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Vol. LXXII, No. 28
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Single Copies 50<
Patty Madry
Schools
to hold
crisis drill
BY EARUNE WHITE
The Chowan Herald
During the week of July 25
30, state and local emergency
services will undertake, in
conjunction with the elemen
tary school, the first large
scale school crisis drill ever
attempted in Chowan County
As part of the crisis drill,
Highway Patrol, Wildlife Offic
ers, Marine Patrol, EMS, State
Bureau of Investigations,
Edenton Police Department,
Chowan County Sheriff’s Of
fice, Edenton and Center Hill
Fire Departments, and Cho
wan Hospital will team up
with teachers and administra
tors of D. F. Walker School. The
drill aims to prepare all parties
involved in the event of an
emergency involving the
school, staff and students.
“We are conducting this drill
so that all of the emergency
staff in the area will know the
appropriate steps to take, in
coordination with each other,
in case a crisis takes place,”
Investigator Dwayne Goodwin
said. “The different agencies
will walk through the drill to
gether—it will be a learning
experience for everyone in
volved.”
This school crisis drill will
fulfill the requirements for sev
eral programs in the area.
Goodwin and Andy Bunch of
the Chowan County Sheriff’s
Office, two certified rapid de
ployment instructors in east
ern NC will lead the efforts.
“The schools already are
trained in what they need to do
in any situation, be it a shoot
ing, a tornado, hurricane or
evacuation drill,” Goodwin
said. “With this drill we want
to be sure that everyone knows
how to react during the situa
tion so that they will be no lag
time or confusion as to any
individual’s particular part.”
“This is just an example of
how Emergency Management
See CRISIS On Page 3-A
INSIDE
Calendar.C2
Church.C4
Classifieds.Dt-4
Editorials.A6
Obituaries.C6
Society...C3
Sports.B1-4
On Page C1 ...
Local youths are
*The Chosen Ones*
Edenton set to grow with annexation of Wharf Landing
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
The Town of Edenton could soon
contain a new addition of condos,
a boat marina, and a waterfront res
taurant if the Town Council agrees
to annex Wharf Landing next
month.
During its July 12 regular meet
ing, council unanimously approved
a certificate of sufficiency for the
voluntary annexation request sub
mitted by the developers of the
project located on the Chowan
River just west of the town limits.
“The next step would be ... for
you to conduct a public hearing,”
Rennie Harrington-Jones
Elections
director
steps down
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
Chowan County Board of
Election Rennie Harrington
Jones is stepping down from
her post July 29 to take a job in
the Bertie County Schools sys
tem.
Harrington-Jones, 23, and
her husband Warren Jones are
both natives of Bertie County,
and the job switch will allow
them to both be closer to home,
she said Tuesday
Harrington-Jones’ tenure as
elections director — a job she
took last July — included the
much-hyped 2004 local, state
and federal elections.
“I’ve enjoyed my time (work
ing) here in Chowan County,”
the Lewiston native said.
“Working in the elections pro
cess has helped me a lot.”
She thanked her board mem
bers for their guidance
through the delayed primary,
and general, elections last
year. Harrington-Jones and
her husband, a Merry Hill na
See ELECTIONS Page 3A
Gas Company gets local support
Move would make gas service ‘economically viable’
From Staff Reports
Officials with a non-profit
agency that has helped expand,
natural gas service into north
east North Carolina held a
public hearing in Edenton on
| July 12 to pitch giving control
of that gas line to Piedmont
Natural Gas.
Piedmont has petitioned the
\ state Utilities Commission for
approval to take over control
of EasternNC, the company
; that currently co-owns the line
with the Albemarle Pamlico
-■ Economic Development Cor
Town Manager Anne-Marie Kni
ghton told council.
That hearing would be held Aug.
9, council’s next regular session.
Paul Waff, a developer of the site,
has said that Wharf Landing will
add about 90 dwelling units — via
upscale condos — in addition to the
100 boat slips at the marina. In ad
dition, a 15-room inn and a restau
rant are also planned for the devel
opment.
Each unit is slated to have 1,500
square feet of living space, three
bedroom, and two-and-a-half baths.
“The people that we have coming
See LANDING On Page 3-A
Roundtable discussion touts strengths, opportunities
Local economy responsive
to changing environment
BY EARLINE WHITE
The Chowan Herald
TTTTTTT
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Economic growth and un
tapped potential in Chowan
County was the focal point of
the round table discussion
held at the Edenton-Chowan
Campus Culinary. Arts Center
last Thursday.
Business leaders and gov
ernment officials reviewed
Chowan’s economic tract, ac
knowledging the successes
and proposing options on fur
thering advances.
. Win Dale. Chamber of Com
merce President opened the
session, welcoming all in at
tendance.
Among those who pre
sented information at the ses
sion were Rick Watson, CEO
of North Carolina’s Northeast
Partnership, Inc; Cliff
Copeland, County Manager;
Anne-Marie Knighton, Town
Manager; Richard Bunch, Ex
ecutive Director of the
Chowan County Chamber of
Commerce; Lynne Bunch,
President of COA; and Allan
Smith, Superintendent of
Edenton-Chowan Schools.
According to the presenta
tions, over the past twenty
years Chowan County has lost
several of its biggest employ
ers including Edenton Cotton
Mill and Pelikan Corporation.
In its place has emerged the
boat building industry includ
ing Albemarle Boats, Regula
tor Marine and Carolina Clas
sic. Richard Bunch said that
he hopes to continue recruit
ing and retain the boat build
ing industry in the area (and
poration,
which repre
sents the 14
counties in
the north
east that re
cently re
Copeland ceived some
gas service.
Chowan County Manager
Cliff Copeland; APEC chair
man, said the move was a nec
essary one.
“APEC was never intended
to be actively involved in the
actual operation of a gas com
pany,” Copeland said during
Staff photo by Earline White
COA President Lynne Bunch addresses those attending a
roundtable discussion last Thursday that focused on economic
growth and the untapped potential to be found in Chowan
County.
the existing industries that
support them) while attracting
necessary sectors like technol
ogy, and the Broad Street Soft
ware Company for example
that was brought to the area by
NC NE Partnership, to further
Chowan’s economic develop
ment.
While much of the nation
the hearing.
Edenton Town Manager
Anne-Marie Knighton also
supports Piedmont taking con
trol of gas services in the
northeast.
“I told the Commission that
the region is on the verge of
unprecedented growth, and
that growth would certainly go
a long way towards making the
gas venture more economi
cally viable,” Knighton told
The Chowan Herald last week.
“Natural gas is an impor
See SUPPORT On Page 2-A
has turned away from the tex
tile industry, Chowan County
is still going strong with
George C. Moore employing
over 200 people. To date the
largest employers in the
county are Chowan Hospital
and Edenton-Chowan Schools
See ECONOMY Page 2-A
The town 1 I
council will |
conduct a
public
hearing Aug.
9 concerning
voluntary
annexation of ■ \
Wharf
Landing (at
left).
Staff photo by
Sean Jackson
' ■
Judge Terrence Boyle
Navy to ,
take OLF
case to A
Richmond 1
' - '' i
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
The U.S. Navy is set to plead
its case to move ahead with
building a landing field in
northeast North Carolina be
fore a federal appeals court in
Richmond, Va. today.
The hearing will be before
the 4th Circuit Court of Ap- (
peals, and will likely focus on j;
a permanent injunction bar
ring work on the 30,000-acre
site in Beaufort and Washing
ton counties handed down by
a federal district court judge in
February
U.S. District Court Judge
Terrence Boyle ruled July 13 1
that the Navy wrongly stated ]
that the jets would have no sig
nificant impact on wildlife or
Pocosin Lakes National Wild
life Refuge itself.
The Navy has said it fol
See NAVY On Page 3-A
'rams
Know signs of dehydration, A2
Heat wave taking toll
From staff reports
The summer heat wave has
hit Chowan County full force
with the heat index climbing
into triple digits. Currently,
the Chowan County Depart
ment of Social Services is tak
ing applications for the Crisis
Intervention Program (CIP) to
help those without air condi
tioning.
Residents communitywide
are being urged to avoid be
coming dehydrated.
See HEAT On Page 2-A
Staff photo by Earline White
Louis Griffin has found an
innovative way to keep cool
this week, using an umbrella to
cover the motorized scooter in
which he gets around town.
>» ' '■ . . '."U -'I ■
idline:
, July 29
5:00 —
"IT A T I O N A L
Call 482-8595
PA
T
for more Information > r;
ust 5-7, 2005
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