9
The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
Volume LLIII No. 8
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, February 19, 1987
Single Copies 25 Cents
Tied His Own Hands
May we add our two cents worth
to the sentiments expressed
January 29 in a letter to the editor
by John A. Mitchener, III, about
the handling of two cases in
Chowan County Superior Court by
Judge Charles B. Winberry?
In one case, a welfare fraud
defendant was given a stern lec
ture from the bench, then sentenc
ed to six years in prison, suspend
ed for five years under supervis
ed probation, and ordered to pay
a $1,000 fine and court costs and
make restitution to the county in
the amount of $7,074.
In the other case, a convicted
wife-slayer was given 15 years
and 96 days in state prison and
ordered to pay $1,750 in attorney
fees and costs if he is let out on
work release. If the defendant
received a stern lecture, it was not
mentioned in the news report.
Instead, Judge Winberry, who
could have given the man 20
years, seemed to be passing the
blame to the legislature for failing
to use “good common sense” in
passing the laws governing
sentencing procedures, adding
that it was not in his power to
change the process.
Well, maybe so. But in passing
the fair sentencing act, the
legislature was following the ad
vice of lawyers, from Gov. Jim
Hunt down, including a number of
judges.
What tied the judge’s hands was
the plea bargaining arrangement
between the solicitor and the
defense counsel under which the
defendant was permitted to plead
guilty to a second-degree murder
charge. Here was a man who, ac
cording to the evidence, had kill
ed his wife with his own hands,
leaving three small children
without a mother.
As we understand it, presiding
judges do not have to accept plea
bargaining arrangements that
would do violence to the judicial
process. Had Judge Winberry in
sisted on trying this defendant on
a more realistic charge, he would
no doubt have found his hands un
tied when it came to sentencing.
We are glad to see the people of
Chowan County speaking out
through the columns of The
Chowan Herald. We would like to
see many more letters in the
Mailbag every week. That is
perhaps the most effective way
the public can respond to what it
considers lopsided application of
the law in our court system. It is
also a good way to call other
public servants to heel when they
get out of order.
Keep those cards and letters
coming.
Continued On Page 4
National Farm Save Attendance
Disappointing For Organizers
By JACK GROVE
ELIZABETH CITY-It was a
sparse crowd that attended Satur
day morning’s opening of Farm
Save Day on the campus of
Elizabeth City State University.
The crowd of 25,000 that
organizers expected never
materialized.
Various sources stated that
many area farmers didn’t attend
due to the previously announced
huge numbers expected. They
reportedly felt that room for out
ofWea farmers should not be
taken up by them.
Some 150 farmers and others,
including more than a score of
print and electronic media, listen
ed for over two hours as speaker
after speaker laid the plight of the
nation’s farmers squarely on the
doorstep of the federal
government.
The morning program was con
ducted by members of the Future
Farmers of America from nor
theastern counties. Introductions
Site Bought For Planned
Animal Research Facility
By JEANETTE WHITE
One step has been taken toward
construction of a hotly-contested
animal research facility in Gates
County with the sale of a tract of
Marc Basnight
Basnight
Given Post
RALEIGH—Lieutenant Gover
nor Bob Jordan has appointed
Senator Marc Basnight (D-Dare)
Chairman of the Senate Base
Budget and Appropriations Com
mittee on Natural and Economic
Resources. Basnight will also
serve as Vice Chairman of the
Local Government II Committee
and as member of the Agri
culture, Transportation, Natural
and Economic Resources and
Wildlife, Education and Pensions
and Retirement Committees.
“Marc did a very good job
representing his constituents dur
ing his first term. I know he will
do an outstanding job with his new
duties, and I look forward to work
ing with him,” Lieutenant Gover
nor Jordan stated.
Basnight represents the 1st
Senatorial District made up of
Beaufort (part), Bertie (part),
Camden, Chowan, Currituck,
Dare, Gates (part), Hyde, Pas
quotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell,
and Washington Counties.
land just south of Corapeake.
The five and one-half acre
parcel on N.C. 32 East was pur
chased by Daniel E. and Helen N
Sonenshine of Suffolk. The land
was sold for approximately
$25,000 by Clarence A. Rawls and
.others of Washington, N.C. The
deed of sale was recorded in the
courthouse January 30.
The Sonenshines were affiliated
with Suffolk Kennel and Research
Laboratory and leased a building
from Environmental Consultants
Incorporated (ECI). The animal
testing facility was closed when
ECI went out of business after
saying that the purchase and sale
of animals was not “profitable”.
Suffolk Town Council voted in 1984
to sell unclaimed animals col
lected by the animal shelter.
Statistics show average cost of
a dog bought from such a shelter
is $5, with sale price of the same
animal for research netting up to
$150.
The Sonenshines attempted to
build another site in Suffolk, but
were turned down on a rezoning
request. An attempt to purchase
land for the facility in Gates last
year also failed.
Dawn Eure of Gates has led a
strong public move to block the
research laboratory in her county.
“This is controversial because
we fear the animals will be
treated inhumanely. There is no
definite known number of animals
used for research every year
because many are not reported,
but we know there are millions of
animals used,” Ms. Eure said.
She said the Sonenshines
originally reported they would be
doing flea and flea product testing
in Gates County, but added testing
for heart worms to the list after
opposition grew.
“Gates has no shelter or
humane society, nothing to
monitor and control what they
do,” Ms. Eure said. “I am
definitely against animal
research, there are alternatives to
this.”
Ms. Eure said one laboratory
Continued On Page 4
VEHICLES COLLIDE—The flow of traffic at the intersection of Church and Oakum Streets in Edenton
was temporarily disrupted last Thursday afternoon, following a 3:00 p.m. collision involving the drivers
of a Mustang and a tractor trailer rig. No injuries were reported. (Staff photo by Gail Basnight) .
of incited officials were made by
FFA members including Mark
Stevenson of Perquimans.
Sen. Marc Basnight of Manteo
observed that he came from a
Dare County farm family. “We
had to leave farming.” Speaking
on foreign commodity competi
tion, he said that the U.S. “used
our research and trained them to
compete against us.”
Baseball great and Perquimans
farmer, Jim (Catfish) Hunter told
the crowd that he was raised in a
large farm family. “My dad told
me a long time ago not to farm.”
About the day’s events, “We’re
here to tell the head officials we
need help.” And on foreign trade
barriers, “They’ve got to take
some of our products or we won’t
take any of their?.”
Continued On Page 4
/ m
ORGANIZER—Eugene Meads, an Elizabeth City businessman
(center) is interviewed by reporters during Farm Save Day Saturday
morning. Meads had the idea and organized the event for farmers
across the United States.
SPEAKS ON BEHALF OF FARMERS—Rep. R.M. (Pete) Thompson speaks at the opening session of
Farm Save Day at Vaughan Center on the ECSU campus. Also speaking at the event was Jim (Catfish)
Hunter, shown at right. Thompson told the group, “I don't know of a group in the world that has been
penalized for efficiency like the American farmer.”
Conference On Family
Support Is Scheduled
Rocky Hock Baptist Church will
be the site of a Farm Family Sup
port Conference, Monday, Feb. 23
from 6-9:30 p.m.
The conference is sponsored by
the Baptist State Convention of
North Carolina and is designed to
give support to farm families.
Pre-registration is required
prior to Feb. 20 at noon. Fee for
the conference will be $2, for
which families will have dinner at
6 p.m. and will receive a resource
notebook giving information about
loans, medical care and support
groups.
Rev. Larry McClure of the state
convention said the conference is
open to any farm family which
registers.
In the conference following din
ner, an overview of the immediate
future of farming will be headed
by Dr. William Toussaint, profes
sor of economics at N.C. State
University. Following his address,
the conference will be divided in
to three groups.
One group for pastors and
church staff will be led by Tom
O’Neal, director of Baptist
Hospital Counseling Center in
Charlotte. The second group will
be for farmers and will be led by
Don Evans of the Missouri Baptist
Convention. The third group will
be for spouses of farmers and will
be addressed by Brenda Kneece of
Palmer Springs, Va., who works
with clinical support groups.
After group conferences, the
meeting will hear a panel mod
erated by Maurice Cook of N.C.
State University, followed by
testimony from a farmer and his
wife.
Rev. McClure said the purpose
of the conference is to help
farmers know how to deal with to
day’s crises and to show where
help can be received for various
problems.
The same type meetings are
scheduled in Oak City Baptist
Church in Oak City at 10 a.m. Feb.
23; Deep Run Baptist Church in
Deep Run Feb. 24 at 10 a.m.; and
Poston Baptist Church in Wallace
Feb. 25 at 10 a.m.
Rev. McClure said between 1974
and 1984, Chowan County lost 65
farm families. In the same period,
Bertie County lost 105 farm
families, 201 in Martin County and
45 in Gates County.
Food Funds
Restored
Chowan County residents who
are eligible for food distribution
under the federal Temporary
Emergency Food Assistance Pro
gram (TEFAP) will continue to
receive this assistance for the re
mainder of the fiscal year.
Funds for the program have
been restored, according to infor
mation from the U S. Department
of Agriculture - Food Nutrition
Service in Atlanta.
Commodities provided through
the program include honey, pro
cessed cheese, butter, instant
milk, rice, cornmeal and flour.
It was announced last month
that the USDA had cut funding for
the program from its budget. At
that time, N.C. Agriculture Com
missioner Jim Graham stated,
“Funds are not available on a
state level currently to fund the
administrative costs of the
program.”
In a statement issued on
February 6, Gov. Jim Martin,
Human Resources Sec. Phillip J.
Kirk, Jr. and Graham said that
they would not allow the discon
tinuation of TEFAP.
“We do not intend to let this im
portant food program end,”
Continued On Page 4
Democrats Schedule Precinct Meetings March 5
Chowan County Democrats
have scheduled their first precinct
meetings since Democratic vic
tories in last November’s election.
The precinct meetings will be
held at regular precinct polling
places on March 5 at 8 p.m.
County Detnocratic Chairman
Charles Shaw’encourages all
registered Democrats to attend.
“Senator Terry Sanford’s victory
last November proved the Demo
crats are back.” Shaw said. “Peo
ple once again are proud to say
they’re Democrats. We want all
Democrats to attend these
meetings, whether they’re party
regulars, or whether they just
want to get involved with the par
ty again.”
The chairman said that precinct
meetings are the most basic in
gredient for Democratic success.
“The precinct level is where all
policy-making begins,” he said.
“The more that people get in
volved in precinct meetings, the
better the party can represent the
views of all Democrats.”
At the March 5 meetings, Demo
crats will elect precinct officers
for the next two years and will
choose delegates to the April 4
county convention.
Precincts will also have the
chance to pass resolutions on
political and public policy issues.