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'w 482-4418 Wednesday, December 29, 2010 50« STAFF PHOTO BY RITCHIE STARNES Crews work to dig downtown Edenton out from under a blanket of snow and ice that left only a few businesses open Monday. Sheriff: 41 traffic accidents reported By REBECCA BUNCH Stqff Writer Numerous power out ages — but no serious accidents — occurred «, in Chowan County in the aftermath of the heaviest snowstorm to blanket the com munity since 1989. Work crews responded to several large-scale power outages on Sunday caused by snow-laden trees lying across power lines, said Glenn Ander son, town of Edenton’s electric utilities director. The first, Andersen said, occurred at about noon in the Yeopim area. Power was restored to 800 customers by about 6 p.m. A second power outage on the north side of town affected 250 additional customers living in the area between Broad and Queen streets to Wharf Landing. Some customers were without power until 10 p.m. Several smaller outages took place Monday. The overall experience was a challenge, Andersen said. “Working in the snow, in the dark, is just about the hardest thing in the world;” Andersen said. Information from Albemarle Electric Membership Corpo ration (EMC) and Dominion Power regarding possible out ages among their customers was not immediately available. Chowan County Sheriff Person of the Month Failed musician turns to medicine Dr. John Francis retires after 32 years By REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer A young boy from West Vir ginia who dreamed of being a musician instead has become one of this community’s most beloved doctors. Dr. John Francis retired at thp end of November, capping * a medical career that began in ©2009 The Chowan Herald All Rights Reserved J l % . ! / V'.? j • >.4,7'• V. \» J-. ■" CORDELL PALMER/CHOWAN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Law enforcement officers in Chowan County responded to dozens of calls from stranded motorists like this one Sunday on U.S. Highway 17 between the North Broad Street exit and Shannonhouse Road. Dwayne Goodwin said that his department and local police responded to 41 accidents, none of them serious. “Just about everybody stayed home, which was a good thing,” Goodwin said. Yates Parrish, a Chowan County farmer who supplies information to the National Weather Service, said the snow fall locally averaged 8 inches this past weekend. He added that he had some snowdrifts as high as 12 inches on parts of 2010 Persons of the Month See list of all Persons of the f < Month, 4A. y. j < y - \ ' f. A ' ■'< ' , ■» ^Hv <r>* v. ‘ '■*-**»*&*$* private practice at Nassawadox Hospital in Virginia in 1978. But the path that took him there wasn’t smooth. It was filled with twists and turns. Francis, 69, began life in a small community in West Vir ginia. “I think there were 3 houses there at that time,” he said, smiling at the memory He grew up in coal country. •** . . : See FRANCIS, 4A his farm. David Lane, N.C. Depart ment of Transportation traffic supervisor for Chowan County, said that was about the same snowfall that occurred in 1989. Road conditions, he said, were about the same as now. Ron Faulkner, a DOT main tenance engineer who oversees Chowan County, said Tuesday morning that Highways 17,32, 37 and 94 were primarily clear “with some icy spots remain ing.” His crews are now turn ing their attention to clearing secondary streets inside the Edenton city limits that DOT is responsible for maintaining — North Broad, West Queen, Granville, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Oakum and East Church streets. Meanwhile, work crews from the Town of Edenton spent most of Monday clearing layers of ice from the down town busi ness district. See SNOW, 2A Dr. John Francis The good, bad, ugly of 2010 By RITCHIE E. STARNES Editor At the end of each year, we all pause and remember those events that shaped our lives. Many of those events made head lines in the Chowan Herald. And while it’s always debatable as to what stories were the year’s most significant to the area, below is a list of those that either dominated the newspaper’s headlines or had the most lasting impact on our life here in Edenton-Qhowan. While we tend to recall the most devastating stories because of their shock value, we often for get those newsworthy events that create positive experiences and represent greater long-term sig nificance. Some stories are neither . good nor bad, just points of fact that qualify as newsworthy. Take a glance at the Chowan Herald’s top five stories that qual ified for the good, bad, and ugly of 2010. The Good 1. Chowan restores fiscal solvency Chowan County rose from among the state’s bottom rung of counties in terms of fiscal sound ness and restored its financial stability by banking nearly $2 million to its fund balance. While the county teetered on the brink of bankruptcy and state takeover only 24 months earlier, county leaders took a hard stance with operating expenses and managed to curb spending. Between cuts and increased revenue, Chowan has again returned to fiscal sol vency. 2. Steamers to field 2011 team After realistic hints that the adverse effects of a downtrodden economy might lead to suspend ing the Edenton Steamers 2011 season, a series of fundraisers ensued in pursuit of $50,000. Al though the efforts came up a bit short of its goal, the team came close enough to make a commit ment for next season. Fresh off a Petitt Cup championship bid that also came up short with the Steamers finishing runner-up in the Coastal Plain League, the team has positioned itself to pose a formable challenge for a 14th year at Historic Hicks Field. 3. Southern Ag to bring new jobs In a county devastated by job loss during a sour economy, Southern Ag announced plans to expand its operations in Edenton en route to creating 30 to 40 new jobs and making a $2.5 million investment to the area. News of the expansion was such a shot in the arm to the region, Gov. Bev Purdue was on hand for the an nouncement. Southern Ag’s ex pansion also complements the region’s commitment to agricul ture and could ultimately lead to similar industry expansions. 4. Decision 2010 While the Chowan Herald should neither rule 2010 elec tions results as good, bad, or ugly, the fact that 51 percent of the county’s registered voters voiced their preferences for leadership qualifies as a positive sign. Despite a statewide trend that showed Republicans dominating the polls, local voters preferred that county politics remain in the hands of Democrats, marking the region as among the state’s last bastion for the party. In addition , to the Democrat dominance, vot __ere overwhelmingly rejected a V« See 2010,7A
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Dec. 29, 2010, edition 1
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