Newspeak
For Taxes
While Congress is trying to
figure out a way to give its
members a 50 per cent salary
raise without a vote, senior
citizens had better get a new
hold on their pocketbook with
out a doubt
For a $200 billion annual
deficit is not going to go away;
and, now that we have learned
to read the President-elect's
lips, it is time to begin con
sidering his motives in
picking Michael Boskin as
chairman of. his Council of
Economic Advisers.
First let’s look for a mo
ment at the post-election status
of the federal budget.
Remember how during the
campaign we were told that
under Gramm-Rudman
mandates the deficit for this
fiscal year had been reduced
to $150 billion. Now they tell
us that to do that they used
some $50 billion from the So
cial Security Trust Fund
earmarked to meet future de
mands on the system.
ou uic mici'Cicuuuu uciitit
remains at $200 billion.
Then there is the matter of
cleaning up the nuclear en
ergy plants operated for the
benefit of the defense depart
ment. Some of them have been
closed and others are hazards
to the health of the communi
ties where they operate. That's
another $40 billion item we
did not hear much about dur
ing the campaign.
Another problem that was
swept under the rug during the
campaign involves the Sav
ings and Loan banks across
the country. Already all the
funds in the Federal Deposit
Insurance, fund for savings
at)d loan customers have been
used and some $40 billion
more will be needed to bail out
many of those left, principally
in Oklahoma, Texas and
California.
Add to all that the $10 to $15
billion which will be needed to
cover the few innovations in
health and social programs
the President-elect promised
and you are looking at an
other $150 billion needed in
new money the day Congress
meets.
Where is this $350 billion
coming from?
We will give you some
clues.
Robert Strauss and Drew
Lewis, co-chairmen of the bi
partisan group authorized by
Congress to advise the new
' administration, admitted on
national television the other
morning that the Social Secu
rity system is under study for
ways to reduce "entitlements"
and transfer the income to the
general fund.
And Mr. Boskin has de
scribed Social Security as
"welfare for the wealthy." He
1 said it pays "well-off elderly
people many billions of dol
lars more than what they and
their employers paid in, plus
Continued On Page 10
THE CHOWAN HERALD
Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
Volume LLV - No. 1
¥
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, January 5,1989
READY TO SHOOT-Technicians and actors stand by, ready to go before the camera to film a
commercial for Stihl chainsaws in Chowan County on Dec. 6. The commercial, using a woods
fire as a backdrop, will air on national TV beginning next month.
Accidents Mar Holiday
Two auto fatalities marred
the holidays in Chowan and
Perquimans Counties last
week.
Nina Renee Spruill, 21 of
Rt. 1, Edenton died in an ac
cident at 3:35 p.m. last Thurs
day.
A report filed by N.C.
Highway Patrol Trooper M.J.
McArthur indicated that Ms.
Spruill was traveling east on
rural paved road 1305 when
her 1988 Toyota crossed the
centerline on a curve, swerv
ed right and then left and
skidded into the path of a west
bound 1987 Chevrolet pickup.
Lester Ray Copeland of Rt.
2, Tyner, driver of the pickup,
drove partially onto the shoul
der of the road in an attempt to
avoid the collision. After im
pact, both vehicles came to rest
in a field.
Copeland, who was wear
ing a seat belt, was treated
and released at Chowan Hos
pital. Ms. Spruill reportedly
was not wearing a seat belt.
Neither driver had a passen
ger at the time.
Wind Pushes Fire
Across Pine Fields
An estimated 65 to 70 acres
of young pine trees went up in
smoke Wednesday, Dec. 28 in
the Valhalla section of the
county. The fire was reported
at 10:52 a.m.
Flames from a ditch bank
fire were whipped by high
winds through a nearby strip
of woods onto three pine plan
tations of loblolly pines. The
man doing the ditch burning
had a burning permit accord
ing to county N.C. Forest
Ranger, Roger Spivey.
The fire raced across some
30 acres of one-year-old trees
on a Union Camp plantation,
jumped a company road,
burned across four or five
acres of eight-year-old pines
and burned 35 acres of a four
year-old Stand of loblollys be
fore it was contained.
About 30 men were at the
fir#'Scene On N.C. 32 north,
one-half mile south of Val
halla. They included the
Edenton Fire Dept, with two
pumpers and a tanker; forest
service personnel with three
tractor-plow units; Union
Camp employees with a trac
tor-plow; Chowan Sheriffs
Dept.; and the Edenton-Cho
wan Rescue Squad.
The wind-whipped fire took
four hours to contain.
In setting a damage esti
mate, Spivey said that re-for
estation programs cost an av
erage of $200 per acre. The
trees lost to the fire then,
would have been worth $13
14,000. He said that the trees
would have been "economi
cally mature" for harvesting
at about 35 years of age.
The ranger pointed out that,
even with a burning permit,
people must take existing con
ditions into consideration be
fore starting a fire.They in
clude recent rainfall, humid
ity and wind conditions.
Fall and spring are con
sidered to be the traditional
fire seasons with spring
"worse most of the time."
However, "anytime when we
have low humidity and high
winds, we need to be extreme
ly careful how we use fire in
the open," Spivey said.
The ranger said that a ci
tation was issued to Russell
Byrum for allowing a fire to
escape to another person's
property. Under state law, the
offense is a misdemeanor.
MAGISTRATES SWORN-Mrt. Maijorie Hollowell, Clerk of Chowan Superior Court gave
the oath of office Friday to Magistrates (from left) Carlton Jackson and Wayne Rice as retiring
' Magistrate Raymond Tarkington looks on. Jackson took over Tarkington's position at the first
stroke of the new year.
A single vehicle accident
in Perquimans County took
the life of William Abner
Johnson, 36, of Holiday Is
land.
Trooper Y.Z. Newberry re
sponded to the scene at 4:25
a.m. on Friday. He said that
Johnson was driving alone
when he entered a curve on
Holiday Island Road heading
south at a "high rate of speed"
estimated to be 70 mph or
greater.
The 1985 Toyota ran off the
road, struck a ditch bank and
overturned several times be
fore coming to rest on its top in
the roadway. Johnson was
thrown from the vehicle and
was found 48 feet from the car.
Newberry's report said that
a seat belt was not in use at the
time.
...... ...
TV Commercial
Filmed Locally
By JACK GROVE
A portion of Chowan Coun
ty will be on television across
the nation beginning in Feb
ruary thanks to the efforts of a
film company from Balti
more, Md.
They came here early in
December to film a commer
cial for Stihl chainsaws. The
scenario called for firefight
ers to be using the saws in a
fire situation simulating the
devastating fires that swept
across the Pacific Northwest
last year.
The filming took place in a
stand of trees east of N.C. 32
north, across the highway
from the cotton gin road. A
controlled burning of the
stand was being conducted by
the N.C. Forest Service at the
time.
Called "hazard reduction
burning," Ranger Roger
Spivey explained that it pre
pared the forest floor for seed
bed for new growth. He said
that it is only done in pine for
ests as hardwood trees can't
withstand the heat. Thick
bark or pines protect them
during the burning.
After a landowner contacts
the forest service for a burn,
plans are made and approved
by the district ranger. Fire
lines are plowed in advance
of the fire. Spivey said that
pines must be at least 15 years
old to withstand the burning.
Carl Schultz, assistant di
rector at the filming, done by
Academy Film Productions,
said that the company looked
south for a locale due to winter
weather conditions in the
west. A call was made to the
state film commission that
assists film producers and
"they put us on to the N.C. For
est Service."
They were then directed to
Chowan County for "the right
look" for the commercial and
where controlled burning was
planned. They wanted to use
as a backdrop, a forest with the
right mixture of hardwoods
and pines.
The filming was completed
in one day with professional
actors, two Elizabeth City fire
men and N.C. Forest Service
personnel in front of the cam
era.
Before filming, the actors
provided background sound
in front of a mike by stamp
ing of feet, running through
weeds, heavy breathing and
shouting such phrases as
"over here, get that snag."
Continued On Page 10
Suspect
Arrested
An alert downtown busi
nessman and quick police
work resulted in the appre
hension of a suspected shop
lifter.
Chub Matched, owner of the
Pick Wick Restaurant was
taking out trash Saturday
morning when he spotted
something wedged between
two LP gas tanks behind his
pool room. It turned out to be a
new jacket to a Nike jogging
suit. The tags were still on the
garment.
Matched called Edenton
Police who traced the jacket to
the Cuthrel! Department
Store. There had been only
one customer in the store that
Continued On Page 10
RETIREMENT GIFTS—Retired Edenton Police Chief J.D. Parrish was honored with gifts
and a banquet last Thursday evening. Holding mementoes from left are Sgt. McCoy Parker,
Capt. Harvey Williams, Mrs. Parrish (holding a plaque with the chiefs badge and all the
names of Edenton officers), Mayor John Dowd, Parrish (holding a new service revolver), Sgt.
Joe Norman and Sgt. Gregory Bonner.
28 Years Of Service
Retiring Police Chief Is Honored
A large crowd was on hand
last Thursday evening to hon
or retiring Police Chief John
D. Parrish at a banquet in his
honor. Parrish has served
with the Edenton Police Dept,
for 28 years, 21 years as chief.
Guest speaker, Superior
Court Judge Thomas Watts,
said that he wished to "set the
record straight. We need to
reveal the true John Parrish.
We come to roast John, not to
praise him."
Watts said that there was
no truth to the rumor that Par
rish had been appointed as
chief by the Royal Governor.
’Tt just seems that way, he's
been here so long."
Leaving levity behind, the
judge said, "In all serious
ness, J.D. Parrish has served
the citizens with courage and
with integrity since 1961. He
has led his department with
vision." Noting that the size
of the department had more
than doubled under his lead
ership, he praised the chief for
expanding the training of of
ficers.
Watts pointed out the loyal
ty of his officers and said that
"He has one of the highest re
tention rates of any commun
ity that I have seen." Also, "he
fostered a spirit of cooperation
with other law enforcement
agencies. Most importantly,
he and the men that he
commanded maintained
Edenton as a safe commun
ity."
Mayor John Dowd told the
crowd, "I grew up running
from him.” In presenting
Parrish with a pair of heavy
duty rubber boots for the farm,
he quipped, "I'm not so sure
you didn’t need them while
you were Chief of Police."
Town Manager Anne
Marie Kelly recalled her in
troduction to Parrish by
Dowd. "He stood, tipped his
hat and said 'I'm happy to
meet you.'” Then when Dowd
continued that she was the
new town manager, (and his
new boss) "The Chiefs eyes
just about popped out of his
head. But he recovered
quick." She mentioned that
they went on to work smoothly
together.
In brief parting remarks,
Parrish said, ”1 felt like my
parents were needing me,” in
their farm operation. "But I do
miss the police department."