Wednesday, May 15, 2013
‘Marine kudzu’ threatens river - 4A
50*
State Supreme Court holds session here
By REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
Attorney Ann Petersen
told the N.C. Supreme
Court last Wednesday that
she would gladly come to
Edenton anytime to argue
a case.
Petersen made the com
ment during the historic
session of the Supreme
Court held here last week.
She was representing the
defendant in the case State
v Robert Lee Earl Joe - one
of three cases the court
heard last week in Eden
ton.
The court will issue rul
ings in the cases at a later
time.
State v Robert Lee Earl
Joe was before the Su
preme Court previously,
and the court sent it back
to the Court of Appeals for
review of a specific issue
in the case.
During arguments in the
case last week, Petersen
remarked that she didn’t
want to come back before
the court a third time in
the matter.
“Even if we come to
Edenton?” asked Chief
Justice Sarah Parker.
“I’ll come to Edenton
on any case,” Petersen re
plied.
Petersen’s comment
echoed similar statements
made by attorneys in other
More On This Story
Local's enjoy Court's visit —* '4A
McCrory Visit
Gov. will be here Saturday — 1B
cases.
Under state law, the only
place other than Raleigh
where the State Supreme
Court can sit for cases is in
Edenton.
The Supreme Court’s ses
sion last week at Edenton’s
1767 Courthouse was held
in conjunction with Eden
ton’s 300th Anniversary. It
was only the second time
the court had met outside
of Raleigh since 1860.
The court heard cases
involving identity theft,
seizure of drugs, and arbi
tration.
Parker said at the outset
of the court’s session last
Wednesday that the court
was honored to be part of
Edenton’s 300th Anniver
sary and is grateful for
the work that was done by
many in preparation for
the event.
In particular, Parker
expressed appreciation to
Bob Quinn and the 300th
Anniversary Committee,
Jerry Climer and the Eden
ton Historical Commis
sion, Karen Ipock and the
staff of the Edenton state
See COURT, 4A
PHOTO COURTESY NC DEFT. OF CULTURAL RESOURCES
Mayor Roland Vaughan presents a commemorative plate to
Chief Justice Sarah Parker during a reception at the Barker
House on May 7.
Food
pantiy
receives
grant
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
r The Edenton-Chowan
Food Pantry has been
named the winner of a
$20,000 grant from Wal
mart’s Fighting Hunger
Together initiative.
Pantry director Ray
Wells said that the non
rr profit received 1,918 votes,
j finishing in 51st place
among online voters in the
competition. According to
contest rules, the grants
will be awarded to the top
60 vote getters.
Wells said that he was
not certain when the funds
would be received but that
they would be used specifi
’ _ cally to expand the Book
Bag Buddies program
in the Edenton-Chowan
Schools. That program
provides book bags filled
with nutritious food that
children who qualify take
home over the weekend.
The food pantry is a part
ner in that effort, which
currently assists 100 el
.ementary school-age stu
dents. The Wal-mart funds
will enable the pantry to
assist about 100 more stu
dents starting this fall,
Wells said.
“These, funds will be
used specifically for that
program, to help children,”
Wells said. “They will not
be a part of our general op
erating budget.”
Wells said he was deeply
grateful to all those who
took the time to vote for the
food pantry on Facebook
throughout the month of
April.
“Our town is not a big
one, but the people here
are known for having big
hearts,” Wells said. “They
see a need , and they re
spond quickly and without
hesitation. That’s one of
the things that makes it
* such a special place.”
Food Pantry board
Chairman Craig Miller
See GRANT, 2A
0
©2009 The Chowan Herald
' All Rights Reserved
Hog Wild
Annual Hog Fest a big hit with all
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
All the good-natured ribbing
Jimmy Jones of Edenton
has been taking lately paid
off on Saturday afternoon.
Jones said friends had teased
him after he predicted in a recent
Chowan Herald story that the
new barbecue sauce he was per
fecting for this year’s Hog Fest
competition would either win
him first place or bring his entry
in dead last.
When the two-day competition
ended Saturday, Jones’ Island
Time Grillers team — sponsored
by The Pines Golf Course in Eliz
abeth City — had indeed grabbed
first place in the whole hog cook
ing competition.
While the competition was ex
pected to name first-, second- and
third-place entries, the judges
ended up giving the second- and
third-place entries the same num
ber of votes — resulting in a tie
between the Optimist Club team
and the Chop Suey team.
Jones’ team also won the Spirit
Award. The Best Dressed Hog
award went to the Cape Fear Hog
Roasters, whose members include
Kert Layton of Edenton.
Fifty-one volunteer judges paid
$10 each for the privilege of par
ticipating in a blind taste-tasting
of 13 entries in the competition
See FEST, 3A
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
i
Tony Cobb of the Bertie Bayou Brothers team from Merry Hill cooks a pig during the whole hog cooking competition at
this year’s Hog Fest.
Police seeking suspect in armed robbery
PHOTO COURTESY EDEN
TON POLICE DEPARTMENT
Surveillance camera
footage shows the
man police say is
a suspect in the
armed robber of
the Generations
Community Credit
Union in downtown
Edenton Friday
afternoon.
From staff reports
Law enforcement
authorities are seek
ing a suspect following
the armed robbery of a
credit union in down
town Edenton late Fri
day afternoon.
A man armed with
a dark-colored semi
automatic handgun
took an undisclosed
amount of money from
the Generations Com
munity Credit Union
around 4:50 p.m., ac
cording to the Edenton
Police Department.
Police said the man
entered the bank,
wrote a note and de
manded money from
the teller. He left the
credit union building
and headed north on
Broad Street, police
reported.
The teller was not
injured during the rob
bery, police reported.
Police say they are
looking for a black
male of medium build
in connection with the
robbery. He was de
scribed further by po
lice as dark-skinned,
with a beard, wearing
a blue New York Gi
ants hat, gray T-shirt
and green shorts.
A cash reward of up
to $1,000 is being of
fered for information
that leads to the ar
rest and prosecution
of the su&p6ct, police
reported. Police are
urging anyone with
information about the
man’s identity to call
Sgt. Laura Wilkins at f
482-5144 or 482-4444.
Bill to reduce board terms clears state House
By REOOIE PONDER
Staff Writer
A bill to reduce Edenton*
Chowan County Board of Educa
tion terms from six years to four
years passed the State House last
week.
The bill, sponsored by Rep.
Bob Steinburg, R-Chowan, now
is in the Senate, where it has
been referred to the Senate Edu
cation Committee.
The proposed legislation is
known as a “local bill” because it
applies only in Chowan County.
The Chowan County Board of
Commissioners has backed the
change, while the county’s Board
of Education is on record in op
position to it. •
Edenton-Chowan Board of Ed
ucation Chairman John Guard
said the board of education has
communicated with Sen. Clark
Jenkins, D-Edgecombe, who rep
resents a district that includes
Chowan County.
“He is aware of our concerns,”
Guard said.
But while Jenkins has agreed
to watch the bill on behalf of
the board of education, he has
stopped short of promising to
fight the bill in the Senate, ac
cording to Guard.
The Chowan Herald has been
unable to reach Jenkins for
See TERMS, 2A