By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Preliminary data for
the 2010-2011 school year
shows that all Edenton
Chowan schools failed
to meet Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP) goals set
forth by the federal gov
ernment.
The results will not be
come official until they
are approved by the State
Board of Education on
Aug. 4.
ADJ pact
spares
Chowan
$8M jail
Transport costs
still unknown
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Not having to build a new
$8 million jail will most
likely determine whether
Chowan County opts to join
the Albemarle District Jail.
Chowan County Sheriff
Dwayne Goodwin said that
while all parties are still
comparing figures about
whether partnering with
ADJ is financially feasible,
not building a new local jail
appears to be the most ap
pealing advantage.
“Our jail was built be*
tween 78 and 79. Our jail is
more than 30 years old with
more than 30-year-old prob
lems,” Goodwin said.
Designed for 24 inmates,
but already bordering at its
40-inmate capacity most of
the year, Goodwin said the
time has come for Chowan
to explore jail alternatives.
“You have to look long
term,” he added. “A new
jail would costs roughly
$8 million. We can’t afford
that right now.”
Pasquotank County’s
ADJ has been courting
Chowan over the years
about housing its inmates,
and those talks have not
only renewed in recent
weeks, but are gaining mo
mentum.
Goodwin said it costs
$800,000 annually to oper
ate Chowan’s jail. It ap
pears there could be some
marginal savings at ADJ
because the larger facility
has service contracts based
on a larger number of in
mates.
“Some of the small
things they would be able
to do cheaper because of
volume,” Goodwin said.
See JAIL, 2A
Police charge three for selling counterfeit goods
Retailers say they
are victims too
By REBECCA BUNCH
Stctf Writer
Three Edenton business
owners have been arrested
for selling counterfeit mer
chandise. Authorities also
seized nearly $55,000 in
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
- r
According to informa
tion shared with the lo
cal Board of Education
Monday night by Willie
Kponce, director of test
ing and accountability for
the school system, each
school fell short of meet
ing targets set for them
under AYP.
D.E Walker Elementary
School met 13 out of 21
targets under AYP, while
Chowan Middle School
met 19 out of 21 of its
goals. John A. Holmes
1 . . STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Steamers players enjoying their dinner take a minute to talk with Open Door Church members Beth Brabble, Shirley Waff
and Mary Waff.
Open Door feeds players’ bellies, community’s soul
CHURCHFIELDSMEALS
Players receive
home-cooked meals
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Is it coaching? Pitching? Timely
hitting? Solid defense? While
it’s likely all of those facets of
the game that has the Edenton
Steamers enjoying an incredible
season on the baseball diamond,
perhaps there’s another reason be
hind the strong summer showing
- home cooking.
Instead of wolfing down hot
dogs, burgers and pizza after
games like seasons past, this
year’s Steamers are enjoying the
kitchen bounty of a big-hearted
church.
At Hicks Field, the Edenton
Steamers and their opponents are
treated to nutritious meals after
every game courtesy of Open Door
Church. The church is fast becom
ing known as a church that seeks
out community needs. And when
they heard about the opportunity
to help feed the teams this summer
they quickly agreed.
“It’s one of those things that
when you do it, you never know
whose life you’re going to impact,”
fake goods.
Edenton police charged
retailers Shakita Necole
Walton, 33, and Nakieva
Varsha Stanley, 23, both
of Edenton, and Harmeet
Singh, 42, of Ahoskie, with
felonious criminal use of
counterfeit trademark for
the possession and intent
to resale. Police also seized
handbags, shoes, sunglass
es and jewelry.
Walton and Singh turned
themselves in at the magis
trate’s office July 5; Stanley
surrendered the following
morning, records show. All
three have been released
from jail after posting a
.
■ - J ' ; ■
About AYP
-*•4
l
According to the state Department of Public Instruc
tion, AYP evaluates the progress of students at the
local, district and state level against target goals set in
reading and math. It is a component of the No Child
Left Behind Act adopted in 2001 that requires a spe
cific level of progress to be demonstrated annually.
■:-v-vv. '.A J.V-- > •
High School met 14 of its
17 targets. Since testing
does not start until third
grade, White Oak was not
ranked.
Koonce noted that in
Singh
Stanley
Walton
*5,000 bond.
v Walton is the owner of
the Handbag Diva on 210
East Eden Street; Singh
owns the X-Mart at 711
North Broad Street. Stan
ley’s business, Kay’s Hand
bags, at 806 North Broad
Street.
order to achieve the AYP
standards, each school
must meet 100 percent of
its targeted goals. Should
the results for Holmes be
certified, it will mark the
1 “It's one of those
things that when
you do it, you never
know whose life
you’re going to
impact. ”
ri ■ y* ■
Steve Mizell
}. Open Door pastor
said Steve Mizell, Open Door pas
tor.
For instance, Mizell said, at
Sunday night’s game a man from
Chicago came up to him at the
ballpark to thank him and his
church members for providing
such good meals.
It turned out, Mizell said, that
the man’s son is playing for the
Steamers this summer and the
family had come from Illinois for
a week to see him in action and
experience a bit of the community.
Mizell said he believes the
Steamers are giving a great gift to
the community just by being here
and that the church is happy to
return the favor.
Walton
and Singh
allege they
too are vic
tims.
Walton
said her
husband
purchased
the mer
chandise
via tne internet wnere tne
handbags were listed as
authentic. 1
“Had we known there
was a problem with those
bags, we would have never
ordered them,” Walton
said. “Who wants to open
$ new store and sell illegal
sixth consecutive year
that the high school has
not met federally mandat
ed goals under AYP.
Koonce said that every
three years the standards
for AYP are set at a “more
rigorous” level.
“It’s a moving, target,”
Koonce said. “Our kids
are doing as well as any
kids in the state.”
Superintendent Allan
Smith said that he ex
pected “a huge number of
schools in the state” not to
“What I tell people is that there
are so many average-size towns
that aren’t blessed with the good
fortune to have a team like the
Steamers,” Mizell said. “We
(church) want to do everything we
can to help them stay”
In return for the meals the Life
Groups from Open Door provide,
the church has received a tangible
gesture of thanks from the Steam
ers organization — their own sign
above the scoreboard.
Steamers president Katy
Ebersole said it’s certainly well
deserved.
“This is a tremendous thing
they are doing,” Ebersole said.
She said that providing home
style cooking is in keeping with
the Coastal Plain League’s desire
to see the players receive healthy
meals.
Waterman’s, a restaurant co
owned by Ebersole, was one of
a few that provided food for the
team. But they gladly handed off
that responsibility to the church at
the beginning of this season.
On Sunday night members of
the Water’s Edge, one of the 18
Life Groups at Open Door, were on
hand to provide chicken salad
See OPEN DOOR, 2A
stuff.”
Singh echoed the point.
“I bought my merchan
dise from a big market in
Washington, D.C., from
a business called Baba’s
Shoesand Footwear,” Singh
said. “I paid with a credit
card and they charged me
tax. I never thought I was
doing anything wrong.”
Singh, who moved here
four years ago, admits
stocking his store with
the merchandise. “If I had
thought I had done any
thing wrong, would I have
put it (items) out here for
everyone to see?”
Singh said the whole epi
• ,0
meet AYP.
Last year, D.F. Walker
made AYP. Chowan Mid
dle narrowly missed AYP
be the same margin as
last year. Holmes failed to
meet AYP by two targeted
goals.
School board member
Gil Burroughs noted that
over the three-year period
covered in the presenta
tion, “the numbers are all
over the place.”
See AYP, 5A
Drug
probe
nets 2
arrests
From staff reports
A six-month investi
gation ended with law
enforcement storming a
South Oakum Street resi
dence Monday where two
were arrested on drug-re
lated charges.
Charged were Marcellos
Dequa White, 28, and Nor
man Lydell Ford, Jr., 37, ac
cording to Chowan County
Sheriff Dwayne Goodwin.
Ford, of
Church
Street,
was found
to have
19 grams
of crack
cocaine,
Good
win said.
He was
Goodwin
charged with possession
with intent to sell and de
liver, Goodwin said.
White, of the S. 103 Oa
kum Street residence, was
charged with three counts
of possession with intent
to sell and deliver after he
sold drugs to an undercov
er officer, Goodwin said.
Both men have lengthy
criminal records, includ
ing drug activity, Goodwin
said.
White’s residence had
become a target of investi
gation after neighbors fre
quently complained about
suspicious offenses, Good
win said. Neighbors said
there was frequent traffic
at the residence and people
hanging out there day and
night.
In conjunction with the
sheriff’s office, Edenton po
lice and the N.C. Highway
Patrol raided the residence
around 2 p.m. with a search
warrant, Goodwin said.
sode had left him feeling
“embarrassed and humili
ated.” He added that he
had fully cooperated with
police and was “shocked”
when he was arrested. He
intends to plead not guilty
in court, Singh said.
Stanley declined com
ment.
Police Chief Jay Forten
bery said an investigation
began after his office re
ceived a tip that counter
feit goods were being sold
at the respective retailers.
With the assistance of a
trademark investigator,
. <, See COUNTERFEIT 2A