Newspapers / The Chowan Herald (Edenton, … / April 2, 1987, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Chowan Herald (Edenton, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Sheriff Predicts Early Release Plan May Cause Local Difficulties Chowan County Sheriff Fred Spruill says recent suggestions to grant early release to non-violent prison inmates may cause pro £ blems at the local level. The state would like to release 800 inmates from the Dept, of Cor rections to relieve overcrowding. The releases would be for prisoners convicted of other than violent crimes. ' At present, county sheriffs can deliver prisoners to the depart ment of corrections on any sentence in excess of 30 days. The state pays the county $12.50 per day for inmates sentenced to more than 30 days and held locally. Officials are looking at the possibility of leaving inmates in 1 county facilities for any sentence under two years, Spruill said. Spruill says the release would cause overcrowding in county jails and would mean additional operating funds. The Chowan County Detention Facility, which was designed as a pre-trial holding center, was not built as a correctional facility. The jail has a capacity of 22 peo ple and averaged 14 inmates dai ly in 1986, with up to six inmates added on weekend sentences. A THE CHOWAN HERALD Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast — 9 Volume LLIII • No. 14 - Edenton. North Carolina. Thursday. April 2, 1987 Single Copies 25 Cents. — — — --«-— ZE Eåi —.-: TIE— . ... : - . E-. III ?-.:—— .-·-—- ZE: » Ek- —- -1-. : E-— —::: ZE- E , . . .»-:.. f. ■ The Whipping Post From sentiments expressed in a letter to the editor published in last week’s Chowan Herald, we get the feeling that we are one of Rev. Ashby Browder’s lesser en thusiasms. In fact, he accuses us of con verting the Public Parade into a Public Whipping Post for “any thing or anybody” that doesn’t fit into our “political or philosophical camp.” He’s also tired of our “nit picking and fault-finding,” our partisan politics and “barbs cast toward fundamentalists.” In the process, he commits the same offense he accuses us of. He criticizes us, with whom he does not agree, for criticizing those with whom we do not agree. And he does it with less charity than one ought to be able to expect from a Christian minister. First, let’s get the ownership of the Chowan Herald straight. We bought it more than 20 years ago from J. E. Bufflap and Hector Lupton and gave our brother-in law a half interest, which we had to buy back when he ran into financial difficulties. We have spent the past few years straightening-out' Ike Chowan Herald’s affairs and have enjoyed freely expressing our own opi nions in our own paper. We have never made any bones about our political persuasion. We have been elected many times on the Democratic ticket and have tried to advance the principles of that party. Down the years we have come to know some “regis tered Democrats” who would be more honest if they simply went down and changed their party preference. That brings us to Ronald Reagan, who did just that, and Jim Martin and their administra tions. It is inaccurate toaccuse us of holding that they have “done nothing productive or right the whole time” they have been in office. We have endorsed their actions on occasion, Jim Martin’s statewide school bond proposal, for example. We were writing edi torials long before either of them came to office and the record will show we were as critical of Demo cratic presidents and governors Continued On Page 4 Few AIDS Cases Reported In Albemarle Area By JEANETTE WHITE Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, called the deadliest social disease of the twentieth cen tury, has not caused major pro blems for Albemarle area health officials. Although three cases have been reported to the Pasquotank, Per quimans, Chowan and Camden District Health Department, no public panic erupted and the vic tims of the deadly virus have died. Two cases of AIDS were reported in Pasquotank and one in Chowan County. The Chowan pa tient reportedly contracted the disease elsewhere and returned to his native county just prior to his death. In nearby areas, four cases each have been reported in Hert ford and Pitt Counties, with six on record in Onslow County. North Carolina ranks twentieth is;';'< - -rm REPUBLICANS HEAR DRUG PRESENTATION—Mary Spruill, employed at Chowan Hospital’s emergency room gave a presentation on alcohol and drugs to Republicans at their county convention this week. County officers, executive committee members and delegates to the district convention in Nags Head were elected. Elected as county officers were: Ann Ellis, Chairwoman, Jim Chesson, Vice-Chairman, Margaret Smith, Secretary and Tom Harris, Treasurer. In addressing the convention on “communicating,” J1IH WlPlSBITBPBefVgq; ‘"Wrte gd'ttbgeFffiif&ora'duT - we RaV(?'TO'HcpuBTi^ns'anTtKeTe''s probably three times that many that are ‘closet Republicans.’ ” (See related story, page B-l)_ Welcome Center Plans Beii^g Developed Plans are underway to promote optimum use of a proposed welcome center on U.S. 17 near the North Carolina-Virginia state line to serve tourism on both the highway and Dismal Swamp Canal. Plans for the center mater ialized after Sen. Marc Basnight of Manteo proposed the dual purpose facility instead of a plann ed $500,000 rest area. Other legislators supporting the change are Rep. Vernon James of Eliza beth City and Rep. Pete Thomp son of Edenton. Promoters are hoping that the center will influence the Corps of Engineers to keep the canal open and clear. Legislators have asked for com mitments in dollars and volun teers to staff the center and pro mote the 10-county area’s travel Barker Issues Study Report Architectural historian Brad Barker, who has been surveying Edenton and Chowan County historic structures for almost two years, reported last Wednesday to a citizens’ luncheon about indi a vidual buildings and building m types that are in danger of dis appearing. Barker opened the luncheon with a picture of the collapsed mill building at Bennetts Mill Pond. He pointed out that this had been the last remaining water powered mill in the area, and that it was associated with William Bennett, a and his father-in-law, William W Boyd, who were courageous signers to the Test, an Edenton declaration of revolutionary prin ciples, in 1776. Barker’s message to the au dience was that a great many structures of historic importance, some erected even in this century, have already disappeared, and £ that many of the remaining will do so unless action is taken to save them. - Perhaps most important of these, according to Barker, is Athol House, several of whose great columns have collapsed. However, Barker made the point that many relatively humble structures have as much to say about life and culture in past years as do great houses such as Athol. He cited particularly rural schools and stores as being ex amples of these more modest but equally important buildings. Barker closed his presentation by urging owners and citizens’ organizations interested in help ing individual structures to seek the advice of the professionals in this area at the North Carolina Department of Archives and History. The luncheon and Mr. Barker’s presentation were sponsored by four of the real estate companies in town: Century 21, Colonial Real Estate, Dali Construction and Real Estate, and The Rich Com pany. and tourism industry. Various committees have been formed to study the center and how it can best be used. The Historic Sites Tourism and Brochures Committee met Tues day under leadership of Chairman Loraine Simpson of the Regional Office of Northeastern Historic Places. The committee discussed estab lished resources in the 10-county area which could be utilized to help the regional concept of the center, which will be the first in the nation serving both road and water traffic. Volunteers were assigned for surveys in each county to deter mine sites of interest to tourists. Information gathered will be us ed to determine what materials should be distributed from the center. Groundbreaking for the new center is planned for spring of 1988 with completion scheduled for the summer. At Tuesday’s meeting Don Continued On Page 5-A in the nation after 197 cases were reported statewide and 136 of the victims died. Nationally 33,000 cases have been reported, with a mortality rate of 67 percent. Conservative estimates say that a recent recommendation from the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta for public testing will add at least 30,000 new cases immediately. The CDC has asked that people who received multiple blood transfusions between 1978 and 1985 be tested for the virus, which can remain dormant for 15 years. People who lived and received transfusions in densely populated areas are considered at a higher risk than those in rural areas. Also at high risk are homosex uals, bisexuals, intravenous drug users and their sexual partners. Sixteen people served by the local health district have asked for free testing, three of which Continued On Page 4 maximum of 32 prisoners were housed at one time last year with the overflow sleeping on mat tresses on the floor. Meals for inmates are catered by the hospital for $2 each. The county allocated $122,000 annual operating funds last year and picked up an additional $60,000 in jail fees. Based on figures from 1986, the county allows $26.75 per day per prisoner. Since July 1986, Spruill says the jail has collected $33,000 for detention of non-county prisoners. Female inmates are sent to Tri County Regionaljail in Elizabeth City and the county is billed $40 per day. Chowan houses inmates for Gates County, which has rio jail, and receives $21.50 daily for each prisoner. State law requires that certain provisions be made for each in mate other than room and board, such as medical and dental care and recreational facilities. In addition to funding re quirements, Spruill said he thought a large percentage of the early parolees would be brought back into the court system. One state prisoner released ear ly led law enforcement in another area on a 200-mile chase last week after stealing a tractor-trailer. The parolee had been found guil ty of car theft and sentenced to a three year term. “I can forsee this as a big pro blem down the road,” Spruill said. If the burden of providing care for inmates is shifted to counties, Spruill said the transition could not be completed before July. The state sheriff’s association is fighting the change. Drug Arrests Are Made An undercover drug investiga tion by Bertie County Sheriff’s Department ended Wednesday morning when the first of a number of arrests was made around 3:00 a.m. Sheriff Wallace Perry said more than 20 arrests were ex pected on 60 charges ranging from possession of marijuana to traf ficking in cocaine. “There’s plenty of it here, we’ve just scratched the surface,” Perry said. Although details were sketchy at presstime, Perry said inves tigation showed that drugs were being distributed in Chowan, Ber tie, Martin and Hertford Counties. The investigation, which lasted several months, was a joint effort between the sheriff’s department and the State Bureau of Investiga tion. At presstime nineteen arrests had been made, with one charge of trafficking in cocaine. Officials confiscated seven pounds of marijuana and one fourth pound of cocaine with a combined street value of $15,000. An undisclosed amount of cash was also confiscated and three or four other arrests are expected. Court Cases Are Heard Judge J. Richard Parker presided over Chowan District Court March 24. Terry Wayne Hufton was found responsible for having improper brakes and was ordered to pay cost of court. An appeal was noted. Thomas Alfred Clarke III was found responsible for exceeding safe speed and ordered to pay cost of court. An appeal was noted. Xavier Lamar Everett admit ted responsibility for speeding in excess of 35 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone. He was ordered to pay cost of court. Carl Conrad Stallings was found Continued On Page 1 TTiis female cougar was killed near Kilkenny Road in Tyrrell County. (Photos by Mike Overton, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission) This male cougar carcass was found later in the vicinity of the female. Two Men Arrested For Game Law Violations In Cougar Killings Two men are facing charges of violating state game laws in con nection with the fatal shootings of two cougars in Tyrrell County recently. Jeff Garry Gibbs, 39, Fairfield, and Harry Thomas Phelps, 46, Creswell, were charged in the unrelated incidents. The first dead cougar was discovered March 16 beside Kilkenny Road in southern Tyrrell County. The female weighed 88 pounds and was in “fairly good condition”, according to the head of Wildlife Enforcement, Col. Harold hagland. The second big cat was killed the following day at a trash dump ster in the same vicinity. The se cond victim was a male weighing 120 pounds and considered in good condition. The male bore a tattoo in one ear, leading officers to consider the possibility that the cats were raised in captivity and released. An autopsy was completed by the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study Center at the University of Georgia in Athens. Officials are not certain the cats were western or eastern breeds which still must he deter mined by an independent expert. The determination is made by the skull size. Another official with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Hal Atkinson, said eastern North Carolina was a former traditional range for cougars and unconfirm ed reports of sightings had been received over the past 10 years. Atkinson pointed out that if cougars are in the area, they pre sent no danger to humans because Continued On Page 4 Countywide Sale To Begin A county-wide sale today, tomorrow and Saturday will feature spring specials of local businesses. Twenty-three businesses are participating in this annual event. Savings for shoppers can be found in the full-size “broad sheet” supplement in this week’s edition. In addition, more than 10,000 copies of this broad sheet were distributed in the surroun ditig counties via mail or hand delivered.
The Chowan Herald (Edenton, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
April 2, 1987, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75