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INSIDE
Check out our
special on
Dream Homes
of Northeastern
North Carolina
482-4418
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Clerk of Court race heating up
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
It’s been nearly 16
years since more than
one candidate has pur
sued the office of the
Clerk of Superior Court
in Chowan County.
Come May 4th voters
will head to the polls to
cast their ballot for ei
ther incumbent Mike J.
McArthur or Orville E.
Mason, Jr., the county’s
only local
primary
race. For
two men
whose
jobssome
times
criss
cross, the
candi- Mason
dates are
running two distinctly
different types of cam
paigns.
McArthur, 60, sug
gests that
his ex
perience
m a ke s
him the
better
choice.
“I don’t
have to
McArthur convince
people to
vote for Mike McArthur,
I’ve got to convince peo
ple to burn their gaso
line and go vote,” said
McArthur, referring to
the unpredictability of
primary turnout.
To get the word out,
McArthur has peppered
the Chowan County
landscape with election
signs en route to a fifth
term. None read “re
elect” as typically dis
played for incumbents.
In fact, there the same
signs that he used in
1994. With no opposition
since, they’ve been of no
use. Until now.
Mason, 57, alleges that
McArthur ' is always
campaigning and uses
his elected position to
curry favor.
“I don’t think a judi
cial office should always
be running for office,
accepting contributions
and holding fundrais
ers,” Mason said. “In
stead of spending mon
ey on a campaign, that
money could be going to
a better good. What is a
contribution?”
Instead of taking po
litical contributions for
his maiden campaign,
Mason shuns any fund
ing. He asks that any
contributions be direct
ed to the Boys and Girls
Club or the Food Bank.
Mason has opted for
a grassroots campaign
that includes going to
See CLERK, 2A
DAILY ADVANCE PHOTO BYTOBYTATE
An E2 Hawkeye lands on the flight deck of the USS Harry S. Truman, March 25. The U.S. Navy is seeking interest from
regional airports in hosting a temporary airfield for pilot training with the E2 Hawkeye.
iEdenton interested
By TOBY TATE
Staff Writer
if
■f ja t least one regional airport
is open to temporarily help
| ^^ing the U.S. Navy conduct
‘ training flights for several turbo
| prop aircraft.
1 “Given the economic climate,
and how scarce dollars are,
* especially for the airport, we need
| to learn more about the Navy’s
1 interest in Northeastern Region
;j: al,” said Anne Marie Knighton,
f, Edenton town manager.
NC loses ‘Race to Top’;
j, By KRISTIN PITTS .
1" Staff Writer
Area school officials say
they’re disappointed North Caro
lina won’t be receiving any of the
? * millions of federal grant dollars
being awarded as part of a new
education reform effort.
Although North Carolina was
one of 16 finalists for the Race to
i ■ the Top education grants, federal
officials felt the state’s applica
Jones faces Dem challenger; 2 GOPs to square off in primary
By BOB MONTGOMERY
Assistant News Editor
Two Republican new
comers and a Democrat
who’s trying to make a po
litical comeback are seek
ing the District 4 seat of in
02009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
“We will evaluate potential im
pacts and economic benefits and
then a policy decision will need to
bemade by the airport commis
sion and the town council.”
Harry Davis, manager at
Northeastern Regional Airport in
Edenton, said he’d be interested
in learning more about the Navy’s
proposal, announced Friday, to
find regional airfields to support
field carrier landing practice
operations for its E2 Hawkeye and
C2 Greyhound airplanes.
The airfield or airfields chosen
would only be a temporary fix,
according to Navy spokesman Ted
tion. wasn’t as strong as those
submitted by Delaware and Ten
nessee — the two states picked to
receive RTTT funding from the $4
billion program.
Federal reviewers judged North
Carolina’s application weaker in
the areas of data systems, prog
ress toward raising achievement
and closing achievement gaps,
state officials’ stance on “making
education funding a priority” and
state efforts creating “successful
Decision
2010
cumbent state Sen. Edward
Jones, D-Halifax.
Jones, a retired first ser
geant with the N.C. High
way Patrol, has held the
District 4 seat since being
appointed in January 2007
to complete the unexpired
term of Sen. Robert Hollo
man, who died in office. Pri
Brown, and not a replacement
for the proposed outlying landing
field the Navy wants to build at
one of five sites currently being
studied.
“It’s a near-term interim solu
tion,” Brown said. “These aircraft
are different from jets — quieter,
and there are no requirements to
obtain private property or build
new fields.”
According to a press release
from Brown’s office, potential
airfields must be at least 5,000
feet long, 100 feet wide, be located
within 90 nautical miles aircraft
See NAVY, 7A
conditions for high-performing
charter schools and other inno
vative schools.”
Ron Melchiorre, Camden
County Schools superintendent,
said he was disappointed that
North Carolina — which had
sought $469 million — had not
been chosen for the RTTT fund
ing. He pointed out the review
ers’ marks on staff development,
saying that the state will have to
provide funding if it wants to put
or to that,
he had
served in
the state
House for
two years.
Jones,
who won
election to
the seat in
2008, said
he’s seeking a second full
term in the Senate because
he wants to create jobs and
improve economic condi
Halbert
Person of the Month
-xvmw
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Rosalie Miller, librarian at the Shepard-Pruden Library in down
town Edenton, sits at her desk behind a stack of books. Miller
will be retiring June 1 after 16 years of service.
Shepard-Pruden
librarian to retire
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
She’s worked a few hon
orable careers, and at least
one she could have suc
ceeded.
For the last 16 years, Ro
salie Miller has worked as
the dutiful librarian at the
Shepard-Pruden Library in
Edenton. Judging from her
skills as a photographer
- the proof decorates her
office walls - Miller could
have been a professional.
Add her love of traveling
reforms in place. Economic con
straints have curbed state funds
for professional and staff devel
opment.
“School systems cannot
implement major educational
reform without the funds to pro
vide principals and teachers the
professional development they
need in order to be successful,”
Melchiorre said. “Locally, school
systems can only finance a small
part (of the cost). For school sys
Jones
tions. With
state gov
ernment
facing its
biggest
strain
in years,
Jones be
lieves this
is not a
time to
change leaders.
“We have to continue
where we left off,” he said,
referring to last year’s
and she could have been an
international travel pho
tographer.
But, thankfully for the
book borrowers here she
stayed true to the library.
Her commitment ends
June 1 when Miller retires.
Expect her global exploits
to reignite.
“I’d love to go on a pho
tography safari in Africa,”
Miller said. “Wouldn’t that
be something?”
Her good friend, Pat
See MILLER, 7A
terns to effect major school re
form, more state money is going
to have to be provided because
locally we cannot do it on our
own.”
According to a government
Web site, the U.S. Department of
Education will have about $3.4
billion available for the second
phase of the Race to the Top com
petition. Gov. Bev Perdue told The’
See SCHOOLS, 3A
session.
“We’re in
a tight bud
get crisis
right now.”
Jones,
60, also
notes that
because
of the way
districts
are drawn, he has a proven
record of working with
other legislators in the oth
er chamber of the General
Assembly.
“There are five House
(members) that work in my
district. We work well to
gether,” he said.
The 4th Senate District
is comprised of seven >
counties: Bertie, Chowan,
Gates, Halifax, Hertford,
Northampton and Perqui
mans.
To win a second term,
Jones will have to get past a
See PRIMARY, 4A
?
llcfcets $7.00 per plate
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v -xm
For Tickets: Lynn Perry 331-5393, Frank
Jones 482-0305 or Greg Bonner 331-521 ft
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