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Two crash landings in four days
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
For the second time in four
days, an airplane crash-landed at
Edenton’s Northeastern Regional
Airport.
An Indiana couple survived a
crash landing Friday afternoon af
ter an apparent gust of wind tilted
the airplane’s wings and forced the
pilot off the runway where it turned
upside down, authorities said.
Edenton police identified the pilot
as Floyd W. Griffin, 62, and his pas
senger wife, Alice, of Avilla, Ind. as
the victims of the 1:20 p.m. crash.
Neither was seriously injured, but
paramedics took Alice Griffin, 69, to
Chowan Hospital amid complaints
of sore ribs and bruises to her head
and nose, police said. Floyd Griffin
See CRASH, 2A
Sour economy downs Edenton Furniture
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Count Edenton Furniture Com
pany among the latest casualties of
a sour economy.
A downtown business anchor
since 1946, Edenton Furniture will
be closing, pending the sale of its
inventory Owner Alton G. Elmore,
78, said the decision to close was dif
ficult; but one tfi&t had to be made.
my age .and the IgenerdI*
economy, now was the time to do-it,”
Elmore said.
The veteran retailer points to a
worsening economy as the main rea
son he decided to close the store.
“In all my experiences, I’ve never
had it so tough," Elmore said. “We’re
probably doing half (revenue) what
we were doing two years ago.”
Elmore calls the late 80s and early
90s the store’s heyday, adding that
once Edenton-Chowan began to lose"
those industries that provided plen
tiful jobs and payroll, merchants
started to feel the pinch. Compa
nies like United Piece Dye Works,
George C. Moore, Carter’s Ink and
the Edenton Cotton Mill once en
sured enough disposable income to
keep the community thriving, he
said.
But, those companies are gone.
- Elmore said the boat builders are
the region’s latest employment pil
lars to have fallen on hard times,
leaving hundreds unemployed and
without the means to support sur
rounding businesses.
“If it wasn’t for the economy,
See FURNITURE, 2A
EDENTON
FURNITURE CO
STAFF PHOTO BY RITCHIE E: STARNES
James C. Fletcher stands on
a Department ofTransporta
tion paved road that
dissects a pie-shaped piece
of land that fronts the
Chowan River. He hopes to
overturn the Aug. 25 sale
of the land after'Chowan
County officials sold the
..land for baciTtaxes. He"
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grand mothWngh^letcherf
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River access sold
for back taxes i
Fletcher fights for late
grandmother’s request
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
When it comes to
honoring his late
grandmother’s
request, James Fletcher
comes armed with a brief
case loaded for bear with
what he calls “10 pounds
of paperwork.”
But, it’s more than
Inglis Fletcher’s word, it’s
a passed down century
old agreement intended
to benefit the people of
Chowan County. Previous
owners of the former tim
berland and farmland that
once'banked the Chowan
River and currently serves
as residential property
along Arrowhead Beach
agreed to carve out two
parcels (Nos. 5940 & 4865)
that would ensure public
access to the river. The
agreement has been of
ficially recorded and the
parcels dubbed Holley’s
Wharf
“Even at her death, she
(Inglis Fletcher) did things
correctly with the way it
was worded,” said James
Fletcher of his grand
mother who was a revered
local author and for whom
a marker is erected in her
honor at the entrance of
Bandon Road in the vicin
ity of her family’s former
Bandon Plantation.
When Inglis and John
(husband) Fletcher bought
the land from J.L. and
Allie G. Forehand in the
1930s, they did so with the
Forehand’s request that ;
river access be preserved
for the folks of Chowan
County, deeds show. And
when Inglis and John
Fletcher sold Bandon
Plantation to Southern
Properties on Feb. 4,1964
for $27,150, two parcels
were intentionally left out
to guarantee the public’s
river access, said James
Fletcher.
“She (Inglis Fletcher)
gave her word to the Fore
hands and I want to see it
so,” James Fletcher said.
“It goes back before the
Forehands.”
Despite the documented
stipulation and the
public’s ancient continued
use of the access, the prop
erty was never officially '
deeded to an owner or
turned over to a governing
body
James Fletcher, 65,
admits that he and his
siblings erred for never
having properly executed
the necessary paperwork.
“We didn’t do what we
were supposed to do,”
James Fletcher said.
“I wish they would
have put that in writing,”
said Julie Sharp, Chowan
County Register of Deeds.
One move James Fletch
er took, however, was the
1992 purchase of a monu
ment that memorializes
his grandmother’s wishes.
The monument reads
“Public Beach Access For
The People of Chowan
County to Enjoy and Pre
serve.” It also bears Inglis
Fletcher’s name. Already
purchased and prepared,
the monument has been
sitting at Clifton & Clifton
Monuments in Elizabeth
See FLETCHER, 2A
NAACP wants fired school administrator put on paid leave
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
A representative with the
National Association for
the Advancement of Col
ored People asked that the
Edenton-Chowan Board of
Education allow a termi
nated school administrator
be placed on paid leave.
During Monday night’s
school board meeting,
v Keith A. Rivers, president
of the NAACP’s Pasquo
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
'.III ....'P.n...'...III.....- m , II
tank branch, asked the
board to allow Mary Lyons
Felton to remain on paid
leave, pending an investi
gation into whether she
has been the victim of dis
crimination. On Friday, the
board voted unanimously
to support Superintendent
Allan Smith’s recommen
dation to terminate Felton.
Felton has a pending law
suit against Smith and the
school board.
“This is an issue of jus
tice,” Rivers said. “I’m ask
ing you if we can settle this
issue in an appropriate
manner. We don’t want to
attack, and we don’t want
to be attacked."
The board declined to
discuss the matter Monday
“This is an issue of justice. I’m
asking you if we can settle this
1 issue in an appropriate manner.
; We don’t want to attack, we don’t
want to be attacked. ”
Keith A. Rivers *
President, Pasquotank branch of the NAACP
night, but suggested a fu
ture talk.
“I can’t tell you that we
will take it up tonight, but
we will take it up later on,"
said Ricky Browder, school
board chairman.
Browder offered, howev
er, an opportunity for Fel
ton and her husband only
to talk with the board in
a closed session meeting.
Felton has signed a waiver,
allowing the NAACP access
to her confidential person
nel records.
Rivers read ft-om an Aug.
30 typed letter addressed to
the school board. In the let
ter, Rivers requested a num
ber of details related to Fel
ton’s job. His request also
suggested that the NAACP
is monitoring the number
of minority employees in
the school system as well
as their positions.
Rivers also read Smith’s
favorable reviews about
Felton’s job performance
prior to her filing charges
of discrimination when
she was denied an oppor
tunity for the principal’s
job at John A. Holmes. She
had worked there as an
assistant' principal before
Smith later transferred her
to Chowan Middle School
where she was assigned as
a guidance counselor.
“The Pasquotank and
Chowan branches of the
NAACP have been inves
tigating and closely fol
lowing the events of Mrs,
Lyons-Felton’s case,” said
Rivers. “We believe that
the current issues faced
by Mrs. Lyons-Felton are
by-products of the original
complaints of discrimina
tion filed by Mrs. Lyons
with the EEOC (Equal/
Employment Opporttfi
nity Commission) and the
NAACP.” %
An EEOC probe has yet
to be concluded. •
Court records show that
Felton failed to obtain a
license to work as a guicF
ance counselor. Felton >
counters that the school
system failed to honor hef
employment contract that
called for her to work as an
administrator
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