Local church provides
Thanksgiving dinner,
See
County lacks funds for COA consolidation
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
• *******
Officials with the College
of the Albemarle learned that
Chowan County lacks the
funds to pay for a campus con
solidation.
Tuesday morning’s joint
meeting between college lead
ers and county commissioners
Herald
taps new
editor
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
Charlotte native Ritchie
Starnes has been named
news editor for the Chowan
Herald.
Starnes said he has a strong
commitment for community
journalism, and prefers, he
said, “to be a reporting edi
tor.”
Starnes is a 1985 graduate
of UNC-Charlotte whose first
professional career was as a
private inves
tigator. But
after operat
ing his own
agency for
several years,
Starnes found
himself de
veloping an
interest in
writing.
“While I believe I had a tal
ent for investigations, I also
enjoyed writing," he said. “In
vestigative reporting seemed
to be a logical transition. ”
That intei*est drove Starnes
back to UNC-Charlotte where
he earned a degree in com
munications in 2001. Starnes
landed his first job as a re
porter at the Enquirer-Jour
nal, a daily newspaper in
Monroe. He found that he en-'
joyed living and working in
Monroe, and when an oppor
tunity arose for him to launch
a weekly newspaper there, he
was quick to act on it.
In looking back on the ven
ture, he said he was most
proud of the quality of news
that appeared in that pa
per, The County Edge. The
newspaper had a strong com
munity feel with a signifi
cant amount of hard news,
Starnes said.
But after nearly four years
. of some of the most reward
ing work of his life, Starnes
reluctantly closed the paper
due to the downturn in the
economy.
That decision led him to
seek out new jobs, a search
that brought him to North*
eastern North Carolina. “The
opportunity with the Chowan
Herald seemed like a perfect
match with what I was look
ing for.”
Starnes said that readers
(p, of the Herald should expect
greater depth in the paper’s
editorial content under his
leadership.
“I also understand the val
ue of writing about slices of
* life,” Starnes said. “Some of
the best stories go untold and
Starnes
See STARNES on Page2A
imm
6 907 6"4 4 813?!
•,."S
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
revealed that the College of
Albemarle needs as much as
$5,6 million to unite Edenton’s
two satellite campuses. At the
vetfy least, college officials say
the consolidation will cost
$80,000. School leaders argued
that option would come at the
sacrifice of campus services.
“We think we could do it
(using the least expensive op
Edenton
storm's
From staff reports
While Tropical Storm Ida’s
spawned nor’easter pounded
the coastal border of North
Carolina and Virginia, Chow
an County escaped any seri
ous damage.
The storm dumped seven
inches of rain in the area,
leading to localized flooding,
primarily in the northern
part of the county. Swol
len creeks spilled over onto
Mexico and Wildcat roads.
Flooding led to the closure of
the Edenton-Chowan County
schools on Thursday and a
two-hour delay on Friday.
Students were required to
attend class on Saturday as
a makeup day for the cancel
lation.
High winds led to a few
down limbs, including r.tljat;
of a large oak that fell across
the cement wall of the Gran
ville Queen, a local bed and
breakfast. The limb nar
rowly missed the estate-like
structure.
Chowan County Sheriff
Dwayne Goodwin said anoth
er limb fell on a home in the
Arrowhead Beach commu
nity, resulting in only minor
See FLOOD on Page 2A
Rough economic seas
anchor boat builders
By Ritchie E. STARNES
News Editor
Once considered Chowan
County’s most thriving indus
try because of its number of
employed craftsmen and for
its overall financial impact,
the saltwater boat manufac
turers have run aground in
this downtrodden economy.
Those industries that cater
to the financially elite find
themselves among the most
dormant of businesses dur
ing this economic downturn.
The abrupt halt is in stark
contrast to the climate area
boat builders experienced
as recently as four years
ago when disposable money
seemed endless among their
clientele.
“I’m not expecting to get
back to the levels of ’05,” said
Birch Perry, general manager'
of Albemarle Boats.
Over the last 18 months, the
number of employees at Albe
marle Boats plummeted from
190 to 25. Boating competitor
Regulator Marine went from
150 to 37, but only after a com
plete work stoppage for more
tion), said Jim Turdici COA
vice president, “but it would
not be the choice of the cot
lege” because it would have
the greatest impact on pro
grams and services.
Plans include moving the
satellite campus from the
Edenton Village Shopping
Center to the former D.E Walk
er campus where most classes
RITCHIE E. STARNES/CHOWAN HERALD
A large oak tree splintered and narrowly missed Edenton's Granville Queen, a bed and breakfast. Top: L-R, Brothers Drew and Brady
Armstrong canoe outside their home off N.C.32 where heavy rams caused localized flooding. Chowan Couny schools were closed
Thursday due to the storm.
RITCHIE E. STARNES/CHOWAN HERALD
Craftsmen at Carolina Classic work to refurbish an offshore fishing
boat. Refurbishing has helped provide work during the boating indus
tjy’s economic downturn.
than two months. Carolina
Classic shaved its staff from
80 to 10.
Regulator’s co-owner Joan
Maxwell, said her business
has gone from building as
many as eight boats a week to
only one. Mac Privott, Caro
lina Classic president, said
whereas he was building 80 to
3 scenarios for the relocation of
CO|s Edenton offices
jf SEE PAGE 2
ar| currently held. The lease
atthe shopping center expires
ii» 2011.
- The move would place all of
the college’s functions under
100 boats annually, he counts
the current production some
where below 20.
“We build very expensive
toys,” Privott said. “None of
us build inexpensive boats.
Our customer profile tends to
be small business owners or
See BOATING on Page 9A
one roof ■
“Our goal is to do this as
cheaply as possible with some
body else’s money, because we,
don’t have the money,” said
Eddy Goodwin, commission
chair.
Another option would cost
$620,000, however, that would
See COA on Page 2A
RITCHIE E. STARNES/CHOWAN HERALD
A tow truck pulls a submerged Ford Aerostar van from the Pembroke
Creek near the Bolton Bridge in Chowan County, Monday.
Missing van found
in Chowan creek
EDENTON — Divers found
a stolen passenger van sub
merged in more than 20 feet
of water in a Chowan County
creek Monday afternoon.
Divers with the Perquimans
County Dive and Rescue Team
found the vehicle, a Ford Aero
star van, in the Pembroke
Creek near the Bolton Bridge
on Mexico Road, police Chief
Jay Fortenbery said.
The van’s owner reported
the van missing on Nov. 5,
Fortenbery said.
Hurdte-Winslow Goodwill
Fortenbery said investiga
tors received information
about the vehicle’s possible
whereabouts several days
ago.
Police initially attempted
to locate the van by using
a johnboat and a long pole,
but the water was too deep.
Fortenbery called in the dive
team once after he decided to
expand the search.
Once divers located the
See VAN on Page 2A
i /n)r^rrrtn Saturday, hov. at, »:3o pm
IfeliilMiiWAIMAUPITORIUM
Available at: • ~(/ • MEMTOM. W
EDENTON: Byrum True Value Hardware - 252-482-2131 • Chowan Arts Council • 252-482-8005 • Edenton Coffee House • 252*482-7465 • ROCKY HOCK: Nixon Family Restaurant - 252-221*2244
HERTFORD: Woodard’s Pharmacy • 252*426*5527t ELIZABETH CITY: Clown’ll Around • 252*331*2250 • SUFFOLK: BHIy Smith * 757-925-4541 • MAIL ORDERS: Call 252-221-4875 or 252-340-3438