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Citizens express concern for future of IGA arocerv
BY DAVID CRAWLEY
Publisher
Edenton’s IGA is out and
another dollar store could take
its place if a decision made at
Monday night’s Board of Ad
justment meeting stands with
out appeal.
After what proved to be a
confusing evening and with
two board members absent,
Charles Pierce cast the lone
‘no’ vote to seal a 4 to 1 deci
sion granting a special use per
mit which paves the way for
Dollar General Stores to re
place IGA at 413 West Queen
Street.
As Chairman Wallace Evans
opened the floor for public
comment, Dr. Warren Sachs
was the first to rise. Represent
ing the Development Company,
W & L, LLC which plans to buy
the property, Sachs immedi
ately recognized the public de
bate that had swarmed around
the Queen Street property for
over a year.
“I realize that some people
are worried about losing the
Smoking
ban could
result in
problems
- BY RYAN BURR
Cox NC Publications
As the Edenton-Chowan
Board of Education prepares
to adopt a broad-sweeping to
bacco-free policy at its next
meeting, many are in support
of the measure but say enforce
ment will be the most challeng
ing aspect.
“Even if we adopt the same
tobacco-free policy at all activi
ties held at the Chowan Recre
ation Department, we have no
police officer or school re
source officer to enforce it,”
said Robbie Laughton, director
of the recreation department.
Laughton said his depart
ment will be compelled to en
;act the board’s initiative for
the purpose of being copsis
tent.
“To be a good neighbor, our
recreation advisory committee
‘would probably want to create
the same policy, so there’s no
public confusion,” he said.
■“Our concern has been that if
;this policy is adopted then it
should be the same on all city
and county-owned property.”
■ As it stands now, the “100
■percent tobacco free policy”
'essentially bans the usd or pos
;session of any tobacco prod
ucts on school grounds. “This
[prohibition also applies to
those students, employees,
•guests...(who are) participat
■ ing in school-sponsored activi
ties held off-campus,” the pro
posal says.
; The ban would not extend to
[student or adult spectators at
[school-sponsored events for
; which there is a general admis
sion charged and/or at specta
tor events held in places where
the general public is permitted
to use tobacco products. "
’ In its March meeting, the
board debated whether a par
ent driving a child other than
•his or her own in a private ve
hicle to or from a school func
tion could smoke. The draft of
See SMOKING On Page 3-A
.ID FAMILY FOODS JOf
n
TffiTIU
HSTAtOWST
CALL 482-5618
A permit granted Monday evening opens the way for Dollar General Stores to open a
second location in Edenton, replacing the IGA grocery store curerently housed on West
Queen Street. (Staff photo by Bud Weagly)
neighborhood food market,”
said Sachs. “But Dollar Gen
eral will be a neighborhood
store as well.”
“Twenty to twenty-five per
cent of our items are food
items,” added the Virginia
Beach Developer.
When asked by an adjust
ment board member about the
existing Dollar General at
Edenton Village Shopping
Center, near Food Lion, he said
there was no plan to close that
store as far as he knew.
According to Sachs the new
est Dollar General could em
ploy up to eight people. That,
according to a spokesperson
from IGA, compares to the cur
rent roster of 22 IGA/Family
Foods employees there now.
Citing concern about lost
iobs, neighborhood customers,
area senior citizens and others
who “walk to the supermar
ket,” several of those IGA em
ployees and their neighbors
also rose to express their
views. Many were passionate
as they cited their disapproval
af plans to place a Dollar Gen
aral in the location where a
grocery store has existed for
many years.
After hearing from the citi
zens with not a single favor
able comment, Chairman
Wallace Evans tried to “make
:he record clear” when he
stated “we are not voting to
Family loses pets due to rabies
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Editor
A local family had to stand
aside last Friday and allow
animal control officers to
euthanize both their family
pets because neither dog had
been vaccinated against ra
bies.
“It really was a heartbreak
ing thing for everybody, for
the family and for us,” said
Chowan Animal Control Su
pervisor Mary Bass. “But we
had no choice. We had to fol
low the law.”
Bass said that she began an
investigation after being con
tacted by the family whose
home is on Mexico Road. She
said it was reported to her
that a dead raccoon (later
found to be rabid) had been
found inside a fenced-in yard
where the two dogs were kept.
Bass said that since neither of
the dogs had been vaccinated
These two family pets had to be destroyed at the
Chowan-Gates-Perquimans Animal Shelter after they were
found to have fought with a rabid raccoon inside their
fenced-in yard. (Photos by Jerry Swanner)
against tne virus sne had no
choice but to put the dogs
down.
She said that she hopes shar
ing this story will cause other
pet owners to think twice be
cause they could find them
selves m the same situation.
“We are not making this in
formation public to add to
anybody’s pain,” she said.
“This family has lost two
young, healthy, much-loved
pets and our goal here is to try
to have some good come out
of this situation by letting
others know what could hap
pen and encouraging them to
please, please have their fam
ily pets vaccinated. The
threat of rabies in our area is
very real.”
Bass said that the shelter
will be holding a Rabies
Clinic on Saturday, April 5,
from 1-3 p.m. at its headquar
ters on Icaria Road just off
Hwy. 32 in Chowan County.
Shots for both dogs and cats
will be given for $5 each.
“We are really hoping ev
erybody will take this mes
sage to heart and bring their
pets out that day to be vacci
nated,” said Bass. “Five dol
lars isn't much to spend if
you really love your pets.”
Dogs being brought to the
shelter for rabies shots that
day should be on a leash;
muzzled if necessary. Cats
should be in carriers.
close IGA tonight. That is not
the function of this board.” -
The chairman went on to say
that the board’s job was to dis
pose of the application before
them regarding the proper le
gal use of the property.
According to owner McKay
Phthisic, the IGA is currently
on a ‘month-to-month” lease
with a 90-day cancellation
clause, and has “been given
opportunity to buy the build
ing.”
When contacted by the Her
ald, IGA/F'amily Foods ex
pressed a sincere desire to re
main in Edenton. “Our desire
is to stay and do business right
here,” declared Mike Self with
IGA/Family Foods. “We have
been a part of the community
for a long time, and we don’t
want to go.”
Self, General Manager and
Director of operations for the
small neighborhood food store
group, says he is saddened by
the prospect of leaving a com
munity that has been so sup
See PERMIT On Page 3-A
DFI may
revisit
lawsuit
The lawyer for an area devel
opment company has dropped
plans to sue the Edenton-based
Northeast Partnership and its
president and CEO, Rick Wat
son. However, DFI’s attorney,
Scott Wilkinson, said in a
phone interview Tuesday af
ternoon that it’s- “too early to
tell” if that decision will stand.
“DFI’s decision to dismiss
the lawsuit had nothing to do
with the merits of that suit or
what Mr. Horton thought had
happened, or what he thought
people had done,” Wilkerson
said.
In an earlier interview with
The Daily Advance in Eliza
beth City, the Partnership’s at
torney said that an actual suit
had not been filed.
See SUIT On Page 3-A
Members of the Edenfon Community Male Chorus perform for members of the U.S.
House of Representatives during a recent congressional retreat. (Submitted photo)
Chorus performs at retreat
• On March 1-2, the Edenton
Community Male Chorus per
formed for members of the
United States Congress, the
chorus’ second such perfor
mance in the last three years.
Invited by Jerry Climer, presi
dent of thePublicGoverriance
Institute and a homeowner in
Edenton, the all-male chorus
performed at the bipartisan
Congressional Retreat 2003 at
the Greenbrier in White Sul
phur Springs, WV. This retreat
is for Republican and Demo
cratic members of the U.S.
-v. See CHORUS On Page 3-A
An open letter
to our community
Dear Fellow Citizens: •
I am frustrated, saddened and angry all at the same time...I have spent most of
my adult years in relationships with teenagers either as a teacher or as a volun
teer youth minister. They are so precious to me as I know they are to our entire
community.
So why my outburst? I feel a darkness surrounding many of our youth that
seems to be deep. The darkness contains shootings, illegal drugs, racism, under
age drinking, pornography, premarital sex., all of which bring so much pain and
brokenness. I'm not a pessimist by nature but, hey, Chowan County, this is real
and it involves our young people. Won't you join me in a prayer for them? Won't
you reach out to them? Won’t you let them know that you know, and that you care?
I do not want to let even one of our young people down. And letting them down
includes saying nothing and doing nothing.
Many of you are already praying for the students of John A. Holmes through the
FISH program. If you are praying for one of these students, thank you! Please
keep it up. If you’re not praying, please start. And, of course, our younger students
at the middle and elementary schools need prayer, too.
Will you join me for prayer for our children from 7 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. on Monday,
March 17, at St. Paul's Parish House, 101 West Gale Street? I will be there. Or
perhaps if you are in the county you could pray near our middle and elementary
schools at this same time. I know that when prayer happens, great things happen.
And I want only great things for our youth, as I'm sure you do too.
Thanks for allowing me to share with you what is in my heart. Perhaps I needed
to sound the alarm for some or remind others of what you already know. In any
case, Chowan County, let us all wake up! Our young people need us.
Missie Harrell
Youth Minister
_ St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
, , Edenton
YOUTH BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL
REGISTRATION
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—
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MARCH 10 • MARCH
Registration will take place at both the Edenton-Chowan Recreational Department
(old D.F. Walker) and the Northern Chowan Community Center from 8:00 a.m, - 6:00
p.m. each day. COST IS $10 ($15 after March 14).
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