Volume LVI - No. 34
Edenton. North Carolina, Thursday, August 23,1990
Single Copies 25 Cents
A Slow Learner?
When you add the Kuwait
bailout to the S & L bailout and
then throw in the cost of a tril
lion dollar deficit, about the
only lips American taxpayers
are going to be reading for the
next decade will belong to the
.IRS.
1 * The Iraqi takeover of Ku
wait may have come just in
time for President Bush to
bolster his sagging popularity
by si quick, well justified re
sponse; but the side effects on
the economy and in develop
ing a manageable budget for
the federal government will
, '''not only test the President's
popularity but the patience of
the people as well.
A good question to be ask
ing these days would be how
many bailouts can we afford?
We have been bailing out Eu
rope through NATO for 40
years and are still not able to
I walk away from it. We have
been bailing out Japan and
Southeast Asia with a defense
umbrella since the war and
are still doing it. We bailed
out South Korea and fried to do
the same thing for South Viet
nam at a combined cost of bil
lions of dollars.
v More recently, we bailed
out Panama and Nicaragua
at a cost which has not yet been
determined. And we pick up
little bits here and there about
1 thr billions of dollars a year
itt aid we are still sending to
the Egyptians, the Turks and
the Israeli, just to name a few.
We retook the Philippines
from the Japanese and gave
them their freedom and are
now having to pay through the
nose for the use of military
and naval bases we built.
And, besides that, we have to
keep pouring in economic aid
and bolstering up the govern
.. ment. And all we hear is,
"Yankee, go home."
Now, we are at the business
of bailing out Kuwait when,
with that money, if we put our
Continued On Page 12
MURDER TRIAL—Defendant Claude Felton uses sign lan
guage to converse with an interpreter while his mother looks on
during his first trial in February for a double murder. Three
sign language interpreters were provided by the state for that
trial and the current trial since Felton is a deaf mute.
Herald Celebrates
56th Anniversary
Fifty-six years ago, on Au
gust 30, 1934, the first edition
of The Chowan Herald was
published in Edenton. Today,
the newspaper's General
Manager, E.N. "Pete" Man
ning, is pleased to announce
that several special events are
planned to celebrate the Her
ald's years of service here.
In making the announce
ment, Manning said, "A
newspaper plays a vital role
in any community, especially
a smaller one such as ours.
Having been with the Herald
for many years,--! have been
able to observe first-hand how
the paper acts as a chain,
linking all segments of the
population."
J.P. Huskins, the newspa
per's publisher, stated, "This
celebration will be our way of
thanking the local people for
their past support, and will act
as a signal of our intention to
remain a viable part of life in
Chowan County for many
years to come."
Howard E. Kohn II, Direc
tor of Special Projects for the
Herald, originated the idea of
this commemorative occa
sion, and will be overseeing
the plans for the anniversary.
Assisting Kohn will be The
Chowan Herald's Associate
Editor, Rebecca Bunch, who
will be acting as Promotion
and Publicity Chairman.
As part of the observance,
an exhibit of old photographs
and other materials dating
from the newspaper's early
days will be on display dur
ing the month of October at the
Shepard-Pruden Library in
Edenton. In addition, an in
formal anniversary dance is
being arranged for December
1 at the American Legion
Building. All proceeds from
the dance will be donated to a
community project.
Planning is currently un
derway to finalize a number
of other events for area resi
dents to enjoy in conjunction
with the anniversary. Details
will be announced in upcom
ing issues of The Chowan
Herald.
D.A. Seeks Death Penalty
Second Trial Underway
By JACK GROVE
A second trial began Mon
day for Claude Augustus Fel
ton, 37, charged with the mur
ders of his former girlfriend,
Sarah Ann Jones, 26, and
Falinda Brooks, 11, Ms.
Jones' daughter.
Ms. Jones had been stabbed
to death and the child was shot
in the head. The bodies were
found in their Davis Place
apartment on August 28,1988.
Felton was first tried for
the double slayings last Feb
ruary but the jury couldn't
agree on a verdict. District
Attorney H.P. Williams
made it clear this week that he
was seeking the death penalty
on the first degree murder
charges.
Jury selection began Mon
day and the panel was se
lected by late Tuesday after
noon. Of the 12 jurors and two
alternates, four are white
males and four of the ten fe
males are black.
Two groups of prospective
jurors of 100 each had been
notified to appear on Monday
and Tuesday. A number were
excused from serving and
more were eliminated under
questioning from the defense
and prosecution on Monday.
Only one remained at the end
of the day after the selection of
five jurors.
The jury was sent home
Tuesday afternoon while the
defense offered a number of
pre-trial motions. Motions ap
proved by Superior Court
Judge Cy A. Grant of Bertie
County included: the disclo
sure of prior statements made
by the state's witnesses (to be
received by the defense prior
to its cross-examination of
those witnesses); disclosure
by the state of any criminal
records of state's witnesses;
and discovery of the evidence
the state intends to present
during the trial.
Defense motions the judge
denied were: disclosure of
any aggravating and miti
gating circumstances to be
used by the state in the sen
tencing phase of the trial if
there is one; and a reauest to
limit the number of pho
tographs of the victims to be
presented as evidence.
At press time Wednesday,
the prosecution team of Will
iams and Assistant District
Attorney Nancy Lamb made
its opening statement. Fel
ton’s attorneys, William T.
Culpepper and Samuel B.
Dixon reserved their opening
statement until after the state
presented its case.
Lead-off witness for the
state was Ms. Jones' daugh
ter, Toy a, who was 12 at the
time of the murders. She dis
covered the bodies on the Sun
day morning after staying
overnight with her grand
mother. She was unable to get
in the apartment since the
Continued On Page 12
iillSilllllliiiilii
FINISHING UP--The finishing touches were being put on the exterior of the new exceptional
children’s building at D.F. Walker last week. It is scheduled to be in use today for the first day
of the school year.
Construction Bids Are Accepted
At a special meeting Mon
day night, the Edenton-Cho
wan School Board committed
Driving Care Urged
Schools are set to open today
and the Town of Edenton has
put up "Schools Open - Drive
ity Considers Tourism Signs
When the Chowan County
Tourism Development Au
thority met on Tuesday, Coun
ty Manager Cliff Copeland
reported that the July occu
pancy tax receipts of $3,656
surpassed those of any month
to date. The amount collected
over a ten month period totals
$25,280.16, he said.
Arch Edwards gave au
thority members an estimate
received from Ambrose Signs
of Elizabeth City on the cost
per sign of directional signs
to place around Edenton. The
S'x5' weatherized signs would
cost approximately $2,000
each.
Suggestions were consid
ered regarding strategic lo
cation of the signs. However,
action was delayed on the
matter pending further in
vestigation of type, costs, and
design.
Copeland said that Judy
Randall of the Lyerly Agency
told him that the authority
might be eligible to receive
matching grant money for
signs.
Town Councilman Livy
Goodman felt that a commit
I *’ tee of authority members
should be set up to provide a
liaison with Historic Eden
ton. K/'.ji&te.
to strengthen our
it ions,” Copeland
County Commissioner Joe
Hollowell recommended add
ing another member to the
authority, an act that has to be
approved by the board of
county commissioners.
"I think that Linda Eure,
Historic Edenton site man
ager, should be on the author
Continued On Page 12
INFORMATION PROVIDED-Judy Randall of the Char
lotte-based Lyerly Agency reported to the Tourism Develop
ment Authority recently on the results of a survey of Edenton
visitors. At left is Richard Bunch of the Chamber of Commerce
and at right is County Commissioner Joe Hollowell. Her com
pany has been hired by the authority to help promote tourism.
l ■ '
Carefully" posters throughout
the town to warn motorists to
slow down in school zones.
The traffic safety program
is conducted annually by the
town and the AAA Carolina
Motor Club, according to Po
lice Chief C.,H. Williams.
"This month's school open
ings raise the level of expo
sure for children. They will
be on the street when many
motorists are driving to
work," Williams said.
"Children will have their
minds on school and many
will be near traffic for the
first time. It is every motor
ist's job to keep children
safe."
Williams continued, "Par
ents need to teach children
about traffic safety. Wherever
possible, they should make
time to walk with children
along the route they will take
to school and point out poten
tial hazards.
"Parents should remember
that small children cannot
see around or over cars as
easily as adults. Children
also may not have the ability
to judge speed and direction
and they may believe the
safest way to cross a street is to
simply run across.
"Drivers must watch for
children at intersections, be
tween parked cars, near
schools and other places they
might run into traffic. In ad
dition, parents, please make
sure if you are driving your
children to school to have
them and yourselves buckled
up. Remember, most acci
dent^ happen close to home."
the largest portion of the $7
million in school bond money
when they accepted construc
tion bids.
In what is generally con
sidered a rare situation, the
bids came in under budgeted
cost. "The whole thing's un
der budget," said Schools Su
perintendent John Dunn this
week.
The bond issue is funding
a sports complex at John A.
Holmes High School, an ex
ceptional children's building
at D.F. Walker School and a
new building and renova
tions to the existing building
at Chowan Middle School.
At another specially called
meeting Monday morning,
County Manager Cliff Cope
land reported to the board of
commissioners on the bond
issue status.
As a result of a presenta
tion given recently by county
officials in New York City,
Moody's Investors Service
gave the county a credit rating
of Baa+1 while Standards and
Poors gave the county a rating
of BBB+.
The exceptional children's
building is virtually complete
and will be occupied today.
Site work is complete at the
middle school and construc
tion is expected to begin soon.
Site work is underway at the
high school.
Successful bidders for the
work are: Pettit Construction
Co., $2,307,662 for building
and finishes; Braxton Britt
Plumbing, Inc., $265,100,
plumbing; Bass Plumbing &
Heating, $503,600, heating,
ventilation and air-condi
tioning; Alexander & Stall
ings of Edenton, $558,663,
electrical; and Southeastern
Acoustical Ceilings, $50,737,
acoustical.
Also, Virginia Food Equip
ment Corp., $126,860, kitchen
equipment; The Conrad Co.,
Continued On Page 12
Sewage Causes Problem
A new sewage system for
Chowan Middle School was
mandated recently when state
authorities notified school of
ficials that the present system
is inadequate.
After the purchase of 12
acres adjacent to the school,
planning was completed for
the new system and budgeted
at $150,000. Subsequently, of
ficials concerned with the
state's ground water ruled
that the new system would
have to be revised.
The new system was
planned with septic fields on
land with a two foot layer of
sand covering a six to eight
foot layer of clay. Under the
clay is more sand. The state
fears that wastewater, only
mi
partly purified, would
grate across the surface of the
clay and into nearby water
ways.
Dunn said that, as a result,
an additional $100,000 for the
system has been budgeted and
two alternate systems are be
ing looked at. One would be
"mounding," adding an ad
ditional three feet of sand to
the acreage. The other would
be a "swiss cheese" system
where holes would be drilled
through the clay layer into the
substrata sand.
No final decision has yet
been made and the state's
deadline of November 1 for a
fix is approaching. "We may
have to ask for an ext^nipn,"
the superintendent not&i