Vol. LXXIII, No. 8
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Wednesday, February 22, 2006
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Single Copies: 50c
Business recruiter promises to leave post by June 30
Northeast Partnership CEO Rick Watson was dogged by ethical questions about relationship with ‘Moonlight Bandit’
'Good cop'
charged in
felony drug
case by ALE
-BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
Edenton Police Chief Greg
Bonner said Tuesday that he
was surprised to learn that
one of his officers, Nicole
Gardner, was the target of an
ALE probe. That probe, which
included surveillance of
Gardner, led to
her arrest last
week. Gardner,
24, was fired
Jan. 26, the day
after 52 cap
sules of oxy
contin alleg
edly in her pos
session were seized by ALE
agents.
Bonner said that Gardner
had been considered an excel
lent officer with a lot of poten
tial.
“She was dependable and
had established a strong com
munity support,” Bonner said.
“I wouldn’t have had any res
ervations in allowing her to be
a shift leader in the absence of
one of the sergealU^.”
Gardner was arrested in
Edenton on Feb. 14 by state Al
cohol Law Enforcement Agent
Rodney Parker and charged
with illegal possession of the
prescription painkiller oxy
contin. She was placed under
a $10,000 secured bond and was
released that same day, accord
ing to court documents.
Gardner was hired by the
town as a patrol officer in Sep
tember 2004. At the time of her
arrest, she was charged with
possession with intent to sell
and deliver a schedule II con
trolled substance.
Her next court appearance
is set for May 1. Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Michael Johnson
See CHARGED On Page A2
INSIDE
Calendar. C2
Church.. C7,8
Classifieds.D1 -4
Editorials.A6
Obituaries.. C6, A5
School.A 7
Society..C3
Sports ..B1-4
Contact us
Call 482-4418
02006 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
A sprinkling of snow
Crocuses just coming
into view in the
Cupola House gardens
received a frosty
surprise Monday
morning when they
were briefly covered
by a coating of icy
snow.
Local residents got
the best of both
worlds - a chance to
enjoy seeing a
beautiful snowfall but
one that went away as
quickly as it came,
and didn’t interfere
with workday travel.
Sean Jacksonville Chowan Herald
Incumbents file for re-election
to county commission seats
Alligood, Goodwin and
Belfield ask voters to
return them to office
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
In addition to Edenton Police Detective
Rhonda Copeland and Chowan Deputy Sheriff
Dwayne Goodwin, a pair of hopefuls seeking
to replace re
tiring Sheriff
Fred Spruill,
voters will
also find some
familiar
names on the
ballot.
All three in
cumbents
who are up for
re-election to
their seats on
the Chowan
Goodwin County Board
of Commis
sioners filed to run last week.
Commissioners Jimmy Alligood (District 2,
Seat 2), Louis Belfield (District 3, Seat 2) and
Wayne Goodwin (District 1, Seat 2) all filed for
re-election last week. Sheriff’s Deputy Dwayne
Goodwin and
Edenton Po
lice Det. Sgt.
Rhonda
Copeland
both filed for
Spruill’s post
Dwayne
Goodwin and
Copeland
will square
off in the
May 2 Demo
cratic pri
mary elec
tions.
In addi
tion, area
candidates
who have filed for various offices include:
• State Rep. Tim Spear, D-Washington County,
is seeking to win his first election for the Dis
trict 2 seat he was appointed to in January;
• Attorneys Van Johnson of Elizabeth City
and John Flore III of Currituck and assistant
district attorney Eula Reid have filed to replace
retiring Chief District Court Judge Grafton G.
Beaman;
According to Chowan Board of Elections Su
pervisor Rebecca Lowe, candidates have until
noon on Tuesday, Feb. 28 to file for the primary
elections.
Town of Edenton to conduct an
experiment with recycling plan
From Staff Reports
The Town of Edenton will be
experimenting with its
curbside recycling program
today (Wednesday) on the west
side only.
This will be for recyclables
only; no garbage will be picked
up. Instead of using the flat
bed truck to collect and sepa
rate recycled materials at resi
dents’ curbs, the Town will be,
collecting recyclables utilizing
a rear-end garbage truck.
The recyclables will not be
separated by town employees,
as is the practice now. Instead,
the experiment calls for Tide
water Fiber, a company special
izing in recycling, to “handle”
the separation. Tidewater Fi
ber will place a trailer at the
Public Works facility on W.
Hicks Street. The Town will
utilize its transfer station to
unload the recyclables directly
to Tidewater’s trailer. Tidewa
ter owns and operates a recy
cling facility in Virginia, where
the Town’s recyclables will go.
“Currently the Town has to
take the separated recyclables
we collect to Elizabeth City, and
pay a vendor to accept the ma
terials,” said Town Manager
Anne-Marie Knighton. “The
time and labor it takes to trans
port the materials will be a sav-«
ings. But it is hoped that not
having to sort materials at the
curb will afford the Town the
ability to collect recyclables
from both sides of town, once a
week.”
The Town collects recycla
bles from the east side on the
first and third Wednesday of
the month and the west side on
the second and fourth Wednes
day of the month.
“Don’t be alarmed when you
see the Town collecting recy
clables in a garbage truck,”
Knighton added. “If the experi
ment is successful, we will
likely have special signs made
for the truck to remind the pub
lic that the materials will in
deed be recycled.”
BY EARLINE WHITE
The Chowan Herald
North Carolina’s Northeast
Partnership CEO Rick Watson
announced last Wednesday
that he is stepping down, effec
tive June 30.
Watson’s decision was made
public during the Partner
ship’s regular monthly board
meeting. Winfall Mayor Fred
Yates, who serves as vice
chairman of the board, read
the announcement.
Watson’s decision to resign
capped months of speculation
about a potential conflict of
interest over his ties to Caro
lina Crossroads, an entertain
ment theatre district planned
for construction in Roanoke
Rapids. Watson, who had an
nounced last fall that he
planned to leave the Partner
ship next year to become in
volved in the project, origi
nally said he planned to con
tinue working for the Partner
ship until 2007.
However, Watson said last
week he could no longer ignore
the impact that ongoing nega
tive press coverage might have
on efforts by the Partnership
to continue to attract new busi
nesses to the region.
“The negative publicity for
our clients (would) be detri
mental to the northeast,”
Watson said during a tele
Mia Noble/The Chowan Herald
Northeast Partnership CEO Kick Watson (facing) and his wife Brenda
are shown here daring the festivities that accompanied the Novem
ber 2005 groundbreaking for the Roanoke Rapids entertainment com
plex being planned by musican Randy Parton and his wife Deb.
Citizens show support
of local physician
BY EARLINE WHITE
The Chowan Herald
A caravan of community
members rallied in support of Dr.
Joel Crist Reynolds of Edenton as
he went before the NC Medical
Board in Raleigh last Thursday,
where he appeared on charges
brought by the board last Novem
ber.
“Most (of the community
members) testified about factual
information," said Katherine
Carpenter, NC'Medical Board at
torney. “And Dr. Reynolds
brought a lot of written docu
mentation of support as well”
The board acted to stay any
suspension of the urological sur
geon, which allows Reynolds to
maintain his practice without in
terruption.
phone interview with The
Chowan Herald Wednesday af
ternoon. “If those news enti
ties would give the partnership
some relief by my leaving (the
Partnership) then I would do
that so that it could continue
(successfully).”
Recent news reports of luke
warm support voiced by many
of the county commissioners
within the 16-county North
Carolina’s Northeast Partner
ship area were not a factor in
his decision to leave, Watson
told the paper.
“I have talked personally
with 10 or more of the commis
sioners and they were support
ive of me and my work. By far
it was not the majority of com
missioners (who shared con
cerns over his involvement
with the Roanoke Rapids
project planned by musician
Randy Parton and his wife
Deb. Their production com
pany, Moonlight Bandit, will
oversee construction).”
Watson’s June 30 resignation
will result in his departure
from his Partnership job six
months earlier than he had
originally planned. He said
that he expects his remaining
months leading the Edenton
based organization will be
busy ones. He noted that
among the projects being
See WATSON On Page A2
“I think that Cris Reynolds is a
very good doctor and important
to the healthcare of Chowan
County and surrounding areas,”
John Dowd said Tuesday about
his appearance in Raleigh on be
half of Reynolds. Dowd, a local
Realtor, serves as chairman of
the Chowan Hospital Founda
tion.
Rev. Thomas Rickenbaker also
attended the hearing and said,
“Cris is both a friend and a
parishoner at St. Paul’s...when
my mom came here and was ill
and down, Dr. Reynolds was very
supportive of my mother and me
I am a loyal friend and if my pres
ence would help him during this
time, I would be there.”
Dr Reynolds was back at work
on Monday and could not be
reached for comment
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