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OBX’s Mojo Collins headlines event PAGE IB 482-4418 Wednesday, March 16, 2011 Officials oppose charter school cap lift Pupil funding concerns cited By REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer The Edenton-Chowan Board of Education voted unanimously at its March 7 meeting to oppose state Senate Bill 8, a plan that would lift the cap on the number of charter schools in the state and DOT plans to close N.C. 82 for new bridge PHOTO BY RITCHIE E. STARNES Plans call for the N.C. Department of Transportation to replace the bridge over Queen Anne Creek along N.C. 32, pictured here, during the summer of 2012. The replacement will close the stretch of road for 74 days and require emergency responders to use Hayes Plantation as a detour. Emergency responders to use Hayes Plantation By RITCHIE E. STARNES Editor Iotorists who depend on N.C. 32 east of downtown Edenton will need to find a 74-day de tour next summer while the N.C. Department of Trans portation replaces the bridge over Queen Anne Creek. Part of DOT’S Transpor tation Improvement Plan (TIP), the state plans to secure the lowest bidder by November for the bridge replacement, according to Robotics team races for donations By RITCHIK E. STARNES Editor After six weeks of six day workweeks aimed at budding a robot and a ©2009 The Chowan Herald All Rights Reserved no minimum student en rollment. Currently, the state al lows no more than 100 charter schools. The Sen ate bill would lift the 100 school cap and do away with the rule that requires charter schools serve a minimum of 65 students. Citing concerns that a lifted cap would lead to a spree of charter school openings and fur ther cloud pupil funding Sterling Baker, DOT’S divi sion maintenance engineer. Work will began in the summer of 2012 and after the school year concludes. By closing the road, instead of building a temporary bridge, DOT will save nearly twice as much as the costs of the new bridge. "The road closure option saves $1,200,000 in construc tion costs alone. This does not include the savings of relocating only a few power poles, obtaining much less right of way, and having far mlnibot, the John A. Holmes & J.C. Penny Team No. 3493 Ret ro-Robot Squad now faces its next challenge - raise enough money to attend the competition. The team of high school ers and mentors completed the task of assembling a ro bot for Holmes’ first entry in next month's USFIRST Robotics Competition in Raleigh, shipping the ma-^ at public schools, local school officials sided with the House’s amended ver sion. The bill has been sent to the state House of Repre sentatives after it passed its final vote in the Sen ate on Feb. 24 by a 33-17 vote. State Sen. Ed Jones, D-Halifax, whose district includes Chowan Couhty, also voted against the bill. House Bill 247, an amended version includes v-'.-; . jv;.:;: ' ;; i a*1’ less environmental impacts than the original option which included a tempo rary detour bridge,” J.D. Jennings, DOT’S division engineer wrote Feb. 9. ■i In addition to more costs, a temporary bridge for continued traffic during construction would add two more years to the project, Jennings stated. Emergency responders and routine police patrols will be forced to use the gated-community of Hayes Plantation as an alternate chine Feb.- 22 per contest rules. Guidelines call for the construction and pro gramming of the robot to be done within six weeks. But despite the demand ing task, the team must raise $3,000 to cover travel expenses for the April 7 9 competition at Dorton Arena. “One vital element is missing - namely the esti mated $3,000 it will take to a requirement that new charter schools have at least 50 students enrolled before opening; the Sen ate bill does not require a minimum or maximum number of students be fore a school can he estab lished. The House Education Committee is now consid ering both bills. A hearing was scheduled for Tues day (after press time) at the state Legislative Office Building in Raleigh. In presenting the reso lution to the school board, Su perinten dent Al lan Smith said, “The charter schools bill has Smith picked up steam; it could be on the Governor’s desk soon.”, route. Plans call for a siren activated gate at Soundside Road for emergency vehicles. Those-vehicles will also be forced to use the wooden bridge entrance at Colonial Park. The detour will also impact the Northeastern Regional Airport as well as the surrounding residential and industrial areas. “(DOT) is aware that any closure is an inconvenience but it is a necessary hard ship that we must sometimes endure,” Jennings wrote. enable the 15 student team members and six mentors to get to and participate in the three-day competition and return to Edenton,” said John Becker, team mentor. Efforts to reach the fi nal fiscal hurdle include students selling candy and gasoline raffle tickets. Or ganizers hope the efforts See ROBOTICS, 3A Smith noted that of great concern was a provi sion in the Senate Bill that would remove a current enrollment requirement for charter schools. “There is a concern that without that floor (require ment) we’re going to have a proliferation of charter schools,” Smith said. The board’s adopted res olution expresses concern about the potential loss of See SCHOOL, 2A :! Bill denies transfer of electricity; revenue I Edenton tax rate could increase 6 cents By REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer The Edenton Town Council voiced opposition at its March 8 meeting to N.C. House BiU 117. The bill, filed on Feb. 16 by Reps. Leo Daughtry, R-Johnston, and Rep. William Wainwright, D-Craven, would deny munici palities the right to transfer revenue from its electric sys tems to their gen eral fund. A public hearing will be held today (Wednesday) in the N.C. General As sembly in Raleigh. Mayor Roland Vaughan and Town Manager Anne-Marie Knighton plan to attend. See HOUSE BILL, 4A Vaughan Group protests Lamb raise By REGGIE PONDER Staff Writer » Former Pasquotank County Com missioner Zee Lamb is at the center of a controversy in Bertie County over his salary as the county man ager there. Lamb, who served as a county commissioner in Pasquotank from the late 1980s through the mid-’90s, received a salary increase of more than $42,000 in a contract renewal in August 2009, according to Bertie citizens who have organized to pro test the raise. Last week the citizens’ group See LAMB, 4A SUBMITTED PHOTO Jim Lewis, of NUCOR Steel and chief engineering mentor for the John A. Holmes Retro Robot Squad, inspects the team’s designed robot set for US FIRST competition next month in Raleigh. FRIDAY, MARCH 18™ & SATURDAY, MARCH 18™ DINNER ViwPM CONCERT 7;30 PM ROCKY HOCK COMMUNITY CENTER RQA8J PORK UUNHI - $16.00 PER PBISQN SMITH VOCAL BAND OPRY BOYS QUARTET 4 STEADFAST Sponsored by Rocky Hock Lions Club & Rocky Hock Rurltan Club NCKY 221-4116 JACK 340-3438
The Chowan Herald (Edenton, N.C.)
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March 16, 2011, edition 1
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