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482-4418
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Jobless rate hits 9.4%
■National job
less rate 6.i%;
for state, 6.8%
JOBLESS RATES
Dare — 3.8
Camden — 5.2
Gates — 5.5
Tyrrell— 6.3
Perquimans— 6.8
Hertford Co. — 6.9
Pasquotank— 7.1
Bertie — 7.8
Washington— 7.9
Peanut
Festival
Saturday
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
Praying for good weather
isn’t just something farmers
do.
It’s also something orga
nizers of the annual Peanut
Festival take seriously. This
Saturday will be no differ
ent.
Denise Partin, a past fes
tival chair, said, “On Peanut
Festival day, you hope and
pray it doesn’t rain and all
the planning that was done
pays off.”
Not that rain is the only
challenge.
“You would think after 33
years we would have this
down pat, but it’s something
new every year with differ
ent obstacles.
“It is awesome, though, to
see how many volunteers it
takes to put on a Peanut Fes
tival and, on the day, see it
all come together.”
; Partin, who has been in
volved with the festival for
the past seven years, started
helping at the drink booth
when, her son, Michael, be
came a band student in the
sixth grade.
‘ Over the years, Partin’s
^responsibilities expanded.
She went on to become pres
ident of the Band Parents
Association and to chair the
See FESTIVAL, Page A2 >
PEANUT FESTIVAL
Parade Time: ll a.m.
Route: Starts at the wa
terfront, ends at Edenton
Fire Department
5K Peanut Run: Queen
Anne Park, 8 a.m.
Craft show: Holmes
lawn, 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.;
20-plus crafters scheduled
to participate
Battle of the Bands:
Holmes, 4 p.m. $7/person
6,®89076®44813"1 0
©2006 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
Chowan County had 9.4%
unemployment in August,
the highest jobless rate
among counties of compa
rable size in eastern North
Carolina.
The August figure means
that in the county, with a
labor pool of 7,247 potential
workers, almost 700 of them
are looking for employ
ment.
“This is a tough economic
cycle, it is affecting every
body in one way or another,”
Chamber Director Richard
SAILING VESSEL OPEN FOR TOURS
Vernon Fueston
The Elizabeth II will be docked at the Edenton waterfront during the Cupola House 250th
anniversary celebration thourgh Saturday. It will sail back to Manteo Sunday.
Local seniors voice opinions on bailout
By Vernon Fueston
Contributing Writer
It’s hard to wrap your
mind around just how much
money $700 billion is.
It’s even harder to under
stand the issues that politi
cians in Congress are grap
pling with in an effort to
save the country’s teetering
economy.
But a handful of local
senior citizens had strong
feelings they wanted to ex
press as they sought shelter
from the cold and rain on
Thursday at Chowan Coun
ty’s fairgrounds.
Their opinions differed
on who was to blame and
Bunch said.
Bunch said layoffs at local
businesses due to the eco
nomic slowdown, combined
with those who lost jobs at
George C. Moore and other
businesses that closed, have
created the situation.
The high unemployment
here, he said, has begun
impacting local churches,'
the Food Pantry, and other
organizations that help sup
port those in need as dona
tions are down too.
In recent months the Food
Pantry has sometimes had
no choice but to turn people
away because they have not
the role partisan politics is
playing in the process.
But none of the five
seemefi concerned about
their own retirement plans
or a devastating downturn
in the economy and none
felt confident enough to pro
pose a solution, preferring
to leave the matter to public
officials.
Come together
Mildred Bond said she
doesn’t own any stocks or
bonds and doesn’t depend
on them for her retirement.
Even so, she worries about
the direction the country is
taking.
“I don’t know where we’re
had enough food to meet the
demand, Director Ray Wells
said.
Temporary drop
The next highest jobless
rate here in recent years
occurred in July 2000 when
the rate was 10.01 percent,
said Ricky Coltrain, manag
er of the Edenton Employ
ment Security Commission
office. However, he said, the
next month the rate dropped
back to 3.2 percent.
Bunch said he feared the
current rate would climb to
See JOBLESS, Page A2 >
going,” she said. “I just
think we need to get togeth
er and fix the economy.”
Patiently waiting
Jim Aylesworth doesn’t
believe the crisis will hit
him hard personally. He’s
retired from a job with the
state’s traffic services de
partment and believes his
state pension is safe.
“My house, my car, all
that stuff is paid for. I’m
not looking to borrow any
more money for anything,”
he said. “I really believe it’s
not going to affect anybody
in the middle class.
See SENIORS, Page A2 >
ELECTION 2008
Goodwin
Kenny W. Goodwin
Age: 36
Date of Birth: June 13,1972
Political Offices Held:
Completing first term on
county commission
Occupation: Farmer
Party: Democrat
Alex Stallings
»L.. Date of Birth: April 3,1985
Political Offices Held: None
jf Occupation: Emergency medical
Party: Republican
Stallings
Candidates talk
experience,
development,
finances, water
By Vernon Fueston
Contributing Writer
Kenny W. Goodwin stress
es the lessons he’s learned
during his 20 months as
a county commissioner
while Alex Stallings says
his outsider status gives
him an edge in November’s
election.
Goodwin also empha
sized his opposition to an
other realty tax increase
next year, but will “push
for more big-box stores”
and other commercial de
velopment in the county to
bolster tax revenues.
Stallings says he will
fight to cut county expens
es and wants the county to
address the sulfur taste in
county water.
Goodwin and Stallings
are running for one of two
seats in Chowan’s first dis
trict, which includes the
communities of Rocky
Hock, Tyner and Arrow
head Beach.
Running on experience
Goodwin has been on the
commission since February
of 2007. He said it’s been a
growth experience.
“It’s been kind of like
walking through a field
and stepping on a nest of
ground bees,” Goodwin said
of his experience following
the disclosure of Chowan’s
financial crisis.
In hindsight, Goodwin
said trusting the advice of
more experienced leaders
was a mistake.
“I’ve learned you can’t
believe everything you’re
told. I want documenta
tion,” he said.
A fresh perspective
Alex Stallings acknowl
edges he has no experience
with public office, but in
the current situation, he
believes that may even help
him.
Stallings said his life
experience places him in
touch with average voters
in his district and gives
him insight into handling
the county’s fiscal crisis.
Stallings said that like a
lot of young people, he man
aged to get himself in debt
three years ago and has had
to fight his way out of the
situation.
Then he found himself
working at a new job for
less money but managed to
work his way out of it.
“I think the county did the
same thing. They bought a
lot of things on credit and
the income didn’t come
in as projected,” Stallings
said.
Cutting expenses
Stallings said he would
work to bring spending un
der control, if elected.
“There’s money that can
be saved all over,” Stallings
said. “You can’t just look
at the big picture. It’s that
paper clip that gets thrown
away in the trash can that
you need to look at.”
Stallings said before he
can identify specific cuts
he needs to get on the board
and learn more about the
county’s operations.
He said the process will
require tough decisions
and vigilance.
“It’s things like the coun
ty vehicle folks see riding
up and down the road, back
and forth five times each
day.
“People want to know
why, and they deserve an
answer,” he said.
Increasing the tax base
Goodwin said putting
the county’s finances back
in order would be the first
item on his agenda. He said
he and the other commis
sioners were working on
the problem, but he couldn’t
See ELECTION, Page A2 >
ycu can help New!»
f __
» Through the Community Care Clinic of Tyner, the Chowan Hospital Foundation helps
provide needed healthcare services to the indigent, uninsured and the underinsured,
chimmH«|ani Ramdbtian FREt.ol ekegfr Your tax-deductible donation to the Chowan Hospital Foundation
^ii he|p us continue to provide quality health services to those most in need.
Forjnore information or to give, call 482-4440 or write P.O. Box 629, Edenton. N.C.