Deputy challenges sheriff
SEE PAGE IB
Basnight, Spear deny succession rumor
Basnight
Spear Steinburg
Columnist: Spear
to replace senator
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
EDENTON — State Sen. Marc
Basnight and state Rep. Tim
Spear both denied this week
assertions by a local columnist
that the longtime state Senate
leader will vacate his seat next
year to make way for Spear to
succeed him.
Spear, D-Washington, told
the Chowan Herald on Friday
that there’s no truth to Bob
Steinburg’s claim in a recent
column that he intends to seek
Basnight’s seat once the Sen
ate president pro tempore steps
down next year because of his
rare and degenerative nerve
disorder.
“I have never expressed any
interest to serve in Basnight’s
Senate seat,” Spear, who plans
to seek re-election to his House
seat, said Friday.
Schorr Johnson, a Basnight
spokesman, also denied Stein
burg’s assertion that the Dare
County Democrat plans to leave
his seat next year.
“That is absolutely not true,”
Johnson said. “He is planning
to seek re-election. He plans on
See SPEAR on Page 2A
Banquet Honors
PHOTO BY RITCHIE E. STARNES
(L-R) Jadelle Wagner and Jean Brown pose after Brown presented Wagner as Downtown Destination’s Main Street Champion at Thursday's Chamber of Commerce
2010 Annual Metting & Banquet. Wagner is manager of Peebles department store. Brown is president of Destination Downtown.
Four tapped for Chamber’s annual awards
From staff reports
The Edenton - Chowan Cham
ber of Commerce held its annual
awards banquet Thursday night,
honoring four from the commu
nity for their outstanding contri
butions.
Olin Sykes was awarded the
Business Person of the Year. Debra
Lee of downtown Edenton’s Royal
Bank of Canada (RBC) presented
Sykes with the honor, citing his
business commitment to the com
munity where he owns and oper
ates an accounting firm for the last
25 years.
“Our group
picked Olin be
cause of his long
standing business
and the various
organizations that
he has served,” Lee
said.
Five of Sykes 18
Sykes employees have
been with him
since he formed his business.
“That says a lot about his busi
ness,” Lee added.
Sykes previously served as presi
dent of the Chamber of Commerce
and Rotary He has also been ac
tive with the Edenton - Chowan
Community Foundation and the
Edenton - Chowan Development
Cooperation.
Jadelle Wagner was tapped as
Destination Downtown’s Main
Street Champion.
“We couldn’t think of anyone
more deserving,” said Jean Brown,
Downtown Destination president.
“She works tirelessly to make sure
her business and downtown are
successful.”
Her distinction qualifies her for
the state honor.
Wagner is manager of Peebles
department store.
Bob Germain was chosen as Vol
unteer of the Year.
“He serves as a volunteer on mul
tiple organizations throughout the
county,” said Mike Jackson, who
presented him with the award.
Germain has volunteered on
behalf of the James Iredell House
and Historic Edenton Visitor Cen
ter as well as Kiwanis.
The Humanitarian of the Year
honor went to Lucille Pescevich
for her countless contributions to
the community.
“It did not surprise me when
See AWARDS on Page 3A
women in 2009
' From staff reports •,
Midway through James
Bembry’s Superior Court tri
al Monday on charges of at
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
tempted murder, he reached
a plea agreement with pros
ecutors that guarantees the
defendant more than 13 years
and as many as 17 V4 years in
prison.
Chowan County jurors
didn’t have to decide the
fate of Bembry, charged
with the two counts of at
tempted murder for the
May 23, 2009, stabbing of a
woman and her daughter.
Prosecutors agreed to
allow Bembry, 43, to plea
guilty to two counts of a
lesser felony of assault
with a deadly weapon with
intent to kill, inflicting se
rious injury. ,
Each conviction carries
no less than 80 months and
no more than 105 months,
or between 160 and 210
months, behind bars.
Bembry stabbed Eliza
beth Bowe 15 times near
the corner of Martin Lu
ther King Drive and Cox
Avenue. Bembry had first
attempted to attack Bowe’s
daughter, Alicia, but the
younger woman fled the
scene in a car, court records
show. Bembry grabbed
hold of the fleeing car and
later fell in the street. Bem
bry then proceeded to stab
Elizabeth Bowe.
As Alicia Bowe returned
to help her mother, Bembry
then attacked the woman,
police say.
Bembry was also charged
with two counts of assault
with a deadly weapon with
intent to kill.
Bembry had attacked Ali
cia Bowe one month earlier
at a family gathering, said
Edenton Police Cpl. Steve
White.
Copeland
email
raises
questions
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
An email between former
County Manager Cliff Cope
land and the developer of a
sound side
project raises
questions
about a poten
tial conflict of
interest be
tween the two ■
men.
Copies of
email ex
Copeland Ranges from
Copeland s
former elec
tronic account obtainecfby the
Chowan Herald via a public
information request, suggest
that the beleaguered former
employee might have been
too cozy with Sam Young, de
veloper of the 900-acre Sandy
See COPELAND on Page 2A
County
manager
appointed to
vacant seat
From staff reports
Chowan County Manager
Peter Rascoe has been appoint
ed to fill a vacant seat on the
state’s Clean Water Manage
ment Trust
Fund Board
of Trustees,
marking his
second stint
on the board.
Senate
President Pro
Tern Marc
Basnight ap
pointed Eden
ton’s Rascoe,
to the state board effective im
mediately In 2005, then House
Speaker. Jim Black asked him
to serve a four-year term with
the trust fund.
“Peter’s strong commitment
to the state’s water resources
is evidenced by his willing to
continue to serve as one of
our trustees, as well as by his
previous work with several of
our conservation and preser
vation partners,” said CWMT
F Executive Director Richard
Rogers in a press release.
Prior to his 2005 appoint
ment to the CWMTF board ,
Rascoe served on the board of
directors of the North Caroli
na Coastal Land Trust and the
Friends of the Museum of the
Albemarle.
The Clean Water Manage
See RASCOE on Page 2A
4
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