Wednesday, August 15, 2012
482-4418
Preview
the
2012
Aces
— 6A
50*
Unemployment rates increase in 84 counties
Chowan posts
10.9 jobless rate
From staff reports
Raleigh — Unemploy
ment rates rose in 84
of North Carolina’s 100
counties, including Chow
an, in June.
The rates fell in 11, and
were unchanged in five.
When compared to the
same month last year,
unemployment rates
declined in 91 counties,
increased in six, and
remained the same in
three.
In the latest figures,
Chowan County posted
a jobless rate of 10.9, up
from May’s rate of 10.2
percent — a difference of
.7 percent.
The latest numbers
mean that in June Chow
an County — with a work
force of 6,142 people —
had 667 people who were
unemployed and looking
for work.
In June 2011 the unem
ployment rate for June in
Chowan County stood at
11.7 percent — a drop of
.8 percent, state officials
said.
“Over-the-year num
bers are showing a posi
tive trend compared to the
June numbers,” said N.C.
Department of Commerce
Secretary Dale Carroll.
“Since June of last year,
rates are down in nearly
all of North Carolina’s
100 counties. Job an
nouncements continue to
See JOBLESS, 2A
Unemployment Rates in 2012
County
Jan.
Feb.
March
April
May
June
Pasquotank
11.7
11.4
10.6
9.9
10.3
10.8
Camden
8.6
8.7
8.1
7.2
7.5
7.4
Currituck
10.4
10.7
8.5
5.3
5.3
5.3
Perquimans
10.4
10.3
9.7
9.7
9.8
10.3
Chowan
11.8
11.4
10.5
10
10.2
10.9
Gates
7.6
7.7
7.2 7.1 7.1 7.5
SOURCE NC DIVISION OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY
Visitors
spent
$17M
last year
Nixon: Welcomed
news in tough times
From stuff reports
A report released Aug.
7 by the North Carolina
Division of Tourism,
Film and Sports Develop
ment shows those visiting
Chowan County spent over
$17-million last year, up 4.4
percent from the previous
year.
The report showed that
the travel and tourism in
dustry directly employs
over 140 locally The total
payroll generated by tour
ism industry during 2011
was $2.46 million, the re
port stated. State tax rev
enue generated in Chowan
totaled
$850,000
through
state sales
and excise
taxes, and
taxes on
personal
and cor
porate in
Nixon
come. Approximately $1.08
million in local taxes were
generated from sales and
property tax revenue from
travel-generated and trav
el-supported businesses.
Keith Nixon, Chowan
Tourism Development Au
thority board chairman,
said the increase provides
welcome news in a tough
economy
“The more sales tax that
is generated by tourists,
the lower property taxes
can stay,” Nixon said. “It
also means more jobs.
“This increase in visitor
spending shows the eco
nomic value of tourism to
us here in Chowan County
and the importance of our
working together to fur
ther grow this significant
industry”, he added.
Chowan Tourism Devel
opment Authority Direc
tor Nancy Nicholls said
that the increased activity
in tourism would present
a great opportunity for
boosting those .numbers
even higher as the town
prepares to celebrate its
300th anniversary, a year
long event slated to begin
in November.
“With the recent public
ity that the relocation of
the 1886 Roanoke River
Lighthouse has received
from public television and
Our State magazine, and
other media outlets, and
now with the anniversary
approaching we’re' well
See SPENDING, 2A
S ©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
River
Sound
pro
vides a
bulkhead
along
Yeopim
River.
PHOTOS COURTESY BY DAVID'MCCALL
Amenities such as this boat ramp located at the River Sound development off the Yeopim River in Chowan County had been
costing property owners $600 monthly in homeowners’dues.
Water, sewer underway
225 property owners have been unable to build since ’07
Economic downturn
hamstrung River Sound
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Five years after developers sold
225 lots of the gated River Sound
but failed to provide infrastructure
necessary for new home construc
tion, efforts are currently under
way to install water and sewer in
the subdivision.
Chowan County has ordered that
International Fidelity Insurance
Company (IFIC) fulfill its bond ob
ligation and finish what the Water
front Group started in 2007. Over
the course of a weekend that year
Waterfront sold all of the lots in
River Sound’s phase I. Those who
purchased property at optimum
River Sound is a gated community that pre sold 225 lots in 2007.
price points and before the eco
nomic collapse in 2008, have been
required to pay property taxes and
monthly homeowners dues while
See RIVER SOUND, 4A
Residents
demand
enforcement
Planner found
35 violations
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
A group of residents has
reached out to county offi
cials for help with cracking
down on zoning violations
in Chowan Beach that have
left the riverside subdivi
sion an eyesore.
A house covered with a '
blue tarp, a small camper
nestled in brush, trash
strewn about the yard, a
structure built around a
camper,' and thigh-high
grass are just some of the
violations that have compli
ant residents seething mad
. about what has happened
to their neighborhood.
Landin Holland, Chowan
County’s contracted plan
ner, confirmed that he has
* toured the subdivision and
found at least 35 violations
of county ordinances. But
before the county can notify
the property owners of the
violations, Holland said,
the county has to prepare
to execute enforcement.
“Once you send a letter
and don’t follow up, they’re
going to know you’re not
serious,” Holland said. “We
want to put some weight be
hind it.”
Putting teeth in the en
forcement will require
time and taxpayer expense.
Neighbors claim they’ve
tried to get county officials
to intervene before. Those
pleas, they say, led to no
action. Instead, concerned
neighbors were told that
the county did not have the
resources to enforce the
violations.
“That’s true to a certain
extent, but the county is
trying to correct that,” Hol
land said.
Carol Haynes, who along
with her husband built a
house in Chowan Beach,
said the rash of violations
cheapens the quality of
life in the subdivision and
threatens surrounding
property values.
“The people who live
here in campers have
their hands in my pocket,”
Haynes said. “Who wants
to live in a subdivision with
campers?”
Chowan County ordi
nances forbid the use of
See ENFORCEMENT, 3A
Steinburg: Sex offender didn’t work for campaign
Candidate claims ‘gutter politics’
By REQOIE PONDER
The Daily Advance
State House candidates Bob Steinburg and Bill
Luton sharply disagree over the significance of the
recent report in a Raleigh-based newspaper that a
registered sex offender has been involved in Stein
burg’s campaign.
The News & Observer last week reported that
Harvey L. West Jr. of Washington County had
. See STEINBURG, 4A
FILE PHOTO
GOP state House candidate
Bob Steinburg (right) and
supporter Harvey L. West Jr.
look over primary campaign
returns at Steinburg's home
in Edenton, Tuesday, May 8,
the night Steinburg won the
GOP nomination for state
representative in District 1.