482-4418
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Open Door Church hosts
food giveaway B5
Traffic calming to be
implemented B1
Post 40 junior league on
a winning streak A7
Friends, Food and Fun at Festival
WILLIAM MILLER
Former Platters star Milton Bullock entertained hundreds Saturday as the headliner for the 11th annual Community Music and Water Festival at Colonial Park.
Sweltering heat did not give reason to skip annual festival on Edenton Bay
“I think it’s a good idea to do this,”
said DaQuil Alexander, “to just get
everybody together for a good time.”
His brother, DaQuin, chimed in, “I
think it’s a great idea, to let people
get away from the streets.”
“I think it’s just a fun experience,
being here,” said Harvey Parker.
JUSTIN FALLS/THE DAILY ADVANCE
Above, Tometila Mata of Winfall looks over prints on sale at the Chowan Arts Council’s table during the festival Saturday. At right, musician Danny Daughtridge was one
of the many acts that performed for the crowds during the day. Meanwhile, water lovers sailed, kayaked and paddled (with or without) the Periauger.
Clients line up to get their share of limited rental assistance
By Vernon Fueston
Staff Writer
It was 9:30 on Friday morn
ing and almost 100 people
were waiting in a line that
snaked around the Economic
Improvement Council’s build
ing on Virginia Road, hoping
to land a spot on a waiting list
for government housing as
sistance.
Inside a tiny, packed foyer,
about 10 people waited. All
eyes were on the locked a
glass door that lead to offices
where EIC employees were
taking applications.
Tempers were running
short.
“Are you from the newspa
per?” one woman asked. “I
hope you’re going to write
about this and how the econ
omy stinks. Somebody needs
to.”
The EIC takes applications
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
“I think it’s a great way for people
to get together and just have some
fun,” said Jy’Saun Phelps.
“This is great. We especially love
the entertainment,” said Angela and
Craig Bollenberg of Carrollton, Va.
as they listened to headliner Milton
Bullock “To Each His Own,” in honor
of all the fathers in the audience.
for section eight housing as
sistance as funding comes
available from the govern
ment, something that happens
infrequently and irregularly.
With stretched federal and
state budgets, the last funds
the group received came in
either January or February,
said Horace Reid, an occupan
cy specialist with the council.
With such a long time be
tween funding checks, most
of the information gathered
on the previous applications
was now pretty much worth
less, he said. Too many fami
ly’s situations have changed.
So the EIC starts a new list
and gives out assistance on a
flrst-come-first-served basis.
He said there is plenty of
need.
“With the downturn in the
economy like it is, more and
more people are finding they
need assistance,” Reid said as
he waived a driver through to
an empty parking space.
Reid had to pause his ex
planation. A manger from the
gas company next door was
telling him that a tow truck
would remove any non-cus
tomers from the neighboring
VERNON FUESTON/THE CHOWAN HERALD
Horace Reid, an occupancy specialist with the Economic Improvement Council, attempts to direct traf
fic in the council’s parking lot as nearly 100 applicants wait to apply for a slot on a Section 8 housing
assistance waiting list. If accepted, the applicants will wait an average of six to 18 months to learn if
the government will pay all or part of their rent.
parking lot.
He said the council handles
applications from Chowan
and nine other neighboring
counties. When funds come
available, the council ad
vertises and puts announce
ments out in the community
for applicants to come in on
a given day.
Reid said that in better
times and with more even
funding, a call from the
council might bring about 60
or 70 applications dribbling
in to its office between the
hours of nine and three.
But with so many people
lined up as the doors opened,
there was no way of deter
mining the number of appli
cants they might process.
A flier from the council
advised applicants to come
to either the EIC’s office in
Manteo or Edenton bringing
proof of income, birth cer
tificates and social security
cards for all family members
and photo ID’S for any family
members over 18.
All adults in a household
had to be present and guard
ianship papers were required
See HOUSING on Page 2
Food for
everyone
Applications up for
food stamps as
recession deepens
By Vernon Fueston
Staff Writer
Food stamp usage has in
creased in Chowan County
by 18 percent over the last 12
months, according to figures
from the county’s department
of social services.
Last June the county car
ried 1,086 food stamp case
files covering 2,295 persons.
That number has increased
to 1,286 cases covering 2,675
people this month according
•to Cheri Blount, the county’s
food stamp coordinator.
“It’s the economy, that’s the
number one thing,” Blount
said of the increase. “Jobs are
closing down and utilities are . '
going up. Its just the economy,
that’s all."
Blount said applications for
food stamps have increased
even faster than the number
of food stamp recipients. She
said hard-pressed families are
filling out applications to see
whether or not they qualify.
Many of them are not accept
ed.
Blount said the county was
receiving an average of six
to nine applications each day
last June, or about 100 applica
tions per month.
She said her office processed
an average of 160 applications
per month during October, No
vember and December.
The number of North Caro
lina food stamp recipients
topped 1.2 million in April of
this year according to pub
lished reports. That repre
sented a 21 percent increase
over December of 2007.
In Chowan County 18.6
percent of residents live in a
family that uses food stamps.
Regionally, that figure com
pares with 14 percent in Pas
quotank, eight percent in Cur
rituck and seven percent in
Camden Counties.
To qualify for food stamps,
a two-person family’s income
must be under $18,204. For a
four-person family, the income
threshold is $29,340.
Business
booms in
hard times
By Vernon Fueston
Staff Writer
While many of Chowan
County's key industries and
businesses are struggling
during a vicious recession,
one of the counties largest
employers is actually expand
ing.
As the economy slows, new
debtor referrals are up for
Applied Business Systems, an
Edenton debt collection firm
that employees 40 workers.
The company works mainly
to recover medical bills for
hospitals and doctors. But
even with the increased busi- :
ness, the recession has not
been a bonanza for ABS.
Since last summer, those
accounts have increased by
18 percent. But the company
only charges its customers C
when it collects money for '
f'X
2009 SEASON OPENER Exciting bicycle racing. Register today!
For more information please call 252.482.8595 or 252.312.9220
uena on (iunik mibt mini. *r m mmuno* koonu umn eknim
| • i '■ 3 • •*. 1'. ■ ■ : i
GATES OPEN AT 5:30 P.M. RACING BEGINS AT 1:00 P.M.
FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY! -ffc)
Cycle Speedway is part of the Edenton-Chowan Recreation Department
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