W!M or tame,
gardens destined
to iast forever......_6-C
West Nile
virus now
in county
The West Nile Virus has
come to Chowan County.
The State Public Health
Laboratory on Oct. 18 con
firmed that two new birds col
lected by county health depart
ments in North Carolina had
tested positive for the West Nile
virus — a bluejay found in
Cabarrus County and a crow
found in Chowan County.
Local officials say they have
already begun to address the
issue.
"We (Knighton and other
community leaders) have been
part of a committee that was
formed last year to address the
possibility of the West Nile vi
rus as it might impact Chowan
County," says City Manager
Anne-Marie Knighton. "When
we met at the Agricultural Cen
ter last month with Dr. Pat
terson for updates on the virus
and our preparedness, she was
very pleased and complemen
tary on the way the county re
sponded."
These two new cases or mg
North Carolina's total West
Nile virus non-human cases for
2001 to nine. Earlier findings
of West Nile virus in the state
this year include a blue jay
found in Cabarrus County that
tested positive on Sept. 17; two
crows found in Camden County
reported on Sept. 28; two crows
found in Currituck County re
ported on Oct. 9; one crow found
in Mecklenburg bounty re
ported or; Oct. 9; and one horse
fr om Hyde County reported on
Oct. 9. One horse from Camden
County reported Oct. 9 also
See VIRUS On Page 9 A
Edenton posta! workers, atong with their counterparts across the country, are being offered the
option of wearing masks and gloves when handiing mai! in the wake of terrorist acts e!sewhere
in the USA that may have kitted severat post office staffers and sickened others. (Staff photo by
Heten Kerr Outtand)
Post offices taking measures
to protect public, and workers
BY HELEN KERR OUTLAND
Sfc# Writer
In the last week the U.S.
Postal Service has released
precautionary notices to every
Rental Post Office Box, APO
and FPO addresses with infor
mation on what to look for if
you suspect a letter or package
that may contain a harmful
substance.
"The thing we want the pub
lic to know is that plans have
been in place forever to protect
the public," says Bill Brown,
Spokesperson for the United
States Post Office during a
phone interview from his of
fice in Greensboro Monday
morning.
"The U.S. Post office has had
to deal with some kind of ter
rorist activity (any activity
considered a threat, whether
iocalorforeign)foryears," con
tinues Brown. "These include
using the service for the mail
ing of explosives or chemical
agents."
Some of the precautions that
Brown encourages are simple.
Do not open a package or letter
that either does not display a
return address or is from some
one you do not know. "Mark
mg a letter or package with
your return address makes the
mailing process comfortable
for you and the receiver,"
Brown adds.
A package sealed with an
excessive amount of tape, ex
cessive postage, or marked
with restrictive endorsements
such as "Personal" or "Confi
dential" should be approached
cautiously.
Should you receive a suspi
cious piece of mail Brown ad
vises not handling the enve
lope of box. Do not shake it,
See WORKERS On Page 9 A
r
1
JMJ39 3
Chowan County 911 Center Director Jim Carr, right, shows a reflective sign on his mailbox to
Sheriff Fred Spruill, at left, Louis Harrell to promote reflective address signs for area citizens.
Reflectors of vital importance
BY HELEN KERR OUTLAND
Writer
Statistics show that most am
bulance, tire, and law enforce
ment can be dispatched to as
sist in an emergency within
three minutes after receiving
a 911. 911 personnel realize all
to well how vitally important
it is, in an emergency, for a
caller to remain calm in order
for the tele-communicator to
obtain address and location
where help is needed However,
obtaining that information is
oniy part of the process.
There are times when physi
cally locating a home can prove
frustrating and time consum
ing. Finding a path in the
middle of a dark, rainy night is
all but impossible if a mailbox
is not marked. In light of this
the Chowan County 911 Cen
tral Communications Center in
conjunction with the Chowan
County Sheriffs Office have
launched "Operation House
ID".
In a press release earlier this
week Sheriff Fred Spruill and
Jim Carr, 9-1-lCommunica
tions Director want the citizens
of Chowan County to be aware
of the program. "OPERATION
HOUSE ID" is offered by Louis
Harrell, owner of "The Address
Shop", an affiliate of Address
America, TM.
Sheriff Spruill and Director
Carr are asking this question:
Can 9-11 find your home when
See VITAL Page 8 A
Suspect in custody,
another sought for
Oakum St. shooting
BY HELEN KERR OUTLAND
Stc# Writer
EDENTON - One Edenton
man is in jail under a $75 thou
sand bond and another is still
being sought by authorities as
result of a Wednesday morn
ing shooting in the 200 block of
Oakum Street.
The Edenton Police Depart
ment responded Wednesday
morning concerning reports of
a shooting. According to
Edenton Police Chief, Greg
Bonner, "William Bland was
approached by two suspects,
LePaul Wills and Skylar
Holley, while walking down
Oakum Street", says the Chief.
"Bland informed officers that
Holley and LePaul began
mouthing off at him."
Bland stated that as he
turned to walk away from the
pair he observed LePaul re
moving a handgun from his
waistband and giving it to
Holley. Holley pointed the gun
at Bland then handed it back to
LePaul.
"At that point Mr. Bland
told officers that he turned once
again to walk away from the
pair when LePaul opened fire
striking him (Bland) in the
leg," the chief continues. "Mr.
Bland went on to say that the
second bullet struck him in the
back before he hit the ground
from the first shot."
William Bland was treated
See SHOOTING Page 8 A
Tribute
planned
The John A. Holmes Cho
ral Music Department will
present "Peace on Earth, on
Monday, Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
at the J.A. Holmes audito
rium in Edenton.
The concert is being of
fered as a tribute to all those
who lost their lives during
the tragic events that un
folded on Sept. 11.
A raffle will be held and
50 percent of the concert
proceeds will be donated to
the American Red Cross to
help aid the victims qf this
national tragedy. Tickets
are $1 for students and $2
for others.
"Bring your Stars and
Stripes and support our
nation during this time of
sorrow," said Anna Kay
Laughton, director. "We
hope to see you there."
Suspect Skytar Hottey is now in custody; potice are stitt seeking
LePaut Witts in connection with the shooting.
Noted author will
be here Nov 8th
David Poyer, best-selling au
thor of nautical thrillers, will
be the featured guest at the
Friends of Shepard-Pruden
Memorial Library's annual au
thor event taking place Nov. 8
at 7 p.m. at the waterfront Mu
nicipal Building in Edenton.
Poyer's most recent book is
"Fire on the Waters: A Novel of
the Civil War at Sea". Much of
the action takes place aboard
the sloop of war, the USS
Owanee as she heads south to
defend Fort Sumter.
Poyer, author of "The Gulf,"
"The Circle," "Hatteras Blue,"
"The China Sea," and many oth
ers, draws from first-hand ex
perience. Hegraduated from the
US Naval Academy in 1971 and
served on various destroyers
and amphibious ships and
worked at the Surface Warfare
Development Group in Vir
ginia. Hehasbeenonactiveduty
David Poyer
in the Atlantic, Mediterranean,
Arctic, Caribbean, and Pacific.
Copies ofDavid Poyer's books
will be made available for those
attending by Manteo Booksell
ers for sighing on the night of
the event.
Herald plans holiday publications
Southern hospitality with a
colonial flavor will mark your
memories and frame one of the
most enjoyable shopping trips
of the year when you experi
ence Christmas 2001 in
Edenton. pestled on Edenton
Bay and surrounded by the
beautiful waters of the Chowan
River and Albemarle Sound,
the festive warmth and holi
day charm of "the South's Pret
tiest Town" will make your
holiday shopping second to
none.
You and your family can
enjoy one of the best Christ
mas parades on the east coast,
take in a musical or play, visit
a vintage 1960's style movie
theatre, or just take in the scen
ery while delighting in a trol
ley ride. Smiling faces and
warm welcomes will greet you
at every shop and dinning es
tablishment along the way.
So take a break and enjoy a
real "Christmas Rush" as your
See HOLIDAY Page 9 A
ROCKY HOCK
RUR!TANS
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SATURDAY OCT 27*"
4:00 PM UNTtL
t Rocky Hock
Community Center
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