
terjected with “Mr. Mayor, I think
this a personnel matter and
should be handled in executive
Continued On Page 4