482-4418 Wednesday, December 9, 2009 w i rvj in L . 1 z i jj A/1 Check out our new recipe column - Marge’s Mailbag See Page 3A Obama’s school plan to get look School board to eye . ‘Race to the Top’ idea By REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer At its January meeting, the Edenton-Chowan Board of Education will consider letting the school system be coming part of the Obama administration’s “Race to the Top” initiative. The initiative, developed to reform education in America, has already won the support of Gov. Bev Perdue. . Monday night, the board re-, ceived a briefing on the plan from Superintendent Allan Smith. He noted that the goal of this $4.5 billion fed eral grant, developed as part of the American Recovery and Smith Reinvestment Act, is to reward states whose school systems embrace inno vation and reform in an effort to help students improve their academic performance. North Carolina would be eligible to receive between $200-$400 million if selected to receive one of the grants, Smith said. Exactly how much each participating school system would receive is unknown at this point, Smith said, al though he noted that there is a higher incidence of students < living in poverty in Chowan County than some others in the region, which would prob ably translate into additional dollars. Areas that would receive greatest consideration would include turning around low-performing schools and improving teacher effective ness. For the first time, Smith said, student performance would be tied to teacher evalu ations, something he said was “probably the most controver sial” part of the process. He added that there was still much to be learned about the initiative and that he hoped state-level meetings planned for later this week would help him and other officials in the area better understand it. “I still have some questions, and I’m sure others do too,” Smith said., “What are the strings at-' :S; tached?” asked board mem ber Gil Burroughs. Smith admitted that while he was sure there would be ) strings attached, the answer would depend on what the fi nal state plan looked like. “I have read the draft, hopefully we’ll get more in formation soon,” Smith said. “There are still some blanks, at this point.” Deadline for submitting applications, for Phase I of the program is Jan. 19. North Carolina is expected to meet 1 that deadline. Each school district has the fteedom to choose to be part of the process, accepting the fUnds and guidelines that go along with them, or declining to participate. ©2009 The Chowan Herald ^ .. All Rights Reserved ►' W vS-* ’if ‘. Turn on the lights, be merry fwiiii«piiyiiifiiiwiwi4jis.w^ STAFF PHOTO BY BRETT A. CLARK Mayor Roland Vaughan and “Santa” flip the light switch during Edenton’s anual tree lighting ceremony, Friday. Let the Candlelight Tour begin By REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer - ; A special group of hom JL JLopen their doors for the annual Candlelight Tour, set for Friday and Saturday. The weekend event will be filled with hospitality and treasur ed memories. But, it doesn’t end there. Area businesses have found that the annual holiday launch translates into an economic boost for Edenton and Chowan County. Many out-of-town visitors end op spending the weekend. In addition to lodging, visi tors spend on dining and shopping. “Last year, when the economy was in such turmoil, business owners here told me that the two days of the Christmas tour were the best two days in business they had the whole year)” said Becky Winslow, executive director of the Edenton Historical Commission (EHC), which sponsors the event. Last year, some 1,400 people visited the down town homes, considered by many to be some of the region’s most beautiful, Winslow said. Proceeds from the event eowners will throw STAFF PHOTO BY BRETT A. CLARK M Mil* Members of Albemarle Sounds serenade the audience with Christmas carols during the annual tree lighting ceremony in Edenton, Friday.The event was sponsored by Destination Downtown. support local historic pres ervation efforts. More than,. $30,000 was netted last year. EHC President Jerry Climer noted that local his toric sites are also benefi ciaries of the monies raised during the tour. “Those funds help keep the Barker House in decent condition,” Climer said. The Barker House is the most revered historical home in Edenton. Also benefiting is the project to renovate the Roanoke River Lighthouse that sits on the downtown Edenton waterfront. About two years ago, it was moved to its current location on a barge. 'h 2009 Tour f Private homes along West Water Street, South Gran ville Street and Pembroke Circle will be among those showcased on this year’s tour. Hours will be 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. both days. Tickets for the tour are $25 per person. There is no admission for children 12 and under. For groups of 20 or more, the cost is $20 per person. See LIGHTS on Page 5A Chowan’s unemployment rate drops slightly Holiday safety tips from FEMA Between the need for heat during the winter months and the fire risks associated with Christ mas decorations, homes can easily become a tin derbox. Now is the time to take winter and holiday pre cautions with fire safe ty. While Edenton and Chowan County have been relatively safe of tragic 'fires, this is the time of year when extra caution should be heeded. Of the roughly 350 fire depart ment service calls during . the year, about' one third involve some type of fire, according to Edenton Fire Chief Charles Westbrook. Seldom are the fires cate gorized as major and they typically involve cooking, Westbrook added. Nonetheless, practic ing safety first during this time of year will reduce the likelihood a serious fire. Winter fire safety tips for the home The high cost of home heating . fuels and utili ties have caused many Americans to search for alternate sources of home heating. The use of wood burning stoves is grow ing and space heaters are. selling rapidly, or coming out of storage. Fireplaces • are for burning wood and manmade logs. All these methods of heating may be accept able. They are, however, a .. major contributing factor in residential fires. Many of these fires can be pre vented. The following fire safety tips can help you maintain a fire safe home this winter. Kerosene heaters Be sure your heater is in good working condition. Inspect exhaust parts for carbon buildup. Be sure' the heater has an emer gency shut off in case the heater is tipped over. Never use fuel burning appliances without proper room venting. Burning fuel (coal, kerosene, or propane, for example) can produce deadly fumes. Use ONLY the fuel rec ommended by the heater manufacturer. NEVER in- ? troduce a fuel into a unit not designed for that type fuel. See SAFETY on Page 9A Jobless average still among area’s worse By RITCHIE E. STARNES News Editor While the state’s overall unemploy ment rate rose in October, Chowan County’s rate continued to improve, dropping slightly, according to the lat est report by the state Employment Se curity Commission. But, what appears to be good news is a bit misleading. While the unemploy ment rate slightly improved, Chow an’s labor force expanded, said Ricky Coltrain, manager of the county’s Em ployment Security Commission. “We’re not any better off than we were,” Coltrain said. “The labor force went up more than the unemployment rate. “Helping the jobless f find work continues to be one of our major goals. ” Moses Carey Jr. Chairman, Employment Security Commission •rM’ ■ “■ -V Despite its slow pace of continued improvement, Chowan still ranks among the worse of its northeastern North Carolina neighbors. Although it’s too early to compare November’s employment statistics, Coltrain ex pects the county’s unemployment rate to further dip after the first of the year. Coltrain explained that the first, quar ter of the year typically stalls because . • ’ 7 ■' ;■.. ; ' . •• . ' ' f - :;N* Wit:’*"**. **Na S retail sales slow after the holidays with many retail workers sidelined from employment. Add the trend of employ ers seldom hiring immediately after the new year and the unemployment rate will likely take another hit. Chowan was among^North Caroli na counties that showed improvement. Figures show that Chowan County came in at 11.7 percent, sightly better than its September marjm 11.9. Since July, the county has been pacing em ployment numbers that show contin ued improvement, albeit slight. Those improvements still trail the state’s overall average. Seven counties remained unchanged from the previous month with 74 of the state’s 100 counties experiencing an increase in unemployment. “While some of the increases are seasonal, there is a continued effect ^throughout tjie state from this reces sion,” said Moses Carey Jr., ESC chair man. “Helping the jobless find work continues to be one of our major goals. We have seen some hiring over the past month, but we also know that lay offs continue to take place. Meanwhile, the ESC is aggressively working to fin ish the necessary programming of ; ‘ our computer system so that the new extension of claims can be filed and paid.” North Carolina had 49 counties that were at or below the state’s unadjusted unemployment rate of 10.7 percent. Currituck County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate in October, at 6 percent. Other area counties posted the following jobless rates: Bertie, 10.6 per cent; Camden, 7.4 percent; Dare, 8.6 percent; Gates, 6.7 percent; Hertford, , j 9.2 percent; Pasquotank, 9.3 percent; - Perquimans, 10.3 percent; Tyrell, 9.7 I percent; and Washington, 11.9 percent. - j

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