Vol. LXX1I, No. 47
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Single Copies 50<
About 200 jobs are expected
to be effected by a planned re
structuring of operations at the
Weyerhaeuser plant in Ply
mouth (above).
Weyerhauser
to cut jobs at
Plymouth
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
After 57 years of operation,
the Weyerhaeuser plant in Ply
mouth is slated to shut down a
major machine, a move likely
to cause a ripple among the
plant’s workers from Edenton
and Chowan County
The Federal Way, Wash.
based company announced
Tuesday that it would “indefi
nitely” stop production cen
tered around its 350,000-ton
per-year containerboard ma
chine at the plant in Washing
ton County, which began oper
ating in 1948. That move would
affect roughly 200 workers at
the plant.
In a Tuesday press release,
company chairman, president
and CEO Steven Rogel indi
cated it was a difficult — but
necessary—move for his com
pany.
“We realize this is harsh
news for our people in Ply
mouth,” Rogel stated, “but dif
ficult business conditions
make it necessary. We will con
tinue to refine our portfolio of
businesses and facilities to
improve our return to share
holders.”
The news comes in the wake
of falling jobless claims in
North Carolina. The state’s
unemployment rate dipped to
5.3 percent for the month of
September, according to Nov.
18 statistics from the Employ
ment Security Commission of
North Carolina, the agency’s
most recent numbers. Wash
ington County’s jobless rate
that month was above the state
average, 6.6. percent.
It was not clear by press time
Tuesday how many employees
from the Plymouth plant com
mute from Edenton and
Chowan County.
“I don’t have that answer,
and I probably won’t,”
See JOBS On Page A2
r
i
INSIDE
Calendar.C2
Church.C5
Classifieds ..... D1-4
Editorials.A6
Obituaries......... C6
Society.C2
Sports ..B1 -4
On Page A4...
Albemarle Chorale
tunes up for Christmas
Banquet recognizes Agriculture's vital role
BY EARLINE WHITE
The Chowan Herald
Since 1926 farmers from
both ends of Chowan County
have been coming together for
Farmer’s Night to recognize
what the worldwiay not; that
without the sweat and back
breaking work tilling, plowing,
planting and harvesting, life as
we know would not exist. On
Tuesday, November 22 over a
hundred farm families feasted
in fellowship at the Farm-City
Banquet recognizing those
that have made a meaningful
contribution to the farming
industry
Agriculture has long played
Local businesses report strong
sales on 'Black Friday', weekend
BY EARLINE WHITE
The Chowan Herald
“I’ve never seen that many people in the
store at one time,” Jo Gummere, manager
of Shoppes on Broad, said Monday follow
ing the crazed rush on Black Friday, the day
after Thanksgiving; historically one of the
busiest retail shopping days of the year.
“Black Friday”, traditionally the day when
retailers get back “in the black” (profitable)
after operating “in the red” during the pre
vious months, rushed upon Edenton with
force this year. But it wasn’t the locals who
hurried out to buy Christmas decorations,
toys and clothes. It was the visiting fami
lies and traveling tourists who strolled
down the street, shopping bags in hand.
“It (the foot traffic/customers) didn’t stop
from the time I opened the doors at 9:30 a.m.
until I left at 6 p.m.” Gummere said of
Friday’s run. “Needless to say I went to bed
practically as soon as I got home.”
All day long Friday, happy busy shoppers
wandered the streets. Many were with fam
ily members they had come to the area to see.
No empty parking spaces were to be found,
anywhere. And they shopped from one end
of Broad to the other, and back again down'
the other side.
Emergency call from cell phone frustrated police efforts
Assault recorded on tape, but the'
location of caller was not available
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
Edenton police Det. Sgt.
Rhonda Copeland heard the
helpless pleas of a Jackson
Street woman allegedly being
beaten by her boyfriend on
Nov. 19, unable to do anything
more than listen to the
woman’s protests to her at
tacker.
Three days after that har
rowing 911 call, Copeland had
arrested Mogazi Willie Lee on
Staff photo by Earline White
Farm-City Award winners, from left: Outstanding Jr. 4-H'er Kyle
Squires; 2004 Peanut Champion jimmy Forehand (and J.C. Fore
hand, not pictured); John Butler Byrum, accepting Outstanding
Woman- in Agriculture honors on behalf of his wife, Nina Jane
Byrum, who was unable to attend; Outstanding Young Farmer,
Curtis M. Byrum III; and Outstanding Sr. 4-H'er, Kaitlin Bunch.
a number of charges, includ
ing attempted murder. The vic
tim was 6-months pregnant at
the time of the attack. Lee is
believed to be the father of the
unborn child.
But it was the inability to
locate the unidentified woman
on the night of the attack that
shook up Copeland, a veteran
with the Edenton Police De
partment. The woman had
used her cell phone to call cen
tral communications. Lee al
legedly broke the phone and
Vaughans
and other retail
ers saw a surge
in business over
the Thanksgiv
ing weekend,
starting on
Black Friday,
when shoppers
began making
Christmas pur
chases.
STAFF PHOTO BY
tARUNE WHITE
Karen Kane, co-owner of Boutique 210,
noticed the increase of commerce on
Wednesday “We had a lot of people stop in
the day before Thanksgiving. Family mem
bers visiting and a lot of locals preparing
for guests,” Kane said.
Patsy Faircloth, manager of Byrum
Crafts, can relate. “The whole week before
and after Thanksgiving is our biggest time
of the year. This year we took in more
(money) than ever before that I can remem
ber (on Black Friday). In fact, I don’t think
we’ve ever gone over what we took in on that
one day.”
Likewise, Sound Feet Shoes’ sales in
creased 25% from last year on the day after
Thanksgiving. Store manager Mickey
Willard added that the trend continued
through the entire weekend. “We did three
times as much business on Saturday as we
did Friday.”
Chrissy Hood at Edenton Bay Trading
Company agreed. “Sales were unbelievable
both Friday and Saturday with a good mix
ture of both locals and visitors to the area.
It was a non-stop flow all day Friday;
even better than last year and that was
See BLACK FRIDAY On Page A2
with no address' regis
tering at the 911 center,
officials were unable
to determine the 21
year-old victim’s loca
tion.
“I really hated leav
ing (work) that night
not knowing ... if she
was OK,” Copeland
said. “I’m so thankful
that she did get away”
from Lee.
Although Copeland recog
nized Lee’s voice on the other
end of the line during the attack,
she was unable to arrest him on
that evidence alone.
Copeland arrested Lee on Nov.
a vital role in North Carolina
and Chowan County, Mike Wil
liams, Director of the Chowan
County Cooperative Extension
office, said. “You only have to
stop and think about what
North Carolina would be like
without agriculture and
agribusiness: about 18 of every
100 jobs in our state wouldn’t
exist, nearly $60 billion a year
would not pump into our
economy, turkeys and sweet
potatoes might not be on our
holiday menus, and our qual
ity of life and the comforts we
take for granted would be dras
tically different.”
Most in attendance could not
imagine life without farming;
Culpepper
resigns from
NC House
Legislator to
serve on NC
Utilities
Commission
BY REBECCA BUNCH
The Chowan Herald
Since 1993, Rep. Bill
Culpepper of Edenton has
served in the North Caro
lina House of Representa
tives. Now, someone else,
will be representing House
District 2, which includes
Chowan, Dare, Washing
ton and Hyde counties.
Effective Jan. 1, Rep.
Culpepper will begin an 8
year term on the NC Utili
ties Commission. To ac
cept the post, Culpepper
will have to close his law
office in Edenton and re
sign his seat in the legisla
ture.
Irt an interview Tuesday,
Culpepper told The Cho
wan Herald that he had
loved serving in the Gen
eral Assembly but thought
it was time to move on
“while I’m at the top of my
game. I’ve far exceeded the
modest goals I set for .my
self in 1993 when I was
named to replace the late
Pete Thompson. Obvi
ously, I have mixed emo
tions...but personally and
professionally, this is the
right thing to do.”
Culpepper’s legislative
career has encompassed
serving as the chairman of
the powerful Rules Com
23 He had been
released from
prison in No
vember 2004 af
ter serving time
for robbery and
drug charges.
Lee could be
heard attacking
the woman for
about 20 min
utes during the
call, Copeland
said.
He allegedly used his body
to compress the victim’s
chest, which led to her suffer
ing an asthma attack. Such.
maneuvers can also lead to
many grew up as children of
farmers themselves, now plow*
ing the same land their grand
fathers did before them.
Speaker David Jordan, pea
nut specialist with NCSU and
a native of Chowan County,
knew the lifestyle very well.
Like most, Jordan grew up in
a farming family, but instead
of tilling the soil himself he
decided to study the art of
farming with the idea of help
ing others. Jordan spoke to the
crowd on his work to help the
natives of Ghana, Africa in
crease their peanut crop yield.
Jordan talked of the major
See BANQUET On Page A2
Rep. Bill Culpepper
mittee in the state House,
as well as co-chairman of
the Appropriations Sub
committee on Justice and
Public Safety. He has also
served as co-chairman of
the Joint Legislative Ethics
Committee since 2003.
“Bill brings with him a
wealth of legal and legisla
tive experience,” said Gov.
Mike Easley, who an
nounced the appointment.
“His strong commitment
and dedication to public
service make him an excel
lent addition to the Com
mission.”
House Speaker Jim
Black expresseS regret at
Culpepper’s impending de
parture but praised his
record of service in the
House. “Rep. Bill Culpep
per is one of the brighest
members of the Legisla
ture and has served the
people of North Carolina,
and especially those in
Eastern North Carolina,
with the highest integrity
during the past 12 years.”
death, Copeland added.
“This is something he
learned in prison,” Copeland
said.
The woman, whom Cope
land declined to identify be
cause she is a domestic vio
lence victim, and her 4-year
old daughter—who was in the
home during the attack —
walked from Jackson Street to
Chowan Hospital in the cold
early-morning hours of Nov.
19. The woman had gone
into labor, but hospital
workers were able to stop her
See CALL On Page A2
Mogazi Lee