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CHOWAN HERALD
Published Trt T=he^4ost Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
Volume LLV - No. 15
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, April 13,1989
Single Copies 25 Cents
On Opening
Things Up
When 20 Democrats joined
46 Republicans to unseat vet
eran House Speaker Liston
Ramsey at the convening of
f the General Assembly, their
explanation was that they
wanted to "open up" the leg
islative process.
What they appear to have
opened up is a number of new
jobs in legislative bureau
cracy.
Let's look first at the house.
In order to firm up the support
g of the 46 Republicans, Rep. Joe
Mavretic, the Edgecombe
Democrat, committed himself
in advance of being elected
speaker to open up the com
mittee structure to the Repub
licans and create a staff posi
tion for the minority leader
ship.
As a result, Rep. Johnathan
£ Rhyne of Lincoln, the minor
ity leader, hired former Rep.
William T. Boyd of Randolph
as his assistant at $220 a day
in salary and $405 a week for
subsistence. Thus, this en
tirely new job is costing the
taxpayers a minimum of
$1,065 a week as long as the
General Assembly remains
fin session. Toward the end of
the session, it could go up to
$1,725 a week as the work
week gets longer.
Then Rep. Dennis Wicker,
House majority leader, de
manded the same considera
tion and was authorized to
hire former Rep. Jim Black of
Mecklenburg as staff assis
• tant on the same terms as mi
nority leader's assistant was
employed - $1,065 to $1,725 a
week, depending on the num
ber of days the house was in
session.
Speaker Mavretic then, on
his own behalf, kept two of
Ramsey's and hired two ad
ditional staff members, not
• counting his legislative sec
retary. That gives the speaker
a staff of five, with salaries
ranging close to $40,000 a
year.
All these new positions were
covered under a 20-year-old
agreement which allows the
speaker to have a staff equal
^ in size to that of the lieutenant
governor, thus creating a pot
of $340,000 from which the
speaker can draw for new
staff positions.
Meanwhile, over in the
senate, things were opening
up, too.
Continued On Page 8
.. .
1989 WINNERS-Jim Elliott (left) president of the Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce
presented awards to the winners of the "Pride of Edenton and Chowan" recognition campaign.
Others, (1. to r.) are Dr. Edward G. Bond, Mrs. Bertha Bunch, Town Councilman Willis Privott,
Rev. Ashby Browder and County Commission Board Chairman, Alton Elmore.
1989 Winners
Are Selected
The ballots have been tabu
lated, and the voters have spo
ken. Winners of the second
annual "Pride of Edenton
and Chowan County" awards,
sponsored by The Chowan
Herald, are: Mrs. Bertha
Bunch, first place; Rev.
Ashby Browder, second place;
and Dr. Ed Bond, third.
Last Friday, the winners
gathered for a brief ceremony
at the Edenton - Chowan
Chamber of Commerce office
where their awards were pre
sented to them by Jim Elliott, a
local businessman who is
currently serving as chamber
president.
In a separate presentation
made earlier in the week,
Rev. George j^ooke (last
year's first place winner) of
fered his congratulations and
presented the first place trophy
to Mrs. Bertha Bunch who had
been Chowan County Register
of Deeds from 1957-76 and
continues to quietly serve her
fellow citizens through active
community service.
Second place winner, Rev.
Ashby Browder, was the first
person nominated for the
award this year. He has
proven a source of inspiration
and comfort to many during
Continued On Page 8
Area's April Showers Turn Into Snowfall
Residents of the area woke
up Tuesday morning to find a
blanket of snow on green
lawns and roadways.
Joe Conger, Jr. of Edenton,
who has a weather station in
his back yard, said that a 10
a.m. measurement of the
white stuff showed a snowfall
of just shy of four inches.
News reports indicated that
Elizabeth City received five
inches and a sparse dusting
in the Tidewater, Virginia
Bed And Breakfast
Permit Endorsed
There were only a few pri
vate citizens in attendance as
town council conducted a
short meeting Tuesday night.
Leading the agenda was a
public hearing on a request
fram- -Shamrock Marketing
Group, Inc. for a special use
permit to operate a bed and
breakfast at 209 West Queen
St. Mayor John Dowd turned
the gavel over to Mayor Pro
Tern Willis Privott for the
hearing since Dowd has a fi
nancial interest in Sham
rock.
David Twiddy, a principal
in Shamrock Marketing, ex
plained to council, "We would
like to have it zoned so that a
retired couple could live there
and operate it as a bed and
breakfast. He said that there
was adequate parking in the
back yard and the building
could provide a maximum of
three rooms for guests. He in
dicated that the company was
not interested in retaining
Ownership.
When the hearing was
Hosed, council unanimously
ffcted for the special use per
mit.
1 All subsequent issues be
fore the council were unani
mously endorsed as well.
Town Manager Ann-Ma
rie Kelly reminded members
of the joint town-county litter
pickup effort to take place next
Saturday, April 15.
Also taking place on Sat
urday is the planting of flow
ers around all downtown trees
in an effort called "Blooming
Business." Downtown busi
nesses are contracting to be
responsible for contributing to
the purchase of the flowers as
well as their upkeep.
Ms. Kelly said that there
were 55 trees with bordered
flower beds in the downtown
district. Contracts for 40 of
those tree beds have already
been signed by business own
ers.
"Saturday is really a big
day for us in terms of volun
teerism," she said. She also
commented that the town is
still accepting applications
for membership on a new re
Continued On Page 8
area.
Conger, his father and
grandfather have all taken
daily weather readings and
kept records on the weather as
part of a volunteer effort of the
U.S. Weather Bureau.
When asked about the pre
vious record on such a late
snowfall, he relied on mem
ory. "It seems to me that it was
in 1947 on an Easter Sunday
in the second week of April."
A Norfolk TV weatherman
reported Tuesday evening
that the last measurable snow
this late in the season in
Tidewater was 1.3 inches on
April 13,1940.
The wet snow weighed
down tree limbs, causing
many to snap, some downing
power lines while snow on
roadways during the morn
ing rush hour made driving
hazardous. By afternoon the
temperature reached the high
40's, leaving little trace of the
morning's storm.
John Oliver of the Edenton
Electric and Water Depart
ment said that power outages
were experienced in the Cape
Colony and Country Club
Accident Occurs
On Hwy. 32 North
Weather was a contribut
ing factor in a head-on traffic
accident on N.C. 32 north,
about one mile from town on
Tuesday morning.
Highway Patrol Trooper
Clyde Adams said that the ac
cident happened at 6:45 a.m.
A 1988 Chevrolet, driven by
Carol Yvette Roberts, 26, of Rt.
1, Edenton which was travel
ing south, was struck by a
northbound 1985 Toyota truck
driven by Kenneth Aaron
Sheperd, 36, of Rt. 1, Colerain.
Trooper Adams said that
Sheperd's truck went out of
control on the slick snow-cov
ered surface, crossed the cen
terline and struck the Chev
rolet at an angle.
Both drivers were believed
to be wearing seat belts at the
time and both received minor
injuries and were treated and
released at Chowan Hospital.
Damage to the Chevrolet
was estimated at $6,000 while
the truck received an esti
mated $3,000 in damage.
Adams charged Sheperd
with exceeding a safe speed
due to road conditions.
Drive areas due to several
breaks in lines. He said that
crews were on the job before 7
a.m. until approximately 11
a.m.
In town, the area around
the Shell Station and Har
dee's on No. Broad Street lost
power due to a tree limb across
a line behind Chicken Kitch
en.
Bill Skinner, supervisor of
the street department said that
he had crews out cleaning up
numerous tree limbs littering
streets. Two streets, East and
West King were totally block
ed by large limbs that were re
moved before noon.
The Edenton Police Dept,
and Chowan Sheriffs Dept,
reported no serious accidents
or health problems due to slick
roadways or homes without
power, with one exception. A
weather-related head-on acci
dent occurred at 6:45 a.m. on
N.C. 32 north (see related
story).
County Emergency Ser
vices Coordinator, Doug
Belch, said that there were a
number of cars that slid into
ditches when drivers didn't
take into account the slippery
roads. No injuries were re
ported.
Many local youngsters
found a benefit in the storm.
The Edenton-Chowan Schools
were closed for the day.
Department Acquires Moving Radar Unit
Speeders is Edenton will
more likely be facing a judge
as the result of a new moving
radar unit that the Edenton
Police Department has ac
quired. It will supplement the
two stationary hand-held ra
dar units that the department
Man Sustains Serious Injury In House Fire
An elderly Edenton man is
in serious condition in the
burn-trauma unit of Sentara
Norfolk General Hospital as
the result of a Sunday night
house fire on Paradise Spur
Road.
The Edenton Fire Depart
ment was called to the scene at
8:54 p.m. and found flames
coming through the roof.
While inside knocking
^ SUNDAY NIGHT FIRE—Smoke swirls around Fire Chief Lynn Perry and other fireinen as
they enter the still burning home 6f Walter Hardy on Paradise Spur Rd. Sunday night. Hardy
was rescued by firemen from the burning dwelling and he was transferred to Sentara Norfolk
General Hospital for treatment in the burn-trauma unit.
down flames, firemen heard
the resident, Walter Hardy,
89, call from a back room,
"Hey, I’m over here," Fire
Chief Lynn Perry said. Fire
men found Hardy on the floor
of the room and quickly got
him out the back door. They
administered oxygen to the
victim until the rescue squad
arrived and took over.
Perry said that the fire
started in the front room
where Hardy apparently spent
most of his time. It contained
a bed, sofa, wood heater and
kerosene heateri It was there
that Hardy is believed to have
received his burns. The extent
of the burns wa3 not avail
able.
The fire chief said that
Hardy must have been
disoriented by the smoke and
made his way to the room
where he was found. Hardy
also reportedly suffers from
emphysema.
The fire is believed to have
has had since 1970.
The new compact unit is
easily transferred from one
police car to another and is
"the most advanced radar
unit available," according to
Sgt. McCoy Parker. The ra
dar was made available
through a program of the N.C.
Department of Crime Control
and Public Safety.
Parker said that when he
first joined the Edenton Police
Department in 1967, a prede
cessor of radar, called the
"Whammy” was in use by the
department. It consisted of two
cables stretched across a
street, 66 feet apart and a time
clock. The clock started when
a car's front tires crossed the
first cable and the clock was
stopped when the car's front
tires rolled over the second.
The hand-held radar came
to town in 1970. It must be op
erated in a stationary position
as operates when an officer
presses a trigger. Now police
have a moving radar, receiv
ed last month.
The unit has two compo
nents, an antenna that can be
turned in any direction and a
compact computer that dis
plays both the speed of the offi
cer’s vehicle and the "target"
vehicle.
A switch allowl the officer
--
to have the radar in standby,
in a run mode and in a lock
Continued On Page 8
Volunteers
Recruited
Town and county offi
cials are urging those who
have not done so to sign up
for litter pickup on Saturday
morning. There are still
areas that will remain lit
tered without more volun
teers participating.
Signups can be made by
calling Linda Edmundson
at Town Hall, 482-2155 or
Nancy Morgan at the Coun
ty Manager's office, 482
8431.
Trash bags will be avail
able for pickup at Town
Hall tomorrow (Friday).
Refreshments will be pro
vided at cleanup locations
and food certificates and
prizes will be awarded.
The staff's of The Chowan
Herald and radio stations
WBXB and WZBO are
banding together to form a
"media team" and chal
lenge other groups with
similar vocations to get to
gether and take part
—