HoraM
wins top !
honor —3-A
Chef shares
!ove of cooking
with community.—..... 1-B
Prophecy 3:34
uses musica! taients
tor Bod's work —..— 5-B
Regional leaders discuss response to Navy plans
BY HELEN K. OUTLAND
<SfG#Wr;fer
This past Thursday repre
sentatives from five different
counties also met in Hertford
to discuss the potential impact
on these counties should the
Navy establish an outlying
landing field in any of the six
northeastern counties.
The concerns of such a land
ing field are not limited to the
tremendous impact on those
counties already targeted for a
landing site. The issues are not
only the negative impacts such
a facility would have, but also
the negative impact on the sur
rounding counties in terms of
agriculture, environment, and
tourism of all the counties in
volved.
At present the six North
Carolina counties are under
investigation for a proposed
airstrip are Perquimins,
Carteret. Bertie, Washington,
Hyde, and Craven counties.
The only county not repre
sented at today's meeting was
Washington. Burke County,
Georgia is also on the list or
proposed sites.
The counties slated for con
sideration are rural counties
where citizens spent years
making a living farming com
bined with fishing the sounds
or rivers. They were poor coun
ties. They are also counties that
have spent years revitalizing
by tapping into the resources
of outdoors, sports, tourism,
and their natural and environ
mental resources including the
Great Dismal Swamp,
It is the vitality and growth
of all these counties that ap
pear jeopardized by a landing
strip. The intentions of those
gathered were to formulate a
plan of action. The seven pro
posed sites targeted for a land
ing strip, four of which are in
northeastern North Carolina,
could have a dramatic impact
on Edenton/Chowan County's
quality of life. According to
information gathered by the
community representatives
from the Navy's Atlantic Fleet,
the Navy requires a minimum
of two thousand acres for the
actual landing strip and wants
to restrict about 53 thousand
acres as a buffer around that
strip.
This really concerns Bryan
Steen. Hyde County Manager,
Regiona) ieaders discuss concerns about the possibiiity of an OLF being iocated
in our area by the Navy during a meeting in Hertford iast Thursday. (Staff photo
by Heien Kerr Outiand)
one of those present for the
meeting. His concerns and
fears reflect the feelings of most
of the representatives present.
"Ninety-nine percent of our
(Hyde County) constituents are
against the proposed landing
site. There are a handful here
and there saying we need to be
patriotic," says Steen. "I don't
think this has anything to do
with a iack of patriotism. It is
the financial losses that these
See PLANS On Page 3 A
Briefing
planned
locally
The Edenton-Chowan
Chamber of Commerce,
Chowan County, and the
Town of Edenton will host a
public information meeting
on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 6 p.m.
at Swain Auditorium to in
form local citizens about the
Navy's plan for a new outly
ing landing field (OLF) for
its planes topractice carrier
landings.
The seven proposed sites,
four of which are in north
eastern North Carolina, all
could have dramatic impact
on Chowan County's qual
ity of life, they said, in an
nouncing the meeting.
The Navy has identified
four Navy or Marine Corps
air stations as potential
main bases for the F/A-18
Super Homet. slated to re
place the Navy's F-14 Tom
See BRIEFING Page 4 A
Community touched by Harris visit
BY DAVE CRAWLEY
Pt/Ms/ter
"Whenever my goodfriend
^asks me why God has placed
him in such a place as New
York City at this moment in
History." said Edenton's Fa
ther Tom Rickenbaker.I tell
him that it is because God
has chosen him as his man
for this hour and that place
and those hurting people."
Father Rickenbaker's
friend was also the man for
this time and this place and
these people as he brought
his message and his mission
to Edenton on Saturday
night.
"A community truly came
together tonight," com
mented one excited person
as she was leaving Swain
Auditorium after hearing the
South Carolina born. New
York City minister address
an overflow crowd.
The evening had indeed
been full of excitement, love,
and brotherly kindness.
There had been songs of
Praise and Worship, songs of
Patriotism and songs of hope.
As the Reverend Lyndon
Harris stepped on to the stage
See TOUCHED Page 6 A
-a——
(Top photo) The spire of St. Pout's Chope! stands
tat) in the midst of the inferno that foHowed the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York; (ieft photo)
the Rev. Dr. Lyndon Harris ta!ks with some nuns;
(right photo) Harris, right, at St. Paut's Parish
House in Edenton with Rev. Tom Rickenbaker and
Ann Perry, chair, 300th Anniversary Ceiebration.
Rector shares what he's learned since Sept. 11
BY HELEN K.OUTLAND
Wrifer
On Sept. 11 Reverend Lyn
don Harris's life, along with
everyone else's around the
world, and his ministry were
change forever. Reverend Har
ris, Episcopal Rector for Saint
Paul's Chapel in New York
City, is a tall, slim, South Caro
lina native who loves jazz. He
is soft spoken, but determined
in his faith and conviction. His
youthful face and expressive
eyes shouldn't mislead one
about the depth of his matu
rity. For his eyes reflect the
wisdom found only in a
gentie soul. They are intense
as his well-chosen words de
scribe h is experience on that
See LEARNED Page 6 A
Senate candidate
visits community
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Ed: for
Dr. Ada M. Fisher, a North
Carolina Republican who
hopes to fill the seat in the U.S.
Senate being left vacant by the
retirement of longtime Sen.
Jesse Helms, visited Chowan
County late last week to meet
and talk with voters about their
concerns.
Dr. Fisher describes herself
as a "business-minded physi
cian" with experience in the
Occupational and Employee
Health field. Duringhercareer,
she has served as medical di
rector of Amoco Oil Company:
a substance abuse detoxifica
tion director at John Umstead
Hospital in Butner, NC, serv
ing 17 counties; and a certified
teacher for secondary, college
and medical education.
She also is a strong supporter
of historic preservation efforts
in the state, and serves on the
board of Preservation North
Carolina. Dr. Fisher noted that
she was delighted to see such
obviously strong support for
those types of efforts personi
fied along the streets of
Edenton. "This is truly beauti
ful," she said.
And, she said, she is also a
Dr. Ada M. Fisher
staunch believer in the impor
tance of preserving another
type of. treasure in our state -
small businesses. "I would like
to see that become a Cabinet
level position, " she said.
"That's how important I think
it is."
Ironically, she noted, it is
another candidate, also with
ties to Salisbury. NC, Elizabeth
Dole, who has received the
lion's share of media attention
since announcing her candi
dacy for the Helms Congres
See V!S! ! S On Page 3-A
Hundreds attend
Walker dedication
BY HELEN K. OUTLAND
tVritcr
About three hundred par
ents, teachers, students, and
county official gathered at the
new D. F. Walker School Sun
day afternoon for the dedica
tion of the new facility.
D.F. Walker Principal Mary
Anne Karriker is very proud
of the school and its faculty.
"We are so pleased and thank
ful for the support of the com
munity and the commission
ers," she said. "There is noth
ing as rewarding as providing
the best education, in a state
of-facility, to the children of
Chowan County. I am proud to
be a part of that effort."
"School sure has changed
since 1 attended," said County
Commissioner Pete Dail point
ing out the pluses and technol
ogy of the new facility. Dail has
a grandchild attending the new
school.
Superintendent of Chowan
County Schools Dr. Allan
Smith praised the vision, lead
ership, and commitment to the
project by the County Commis
sioners, the Board of Educa
tion, and the County Manager.
"They say you can judge a com
munity by the way they treat
their children. The new D. F.
Walker School shows that in
the final analysis everyone in
Chowan County will do what
is best for the kids," he said.
Sm ith went on to d iscuss the
outstanding efforts and deter
See WALKER On Page 4 A