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482-4418
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
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Budget calls for no tax increase
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
After weeks of tweaking,
the Chowan County man
ager submitted a balanced
2010-11 budget at nearly $16
million Monday night that
requires no property tax
increase and replenishes
the county’s depleted re
serves.
SUSAN PEIRCE-O’NEILL PHOTOS
k One of the most creative aspects of the cook-off at this year’s Hog Fest was the Prettiest Pig competition. The winning entry, My Sweet
Hog Cookin’, was created by Michael Hemenway of Newport , '
with barbecue spices
Stephen Toney of tdenton won first place in the tri
cycle and tractor races in the 3-4 year old age group
at this year's Hog Fest
Man who killed wife six years ago strikes plea deal
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Nearly six years af
ter he fatally shot his
wife, Cornelius A. Leary
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
The Chowan County
Board of Commissioners
accomplished a few of its.
fiscal goals with the bud
get by restoring a 40-hour
workweek for county staff
ers. Commissioners also
managed to add roughly
$400,000 to its reserves, an
unsuccessful feat in recent
years.
The new budget, howev
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Eastern North Carolina
residents love their barbe
cue vinegar-based, but that
didn’t stop them from trying
other tangy varieties during
Saturday’s 4th Annual Hog Fest.
About 70 area residents taste:
tested 20 cup-size portions of
barbecue prepared by cooking
teams from North Carolina,
Virginia, Florida and Maryland
in the Kansas City Barbecue
Society (KCBS)-endorsed compe
tition.
Sampling new and differ
ent flavors made it interesting
according to Buddy Oliver of
Edenton, who brought his son
and grandson with him to the
taste-tasting.
“You could definitely tell
which ones were cooked by
people who weren’t from the
area,” Oliver said. “They were
a little sweeter than what we’re
reached a plea deal Mon
day for voluntary man
slaughter.
One day before a Chow
an County jury was to
be selected to hear his
first-degree murder trial,
Leary, 45, struck a plea
bargain with prosecutors
that call for the defendant
to serve between 15 and 19
years in prison, courts re
cords show. Leary is cur
er, is not without sacrific
es. Commissioners refused
to contribute $600,000 to
the Emergency Medical
Services enterprise fund
to help the department pay
for such needs as an ambu
lance, heart monitors, and
radios.
The Edenton-Chowan
school system will have
to get by on less than re
rently in his sixth year of
a 12-year prison stint in
New York. Monday’s sen
tence will be served after
his current term expires.
Leary was extradited to
Chowan County Superior
Court Monday to prepare
for trial.
Leary killed 45-year-old
Anita Leary on Aug. 7,
2004. She lay dead in her
Sandy Ridge home for five
quested. Commissioners
only approved to give the
schools $270,000 of its re
quested $440,000 additional
funding over last year’s
budget. Superintendent
Allan Smith said he want
ed to restore the previous
year’s teacher pay cuts.
Commissioner Keith
Nixon informed Smith
that the schools could have
used to but it was all good.”
Oliver said he didn’t try any
that made him want to give
up his taste for vinegar-based
seasoning.
“I guess we’re just a little bit
spoiled by that,” Oliver said,
laughing. “And I still think it’s
the best.”
Fellow judge Ronnie Rountree
of Edenton said he enjoyed his
first-time experience tasting
entries too but wished there had
been more vinegar-based entries
and less sweet-tasting ones.
“I have to admit, the ones I
threw out (as possible winners)
were the sweet-tasting ones,”
Rountree said sheepishly. “I wish
we’d had a lot more vinegar
based entries to choose from.”
When asked if he’d like to be
a judge next year, Rountree said
he might enter the competition
instead.
“If I can get my ducks in a row,
f’d like to compete
See COOK-OFF, 8A
days before her body was
found.
Anita Leary was a popu
lar waitress who worked
at Snooker’s Grill and
Pizza Hut in Edenton.
When she failed to show
for work, authorities were
contacted. Initial checks
at her home found the
residence secured, Sher
iff Dwayne Goodwin said.
Officers later entered the
another $50,000 toward
its request by eliminating
the elementary school re
source officer. That fund
ing would then have to be
removed from the sheriffs
budget.
School leaders seemed
divided over whether to
eliminate the SRO. In the
end, the school board pre
ferred that commissioners
Board rejects
budget pleas
from EMS
Poor collections
seen as problem
By RITCHIE E.
STARNES
Editor
In a 4-3 split vote,
the Chowan County
Board of Commission
ers refused to fund an
Emergency Medical
Services’ request for
next year’s budget that
would fund an ambu
lance, cardiac moni
tors, a new radios.
Amid calls for the
replacement of dated
equipment, the board
rejected the request to
contribute to the EMS
enterprise fund from
the county’s general
fund.
“EMS is being run
Budget cuts |
will cost 8
teaching jobs
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Facing the possible
loss of more teaching
positions next year,
the school system is
appealing to county
commissioners and the
governor for relief.
Superintendent Al
lan Smith is requesting
that commissioners
consider fully funding
the school system’s
2010-2011 local current
expense budget re
quest.
Smith made the
content of the. letters
public during Monday
night’s school board
meeting. He said that
failing some relief
locked home and found
Anita Leary’s body. She
had been shot with a .22
caliber gun.
Cornelius Leary was a
suspect early during the
investigation after he fled
to New York.
It was in New York City
where Cornelius Leary
was arrested on Aug. 18 af
ter he jumped a turnstile
at a subway station, re
make the decision. It has
yet to be discussed by com
missioners.
Commissioners, previ
ously approved to fund the
schools’ capital projects
with the proceeds from the
land transfer tax.
College of the Albemar
le will not receive its full
See BUDGET, 4A
as an enterprise fund,
asking for a contribu
tion from the general
fund, that’s not how
it’s supposed to work,”
Commissioner Kenny
Goodwin said during
Wednesday night’s
work session.
Operated as an en
terprise fund, EMS
should be self-sustain
ing. This year’s budget,
however, has exceeded
department revenues
by slightly more than
$600,000 and is in need
of county funding.
The majority of com
missioners were again
critical of the low
performing EMS, par
ticularly its costly non
emergency transport
service that collects
■: 4
i
r
See EMS, 2A
from funding cuts it ap
peared eight teaching
positions could be lost.
The number of
teaching jobs lost could
reach 13, Smith said, if
not for the expected re- _
tirement of some per- ”
sonnel. He also remind
ed his board that 24
positions in the school
system were lost last
year because of state
and local budget cuts.
Remaining staff had
their salaries cut by 2
percent.
In a letter dated
May 3, Smith wrote,
“(Our) request for an
allocation of $3,506,956
does not include any
See SCHOOLS, 3B
cords show. When officers
confronted him, Cornelius
Leary pulled a weapon - a
.22-caliber handgun.
The couple married five
months before the fatal
shooting. Before they met,
Cornelius Leary had been
released from prison after
serving time for common,
law robbery. He had served
11 years of a 20-year sen
tence.
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