48Z-4418
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
OIT
Flu season
sideswipes
some Aces Page A8
Incumbent Parks faces council challenge
One-stop voting
begins this week
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
One-stop voting will begin
locally this Thursday and will
continue through Saturday,
Oct. 31, for the Nov. 3 Munici
pal Election for the Town of
Edenton.
Incumbent Councilman-at
Large Jerry Parks is facing
opposition from two political
newcomers in the only con
test race.
Parks, who has held the
seat for 18 years, is being chal
lenged by George Grother, a
Audit
comes
back
clean
County still digging
out of fiscal hole :
From staff reports
Chowan Herald
Chowan County is slowly
digging itself out of the
financial mess it has been
embroiled in over the past
several years, according to
a just-released audit of its
finances.
Bryan Starnes, a part
ner in the firm of Mar
tin-Starnes & Associates,
CPAs, P.A., said the county
received a clean audit for
the fiscal year ending June
30.
Starnes presented his
findings to the county com
missioners during their
October board meeting last
Monday night.
Highlights' from the re
port included the follow
ing:
• The assets of Chowan
County exceeded its liabili
ties at the close of the fiscal
year by $32,058,113. Of this
amount, $1,682, .184 may be
used to meet the county
government’s ongoing ob
ligations to citizens and
creditors.
• The county’s net assets
of governmental activities
decreased by $1,659,498.
This compares to a de
crease of $3,958,670 in 2008.
• As ofj, the close of the
current fiscal year, Chow
an County’s governmental
funds reported combined
ending fund balances of
$1,137,279, a decrease of
$671,385 in comparison
with the prior year. Unre
served fund balance was
$486,433 as of June 30.
• Chowan County’s total -
debt decreased by $1,099,687
during the current fiscal
year.
“You’re headed in the
right direction, but still in
the penalty box,” Starnes
See AUDIT on Page 2A
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
retired builder and remod
eling contractor, and Bob
Quinn, retired owner of a
manufacturing and distribu
tion company.
Neither has previously held
political office.
Two other council incum
bents, Willis Privott and Phyl
lis Britton, are running unop
posed.
Where and when
Hours for one-stop voting
will be 8:30 to 5:30 p.m. except
on the final day when voters
will be able to cast ballots
from 8:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.
only.'
Anyone wishing to vote ear
ly must come to the Chowan
County Board of Elections of
fice’s new location on the first
floor of the Chowan County
Office Building, 113 E. King
St. (former site of the Chowan
County Health Dept.
“We had more people cast
ballots during what I call ‘ear
ly’ Voting in the last election
than we did come out to vote
on Election Day,” said Board
of Elections Supervisor Re
becca Lowe. “So it will be in
teresting to see what happens
this time around.” *
Lowe noted that those
who are not registered vot
ers could register when they
come to her office for one-stop
See VOTING on Page 2A
Jerry Parks
Address: 514 Robin Lane
Age: 55
Family: Wife, Karen; Three
Children —Jerry, Robby and
Amy
Profession: Public Health Di
rector for Albemarle Regional
Health Services (^RHS)
George Grother
Address: 405 E. Queen St.
Age: 65
Family: Wife, Patricia; Three
Sons — William,’ Karl, Daniel; One Grand
child . •
Profession; Retired
Bob Quinn
Address: 200 W. Church St.
Age: 73
Family: Wife, Doris; five
children; 8 grandchildren
Profession: Retired
All candidates are up for election for the
Councilman-at-Large seat in Chowan. One
stop voting starts Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
Music in the Park
Milton Bullock, formerly of The Platters, who now bills himself as “The Golden Platter." Bullock and
a female singer known as “Bubblin’ Brown Sugar” will be closing out Music in the Park concert
series.
‘Golden Platter’ highlights show
iS JB»i
REBECCA BUNCH/CHOWAN HERALD
Final summer music festival
set Sunday in Colonial Park
• : ■; •• V ' . j-,.
By Rebecca Bunch
stuff Writer i
Music in the Park organizers were “ec
static,” said Parks and Recreation Direc
tor Robbie Laughton, when Milton Bullock
agreed to headline their final concert of
the season. <
Bullock, known as “The Golden Platter,’*
had wowed the hundreds of people who at
tended the Music and Water Festival here
this summer.
Fbrmerly of the famous ’60s sfhging
group, The Platters, Bullock’s smooth de
livery of some of their greatest hits—such
as “Only You” and “Smoke Gets in Your
Eyes”—along with some Motown classics,
had people on their feet dancing, and sing
ing along.
“His nostalgic brand of music and pure
singing voice are a pleasure to listen to,”
Laughton said. “Whether you remember
The Platters or their hits from the 60’s, you
will not want to miss this opportunity.”
The concert will be held this Sunday,
from 3-5 p.m., at Colonial Park on Edenton’s
downtown waterfront.
Admission is free; just bring your own
lawn chair or blanket and enjoy an after
noon of great music.
Remember when
Bullock said he agreed to come back to
Edenton because of the “warmth, friendli
ness and genuine admiration” he experi
enced during his appearance at the Music
and Water Festival.
He said that even after all these years in
the music business, he gets genuine plea
sure from getting reacquainted with fans,
and meeting new ones for the first time.
“It’s still an awesome feeling to know that
you were part of a legacy that touched the
inner heart and soul of so many people,”
he said.
Being signed to sing with The Platters,
he said, “was nothing short of a dream
come true.’'
Bullock said that hundreds of Doo-wop
groups of the day were struggling to make
it in the music, industry, most of them Afri
can-American.
“Those that made it to some degree in
cluding The Platters were not allowed by
record companies to put their picture on '
See MUSIC on Page 2A
300 students
out sick with
the flu bug
From staff reports
Chowan.Herald
More than 300 students
in the Edenton-Chowan
Schools are out sick with
the flu, school officials said
Tuesday morning.
Dr. Allan Smith has sent a
letter to parents of students
in the school system to ad
dress the situation.
“Each school has expe
rienced some increase in
absences over the past two
weeks, some small and oth
ers large,” he said. “The
greatest impact has been at
the elementary schools.
“Last week D.F. Walker
Elementary had the largest
number of absences, but the
■numbers are now down con
siderably. Today the largest
incidence of student absenc
es in the school system is at
White Oak Elementary”
School officials offered
the following breakdown on
absences from Oct. 5-12:
• White Oak Elementary,
86 out sick (14.8% of the stu
dent population)
• D.F. Walker Elementary,
See FLU on Page 2A
Gatling feted as top
school administrator
Phillip G. Gatling Sr., as
sistant principal at Chowan
Middle School, has been
named 2009-2010 Administra
tor of the Year for Edenton
Chowan Schools. Gatling
began working as assistant
principal at Chowan Middle
in July, 2006. Since that time
he has been instrumental
in developing two key pro
grams at the school that
help students focus on their
academic achievement and
in making good choices in
school.
Among his many accom
plishments, Gatling is most
proud of founding and orga
nizing a Young Men of Direc
tion .program at the school
which has now evolved into a
club there for students. The
club has 25 male members in
grades 6-8 who participate in
activities that help students
develop self-esteem and goal
setting as a way to help them
be successful in school arid
provide them with the skills
to apply those concepts to
later success in life.
“Mr. Gatling has dis
tinguished himself as an
outstanding school admin
istrator constantly work
ing for the best interest of
his students,” said Super
intendent Allan Smith. “
While Mr. Gatling is most
See GATLING on Page 2A
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Edenton-Chowan Schools Superintendent Allan Smith recognizes Phil
lip Gatling Sr., assistant principal at Chowan Middle School, as the
2009-2010 Administrator of the Year. Also pictured are Principal Tanya
Turner and Assistant Principal Tammi Ward. ‘
Rocky Hock Ruritan
SATURDAY, <
LEON NIXON’S CATERING
7 PM UNTIL
LUNCH & DINNER
Dinner Music by
Justin Smith
6pm until 7pm
Donation $8