482-4418
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Councilor Britton dead at 64
Sickle cell anemia
cited as cause
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Edenton Town Council
woman Phyllis Britton, 64,
died Sunday afternoon at
Brian Center Health and
Rehab in Hertford.
Britton’s brother, Wil
liam Madry of Greensboro
said Sunday evening that
Britton, who represented
ward 3,
died of
sickle cell
anemia.
Sickle
cellanemia
is a genetic
disorder
predomi
nantiy
found in
those of African and Medi
terranean heritage.
Madry said Britton had
r
been diagnosed with the
condition as a child. Her
. parents, he said, were told
she would most likely not
live past the age of 13.
But Britton, a Chowan
County native and gradu
ate of Elizabeth City State
University, proved them
wrong, Madry said.
“She was my heart,”
Madry said of his sister.
“I always admired how she
was so tenacious in deal
ing with the disease. She
had just turned 64 on Nov,
17.1 am going to miss her
so much.”
- Mayor Roland Vaughan
agreed. He said he always
respected the way Britton
worked so hard to serve
those she represented on
the- council despite the
challenges posed by her
health.
“Phyllis was very brave
in the face of the illness
that she dealt with over
the years,” Vaughan said.
“ Wewill miss her now that
she’s gone.”
Mayor pro tem Steve
Biggs chaired the admin
istrative committee on
which Britton served.
Biggs said that while there
were times Britton was un
able to attend meetings due
to ill health she stayed in
close contact with him re
garding council business.
Britton’s attendance at
council meetings had be
come sporadic due to her
illness and she had lost
her ability to drive, said
Anne Marie Knighton,
town manager. Last year, 1
Britton traveled to a N.C. *
League of Municipalities |
meeting only to fall ill <
shortly thereafter, Knigh- |
ton added.
Biggs said that Britton
took care to do a good job
for those she represented,
never using her ill health
See BRITTON, 3A
County
returns
to tier 1
More options
available
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
One year after being el
evated to a tier 2 economic
ranking, the state has re
verted Chowan County to
a tier 1, or among North
Carolina’s most economi
cally distressed.
Chowan County ranks
30th in the state as the
most economically dis
tressed, said Tim Crowley,
N.C. Department of Com
merce spokesman.
“The two things that
affected Chowan County
this year is the lower rank
ing population growth and
the 12-month average of
the unemployment rate,”
Crowley said Thursday.
“Chowan fell 29 places in
population growth while
falling from 46th to 57th in
unemployment (an aver
age of 10.5).”
In 2011, Chowan ranked
42nd as the most economi
cally distressed, or a bor
derline county between
tier designations, Crowley
said. Tier 1 represents the
state’s top 40 economically
distressed counties.
“A lot of times the bor
der counties will end of
moving the next year,”
Crowley said.
Wednesday’s news came
as no surprise to area
leaders familiar with the
county’s demographics.
“Unemployment cou
pled with no growth in
the last (U.S.) Census
doesn’t bode well for us,”
said Edenton Mayor Ro
land Vaughan. “It’s hard
to swim upstream in this
economic climate.”
Richard Bunch, execu
tive director of the Eden
ton-Chowan Chamber of
Commerce, also pointed to
the county’s lingering job
less rate and inability to
attract new growth.
“We’re still stagnant
in our employment - we
can’t get it below 10 per
cent,” Bunch said.
He added that the influx
of residents who have mi
grated from southern Vir
ginia to North Carolina’s
• northeast corner have not
reached Chowan County
yet.
Chowan’s unemploy
ment rate for October
stood at 10.8 percent,
compared to 9.8 a year
ago, according to the N.C.
Division of Employment
Security
See HER, 3A
4813,"0
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
fc' • ’I p*1 1 ;■* ■%
89076"
Annual Christmas tree
illumjnation draws
crowd, visit from Santa
PHOTOS BY REBECCA LOWE
Edenton's official Christmas tree (above) stands tall by the waterfront amid Friday evening’s annual illumination. A gener
ous crowd watched in delight as Mayor Roland Vaughan flipped the switch to signal the start of the holiday season. There
were carols and a visit from Santa (top) that followed.
Spear will not seek re-election
Lawmaker won’t tiy for I
next term in new district
By PETER WILLIAMS
Staff Writer
State Rep. Timothy L. Spear,
the Washington County Democrat
who has also represented Chowan,
Dare and Hyde counties in the
Legislature since 2006, said Sun
day that he will not seek re-elec
tion next year.
In a two-paragraph statement re
leased via e-mail, Spear said fam
ily considerations had convinced
him not to seek a fourth term.
“After much thought and con
sideration I have decided not to
seek re-election to the North Caro
lina House of Representatives next
year,” Spear said in the e-mail. “I
am looking for
ward to spending
more time with
my wife and fam
ily, especially our
five grandchil
dren. Also, I need
to dedicate more
of my time to help
and assist my el
derly parents, both
of whom are in declining health.”
Spear, who won election three
times, expressed thanks to those
who had supported him in the
past. i.
"It has been my honor and privi
MMHMMAMeaiaiHMM
lege to serve the people of House
District 2 as their Representative
for the past six years. I am very
grateful for the vote and gener
ous support I have received from
everyone during my past election
campaigns,” he said.
Spear, a retired clerk of
Superior Court in Washington,
was appointed to the 2nd House
District seat in January 2006 to re
place William Culpepper HI, who
had resigned to take a seat on the
State Utilities Commission.
It is not clear what role redis
tricting played in Spear’s decision
not to seek re-election.
Under the redistricting plan
See TIM SPEAR, 2A
it
Chowan
Hospital j
tweaks
name
Vidant to
replace UHS i
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor .
By the end of next
month Chowan Hospital
passersby will notice a .
slight change in the medi- . I
cal facility’s name. f
Vidant will precede |
Chowan Hospital on the
signage as the facility’s ■
parent company adapts to ]
a new name. University j
Health Systems of East- *
era Carolina announced 'j
Wednesday it will change ,
its name to Vidant Health \
effective Jan. 25. 1
“For years, the name Uni- \
. versity Health Systems has
stood for the highest level
of care in eastern North
Carolina,” Jeff Sackrison,
president of Chowan and
Bertie hospitals, said in a
statement. “As we contin
ue to evolve and strengthen
our integrated system, the
time has come to evolve
our name as well.”
The announcement came
Wednesday during a media
briefing near Pitt County j
Memorial Hospital, which
is owned by the private,
nonprofit health system.
UHS will change the
See HOSPITAL, 9A
County
OKs
bonus
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor I
After four years without
a pay increase, Chowan
County employees got an
early Christmas present in
the way of a bonus.
At its Monday night
meeting, the Board of Com
missioners voted unani
mously to give each of its
200 employees a $200 bonus
before the year’s end. Be
cause of the county’s eco
nomic meltdown in 2008,
which left Chowan on the
brink of bankruptcy and
state takeover, none of the
county’s employees have
received a raise.
“Citizens have had to
suffer. Employees have had
to suffer,” said Commis
sioner Emmett Winborne.
“This is a small token, bid
well overdue.”
Chowan has managed to
return to fiscal solvency
See BONUS, 3A
i
•V ; *