Published in the most beautiful little city on the North Carolina Coast
No. 33 50e
j Habitat
planning
fundraiser
Saturday
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Editor
While we all have our own
reasons for hoping for sunny
Saturdays, this is one weekend
in particular where local sup
porters of a community
fundraiser are hoping for
sunny skies.
The Chowan-Perquimans
Habitat for Humanity plans to
hold a huge Garage Sale to ben
efit the organization this Sat
urday, rain or shine, at the
Edenton United Methodist
Church. The sale begins at 7
a.m. in the picnic shelter at the
church, and everyone is en
couraged to come out and sup
port the event. All proceeds go
to Habitat to help provide
needed funds to complete the
chapter’s first Habitat house,
located on Hicks Street in
Edenton.
Local Habitat co-founder Jim
Robison said late last week that
his group of dedicated volun
teers was making steady
progress on the house and ex
pected to begin raising the
walls within days. But, he
added, all that progress has
come at a price.
“Materials are extremely
See HABITAT On Page 3-A
Town sells
more land
to ECDC
In keeping with its ongoing
effort to assist in the creation
of jobs locally, the Edenton
Town Council has decided to
sell more land located near the
Northeast Regional Airport to
the Edenton-Chowan Develop
ment Corporation.
At its regular meeting last
Tuesday evening, the council
agreed to sell 19 acres located
on Midway Drive to the non
profit development corpora
tion for $100. The land is val
ued at $45,000.
The property is located be
hind the Tee-Lok Corporation,
at the corner of Midway and
Country Club drives.
This marks the third time in
under two years that the town
has agreed to sell land to the
ECDC as part of an economic
incentive program begun by
the town and county.
In exchange for bargain
priced land, businesses agree
to create a certain number of
jobs within one year after pur
chase. According to Town Man
ager Anne-Marie Knighton, as
of last year any company that
purchased 10 or more acres of
land was required to create 50
or more jobs.
Any company failing to meet
See LAND On Page 3-A
DO YOU SEE MY PRINTS?
White Oak Elementary School students look for their hand prints on tiles located in the school's
office and alcove areas at open house festivities held August 4. The hand print tiles were sold by
the school's PTA last school year as part of the Helping Hands program to recognize the children
at the school and to fund new playground equipment there. Hand print tiles will be on sale again
this fall. For more information contact White Oak Elementary School at 221-4078.
White Oak PTA will vote on
five playground bids tomorrow
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Editor
The White Oak PTA will
vote Aug. 20 on five bids it
has received to build a play*
ground at the new school on
Sandy Ridge Road, according
to Chamblee Simonsen.
Simonsen spearheaded the
highly successful hand tiles
project that will help pay for
the playground.
“We haven’t stopped trying
to raise money,” she said.
“But we do have a good
amount of money we’ve al
ready raised to work with, and
We feel confident enough to
go ahead with the project.”
After the vote takes place,
work on the new playground
can begin. Simsonsen said her
group hopes to see the new
equipment in place in time
for an annual celebration held
at the school.
“We hope to be able to dedi
cate the playground on No
vember 7 at our Oak Fest cel
ebration, if all goes accord
ing to plan,” she said.
“We will be.selling the hand
tiles again at Oak Fest,” she
added. Simonsen said that in
addition to having tiles hung
on the walls of the school in
exchange for donations, in
terested persons could also
take their tiles home if they
wanted.
She said that anyone can
contribute to the project,
whether they wish to partici
pate in the hand tile
fundraiser ornot, by mailing
a donation to: White Oak PTA,
Virginia Road, Edenton, NC
27932.
“Participation in this
project has been really
strong,” Simonsen said, not
ing that even Gov. Jim Hunt
and State School Supt. Mike
Ward provided hand imprints
for tiles that will carry their
names and harig in the new
school. “We really appreci
ate all the interest and sup
port we’ve received, and
would welcome even more as
we move forward with this
project.”
Cook named to
head Exceptional
Children Program
The Edenton-Chowan Board
of Education has hired
Mariellen T. Cook as the school
system’s new Exceptional Chil
dren Program Administrator.
Cook will replace Dr. Walter
Denning who resigned from the
post July 31 to pursue a teach
ing career at the university
level.
Dr. Allen T. Smith, superin
tendent of the Edenton-Chowan
Schools, made the announce
ment during a special board
meeting Monday night. He said
he was delighted that the school
system was able to hire some
one of Cook’s caliber to over
see the local program.
“I was very impressed with
Mrs. Cook during her inter
view,” he said. Dr. Smith added
that she will “bring a wealth of
knowledge” to the position and
will be “a very strong advo
cate” for the needs of the chil
dren in that program.
He said she is expected to
begin work by Sept. 14.
“She has already submitted
her resignation at her present
job pending her receipt of a
signed contract from us,” Dr.
Smith said.
Cook has 19 years’ experi
ence working in special educa
tion. Prior to joining the staff
of the Edenton-Chowan school
system, she served as adminis
trative team leader with the
Department of Student Ser
vices and Special Education,
Fairfax County Public Schools
in Fairfax, VA.
Prior to her work in Fairfax,
Cook taught in the Ithaca City
See COOK On Page 10-A
Local GOP hosts
regional gathering
Officials from the North
Carolina Republican Party
were in Edenton yesterday to
meet with local Republican
leaders from Chowan and sur
rounding counties.
NC GOP Executive Director
Lee Currie briefed Republican
officials from Chowan, Bertie,
Perquimans, Washington, Tyr
rell, Currituck, Northampton,
and Dare counties on Party
operations, election strategy
and the outlook for the 1998
elections.
“One of the fastest growing
areas of support for the Re
publican Party in North Caro
lina is right here in the North
east,” said Currie. “We are com
mitted to building our common
sense conservative presence in
this area.”
Traveling with Currie from
the NC GOP headquarters in
Raleigh were Political Direc
tor Dan Gurley, Campaign Di
rector Mark Fleming, and Com
munications Director Richard
Hudson.
Also attending was Jim
Robison, Chowan County Re
publican Party chairman.
Others in attendance were:
Ralph Hughes, Gary Montal
bine, and John Schrote of
Currituck; Ted Tyler of
Northampton; George Embrey
See GOP On Page 3-A
Chowan County Republican Party Chairman Jim Robison (front row, at
right) talks with North Carolina Republican Party Executive Director Lee
Currie; Political Director Dan Gurley; Campaign Director Mark Fleming; and
Communications Director Richard Hudson during their visitto Edenton Monday.
(Staff photo by Rebecca Bunch)
Republicans post details of Goodwin trial, conviction on web page
In what is undoubtedly a first
in local politics, Chowan
County Commissioner candi
date Robin Sams has decided
to feature her opponent^crimi
nal conviction for solicitation
to commit murder, and the ju
dicial records surrounding it,
on a Worldwide Web page.
The information, which can
be found on the Chowan County
Republican Party’s web page,
is devoted to provided detailed
information on Democrat
I Wayne Goodwin’s arrest and
: 1 subsequent 1993 conviction,
i The web site, which was ere
r~
contains a transcript of
Goodwin’s trial as well as docu
ments relating to his convic
tion and unsuccessful 1995 ap
peal.
Chowan GOP Chairman Jim
Robison said the local Republi
can Party decided to include
the Goodwin documents on its
web site following extensive
discussions between members
of the executive committee and
Mr. and Mrs. Sams.
Robison defended the action
by saying he believed the vot
ers have a right to be as well
informed as possible about the
events leading up to and fol
lowing the conviction of
Goodwin, a former Chowan
County Commission chairman.
Goodwin served eight
months in the North Carolina
Department of Corrections fol
lowing his conviction on
charges of hiring a hit man to
kill a romantic rival. He earned
parole in December 1995 and
completed a probationary pe
riod in May 1997.
Robison said that despite the
extensive press coverage that
surrounded Goodwin’s trial, he
thinks there are still voters out
there who are unfamiliar with
all the facts surrounding the
case.
“I think a lot of voters don’t
understand and don’t have in
formation about what really
happened,” he said. “That’s
why we have (the court tran
scripts) on our web site so that
people can go to the official
court documents and see for
themselves what really hap
pened.”
He added that he believes
the Chowan GOP is doing vot
ers a favor by featuring
Goodwin’s criminal record on
its web site.
“Goodwin’s conviction, trial
and incarceration are legiti
mate issues in this campaign,”
he said. “They reflect what he
thinks and whether he’ll make
a good commissioner. People
need to consider those things
when they go to vote. WeTe
just providing that information
unfiltered.”
Robison said he has heard
that some voters doubt
Goodwin was ever convicted
or had served prison time.
“I’ve heard some people don’t
even believe he was tried for
solicitation to commit murder
and went to jail for it,” Robison
said.
Robin Sams, the Republican
hopeful in a campaign where
Goodwin got 55 percent of the
vote in the May primary when
he ran successfully against
District 1 incumbent Emmett
Winborne, conceded that the
strategy might backfire and
ultimately cost her votes. Still,
she said, she believed the
people’s right to know all the
facts outweighs any other con
sideration.
“I think people have the
right to know this public in
formation,” she said. “Run
ning for county commissioner
See DETAILS On Page 3-A