482-4418
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
50*
Voters to get at least 2 new faces
Filing begins
at noon Monday
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Chowan County vot
ers will have at least two
new faces on the Board of
Commissioners come No
vember.
Commissioners Eddy
Goodwin and Ralph Cole
have announced they will
not seek re-election. In
cumbents Keith Nixon and
Emmett Winborne have
yet to formally decide,
although both appear to
be leaning toward repeat
campaigns.
Two Republican can
didates have already
emerged to contend for
Goodwin’s District 2 seat,
guaranteeing a GOP pri
mary showdown in May
Alex Kehayes and Tim
Phelps said they’re pursu
ingthe impendingvacancy.
After both applauded the
board’s economic recovery
after fiscal mismanage
ment forced Chowan on
the brink of bankruptcy
four years ago, each hopes
to be the one to continue
the renewed responsibil
ity.
“I’d like to keep us on
the same track - fiscally
responsible - in oversee-,
ing the operations of the
county,” Kehayes said.
The 69-year-old retired
doctor said he wants to
encourage economic de
velopment.
“Everyone is concerned
about jobs,” Kehayes said.
“I want to know if we can
do anything in terms of
infrastructure to make
this a location where busi
nesses want to come to.”
Phelps, 49, hopes to ap
ply his business savvy
toward the county’s man
agement. A building con
tractor with more than 30
years construction experi
ence and a former presi
dent of the local Cham
ber of Commerce, Phelps
too wants to be a part of
Chowan’s continued fiscal
rise.
“Growth and prosper
ity is what I want for all
See CANDIDATES, 3A
More
students
dropout
170 area pupils
have quit-school
By PETER WILLIAMS
The Daily Advance
More students dropped
out of high school* in the
five-county Albemarle re
gion last year than the year
before, with the Edenton
Chowan Schools reporting
the biggest increase — 16
students, or a whopping 57
percent jump.
Two school districts —
Elizabeth City-Pasquotank
and Camden — actually
reported fewer dropouts in
2010-11 than the previous
year. However, two other
districts besides Edenton
ChowafP—- Currituck and
Perquimans — bucked the
Inside
; "h. I-1
College credit
program helps curb i:
dropouts, PAGE 3A
,* ' fg'f
statewide trend and re
ported increases.
Overall, 170 Albemarle
area students left high
school without graduat
- ing in 2010-11, statistics
released by the N.C. De
partment of Public In
struction this week show.
The year before, 155 stu
. dents dropped out of area
schools.
In the case of Edenton
—-Chowan, the number of
dropouts soared from 28
in 2009-10 to 44 last year
— from 3.43 percent of the
student body to 5.66 per
cent, nearly twice the state
rate of 3.43 percent.
Not all of those dropping
out of the Edenton-Chow
an Schools have given up
on education, however. In
fact, more than half — 23
— left school and are cur
rently enrolled in adult*
education courses at a
community college. Only
15 dropped out because of
attendance problems.
“We try and make sure
every child graduates, but
for some students high
school is not the best fit
for them,” school district
spokeswoman Michelle
Maddox said. "The way we
view it, at least they are
staying in school.”
Statewide, 15,342 high
school students dropped
See DROPOUTS, 3A
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
Chamber Honors
Award Recipients
STAFF PHOTOS BY RITCHIE STARNES
Leslie Jordan walks to the podium to accept her award as the William “Spec" Jones Volunteer of the Year for 2011
at the Edenton-Chowan Chamber Awards Banquet at the Chowan Golf & Country Club, Thursday.
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Five of the area’s top contributors to
the community’s betterment were
honored at the annual Chamber
of Commerce Awards banquet held
Thursday evening at the Chowan Golf &
Country Club.
Edenton attorney Travis Ellis, who
served as chamber president in 2010,
was awarded the John A. Mitchener Jr.
Business Person of the Year. Two retired
fire chiefs, the Barker House manager, a
Destination Downtown Edenton promo
tion committee, and a dedicated vol
, unteer were all recipients of Chamber
recognition.
Presenter Donna Hollowell Winborne
noted that Ellis decided on a career in the
legal profession early in life.
“He (Ellis) decided on his career in
sixth grade,” Winborne said, “and has
never wavered (in his choice).”
“He is dedicated, selfless, and a true
leader,” Winborne added. “Travis is un
assuming and does not expect anything
in return for all he gives.”
See CHAMBER, 4A
Attorney Travis Ellis was named the recipient of the 2011 John A.
Mitchener Jr. Business Person of the Year award, Thursday.
DOT
awards
$1M bid
From staff reports
N.C. Department of
Transportation Secretary
Gene Conti has awarded a
$1 million contract to re
place a bridge on N.C. 32
over Queen Anne Creek in
Chowan County
Palmetto Infrastructure
Inc. of Greenville, S.C. was
awarded the contract and
construction can begin as
early as Feb. 27. ’
The contract calls for
replacement of the old
bridge, and is scheduled to
be completed by Sept 7.
Initial plans call for a
74-day detour during the
summer while DOT replac
es the bridge over Queen
Anne Creek. By closing the
road, instead of building a
temporary bridge as some
local residents prefer, DOT
will save nearly twice as
much as the costs of the
new bridge.
J.D. Jennings, DOT divi
sion engineer, previously
said the road closure op
tion would save $1.2 mil
lion in construction costs.
In addition to more costs,
a temporary bridge for con
tinued traffic during, con
struction would add two
more years to the project,
Jennings said. Emergency
responders and routine po
lice patrols will be forced to
" use the gated-community
of Hayes Plantation as an
alternate route. Plans call
for a siren-activated gate at f
Soundside Road for emer
gency vehicles. Those ve
hicles will also be forced to
use the wooden bridge en
trance at Colonial Park.
The detour will also im
pact the Northeastern Re
gional Airport as well as
the surrounding residen
tial and industrial areas.
This is one of 39 con
tracts totaling $203.2 mil
lion awarded by Conti for
highway and bridge proj
ects across North Carolina.
NCDOT awarded the con
tracts to the lowest bidders,
as required by state law.
The bids received on the
projects awarded came in
about 2.9 percent, or about
$6.2 million, below DOT
estimates. Since January
2009, DOT. has awarded 5H
highway contracts totaling
$3.8 billion.
Edenton-Chowan school lunch prices to rise
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
The cost of school lunch could
rise by as much as 15 to 30 cents
next year due to changes in fed
eral nutritional guidelines set to
go into effect.
Karen Tynch, child nutrition
director for the Edenton-Chowan
Schools, told the school board
at its monthly meeting Monday
night that the increase would be
necessary due to a required rise in
the amount of fruit and vegetables
served to students at lunch daily
That change will go into effect
when school starts again.
“We already do more (in terms
of serving nutritional mealsTthan
the current requirements,” Tynch
told the board. “But this change
is going to make us have to spend
more money”
For example, lunches currently
served to students in grades K-12
require that they receive one-half
to three-fourths of a cup of fruit
and vegetables combined per day
Under the new plan, schools will
be required to provide each stu
dent three-fourths to a cup of veg
etables per day, plus one-half to a
cup of fruit each day. ? V
See LUNCHES, 2A
All YOU GAN EAT! $25.00 / PERSON
**UMV!ED TO FIRST 100 PEOPLE**
a 6 PM TO 8 PM
^ V 5k