Vol. LXXII, No. 35
Wednesday, September 7, 2005
Single Copies 50<
J
Staff photo by Sean Jackson
U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, at left, t^Jks with Regulator Marine's
Al Partin, assembly supervisor, and Wyatt Lane, national sales
manager, during a stop in Edenton last Wednesday.
Senator pays a visit
to Edenton business
Burr’s visit
part of NENC
tour
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
U.S. Sen Richard Burr vis
ited Edenton last Wednesday
in the middle of a weeklong
swing through northeast
North Carolina.
Burr, R-N.C., met with local
government and business offi
cials at Regulator Marine for
about two hours on Aug. 31,
including a roughly 45-minute
I DON'T KNOW YOUR NAME.
I DON'T LIVE ON YOUR STREET.
BUT I WILL HELP SAVE YOUR LIFE.
Contributions to the
Disaster Relief Fund may be
sent to your local American
Red Cross chapter or to the
American Red Cross,
P.O.Box 37243,
Washington, D.C. 20013
+ Call
1-800-HELP-NOW
or go to
^rntricM REDCROSS.ORG
INSIDE
Calendar.. C2
Church.C5
Classifieds.D1 -4
Editorials.A6
Obituaries......... C6
School...A7
Society.C3
Sports.B1 -4
visit of the plant.
Burr appeared impressed
by the success the boat-build
ing company in east Edenton
has had in recent years.
“Business is excellent for
us right now,” Regulator co
owner Joan Maxwell said.
Burr also commented on
the recovery efforts in the af
termath of Hurricane Katrina
which slammed Mississippi,
Alabama, and Louisiana on
Aug. 29. .
“(The Senate is) conscious
of what’s happening down
there,” he said.
See VISIT On Page A3
Stabbing
suspect
found in Va.
Baker appre
hended after
high-speed chase
From Staff Reports
Edenton police have ar
rested a former Edenton
woman on charges stem
ming from the January
stabbing of her then-boy
friend, Stephen Hollowell.
Patricia Baker, 24, was
picked up in Norfolk, Va.
after an alleged high
speed car chase and was
later transferred to Eden
t o n ,
where
she was
arrested
on Sept. 1
after be
ing inter
rogated
by police
I Detective
[Aaron
■ Davidson.
Baker
was charged with assault
with a deadly weapon with
intent to kill inflicting se
rious injury, and at
tempted first-degree mur
der. She is confined at
Albemarle District Jail in
Elizabeth City under a
$250,000 secured bond, a
police official said Tues
day.
A police official said
Baker’s next court date
would likely be in Novem
ber.
Baker
“(We) stand ready to pay it forward. ”
- Edenton Town Manager Anne>Marie Knighton
Local Red Cross units
respond to disaster
With the memory of
Hurricane Isabel still
fresh, area agencies,
businesses respond to
calls for assistance
BY EARLINE WHITE
The Chowan Herald
After Hurricane Isabel ripped
through Chowan County, it was with
the help of many volunteers, local and
from other states, that signs of recov
ery came quickly The same is proving
true for areas of the Gulf Coast where
Hurricane Katrina displaced over
500,00 and cut power to 2.3 million, but
more help is needed.
A US disaster with few rivals,
Katrina has caused many agencies to
react to the call for help. The American
Red Cross has collected over $21 million
(with $15 million coming from indi
vidual donations through its website)
to help with recovery. Locally the
Greater Albemarle Area Chapter of the
Red Cross is working to recruit volun
teers to be trained to go into the disas
ter torn areas of Louisiana and Missis
sippi as well as working to raise money
for those who lost all their posses sions.
“Training will be intense,* John
Gillis, Executive Director of the local
Red Cross said. “We’ll be sending
people down for three weeks, all ex
penses paid, to help with recovery Thfey
will be performing mass care, mass
feeding-it will require long hours. It
will be hot, muggy—not a picnic. But
it will make a difference—helping even
one person makes all the difference,”
Gillis said. The American Red Cross
will continue serving in the area pro
viding food, new clothing and shelter
for as long as it is needed.
Because transportation in the af
“It’s wrong to take unfair advantage”
- State Attorney General Roy Cooper
Staff photo by Sean lackson
Local motorists crowd the Duck Thru in Edenton as rumors spread of a possible
gasoline shortage late last week.
Area citizens face sticker
shock at the gas pump
Gas supplies are back
up to near normal, but
prices remain high
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
Ridiculous. Incredible. Unprec
edented. Criminal. Outrageous.
All words used to describe skyrocket
ing gas prices since Hurricane Katrina
rocked three Gulf Coast states on Aug.
' Photo from Red Cross website
Around the country, Red Cross vol
unteers like the one pictured above are
deploying to the Gulf Coast to assist in
Hurricane Katrina's recovery.
fected area is a problem, relief efforts
are encouraged in the form of mon
etary donations to the American Red
Cross or the Salvation Army. Organi
zations, businesses and communities
are pulling together to collect money.
"I urge all North Carolinians to reach
out to organizations providing assis
tance related to this disaster, or to con
tact local churches, charities or civic
groups which have information on re
lief effort,” Senator Richard Burr said
in a press release last Thursday
Edenton Town Manager, Anne-Marie
Knighton, said that “I am confident
that this country will help these com
munities rebuild. I know that many of
our citizens will never forget the help
and the kindness that was extended to
See DISASTER On Page A2
29, knocking out pipelines that fun
neled gas to the Carolinas.
After weeks of climbing prices, the
cost for gas hovered around $2.55 a gal
lon in Edenton and Chowan County on
the morning of Aug. 30. By the follow
ing morning, prices had jumped 25
cents, and to nearly $3 by closing time
on Aug. 31. Prices continued to surge,
hitting a record-high of around $3.40 by
Thursday, prompting motorists to flock
to the pumps to fill their tanks before a
See SHOCK On Page A3
Cigarette tax
hike aims to
curb smoking
BY EARLINE WHITE
The Chowan Herald
Last Thursday smokers throughout North
Carolina felt the impact of the legislature’s
decision to increase the state’s lowest-in-the
nation cigarette tax from 5-cents-a-pack to 30.
With an increase of 25 cents on September 1
and an additional 5
cents on July 1, 2006,
the NC cigarette tax
brings the number to
41 out of 50 states that
have increased their
cigarette tax since
2002 in the hope that
people will quit smok
ing. This is the first
cigarette-tax increase
in North Carolina’s
since 1991 and still
dramatically lower
than the national aver
age of 92.3 cents a
pack.
According to the
Campaign for To
bacco-Free Kids, an
anti-tobacco group, for
every 10 percent in
crease in the price of
cigarettes, a reduction of youth smokers by
about 7 per cent takes place. Also, overall ciga
rette consumption is reduced by approximately
four percent for every 10 percent increase in
the price.
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause
of death in North Carolina. Each year more
than 11,900 lives are lost, costing the state $2.26
billion in health care bills. The 2003 N.C. Youth
See SMOKING On Page A3
",Smoking
rates are
certain to
decline”
-Jean Bunch
Chowan Regional
Healthcare
Foundation
NC Lottery could
bring up to $500k
for schools
Deadlock broken with suprise
vote, Lt. Gov. Purdue breaks tie
From Staff Reports
Passed last Wednesday by a vote of 25-24,
North Carolina’s upcoming education lottery
will benefit schools statewide and could gen
erate approximately $500,000 for Chowan
County annually. Governor Mike Easley
praised the lottery saying that the biggest win
ners in the lottery are the people of North Caro
lina.
Schools in District 4, which includes
Chowan, Bertie, Gates, Halifax, Hertford,
Northampton and Perquimans counties, as
well as counties statewide, are due to receive
funds based on student population (ADM) and
effective tax rates, among other factors.
According to Chowan County Manager, Cliff
Copeland, the funds are to be used primarily
for debt service, maintenance and repair and
school construction. “The funds generated for
See LOTTERY On Page A2
) AMERICAN LEGION
FAIRGROUNDS -
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