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Wednesday, April 8, 2009
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Conservatives plan tea party to protest tax increases
By Vernon Fueston
Staff Writer
Edenton conservatives will
hold a tea party protest on
the Chowan County’s court
house steps expressing their
displeasure with increased
government spending and the
taxes they say are sure to fol
low.
Bob Steinburg, Chowan
County’s Republican Party
chairman said Americans for
Prosperity is sponsoring the
Animal Planet star shoots film in Chowan
* i ;
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VERNON EUESTON/THE CHOWAN HERALD
Dr. Christian Ford, Jeff Corwin, Wildlife officer Christopher Lucash and director discuss a shot during Jeff Corwin’s documentary 100 Heartbeats.
Animal hospital’s conservation efforts subject of film
By Vernon Fueston
Staff Writer
With a dozen staff members and techni
cians standing behind the camera, docu
mentary star Jeff Corwin explains the
process he will use to subdue and tranquil
ize the caged coyote at his feet. Mid sen
tence, he makes a slashing motion across
1 his throat.
“Somebody’s got a radio going in recep
tion room,” Corwin says. “Can we kill
that?”
A technician scampers after the offend
ing music and the song dies mid-note.
As the camera’s roll again, Corwin de
scribes. the injection the Coyote will re
ceive but is stopped mid sentence as an air
conditioning unit kicks in just feet away.
“I guess there’s nothing we can do about
that,” Corwin says as the crew waits for
the machine to cycle off.
Moore out as Holmes principal; parents, teachers upset
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
The Edenton-Chowan
Board of Education voted
Monday night to uphold the
resignation of John A. Hol
mes High School Principal
William “Bill” Moore.
The vote was taken during
a closed session at the end of
the board’s regular monthly
meeting. Those sessions are
typically held to discuss per
event in North Carolina. The
group will be holding similar
“tea parties” across the state
on April 15.
Other movements are plan
ning simultaneous protests
in all 50 states and the Dis
trict of Columbia, Steinburg
said. The group has 10 rallies
planned around the state.
Edenton’s selection as a
protest site has roots in North
Carolina history. Penelope
Barker organized a tea party
at the home of Elizabeth King
International documentary
Jeff Corwin is the Emmy-winning star
of the Animal Planet Channel’s Jeff Cor
win Experience and one of the nation’s
most prominent and recognizable voices
for wildlife conservation.
He’s come to Chowan County to film a
portion of his new three-continent docu
mentary, 100 Heartbeats. He said the docu
mentary will tell the story of 100 species
facing extinction around the world.
“It’s the ultimate club that you don’t
want to join,” Corwin said, “because if „
you join it, your exclusive membership
means you are just a heartbeat away from
extinction.”
Corwin has gone to South America,
Africa and throughout North America to
film conservationist’s effort to save en
dangered species. On this continent, he
See HIM on Page 2A
' 'x / > < * REBECCA BUNCH/THE CHOWAN HERALD
Deanna Chesson was one of a number of concerned parents who spoke during Monday night’s meeting,
asking that the administration reconsider its acceptance of Moore’s resignation.
sonnel issues.
The action came despite
the pleas of more than two
dozen parents and students
who spoke on Moore’s behalf
during the meeting, request
ing that the board not accept
his resignation and allow
him to remain at the school.
Dr. Allan Smith, super
in 1774, protesting the British
tax on tea.
The event, where 51 women
signed a pact not to purchase
tea, was the first political ac
tion by women in the colonies
and predated the Boston Tea
Party
Steinburg said the event is
not just a Republican protest.
“We’re all taxpayers,” he
said. “Basically, what we are
trying to do is increase aware
ness across the state and lo
cally about taxation without
intendent of schools, had
already accepted Moore’s
letter of resignation, dated
March 23. Moore had said
his last day of work would
be Tuesday, June 30,
Moore was unavailable
for comment on the decision
prior to presstime. His secre
tary told the Chowan Herald
representation in North Car
olina.
“Our state government over
the years has put its financial
house in dreadful shape. Mon
ey is being wasted and this has
been a pattern. If you look at
this and what’s been going
on in Chowan County, this is
a chance to show folks we’ve
had it. Enough is enough.”
Steinburg said he is in
censed by Governor Perdue’s
plan to spend an additional
$680 million of state money as
" ' -''Hj VERNON FUESTON/THE CHOWAN HERALD
Ford, left, during filming for Jeff Corwin’s new documen
taiy, 100 Heartbeats. Ford operated on a coyote as
part of the red wolf conseivation program.
late last week that he had
gone to Oklahoma to be with
family and friends following
the death of his father.
Keeping quiet
During the hour-plus
discussion at the meeting
Monday night, school board
a way to stimulate the state’s
economy. But he also said the
federal government will not
escape notice during the ral
lies.
“People are fed up,” Stein
burg said. “This is also about
earmarks, spending sprees
and all kinds of fiscal irre
sponsibility on the national,
state and local level.”
The tea party will be held
on the steps of the Chowan
County Courthouse on April
15 at 5 p.m.
Unemployment falls; fair held
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
For Diane Deems of Rocky
Hock Friday’s Job Fair of
fered a ray of hope that there
are still good jobs out there.
Deems, who lost her job of
30 years when the Dye Plant
closed, said she had been
looking for another job “for a
long while” after the economy
tanked.
Deems was one of about 200
local residents who turned
out to talk with potential em
ployers.
Also looking for work was
Michelle Lassiter who lived
“right up the street,” she
said.
Lassiter was talking with
Charlie Smith of Northrop
Grumman, a Virginia-based
aerospace company.
She was surprised to learn
that the company would pay a
starting student about $13 an
hour to attending the compa
IF YOU GO
WHAT:
Edenton Tea Party Pt. II
WHEN:
April 15,5 p.m.
WHERE:
1767 Chowan Co.
Courthouse
Similar parties are being
held across the state. •
County pays
back first
installment
By Vernon Fueston
Staff Writer
At a regularly scheduled commission
meeting Monday, Chowan’s county commis
sioners posted a $180,000 transfer from its
fire fund back to the hospital reserve fund.
It was the first transfer replacing part of
over $19.5 million taken from the hospital
the fund during the tenure of its former
county manger, Cliff Copeland as what he
frequently described as “loans” to cover ba
sic county expenses.
The money replenishing the hospital
fund came from the county’s fire fund to
cover transfers it had taken to cover operat
ing expenses.
Like most of the 20 transactions that de
pleted the hospital fund between 1999 and
2008, Peter Rascoe, Chowan’s current coun
ty manager, said it was difficult to pin down
exactly what the money was used for or ex
actly when it was borrowed.
He said this money, like the rest trans
ferred by Copeland in the other 19 transac
tions, was used to cover regular county op
erating expenses.
Rascoe said the fire fund has slowly built
up its balance by what he called “prudent
spending,” allowing it to transfer the mon
ey back.
The hospital fund was created after the
sale of Chowan Hospital to University
Health Systems. The county’s commission
ers at the time resolved to keep the money
as an emergency reserve and spend only 75
percent the interest earned on the account.
Budget deficits over a four-year period
depleted the fund, which had dwindled to a
balance of $585,000 before the repayment.
In other business, the comfhissioners can
celed the planned purchase of $208,000 in
county vehicles to help balance this year’s
budget.
The county canceled the purchase of a
$120,000 ambulance and $88,000 worth of
sheriff’s department vehicles.
Rascoe also announced that the county
has received state approval to offer a dis
count for the early payment of property
See COUNTY on Page 2A
DID YOU KNOW?
Chowan County’s unem
ployment rate edged down
slightly in February, accord
ing to just-released figures
from the state Employment
Security Commission.
The number of those look
ing for work dropped to 12.5
percent, down from 12.8
percent last month.
ny’s apprentice school.
By the time a student com
pletes training, Smith said,
he or she would be making
over $21 an hour.
“People will be kicking
themselves 'when they find
out they missed out on an
opportunity like that by not
coming out today,” said Pas
tor Chris Jones, of Cape Col
ony Chinch of Christ.
Cape Colony COC offered
the use of its facilities for the
Job Fair.