Between You And Us
There are always people in a
community who would like to tell
the editor what to say and some of
them would like to tell him where
to go.
The trouble is that, in the first
instance, they are usually without
the competence; and, in the se
cond, completely without juris
diction.
< As good a way as any to start
the new year is to remind our
I readers that our news columns
[ are designed to tell them what is
T going on in the community and
i elsewhere and this column repre
sents what the editor thinks about
what is going on here and else
i where.
, So, if you want facts as best we
can determine them, you will read
our news columns; if you want
! opinion, you will read this column
or other commentary signed by
* the author. And, if you want to
I talk back or plow new ground,
i there is always the letters-to-the
] editor column.
We promise you that nothing
will appear in The Public Parade
j which we do not sincerely believe,
all of it designed, in one way or
! another, to be in the public in
terest. We welcome letters to our
x Mailbag column and will publish
them so long as they are not
libelous or vindictive. And, of
course, are not too long.
Thus, for the new year, we
would ask that you leave us free
to express our opinion on subjects
1 appropriate to the time and cir
cumstance. It is true, there are
other media coming into the com
Continued On Page 4
% THE CHOWAN HERALD
Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast -WiiFsU
IUIUIIIC l_L.ll I * nu. L
taenion, rcortn Carolina, inursaay, January 8, 198/
Single Copies 25 Cents
SOIL SURVEY PRESENTED—Phil Tant of the Soil Conservation Service explains the use of the Chowan
Perquimans Soil Survey to business and governmental representatives of the counties at a 7:30 breakfast
meeting at the Carolina Room. The survey will serve as a guide to soil types in a 28,000 acre area and
will aid in determining land use. Others at the head table are, (1. to r.) Rep. Vernon James, Rep.-elect
R.M. (Pete) Thompson and Commissioner Floyd Matthews of the Albemarle Conservation District.
Two County Soil Survey Results Heard
Chowan County Commissioners
had a busy Monday morning,
beginning with a breakfast at the
Carolina Room, hosted by the
Albemarle Conservation District,
held two public hearings in addi
tion to their regular business
meeting and ended with a lun
cheon at the Carolina Room
hosted by the county agricultural
extension service.
The breakfast was attended by
officials from Chowan and Per
quimans Counties and featured
MEMBERS OF S.A.D.D.—(From left) Lin Dziuk, Robin Tynch and
Laurie Halsey look over a folder with two dimes inside—the amount
needed to call for a ride if you’ve had too much to drink.
SADD Students Seek Support
By JEANETTE WHITE
(Editor’s Note: This is the first of a
three-part series dealing with
substance abuse in Chowan County.)
Some high school students in
Chowan County have seen enough
and they just aren’t going to keep
quiet any more.
The students have seen enough
of their friends and classmates
killed by alcohol and others using
drugs. They feel it’s time to sit up
and take notice of what’s
happening.
The students have formed a
local chapter of Students Against
Driving Drunk, SADD, but say
they are not getting the support
needed to be effective.
Robin Tynch, 1985 SADD presi
dent and co-founder of the
chapter, said, “We don’t care if
you drink, that’s your choice. But
don’t drink and drive and risk the
life of another person.. .That’s not.
fair to your peers, parents and in
nocent bystanders.”
Robin and the county’s health
education coordinator, Jill Jor
dan, formed SADD in 1985 after
realizing such a program was
needed in Chowan County.
Robin said, “We felt there was
a need. There was just too much
drinking and driving... I had seen
the deaths of two of my friends
already. We needed to put a stop
to it.” '
The founders and members of
i SADD are not always popular
among their peers. About 100
members enrolled last year, but
only 10 were dedicated.
“Most of the students laugh in
‘our faces every time we mention
it to them,” Robin said.
This year the chapter has
almost 60 members, but all are
not active.
Membership dues of $3 are the
financial mainstay of the chapter.
Other funds will be raised this
year by members serving at the
NJROTC banquet, which pays
$100.
“If anybody wants to make a
donation, we’ll take it,” Robin
said.
The funds are needed to rent
films and start projects to help
students learn the . dangers of
substance abuse.
“We just want to get people who
Continued On Page 1-B
Dismissal
Approved,
The Edenton-Chowan Board of
Education in its regular meeting
on Tuesday, January 6, 1987
authorized early dismissal of all
classes at 1:30 P.M. on Wednes
day, January 14 to enable the pro
fessional staff to participate in a
curriculum study committee
meeting at Holmes cafeteria at
2:00 P.M.
the presentation of the joint
Chowan-Perquimans Soil Survey
by the Soil Conservation Service.
The study cost each county
$30,000, paying a third of the cost
and covered an area of 28,000
acres. Commissioner Floyd Mat
thews of the district held up a copy
of the report and told the group,
“This needs to be used.”
Attending were representatives
from local banks, realtors, public
health service, N.C. Wildlife and
Forest Services, county commis
sioners, county managers, agri
cultural extension service and the
SCS. Special guests were Rep.
Elect R.M. (Pete) Thompson of
Chowan, Rep. Vernon James of
Pasquotank and Edenton Mayor
John Dowd.
Commissioners held a public
hearing to receive comments on
the 1986 update of the County Land
Use Plan. There were no public
comments and the plan, previous
ly approved by the planning
board, was adopted and author
ized for submission to the Coastal
Resources Commission for final
approval.
Another hearing dealt with
adoption of an assessment roll for
the nearly completed paving work
on Juniper Drive and Water Lily
Loop in Cape Colony. Several of
that community’s property
owners attended but offered no
serious objections to the assess
ment. Property owners on Water
Lily Loop will be assessed $3.55
per frontage foot and those on
Juniper Drive, $3.84 per foot.
County Manager Cliff Copeland
stated that property owners could
pay their total assessment within
30 days of billing. As an alter
native, they may elect to pay over
a five-year period at an 8 per cent
annual interest rate.
Commissioners also:
• Approved a donation of $500
for a state memorial on Interstate
85 west of Greensboro to honor
Vietnam veterans;
• Adopted a plan put forward
by the school board for an indepth
study of county school need? with
the board of commissioners tak
ing an active role (see related
story); and
• Heard an update from Div. of
Environmental Management of
ficials on the state’s water quality
program for area rivers and
sounds.
Boards Join Together
To Evaluate Needs
By JACK GROVE
The capital outlay program for
the Edenton-Chowan school
system will be revamped with the
Chowan County Board of Commis
sioners taking an active part in
the process.
School superintendent Dr. John
Dunn laid a proposal by the school
board before commissioners Mon
day morning that would set up a
number of committees keyed to
the curricula and the new Basic
Education Plan of the state that
calls for added subjects and fewer
students per classroom. These
committees would involve
teachers, students, parents, ad
ministrators and commissioners
“at the grass roots level.”
The eleven committees would
report to a control committee that
would submit final facility needs
to the school board and board of
commissioners for approval of the
facility plan.
The need for the new capital
outlay program arose from a re
quirement from the state board of
education to report facility needs
of each county by Jan. 31 to
Raleigh. Gov. James Martin has
proposed that a state loan pool be
set up with bonds issued at low
rates. The money would in turn be
loaned to counties for school con
struction and the funds would be
repaid to the pool from the new
half cent sales tax.
Dunn said that he supported the
governor’s loan program as a way
to upgrade the county’s physical
plant. Concerning the BEP, he
said, “I want to point out, we’re
not talking about anything
elaborate, just basic education for
our students.”
The superintendent said that the
planning process as he outlined it,
could not be completed before the
end of the school year. He said
that in the interim, he and Coun
ty Manager Cliff Copeland would
work on a preliminary submission
to satisfy the requirement by the
state board of education to submit
facility needs by Jan. 31.
Commissioners endorsed the
school board’s planning and in
dicated on which curriculum com
mittees they desired to serve.
Dunn said there would be a
“kickoff meeting” next Wednes
day to start the process in
operation.
School Board Chairman Cecil
Fry, also in attendance, told the
commissioners, “I’d like to thank
the board of commissioners for
going along with this. We’re ask
ing for your time rather than
money.”
buspect btill In Custody
An Edenton man is in jail after
failing to post $3,000 secured bond
in connection with a break-in at
Creywood Oil Company January
1.
Police Chief J.D. Parrish said
Gerald Fay Williams, 22, P.O. Box
673, has been charged with the il
legal entry.
According to Parrish, a
Creywood truck driver went to the
company around 4:40 a m. and
saw someone in the building. In
vestigation by Police Officers
Greg Whitehurst and Don Harris
and Sgt. G.K. Bonner found that
an entry into the building was
made through a broken window.
An undetermined amount of cash
was taken.
Legislative Changes Affect County Tax Payers
Changes made last year by the
North Carolina legislature mean
Chowan County residents without
real estate, vehicles or boats may
not owe property taxes in 1987.
Chowan County Tax Supervisor
Dallas Jethro, Jr. said the
changes will cost the county up to
$90,000 this year.
After the legislature enacted the
changes, it promised supplemen
tal income to counties on a per
capita basis. The income is
designed to offset funds lost in per
sonal property taxes.
Tax laws remain the same on
real'estate, vehicles, farm equip
ment and boats. But items
designated as personal property
in the past, such as household ap
pliances, jewelry, dogs and
garden tractors, are exempt from
tax this year.
County residents who rent hous
ing and own neither a car nor boat
may be totally exempt from
taxes.
Residents with property to list
must do so this month or face the
possibility of a penalty. Listing is
underway at the county tax office
from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday. In addition, per
sonnel from the tax office will be
at Center Hill Fire Department
from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. January
13, 20 and 27. Taxes may also be
listed at Teenie Boy’s Service
Center in the Gliden area from 9
a.m. until 5 p.m. January 8,15,22
and 29.
“We will be there strictly to help
if anyone has a problem with
listing,” Jethro said.
Residents who try to get away
with not listing taxable property
this year will most likely fail. The
county uses car license, building
permits from the town and coun
ty, marina records and other
sources to find property not listed.
When found, the owner is notified
to come to the tax office. If he does
not, the property is listed to the
owner and he is fined a 10 percent
penalty.
Taxes in Chowan County may
also be listed on the forms which
have been received from the tax
office. Jethro said residents who
prefer to come to the tax office
should always bring the forms
back to his office or to one of the
outreach sites.
Speaking of the mail-in method,
Jethro said, “It works, there’s
nothing wrong with it. But we do
encourage people to bring the
forms back with them if they
come to the office for help.”
Residents who live inside the ci
ty limits can list both town and
county taxes at the same office
since the county has assumed the
duty from the city. Tax informa
Continued On Page 4
Two Maryland men have been
charged after attempting to ob
tain drugs from Revco with a forg
ed prescription January 3.
David Michael Stokes, 31,
Baltimore, has been charged with
Continued On Page 4
35 Citations
Are Issued
Thirty-five people have been
cited in Chowan County for not
buckling up since the mandatory
seat belt law went into effect
January 1.
One of the citations was issued
by the Edenton Police Depart
ment, with the N.C. Highway
Patrol citing the remaining 34
people.
N.C. Patrol Sgt. H.J. Latta said
Tuesday, “If we could get 100 per
cent compliance and never have
to write a ticket, it would make
our day.”
Latta said no road check-points
had been established to check seat
belts and that citations were
issued in moving traffic stops.
“But I think compliance is up 100
percent over a week ago,” Latta
said.
The citations bring a $25 fine,
but cost drivers no license or in
surance points.
EXCEEDS GOAL—The visit of the Red Cross Bloodmobile to Chowan Hospital on Tuesday, sponsored
by the Jaycees was termed “a success” by hospital spokesperson Charlotte Baker. The goal of 80 pints
was exceeded by seven pints with 99 donors showing up to contribute. She said that 12 first-time donors
were among those participating. Shown here doing their part are Mrs. Judy Boyce of Box 46, Edenton
Manor, who said she had donated “many times” and Ray Goodwin of Rt. 3, Edenton, who said “This is
my twenty-third time.” Radio station WZBO personalities Flynn Surratt and Violet Barefoot broadcasted
live during the event.