Newspapers / The Chowan Herald (Edenton, … / Oct. 1, 1987, edition 1 / Page 1
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I THE CHOWAN HERALD Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast Volume LLIII • No. 39, Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, October 1, 1987 Single Copies 25 Cents A Timely Proposal * Senator Marc Basnight’s pro posal to study the feasibility of pumping used Texas Gulf water from Aurora to Virginia strikes us as making so much good sense that it ought to be studied thoroughly. And, if that can be coupled with the four-laning of US 17 to the North Carolina border, so much the better. As things now stand, millions of gallons of water from the Castle Hayne aquifer is being used daily to wash phosphate being mined by Texas Gulf and then dumped into the Pamilco River. If this water can be treated and then pumped into the drought-prone north eastern area, the benefits could be spread all around. First, there is Texas Gulf. Right or wrong, Texas Gulf is now being charged -with damaging marine life in the Pamlico River. In addi tion, it is using so much water from the underground that the water table is being lowered to such an extent that many people have expressed fear that brackish water will be sucked into the aquifer to replace the supply. Pumping the used water away to northeastern North Carolina cities and Virginia would not help the aquifer problem, of course, but it might go a long way toward curing the Pamlico pollution pro blem and that would be a welcome ' development for Texas Gulf. Then, there are the cttie&akwg the route which experience water shortages almost every summer, j It would be a great service if ; Edenton, Hertford, Elizabeth ‘ City, Belhaven or Winfall, for ex i ample, could tap onto a supply of treated water when they need it most. And, then, there are the cities in i Virginia. For several years they have been pushing a proposal to tap the waters of Lake Gaston, far inland on the North Carolina Virginia border, and pump it east ; to Virginia Beach and other water-short communities in the j area. This plan has met with stiff opposition in North Carolina and is now tied up in litigation which could go on for years. If Virginia could get the same quality of water from the south as it hopes to get from Lake Gaston, it might be willing to settle for that. We don’t know what connection this proposal has with improved roads in northeastern North Carolina. But any connection is enough for us. One of the area’s greatest economic needs is an im proved highway system. And top item in any plan ought to be the four-laning of US 17 from Windsor to the North Carolina border. Continued On Page 4 I TO BENEFIT—The percussion section is representative of the Edenton Marching Aces. Hie twelfth annual Peanut Festival, Saturday and Sunday, directly benefits the band program and is sponsored by the Edenton-Chowan Band Parents Assoc (Schedule of events appears on page 10-A) mmmmm _ Upbeat Crowd Greets Visiting N.C. Lieutenant Governor By JEANETTE WHITE Lt. Gov. Bob Jordan said Tues day that Chowan County has more reason to be proud of its heritage and the Constitution than any other place in the country. Jordan said that encourage ment from Chowan County Grand Jurors on November 8, 1787, to ratify the document to meet the needs of all Americans left a legacy that is significant into the twentieth century. The mood was festive when Jordan visited Holmes High School to speak with students on the importance of the Constitu tion, one of several helicopter stops in the eastern part of the state. Even though Holmes faculty had short notice that the can didate for governor planned to visit, an impressive program was organized and Jordan was greeted by county and town dignitaries, patriotic music from the band and concert choir, an honor guard and reception. The lieutenant governor serves as chairman of the N.C. Constitu tion Bicentennial Commission and said, “I’m here because it’s so im portant for you to realize how im portant the Constitution was and will be.” Jordan was introduced by Beth Norvell, SCA president, after school superintendent Dr. John Dunn thanked him for his work to promote education. “Thank you for the many things you are doing and have done for education,” Dunn said, mention ing the career ladder program, the Basic Education Plan and funding for school construction in the last legislative session. Because the first suggestion for ratification of the Constitution came from the old courthouse, Jordan said, “Chowan County has more reason to be proud and think about the Constitution than not just any other county in the state, but in the nation.” The candidate said his roots were in eastern North Carolina after his father, driving a machine to roll asphalt in Tyrrell County, met his mother in the Alligator Community. “This county is part of the greatest state in the nation,” Jordan said, adding that at a re cent gathering of national leaders, Sen. Paul Simon and Cong. Richard Gephart praised the state for its promotion of education and high technology. “You ought to be proud. If anyone in America is thinking about the Constitution, it ought to be you,” he said. ^ Jordan set the scenario for ratification of the document in Philadelphia from May until September, 1787, saying it was hot and the doors were closed to the world as leaders tuned-up the Articles of Confederation. “We were doing things to put us on the road to failure,” he said, as states taxed other states, women could not vote and minorities were considered two-thirds of a person. “It was a white, male Constitu tion,” he said. He pointed out that subsequent leaders guided through amend ments that corrected short comings in line with changing times. Jordan spoke of George Washington and James Madison, the first easily recognizable for his statue and persona and saying about the second, “You would not Continued On Page 4 PHILADELPHIA WAS HOT TOO—Lt. Gov. Bob Jordan told students gathered in Holmes Gymnasium Tuesday that the men who met in Philadelphia in 1787 had no air conditioning either. But the weather did not prevent the creation of the Constitution, a document that fit the needs of all Americans. Jordan was presented a “President’s Choice” commemorative shirt by SCA President Beth Norvell. The shirt is a reminder of the 1986 senior class visit with President Reagan in Washington, D.C. Local Man Wins Acquittal On Rape Charge In Superior Court A Chowan County Superior Court jury deliberated about three hours Thursday before returning to the courtroom with verdicts of not guilty in second degree rape and second degree sexual offense charges filed against a 17-year-old Edenton youth. The trial began Tuesday after a 13-year-old Edenton girl said Willis Anderson Drew walked in to her home around 11 p.m. July Jobless Rate Shows Decline The unemployment rate for Chowan County was 3.7 percent in August, slightly lower than the 4.2 percent reported for the state. In Chowan, there are 5,650 workers, with 210 listed as unemployed. State figures say that North Carolina recorded a slight decrease in unemplbyment in 86 of the state’s 100 counties last month. Only one county reported an unemployment rate higher than 10 percent for August. Graham County reported a rate of 13.6 percent. In the surrounding area, Per quimans had a 3.1 percent unemployment rate; Pasquotank 3.6; Bertie, 4.7; Currituck, 1.4; Gates 3.1; Hertford 7.0; Camden, 4.4. 18. The girl said she was alone at the time and testified that she was beaten and threatened with death when a struggle occurred just before she was forced into a sex ual offense and raped. In summation to the jury Thurs day, defense attorney Regina Moore of Williamston said ex amination at the hospital showed no sign of trauma to the girl ex cept a tender spot on the head. Ms. Moore also argued that SBI findings showed no trace of semen, but tests on the girl August 11 showed that she was pregnant. District Attorney Frank Parrish said the girl suffered a spon taneous abortion a few days after the pregnancy test. After the trial, one of the jurors said there was no specific evidence that tipped the verdict in Drew’s favor. “The state just did not present the evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,” the juror said. If Drew had been found guilty, he could have been sentenced to 80 years, or 40 years on each charge. James Vance Joyner, 43, Suf folk, appeared before Judge James R. Strickland of Jackson ville Thursday in a motion for ap propriate relief (for a new trial), but the motion was denied. Joyner was sentenced to six months active jail term by Judge Thomas Watts in March on wor thless check charges. But Joyner said he understood that if he would enter a plea of guilty to two of the three charges EIC To Be Area Grant Recipient The Economic Improvement Council serving this 10 county area was notified last week that it will receive a grant of $26,704. The grant is part of almost $1 million awarded to 43 of the state’s community action agencies for programs to combat poverty. Mrs. Maggie Griffin, Block Grant Coordinator with EIC in Edenton, said the local money would be used for a job referral and placement project that helps low income workers find employ ment. The program also offers services related to maintaining employment. Gov. James Martin approved allocation of $986,640 to support anti-proverty agencies which assist low income persons with employment, housing, education, emergency assistance, debt management, energy conserva tion, nutrition and transportation. Size of the grants across the state ranged from $4,203 for the Macon (County) Program for Progress to $72,819 for Four Coun ty Community Services, serving Bladen, Hoke, Robeson, Colum bus, Pender and Scotland Counties. The Community Action Part nership Program complements the federal Community Service Block Grant Programs, whose major purpose is to provide ser vices to deal with poverty on local levels. The funds will be dispensed through the Div. of Economic Op portunity in the N.C. Dept, of Natural Resources and Communi ty Development. Anyone wishing more informa tion or who feels he or she may qualify for assistance should telephone 482-4458 or visit the local EIC administrative office located at Edenton Airport. The 10 counties served by the local office are Chowan, Camden, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hyde, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell and Washington. In a nearby area, the Choanoke Area Development Association, serving Hertford, Bertie, Halifax and Northampton Counties, will receive $40,659. in the March trial, he would be given a suspended sentence. Joyner said the charges arose over post-dated checks given to his landlord and that he entered the guilty pleas on advice Of his at torneys, Eddie O’Neal and Russell Twiford of Elizabeth City. Under cross examination, Par rish said Joyner had been con victed of embezzlement, credit card fraud, worthless checks and larceny by check in Virginia and wanted the motion to prevent a probation revocation in that state. In other cases scheduled before Judge Strickland, charges of driv ing while impaired and driving left of center against Shirley Stanley Tripp were dismissed by the state. Archie Norman Sutton pleaded guilty to DWI and a charge of left Continued On Page 4 “CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE”—That sign replaces movie billings that have flanked the entrance of the Taylor Theater on Broad Street since 1925. Wilson Amusements, until Sunday, operator of the theater, sees no future for the business. Owners, Mr. and Mrs. W.J.P. Earnhardt, are not so pessimistic and expect to see it reopened. Taylor Theatre Closes Its Doors By JACK GROVE An Edenton institution closed its doors Sunday, but for those who have enjoyed the movies at the Taylor Theater, there may yet be a future for an evening out at the movies. The theater was built in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Sam Taylor and operated by them until 1960. In that year, Mr. and Mrs. W.J.P. Earnhardt purchased the business from Mrs. Leona B. Taylor, by then a widow. Earn hardt had been with the theater since 1936 as its manager. Wilson Amusements leased the business in 1974 and operated it continuously until Sunday. The Taylor briefly closed in 1963 when it was converted into a twin screen operation. In a telephone interview Wednesday, Marion Boykin, president of Wilson, termed the closing, “probably a total closing. The number one reason is the lack of dollars.” He said that the opera tion had lost money for a couple of years. Boykin cited as the major cause, the policy of major film makers of distributing a limited number of prints of major films that go to larger cities first. By the time a print is available for show ing in smaller towns such as Edenton, “they are already cold.” The Earnhardts said Wednes day that the closing had caught them by surprise. However, Earn hardt indicated that there might still be a future for the theater under new ownership. “We have hopes of keeping the theater open." Mrs. Earnhardt said.
The Chowan Herald (Edenton, N.C.)
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Oct. 1, 1987, edition 1
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