Wednesday, June 23, 2004
LXXI, No. 24
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Published in historic Edenton ... The South’s prettiest town.
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I Budget Despite tough breaks, CAC qoinq stronq
includes
tax hike
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
Chowan County commis
sioners unanimously ap
proved the 2004-05 fiscal year
budget Monday night, which
includes a 5-cent tax hike.
County Manager Cliff Cope
land said the property tax in
crease was needed to improve
services offered to county resi
dents. And the board decided
not to borrow money to do so.
“We could have easily dipped
into the county’s reserve
fund,” Copeland said. “But
that wouldn’t be the prudent
thing to do down the road.”
The increase would push the
county’s ad valorem tax rate to
74 cents. It is the first increase
since 1997, Copeland and board
Chairman Louis Belfield said.
“We haven’t raised taxes,
since I’ve been on the board,”
said Belfield, who was elected
in 1998.
Alvin Earley, a Yeopim area
resident, asked the board to
reconsider raising taxes.
“Isn’t there some way (stop
ping the tax increase) can be
done?” Earley asked.
Copeland said there were
several factors that necessi
tated the hike. Hurricane
Isabel stripped the county of
some of its tax base, Copeland
said. The county has also spent
millions recovering from the
Sept. 18 storm.
In recent years, the county
tax office has done a good job
collecting delinquent taxes.
“That’s the good news,”
' Copeland said. “The bad news
is there’s not as much delin
quent taxes to collect.”
See HIKE On Page 5-A
m uni piioio mat Lnowan Ans council txecutive director iue Clark has dubbed re
flected art," the top end of the photo reflects wall space at the Arts Council while the
bottom shows a reflection of that same space mirrored in the water on the floor. Follow
ing extensive water damage after Hurricane Isabel it was months before the nonprofit
organization was able to reopen its doors — but with lots of hard work and strong com
munity support the CAC had a good year anyway.
r
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Managing Editor
Oftentimes struggle brings
out the very best in people - and
organizations. Just ask Sue
Clark, executive director of
the Chowan Arts Council. The
nonprofit arts organization
she heads was among the hard
est hit locations last Septem
ber after Hurricane Isabel
roared through. It took months
before needed repairs to the
site were completed. For part
of that time, Clark’s kitchen
table served as their headquar
ters while the doors to their
Gallery remained closed. But
you’d never know about the
challenging year they’ve had
by looking at their bottom line.
“In a year marked by may
hem and disaster,” she said in
her annual report to CAC
members, “we are currently
projecting a moderate end-of
year surplus. Given all we’ve
been through, that seems noth
ing short of miraculous.”
Clark noted that a flash flood
which dumped three to four
inches of water across the Arts
Council Gallery’s floor just af
ter the opening exhibit in Sep
tember 2003 “was a harbinger
of things to come. The follow
ing week, Hurricane Isabel hit
our community and shut down
our offices and gallery space
for nearly four months.”
“Much of that time,” she
said, “was spent moving art
work from one dry place to an
other, staying one step ahead
of the construction workers. It
is remarkable that during that
entire period not one single
See BREAKS On Page 5-A
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Managing Editor
Ever wished you could sit
out under the stars and enjoy
a good movie? With a little
luck, the Chowan Arts Coun
cil in partnership with the
Edenton Steamers and the
Edenton Main Street pro
gram., may just make your
Wish come true.
“We are currently working :
on showing old-fashioned out
door movies,” said Chowan
Arts Council Executive Direc
tor Sue Clark. “If anyone
knows how to build or can
help us find a portable out
door movie screen, we defi
nitely would love to hear from ;
them". They can reach us at
1
(252)482-8005.”
Ever the optimist, Clark
has tentatively scheduled the
first movie for Sept. 17 with
another set to follow in Octo
ber.
Preceding the old-time
movies will be the opening of
a very meaningful art exhibi
tion on Sept. 10. “We are very
pleased that our opening ex
hibit of the 2004 program
year will be a one-woman
show by one of, our most tal
ented local artists, Katherine
Wolf Webb,” Clark said. “Af
ter losing her entire studio
and much of her artwork to
the hurricane last September,
she personifies the power of
See WISH On Page 7-A
3ra suspect neia
in park mugging
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
The third suspect in the May.
24 assault of a 76-year-old
Edenton man was arrested by
police June 19.
Devon Allen Riddick, 20, of
408 Mexico Road, Edenton, was
slapped with a host of charges
stemming from the daylight
mugging that took place at
Queen Anne Park. He is jailed
under a $600,00 bond, police
Chief Greg Bonner said Mon
day.
Riddick had been hiding
from police prior to his af rest,
Bonner said.
“Obviously,” the chief
added, “(Riddick) decided he
was tired of hiding and came
out where police could see
him.”
After being spotted by Detec
tive Sgt. Rhonda Copeland
standing in front of a home on
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Av
enue, Riddick fled into Beaver
Hill Cemetery, where he was
nabbed by Copeland and Detec
tive Dwight Rawlins.
See SUSPECT On Page 7-A
Woman charged
in identity fraud
BY SEAN JACKSON
: Staff Writer
; An Edenton woman was ar
rested June 10 on charges of
financial identity fraud after
allegedly netting $600 from
another person’s bank ac
count.
Shirley Bazemore Spivey,
50, of 104 Blade Circle, was
charged with two counts of
obtaining property by false
pretense, two counts of forg
ery, and financial ID fraud.
She was placed under a $2,500
unsecured bond.
Police Chief Greg Bonner
said Spivey used another
person’s financial informa
tion on two occasions to
make illegal cash withdraw
als from Generations Com
munity Credit Union. Spivey
had inadvertently received
the rightful account owner’s
information in the mail, the
chief added.
“She went down to the
credit union posing as the
person who owned the ac
count," Bonner said.
The fraud was detected af
ter the second $300 with
drawal, Bonner said. Spivey
later attempted to deposit the
money back into the true
owner’s account.
Detective Dwight Rawlins
investigated the case.
FIRST BLOSSOM
Filing opens
4-■ /■ rr y* i f
Mk,SUP<
Scottie White (left) found
j the first Chowan County
! cotton blossom Father's
Day. Congratulating him
| are his dad, Bryant White
r and brother, Wade.
liiio i i iuay
Two seats on the Edenton
Chowan Board of Education
are up for re-election and the
filing period for candidates for
the jobs opens Friday at noon.
Kay Wright’s District 3 post
and board chairman Gene
Jordan’s District 1 seat will
both be the on the Nov. 2 bal
. lot.
The filing period closes at
noon July 30.
Candidates can file at the
Chowan County Board of Elec
tions Office at 108 E. King St.,
Edenton. Office hours are 8
a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday.
In addition, the filing period
for the Soil and Water Conser
vation District seat opened
June 14 and will end July 2.
The registration period ends
Friday at 5 p.m.
INSIDE THIS WEEK
Steamers
set league
win
streak
milestone.3~B
New OLF hearing set
3-A
Retirees from Byrum
Hardware 3-C
PAL Arts Show.4-C