Vol. LXXI,'No. 40
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Single Copies 50tf
State Supreme Court holds historic session
Lake presides over
‘history in making’
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
It seemed like a John Grisham movie, but it was
real history in the making.
With a bang of the gavel, the state Supreme Court
filed into the Chowan County Courthouse on East
King Street at 9:32 p.ni. last Friday It was the first
time the state’s highest court had held session out
side of Raleigh in 144 years, since a trip to Morganton
in August 1860. It was also the reopening of the 237
year-old courthouse after more than a decade of reno
vations.
Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake Jr., one of six jus
tices on hand for the 3-hour-long special session, said
he’d promised to bring the court to Edenton. It took
12 years, but Lake kept his promise.
“We’re really happy to (hold session) in this beau
tiful city of Edenton,” Lake said from the elevated,
U-shaped bench just prior to the morning’s first ar
guments on a death-penalty case.
“We’re pleased and honored to be here,” Jill
Hickey, an attorney for the state in the day’s second
case, said. “If s a lovely courthouse.”
A $3.2 million facelift brought the Georgian struc
See LAKE On Page 3-A
Texas lawmen
nab suspects
from Edenton
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
Two Edenton men were ar
. :t?',ir.Tex,3sondrugandweap
ons charges Sept. 30.
Dontay Fleming, 20, of 152
Shannonhouse Road, and Paul
Gregory Jr., 37, of 115 Birch Lane,
were stopped for speeding by
Texas Highway Patrol Trooper
Jason Tayjor, Edenton Police
Chief Greg Bonner said. Taylor
received consent to search the
1996 Ford Windstar van the men
were travelling in while in Texas.
Taylor found six kilograms of co
caine and a .357handgun in a hid
den compartment in the floor
board under the console, Bonner
stated. They were charged with"
trafficking cocaine and weapons
possession.
Both were leaving the Houston,
Texas area, heading back to
Edenton, Bonner said Monday
The cocaine had an estimated
street value of more than
$600,000. They were confined in
Montgomery County Jail after
being.arrested on the federal
charges.
INSIDE
Calendar.A2
Church.C5
Classifieds.D1-4
Editorials.A8
Football Forecast.. B4
Learning....C3
Obituaries...C6
Society......C2
Sports.B1-4
On Page Dt ...
Edenton grounds
Nighthawks
Staff photo by Earline White
Chowan County Clerk of Court Mike McArthur joins Chowan Sheriff Fred Spruill, Chowan
County Commissioner Chair Louis Belfield, and dignitaries throughout North Carolina in cutting
the ribbon marking the official reopening of the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse. The Re-Awak
ening celebration continued through the day with a special session of the Supreme Court, a public
presentation and concluded with the hundreds of attendees touring the courthouse.
Voters will have final word on merits
of Amendment One referendum
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
Richard Bunch is certain
that voters should approve the
Amendment One measure on
Nov. 2. John Sams feels just
the opposite:
Bunch, executive director
of the Edenton - Chowan
Chamber of Commerce, and
Sams, a vocal opponent of the
amendment and also a candi
date for a seat on the Chowan
County Board of Commis
sioners, were both asked to
clarify their stances on the
issue by The Chowan Herald
this week.
The amendment is being
touted as a way, through the
use of self-financing bonds
administered by local govern
ments, to bring jobs, new in
dustry, and affordable hous
ing to North Carolina. The
state Constitution would have
to be amended to allow such
bonds, which currently 48
BALLOT REFERENDUM
r* Constituti 'rial amentfnent to promote local economic
community development projects by (i) permitting the General
Assembly to enact general laws giving counties, cities and towns
the power tofinance public improvements associated with quali
fied private economic and community improvements within
development districts, as long as the financing is secured by the
additional tax revenues resulting from the enhanced property
value within the development district and is not secured by a
pledge of the local government’s faith and credit or general tax
ing authority, which financing is not subject to a referendum;
and (ii) permitting the owners of property in the development
district to agree to a minimum tax value for their property,
which is binding on future owners as long as the development
district is in existence.
other states use.
“ I am sure the measure will
allow local politicians to act
more quickly,” Sams said. “But
the NC Constitution set up a
barrier to politicians incur
ring debt without permission
of the people who will have to
pay that debt, and I think it is
a bad mistake to give up this
right.”
Staff photo by Ashley Misseri
Resource team visits
Members of the Main Street Resource Team prepare for a trol
ley tour of Edenton Tuesday morning. On Thursday evening they
will present the results of their fact-finding mission during a pub
lic presentation at Swain Auditorium, at 7 p.m. Everyone is wel
come.
“In addition,” Sams added,
“once this measure removes
Constitutional protections, the
new law can easily be amended
by a simple act of the legisla
ture, which can gut any ‘pro
tections’ which appear to safe
guard the public. Arguments
for A-l boil down to ‘Trust us,
we’ll do what’s right.’ Drafters
of the NC Constitution knew
Tobacco buyout may
result in price decline
From Staff and Wire Reports
The U.S. Senate ended two
years of fierce debate about
the fate of tobacco farmers
Monday, voting to halt federal
price supports for leaf growers
that had been in place since the
1940s.
The tobacco quota buyout
will funnel $10.1 billion — in
cluding $3.8 billion, or nearly
40 percent of the total to Tar
Heel farmers — to tobacco
farmers, land owners and rent
ers who took part in the indus
try. Farmers can continue to
grow leaf, but prices could dip
Officials, citizens
join in celebration
BY EARLINE WHITE
Staff Writer
The restored Chowan County Courthouse was'
once again the site of celebration on Friday, Octo
ber 8th. As the bell chimed twice, dignitaries, lo*
cal government officials and the public came to
gether to rejoice in the grand reopening of the 1767
national historic landmark.
The procession was led by the town crier, Wrenn
Phillips, followed in spectacular color and sound
by the Colonel John Harvey Colonial Color Guard.
Hundreds of onlookers par ted to make way for the
once common but how nostalgic sight. Phillips
then made the call to the green and proclamation.
The Pledge of Allegiance was given by Sandra
Sperry, Regent and Beth Taylor, Past Regent of the
Edenton Tea Party Chapter of the National Soci
ety of Daughters of the American Revolution.
Wrenn Phillips recited the Toast to the Old .
North State. NC State Representative William T.
Culpepper, III, Master of Ceremonies gave wel
come to the crowd and those visitors who came to
town for such a splendid occasion.
Chairman of the Chowan County Board of Com
See CITIZENS On Page 3-A
better.”
Bunch said Sams’ thinking
is flawed.
'John is wrong,” Bunch
said Tuesday. “Amendment
One is all about jobs and he’s
missing it. These (bonds) pay
for themselves. He’s wrong
when he tells you it’s a tax in
crease.”
Nearly 300 agencies in
North Carolina — from the
state branch of the NAACP, a
teachers’ association, and a
labor union — and former
Govs. Jim Holshouser, Jim
Hunt, and Jim Martin have
all publicly supported the bal
lot measure. Richard Bunch’s
Chamber board has also for
mally supported voter ap
proval of the amendment.
“We unanimously ap
proved this,” Bunch said.
He said his staff and the
board trusts local govern
ment —- including Edenton
See MERITS On Page 4-A
sharply without government
price support.
Mike Williams, farm exten
sion director for Chowan
County, agrees that prices
could fall, even in Chowan
County.
“It depends on how the con
tracts are offered,” by tobacco
companies to growers, Will
iams said of the future profit
ability of growing leaf in
Chowan in the wake of the
buyout.
Williams said between 200
and 300 acres of tobacco was
See BUYOUT On Page 5-A
Annual Law
Enforcement
Banquet is
Oct. 21st
The 34th annual Chowan
County Law Enforcement Ap
preciation Banquet will be
held Thursday, Oct. 21, at the
American Legion Post 40,1317
West Queen Street, Edenton.
Social will begin at 5:30 p.m.
and the ban
quet at 7p.m.
Tickets are
available at
Post 40,
Chowan
County
Sheriff’s Of
fice, Clerk of
Court’s of
fice, Edenton Police Depart
ment, Famous Subs, Colony
Tire or by calling 482-4057.
Highlights of the evening
will include the recognition of
an officer for his/her work
with the youth of our commu
nity sponsored by the Chowan-;
Edenton Optimist Club and the
recognition of the Law Em
forcement Officer of the Year.
Guest speaker for the event
will be James J. Coman, Senior
Deputy Attorney General, Dei
partment of Justice, Raleigh;
NC. He supervises a number of,
offices within the Attorney
General’s Office, including the
Special Prosecutions and Law
Enforcement Liaison sections.
Coman is currently the chief
prosecutor for the Attorney/
General’s Office specializing
in public corruption cases and
also serves as special counsel
to the North Carolina Judicial
Standards Commission, which
prosecutes judges accused of
violating the canons of judi-1
cial conduct. ' --
Coman has been with the
Department of Justice since
1985. He served previously as
the Senior Deputy Attorney
General in the Criminal Divi
sion from 1985-1993 and as di
See BANQUET On Page 3-A