Linda
Calabro
named
Master
Gardener
of the
Year.
—4A
50«
Troubled students
school forum’s focus
Area gives input
on school safety
By REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer .
EDENTON — The first
in a series of statewide
forums on school safety
focused on identifying
troubled students early
and getting them the help
they need.
The forum at the Eden
ton-Chowan campus of
College of The Albemarle
Tuesday night also cited
the crucial role of school
resource officers — law
enforcement officers sta
tioned at the state’s high
schools and some middle
and elementary schools.
The forums are part of
an initiative from Gov. Pay
McCrory’s newly launched
Center for Safer Schools.
Kieran J. Shanahan, sec
retary of the N.C. Depart
ment of Public Safety, told
the crowd in Edenton that
making the state’s schools
safer will take vigilance
and participation from
parents, students, teachers
and the community.
Much of the evening was
devoted to hearing what
residents from the region
think will make schools
safer.
NC’stop
court to
meet in
Chowan
Historic court
session set for May 8
, From stuff reports
EDENTON — For the
first time in nearly a de
cade, the N.C. Supreme
Court will hold court in the
state’s oldest courthouse.
The state’s top court is
scheduled to hear argu
ments in three cases dur
ing a session set for May 8
in the 1767 Chowan County
Courthouse in Edenton.
The courthouse is the only
site outside Raleigh where
the court is allowed by
state law to meet per 1995
legislation.
According to the Chow
an Tourism Development
Authority, the court will
hear arguments in three
cases: State v. Jones and
White; HCW Retirement
and Financial et al v. HCW
Employee Benefit et al;
and State v. Robert Lee
Earl Joe.
The last time the Su
K preme Court met in the
1767 Chowan County Court
house was Oct. 8,2004.
The session in May co
incides with the 300th
anniversary of the town
of, Edenton’s founding,
\ See COURT, 2A
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§ ©2009 The Chowan Herald
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STAFF PHOTO BY THOMAS J. TURNEY
Kieran Shanahan, secretary of the NC Department of Public
Safety, shakes hands with Aldona Wos, secretary of the NC De
partment of Health and Human Services at the Safer Schools
Public Forum at the Edenton-Chowan Campus of College of The
Albemarle, Tuesday.
“I am looking forward
to hearing from you and
hearing your ideas and re
ceiving your feedback,” Al
dona Wos, secretary of the
N.C. Department of Health
and Human Services, told
the crowd of about 125
gathered for the event.
Wos said emotional well
being and mental health
are critical to keeping stu
dents safe. DHHS is work
ing closely with schools to
recognize risk factors and
early warning signs for
people who might be vio
lent, she said.
“At the end of the day it
requires all of us to come,
together," Wos said.
The delegation of state
officials joined Edenton
Chowan Schools Superin
tendent Allan Smith and
other staff on a tour of
county schools Tuesday
afternoon. .
Edward “Sonny” Masso,
chief operating officer of
the N.C. Department of
Public Safety, said state
officials learned dur
ing the school tour that
See FORUM, 4A
Over the Rainbow
PHOTO BY JEFF KNOX
A rainbow graces the sky after showers brought cooler temperatures Friday afternoon.
Metal scrappers aid embezzlement
Feds: Williams, Lozano helped Mann steal from bombing range
By WILLIAM F. WEST
Staff Writer
One Chowan County salvage
and recycling business operator
has pleaded guilty and another
plans to plead guilty in connec
tion with a six-year embezzle
ment scheme at the Dare County
Bombing Range that federal
prosecutors allege defrauded the
U.S. government of millions of
dollars.
John Williams, owner of Wil
liams Recycling and Salvage,
pleaded guilty April 9 to theft
and conversion of government
property as well as aiding and
abetting the theft of govern
ment property, Don Connelly,
a spokesman for the U.S. Attor
ney's Office, said. Williams will
be sentenced on July 15, Con
nelly said.
Rudy Lozano, owner of R.L.
Metals and Demolishing, plans to
plead guilty to criminal wrong
doing on May 6, Connelly said.
Neither Lozano, noi; Williams
were indicted, but instead faced
what are called federal bills of
information. Unlike an indict
ment, a bill of information is a
charge not requiring a finding by
a grand jury but is instead issued
by a prosecutor.
Both salvage yard owners were
implicated in a scheme that has
resulted in criminal indictments
against a Dare County man on
charges of theft and conversion
of federal government property
as well as conspiring to steal
and convert government prop
erty. Harry C. Mann, of Manns
Harbor, is scheduled to face the
charges in U.S. District Court in
Raleigh on April 24.
Reached by phone last week,
Mann declined to comment on
the charges.
Court documents show Lozano
is represented by attorney Myron
Hill Jr. of Greenville. Williams is
represented by attorney Michael
Sanders of Elizabeth City. Nei
ther Hill nor Sanders could be
reached for comment.
According to his federal indict
ment, Mann was employed as a
Navy civil service employee as
signed to the Dare County Bomb
ing Range. The bombing range,
located in the Alligator River
National Wildlife Refuge in Dare
County, is used for target prac
tice by Navy pilots.
In 2003, Mann was promoted
to target range manager at the
bombing range. According to
the indictment, he was respon
sible for making sure facilities
and targets at the range were in
working order. His responsibili
ties also included making sure
military equipment no longer
needed by the Navy was properly
disposed of.
See MANN, 2A
Pilgrimage will showcase 19 homes
Houses must be at
least 100 years old
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
When people come to
Edenton for the Biennial
Pilgrimage, they are not
coming just to see old
houses, organizers say.
While each house on
the tour must be at least
100 years old to qualify for
inclusion, they are also
home to someone’s family.
Those families, in a show
of community spirit, have
agreed to open their doors
and share their homes
with visitors.
That tradition will
continue Friday and Sat
urday when the Pilgrim
age takes place from 10
a.m. and 5 p.m. Nineteen
homes will be featured on
the tour.
Sally Francis Kehayes,
wholedtheeffortonbehalf
of the Edenton Woman’s
Club to recruit homeown
ers to participate, said she
thinks that is what makes
this particular tour so ap
pealing to visitors.
“When people go on the
Pilgrimage tour they are
visiting a group of won
derful old houses that are
not museums, silent and
empty,” Kehayes said.
“They are the homes of
living, breathing families
who keep these houses
alive.”
Club president Nancy
Schroeder said that for
this tour that is taking
place during Edenton’s
300th anniversary celebra
tion, the club has gone all
out to create a memorable
experience for visitors.
In addition to a tour
that features a larger
number of open homes
— usually a dozen or so
are included — special
events including a vin
tage quilt show as well as
a fiber arts show and sale
are planned, courtesy of
the Chowan Arts Coun
cil. Those events will
take place inside the 1767
Chowan Courthouse both
days of the tour.
Pembroke Hall, one of
the town’s loveliest hous
es, will host an exhibit
of antique clothing that
belonged to the family of
the late Elizabeth Vann
Moore who was regarded
by many in Edenton as
the town’s unofficial his
torian. Included in the ex
hibit will be an 1895 wed
ding gown and two ball
gowns.
Also at Pembroke
Hall will be a collection
of antiques owned by a
member of the Edenton
Woman’s Club and an
exhibit from the North
Carolina Museum of His
toid Michael Ausbon, an
associate curator at the
See TOUR, 2A
CHOWAN HERALD FILE PHOTO
Tourgoers look at maps outside St. Paul’s Episcopal Church where
lunches will be provided this weekend. A special fish fry is also
planned by the members of the Fannie A. Parker Women’s Club.
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