THE CHOWAN HERALD Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast Volume LI I * No. 34 Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, August 28. 1986 Single Copies 25 Cents Close Encounter With Tragedy Whatever else they are telling themselves, Carteret County civil authorities flunked the evacuation test presented by hurricane Charley Sunday morning, August First, a little background. Our place is at Pine Knoll Shores, about midway down Bogue Island, served by NC 58.- There is a drawbridge at Morehead City and a high-rise tyidge at the western end near Emerald Isle. We were awakened by the storm about 7 a.m., got up and turned on the New Bern TV sta tion, Channel 12, which was busy with a childrens’ cartoon show. We turned on the radio and were served up everything from fun damentalist preaching to rock music. After about 30 minutes, the television station ran a reader across the screen saying that Charley was about 60 miles down the coast, headed for the Morehead City area at about six miles an hour. Residents were ad vised to get off the island via NC 58 and the high-rise bridge at the western end. We waked our company and prepared to leave. Foregoing breakfast, we were out on the road k before 9 a.m. We headed west * toward Emerald Isle. By Salter Path, traffic was heavy; by In dian Beach, it was bumper-to bumper; by Emerald Isle, it was at a standstill. But there was still Continued On Page 4 Jury Remains Deadlocked The state and county could be the victims if a jury remains deadlocked with a 11-1 count on a trial involving a $75 bad check in Superior Court this week. A conservative estimate of cost for operating a courtroom is be tween $165 and $200 per hour and the cost is shared by the county and state. The jury, after deliberating part of Tuesday and Wednesday morning, was dead locked at press time but the foreman said it had not stopped working toward an agreement. Hie deadlock came after John Carroll Williams of Chowan Coun ty was charged with obtaining property by false pretense. Judge James Llewellyn told prospective jurors, “The most important job that will be done in the courtroom this week is yours.. .Jury duty is a necessary evil you as a citizen must put up with.” SBI Special Agent Dwight Ran soms testified that Joel Calvin williams received a bad check from Fouch Investments in California and North Carolina Na tional Bank mailed the check and a debit voucher for his account to his home on Route 4, Edenton. But the check was delivered to John Carroll Williams’box on the same route, according to Ran some. Both men use the name J.C. Williams. .; ** . ‘ Ransoms said John Williams called the California company and said he had its check and gave his ment to be sent to Us box. Hie witness further stated that Williams cashed the check at ! Bridge Turn Exxon Station. Funding Protested By JACK GROVE An angry state Rep. Vernon James gave Department of Transportation officials a tongue lashing at a meeting in Hartford Friday. Saying that this part of the state was not getting its fair share of highway funds, James said, “You got the money from the legislature.” The recent short ses sion saw $200 million approved for state roads. Directing his next remarks to area DOT Board members Earl Rountree of Sunbury and Kenneth Roberson of Robersonville, the legists tor told them that they were not doing enough on needed highway projects. “You represent this district. I expect you to do your part,” James, told them. Roberson was singled out for particular attention concerning his recent distribution of $1 million in discretionary road money. He had allocated the bulk of the funds to counties in his area, with only $9,000 going into the five counties represented by Rountree. The $9,000 went to Elizabeth City. Of this unequal division, James told Roberson, “I’m telling you, I want equity.” He said his consti tuents “have not gotten what they have the right to expect.” Local officials attending the meeting included Edenton Mayor John Dowd, Hertford Mayor Bill Cox, Elizabeth City Mayor Tyra Newell, Kathy Miller from the Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce, and representatives from Camden, Perquimans, Pas quotank, Currituck, Chowan and Gates counties and Republican candidate for the state legislature, Shirley Perry. Other DOT officials attending included State Highway Ad ministrator George Wells, Depu ty Assistant Secretary Jerry Hardesty, Chief Engineer Earl McIntyre and district engineers. Hie group was told by Wells that the $9 million contract to four lane U.S. 17 from Winfall north to connect with the four-lane south of Elizabeth City had slipped back a year in planning. The summer of 1988 is now targeted for the pav ing work to begin. Roberson said that the four laning of U.S. 64 from Tarboro to Rocky Mount is projected to be Completed by 1990. Of plans to four-lane from Williamston to Tarboro he said, “I’m trying to tie it down in the TIP (the state’s Transportation Improvement Plan). He said that there was nothing in the TIP concerning widening 17 from Hertford to Edenton but he was planning to request that it be included. Rountree spoke of a recent trip to the western part of the state where tourism was increasing due to four-lane roads. “We’ve got to build the roads to get the tourists down here,’’ he maintained. He said that it was up to local officials to develop local tourism. Mayor Cox observed, “If we could get the roads, we could get the tourists,” VISITING CEO—Tom Smith (1.), President and Chief Executive Of ficer of the Food Lion chain paid a visit to the Edenton store Tuesday afternoon. Edenton may be the site of a new store. With Smith is store manager John Schiiler. Food Lion Executives Visit Edenton Executives of Food Lion, Inc. were in Edenton Tuesday after noon to have a look at the local store and to explore the feasibili ty of building a new store here. The store officials, who flew in to Edenton from company head quarters at Salisbury, N.C., in cluded President and Chief Ex ecutive Officer, TomE. Smith and Merchandising Director, John Watkins. The supermarket chain has 360 stores in North and South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Ten nessee and a recently opened store in Maryland, according to Smith. The food executive said that the company was “considering a new location” in Edenton. “We would build a 25,000 sq. ft. store,” he said. The present store is smaller than most Food Lion outlets with only 18,000 sq. ft. of shopping area. Store manager John Schiiler said that the store had a smaller than needed storage area. Man Found Guilty of 2nd Degree Murder By JEANETTE WHITE A Chowan County man was found guilty of second degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday in court after what Judge James u. Llewellyn called a “plea arrangement”. Lee Dell Leary Jr., 24, of Route 1, Edenton, entered the guilty plea in exchange for State Attorney Frank Parrish dropping a charge murder. charged with the riotgun slaying of Alfred Christopher (Honey Pig) Holley, 35, in the Wingfield section of the county. As he entered the guilty plea, Defense Attorney Charles Busby said, “In light of the evidence, I won't say much. We (meaning Leary) tried to reach a plea we could live with.” cess of the presumed incarcera tion. Leary sat calm and emotionless as Deputy Sheriff Wayne Rice, who was the only witness in the case, summarized events leading to the shooting. According to the deputy, an argument involving various members of the Leary family erupted the afternoon of the slay ing at the home of David (Snook) Copeland when Connie Leary Jer nigan, sister of the defendant, ac cused Holley of saying she had AIDS (Acquired Immune Defi ciency Syndrome). Rice said Lillian Copeland at tempted to stop the argument and asked the participants to leave her home. While the family was leav ing, another fight erupted in the yard between two women. The HERTFORD MEETING—DOT and area officials had a luncheon meeting in Hertford Friday. DOT Board member, Kenneth Roberson, speaks to the group about area highway concerns. Standing next to Rober son is Jerry T. Hardesty, Dep. Asst. Sec. of the N.C. DOT. Dunn Welcomes School Personnel The Edenton-Chowan school system held its annual Back-To School breakfast last week. Ad ministrators, school board members, teachers, staff person nel and town and county officials packed the Holmes High School cafeteria to hear words of welcome from Superintendent John Dunn. Dunn began with “Happy new year everybody.” He told of two teachers he had spoken to. One said that the breakfast event was the first time she had had her shoes on all summer and the other remarked that Monday morning was the earliest she had gotten out of bed since the close of school. The superintendent told the school personnel, “We’re really happy to see you back and get things started. You’re part of a great school system.” He listed accomplishments from last year: The lowest dropout rate of any county in the state; student test scores continu ing to increase above the national average; continually lower dis cipline referrals; being chosen by the state as one of the county systems to conduct a pilot test of the new Career Ladder Program; only school sytem in the nation with an NJROTC training vessel; senior class as guests of the Presi dent ; two years without a charge able accident for school buses; and the installation of three heating sytems in schools by maintenance personnel resulting in $300,000 in cost savings. “Our effort will be to reach for even more exceptional things this year. To stretch and to try to broaden what we’ve already done. This school system is what you wish it to be,” Dunn concluded. The school system has had a motto for each of the past four years as a guide and focus for the school year. Over 100 entries were submitted for this year’s credo. Mrs. Brenda Little submitted the 1966-87 motto “Reach For The Ex ceptional.” Her winning effort was rewarded with a check for $100. Special guest speaker for the oc casion was former school board member, Dr. J.H. Horton. He discussed the relationships be tween the many facets of a school system, from board members to maintenance and janitorial workers. He told the school per sonnel, “I’m sure you will do it better. You are good people.” Sanford Stresses Democratic Party Unity A capacity crowd of en thusiastic local Democrats filled Holmes High School cafeteria to hear former N.C. Governor Terry Sanford outline his campaign for the U.S. Senate last Thursday evening. Sanford granted a short inter view upon his arrival at the school. He was asked if he ex pected to return to the area prior to the November elections. He said that he would attend two district rallies in this part of the state. The candidate’s stop in Edenton was part of a swing through the northeast in keeping with his pledge to visit all 100 counties of the state prior to Labor Day. “I think it’s very important to cover all parts of the state,” the senate hopeful said. On future TV debates with his opponent, Senator James Broyhill, he said, “I’ve accepted every invitation,” saying that there have been eight so far. Sanford was asked whether he would respond in kind to labels, such as “liberal” and “conser vative” that have aired on Broyhill’s radio ads during the past week. He said that his ap proach would be a positive one, concentrating on “what we can do. The past is an indication of what I can do in the future.” He said that he would ask the public to “Not vote against, but vote for” a candidate. An hour-long thunderstorm that arrived with the candidate did nothing to dampen the crowd’s mood, even though power was lost in the building for a period through the dinner and opening in troductions of local party officials. Power was restored in time for Sanford’s address. He stressed the importance to his campaign of restoring Democratic Party unity, beginn ing at the local precinct level and the involvement of young people in the process. “Democrats everywhere are tired ot losing, he pointed out. Sanford told the assemblage that he plans to run “An absolute ly clean, forward-looking cam paign. I think it’s important to stick to that. Politics is not a dir ty game. It’s the very essence of American government.” Issues listed for his campaign were: •the farm economy - “We need Continued On Page 4 Stumers' Annual Fish Fry Planned The Chowan County Shrine Club will hold its annual Fish Fry on Saturday, September 6 at the Boy Scout Hut in Edenton. The Shriners will begin serving fish plates at 11:00 a.m. All pro ceeds will go towards support of the Shriners’ Crippled Childrens’ Hospitals. MEET SANFORD—Marjorie HoUowell, Clerk of Court and Willi* Privott take the opportunity to meet former governor Terry Sanford teat Thursday evening. The Democratic candidate for the UUP Senate waa winding up a tour of the state’s 100 counties.

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