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McCrary coming to Edenton’s 300th
From staff reports
Gov. Pat McCrory will be
in Edenton May 18 to help
the town commemorate its
300th Anniversary.
McCrory is slated to par
ticipate in events from 11:30
a.m. to 2 p.m.
The day’s activities will
commemorate the forma
tion of North Carolina and
the appointment in 1713, by
County
keeps
option
open
By REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
Citing a desire to keep all
options open, the Chowan
County Board of Commis
sioners voted Monday to
apply for a demolition per
mit from the Edenton Pres
ervation Commission for
the Hotel Hinton building.
Commissioners stressed
that they do not wish to see
the building demolished.
But a motion by Commis
sioner Alex Kehayes not
to proceed with applying
for the permit failed, with
only Kehayes and Commis
sioner Greg Bonner voting
for it.
Later, Kehayes and Bon
ner backed Commissioner
Jeff Smith’smotiontomove
ahead with the permit ap
plication. Smith’s motion
passed unanimously
Commissioner Emmett
Winbome stressed that
demolishing the building
“is not something that we
want to do.”
But Winbome said the
county needs to keep the
demolition option open.
“I think we have an ob
ligation to the citizens of
Chowan Couny to keep this
option open," Winborne
said.
The historic building
most recently was used as
a county office building. It
now is vacant, and its dete
riorating condition was cit
ed as a concern by several
commissioners.
Commissioner John
Mitchener said the county
needs to maintain “maxi
mum flexibility” by apply
ing for the permit while
continuing to pursue the
historic preservation
route.
But Bonner contended
“demolition can wait,” and
Kehayes agreed.
Kehayes said the commit
tee that the commissioners
formed to work with Pres
ervation North Carolina
in marketing the property
is convinced that a demo
lition permit will be detri
mental to the marketing of
the property.
Prior to the board’s vote
at its regular meeting
Monday night, Edenton
Town Manager Anne-Ma
rie Knighton made a brief
See DEMOLITION, 3A
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
Inside
Supreme Court to meet in Edenton today — 1B
Her Majesty Queen Anne,
of Charles Eden as Gover
nor.
Public festivities on May
18 will begin with the ar
rival of an interpreter, in
colonial attire, portraying
Gov. Charles Eden.
The Power of Prayer
STAFF PHOTOS BY REGGIE PONDER
As a large American flag flapped in the breeze overhead, a crowd estimated at 65 joined in prayer on the lawn of Vidant
Chowan Hospital Thursday in observance of the National Day of Prayer. Cindy Coker, vice president for patient care services
at Vidant Chowan Hospital, thanked everyone who attended the event, saying she was glad they came out to “stand up and
be counted." Above, Lt. Col. George A. Nelson speaks about the need to pray for the military. Below, the group stands during
part of the prayer service.
Culpepper not slated for reappointment
From staff reports
Bill Culpepper will not be re
appointed to his seat on the N.C.
Utilities Commission when his
term expires next month, accord
ing to the office of Gov. Pat Mc
Crory.
Culpepper, a former state rep
resentative from Chowan County,
began serving on the Utilities
Commission in January 2006. His
term expires June 30.
The Eden interpreter is
scheduled to arrive aboard
the historic replica sailing
boat Silver Chalice, from
Roanoke Island Festival
Park.
The actor portraying
Eden will meet McCrory.
They then will board horse
drawn carriages and make
their way to the 1767 Court
house Green to share the
celebration and honor the
many contributions made
by Edenton’s founders.
The 1767 Chowan Coun
ty Courthouse Green is the,
site of North Carolina’s
first Assembly building
and a National Historic
Landmark.
Culpepper
served in the N.C.
House of Repre
sentatives from
1993-2005 and
chaired the House
Rules Committee
from 1999-2005.
Culpepper de
clined to answer
questions Friday
what had been the most reward
ing and most challenging aspects
Culpepper
concerning
The program on the
Courthouse Green will in
clude the keynote address
by McCrory and his presen
tation of an official procla
mation honoring Edenton’s
300th Anniversary. Several
secretaries of North Caro
lina departments of gov
ernment as well as locally
elected officials will join
the governor during the
program.
of serving on the Utilities Com
mission.
Asked about how his service
on the Utilities Commission had
been different from serving in the
General Assembly, Culpepper ob
served that they are “two differ
ent spheres of public service."
Culpepper declined to say any
thing about his future plans.
McCrory last week announced
three nominations to the State
Utilities Commission, subject to
Chowan County student
winners of three essay
writing contests will re
ceive awards from the gov
ernor.
Earlier that morning,
around 10:30, citizens as
sembled at the Courthouse
Green will witness events
comparable to what they
would have seen during
the colonial era, including
See VISIT, 4A
Power
goes out
across
county
From staff reports
A power outage on Mon
day afternoon that lasted
just over 45 minutes caused
a loss of
electricity
that affect
ed close to
4,000 util
ity custom
ers served
by the
Town of
Edenton.
Town Manager Anne
Marie Knighton said that
the outage was caused by
a Dominion Power-related
equipment failure.
Knighton said that after
talking with Dominion
officials she learned that
a pair of arrestors that
See OUTAGE, 2A
Car fire
being
probed
From staff reports
Edenton Police are in
vestigating a suspicious
fire that destroyed a car
behind a home on Martin
Luther King Jr. Ave. Fri
day afternoon.
A 2004 Chrysler Sprint
er belonging to Shakitta
Necole Walton, 35, of 513
C Martin Luther King Jr.
Ave., was destroyed in the
fire, according to police.
The vehicle’s value was
listed as $10,000.
The fire is. “suspicious
in nature,” according to
Police Chief Jay Forten
berry, but it had not been
ruled as arson as of the
time the paper was going
to press.
See FIRE, 2A
approval by joint resolution in
the General Assembly The new
members of the Utilities Commis
sion will be Rep. Jerry Dockham,
R-Davidson, and James Patter
son of Guilford County, and the
new executive director of public
staff will be Chris Ayers of Wake
County.
Dockham is an 11-term
member of the State House of
See CULPEPPER, 2A