/*■ im,
482-4418
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Aces gridiron talent must make
the grade — 6A
50*
Ex-Dem keynotes GOP center opening
Hub supports
GOP campaigns
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Who best to kickoff
the ceremonious grand
opening of the Repub
lican Victory Center in
Edenton than a former
Democrat congressman
who now stumps for the
GOP?
Artur Davis, a for
mer member of the U.S.
House of Representa
tives from Alabama, de
livered keynote remarks
at Thursday morning’s
official Victory Center
opening. One of Presi
dent Barack Obama’s
earliest supporters and
a former co-chairman
for his presidential cam
paign, the former Demo
. crat switched parties
about three months ago.
“I once was lost, but
Most
schools
meet
targets
2011-12 final year
for ABCs report
By PETER WILLIAMS
The Daily Advance
Twenty-eight of 35
schools in the five county
region — 80 percent — met
or exceeded student learn
ing growth targets on the
ABCs of Public Education
in the final year the state
will be using the testing
measurement.
According to state data
released Thursday, all five
schools in Camden County,
four schools in Perquimans
County and four schools
in the Edenton-Chowan
Schools met' expected
growth on the ABCs. So
did nine of 12 schools in
the Elizabeth City-Public
Schools and six of 10 in the
Currituck County Schools
district.
In addition, two Cam
den schools — CamTech
and Camden Intermedi
ate — were named Honor
Schools of Excellence for
students performance on
end-of-course and end-of
grade testing, as were two
Currituck schools — J.P.
Knapp Early College High
School and Knotts Island
Elementary School.
Three other Camden
schools were named
Schools of Distinction.
Camden High, Grandy Pri
mary and Camden Middle
were awarded that status.
Four Currituck schools
also were named Schools
of Distinction.
They included Central
Elementary, Jarvisburg El
ementary, Moyock Elemen
tary and Currituck Middle
schools.
Perquimans High School
also was named a School of
Distinction.
In the Elizabeth City-Pas
quotank Public Schools,
Weeksville Elementary
See TARGETS, 4A
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
&
now I am found,” Davis
shouted to some 60 spec
tators gathered outside
the downtown center.
He then urged them
to reclaim their country
during the November
elections.
“If we don’t take this
country back, set it
right, we may not recog:
nize it,” Davis said. “Get
out there and take your
country back. It might
come down to North
Carolina.”
Davis, who represent
ed Alabama’s 7th Con
gressional District from
2003 to 2011, was nota
bly the first member of
Congress outside of Il
linois to endorse then
Senator Obama’s 2008
presidential bid. And it
was Davis who seconded
the official nomination
of Obama at the 2008
Democratic National
See OPENING, 2A
STAFF PHOTOS BY RITCHIE STARNES
Artur Davis, left at podium, speaks at Thursday’s Republican Victory Center grand opening in Eden
tori. Davis, a former Democrat U.S. congressman from Alabama, switched political affiliations and
joined the Republican Party. Once a supporter of President Barack Obama, Davis currently stumps
for GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.
Digital conversion costs
could darken Taylor Theater
STAFF PHOTOS BY RITCHIE E. STARNES
Bob Krochnal peers through a projector’s window at his Taylor Theater. While Edenton’s two-screen theater still relies on film,
an industry transition toward digital within a year threatens the sustainability of the movie house.
Owner needs to raise $150K by 2013
Film soon to be obsolete
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Still reeling from a stagnant economy,
the Taylor Theater is now faced with a
new crisis that threatens to bring the
curtain down on movies shown in Edenton.
The Taylor Theater is among thousands
of small-town movie houses across the
country faced with making the conversion
from celluloid to digital. While the quality
of digitally shown movies shown will be an
improvement over film, the required finan
cial investment will be simply to remain in
business and not necessarily translate into
additional revenue. At $150,000, which is
what’s required to make the change at the
Taylor’s twin cinema, the sum remains too
steep for 46-year-old owner Bob Krochnal.
Krochnal said he’s talked with a venture
capitalist about a loan to cover the conver
sion, but the terms call for a 5-year loan at
more than 9 percent interest, or roughly
$3,200 per month. That doesn’t include his
other expenses, such as rent and utilities.
“That’s a mortgage! I need 30 years to pay
that back,” Krochnal said. “I can’t take that
loan out."
' Krochnal, who also serves as theater man
ager, said he will not be able to go it alone,
He’s appealing for the community’s help to
subsidize the transition.
“If we want to keep this theater in town,
I’m going to need help from the money folks,”
Krochnal said. “If I go under, this town will
See THEATER, 3A
» i*
'!
Bob Krochnal stands beside film reels attached to the wall inside the
projection room at his Taylor Theater. Plans call for the conversion
from celluloid to digital.The conversion will costs Krochnal $150,000
just to remain status quo in terms of revenue.
jt
*
■P
Suit
alleges
racial
bias
Suit targets white
school officials
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
A fired school admin
istrator from Edenton
Chowan Schools has filed
a federal lawsuit alleging
that school officials dis
criminated against her be
cause of race.
Mary E. Lyons-Felton
filed the suit on July 31,
alleging that the school
system violated the Civil
Rights Act by discriminat
ing against her because she
is black. The suit specifi
cally targets white school
officials, both individually
and in their professional
capacities.
“This lawsuit primarily
seeks redress, in the con
text of Title VII claims, for
Edenton-Chowan Schools’
failure to promote Plaintiff
to Director of Secondary
and Career Technical Edu
cation due to being black
and her prior complaints
of racial discrimination
based upon acts commit
ted by Edenton-Chowan
Schools’ Board Members,
Chairman, Director of
Human Resources, Su
perintendent and highest
officials...As opposed to
promoting the Plaintiff to
said position on the basis
of her credentials, Eden
ton-Chowan Schools hired
a less qualified white can
didate,” the suit /eads in
part.
See BIAS, 2A
School
grad
report
mixed
Only 3 of 7 schools
show rate increases
By PETER WILLIAMS
The Daily Advance
Even though gradua
tion rates improved at only
three of seven area high
schools last year, six of the
seven posted rates higher
than the statewide average
that for the first time ever
topped 80 percent.
According to state data
released Thursday, the «
two high schools in the
Elizabeth City-Pasquotank
Public Schools district —
Northeastern and Pasquo
tank — showed the largest
improvement on gradua
tion rates during the 2011
12 school year.
Pasquotank County
High School’s graduation
rate rose from 74 percent
in 2010-11 to 85.6 percent in
2011-12 — an 11.6 percent
increase.
Northeastern High
School’s graduation rate,
meanwhile, grew from 88
percent to 88.6 percent, the
highest of any public high
school in the Albemarle.
SuperintendentLinwood
See GRAD RATES, 3A ,