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SHEPHERD PRUDEN LIBRARY
i : 106,-W WATER ST
r Ebe^TON nc 27932-1854
All-Stars bring home
championship — 5A
482-4418
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Shift in Elizabeth City will not affect local hospital
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
An official with Green
ville-based Vidant Health
said last week that Vidant
Chowan Hospital won’t
' be affected by Albemarle
Hospital’s decision to sign
a long-term lease with Nor
folk, Va-based Sentara
Town to
consider
tour boat
lease
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Edenton could become
home to a waterfront-based
• tour boat in the future, if a
proposed lease agreement
between Connecticut resi
dent Mark Thesier and the
town meets with the ap
proval of the town coun
cil.
The proposal would al
low Thesier, who currently
calls Mystic, Conn., home,
to relocate to Edenton
and establish a tour boat
business out of Eden
ton Harbor, according to
Town Manager Anne-Marie
Knighton.
“I look forward to him
coming,” Knighton said.
“I hope he can make it
work.” ■ ■' -..-v--. "
Knighton said that
the proposed agreement
would allow Thesier, a re
tired U.S. Navy captain, to
base his boat at the harbor
and utilize a slip as well as
be able to utilize a passen
ger loading and unloading
area along the harbor near
the Barker House.
Under the terms of
the agreement, Knighton
said, Thesier would pay
the town an annual fee of
$2,000 for the boat slip.
Council Administrative
Committee Chair Steve
Biggs said that the pro
posed agreement cover
ing the electric Duffy boat
Thesier would use to give
his tours, would cover e
five-year period.
Biggs noted that Thesier
hoped to reach more than
; 15 percent of the walking
traffic in the years to come,
i Biggs said that in re
' viewing the terms of the
proposed lease, he was left
S wondering about the impli
cations of town staff ever
having to tie off Tester's
boat in case of an emer
gency and what effect that
\ might have on the town’s
l insurance coverage. He
' also asked who would be
collecting the money for
the tour boat rides.
' “He plans to do that him
self,” Knighton said.
y Knighton added that she
i would ask the town’s attor
>' ney, Hood Ellis, to review
! the proposed tease agree
i ment before the next coun
cil meeting, which is sched
I uled for Aug. 13.
t “Hood has not blessed
the agreement yet,” Knigh
ton said.
Knighton said that should
the tease be approved, The
sier and his wife planned
to relocate to Edenton this
winter. He would begin giv
: ing tours of Edenton Bay
. next summer, she said.
<02009 The Chowan Herald
AW Rights Reserved
wm*'***?-'* '
Healthcare.
Vidant, based in Green
ville, was vying for the Al
bemarle Hospital lease with
Sentara and Brentwood,
Tenn.-based Duke-Life
Point
Vidant operates Vidant
Chowan Hospital as well
as community hospitals in
Windsor, Ahoskie and other
■ <; ;'• ■ V
small towns across eastern
North Carolina.
The flagship hospital of
Vidant Health is Vidant Med
ical Center in Greenville,
which is the teaching hospi
tal for the Brody School of
Medicine at East Carolina
University.
The Pasquotank County
Board of Commissioners
last week voted unanimous
ly to enter into a 40-year
lease with Sentara.
“While we are disap
pointed in the outcome of
the vote by the Pasquotank
County Commissioners,
their decision has no im
pact on our commitment to
provide quality health care
services to the population
we serve,” said Roger Rob
ertson, president of Vidant
Community Hospitals. “Vi
dant Health has established
deep roots in Chowan and
the surrounding counties
and will continue to build
upon and enhance these re
lationships.”
Albemarle Hospital’s
search for a long-term part
/
nership lasted about a year.
The county commissioners
and Albemarle Hospital Au
thority Board of Commis
sioners announced in May
2012 their intention to seek
a long-term partnership with
a larger health system.
County and hospital
See HOSPITAL, 2A
1,
Farmers Market
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Visitors to the Farmers Market In Edenton talk tomatoes with vendor Frederick Inglis, Saturday morning.
Fanners market considers new site
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
The Edenton Farmers Market is
considering relocating.
Vero Brentjens, manager of the
Edenton Farmers Market, said the
Chowan County Board of Com
missioners may offer the Farmers
Market a spot behind the N.C. Co
operative Extension Center at the
comer of Granville Street and Vir
ginia Road.
The market currently is located
at North Oakum Street and Dicks
Street on the grounds of the former
D.F. Walker School.
Market organizers and vendors
actually have been happy with the
current site.
“We love it there,” Brentyens
said.
The site has grass and trees, and
plenty of parking, she said. There’s
also an overhang for rain protec
tion, she said.
“It’s such a nice place,” Brentjens
said.
But because the market is not
located on a m^jor thoroughfare,
some potential customers may for
get about the market, she said.
Some people also have said they
feel uncomfortable shopping at
that location. Brentjens said there
is a perception that the site is “on
the wrong side of the tracks,” but
she added she has no personal feel
ing about that.
Indeed, Brentjens said her per
sonal preference would be to stay
See MARKET, 2A
Market ready to begin accepting EBT cards
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Customers take a look at produce at the Farmers
Market.
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
After a couple years of
dashed hopes and false
starts, the Edenton Farmers
Market is finally ready to
begin accepting EBT (debit)
cards issued through the
local Department of Social
Services.
Vero Brentjens, who co
founded the market along
with other members of the
Chowan-Edenton Environ
mental Group, said that this
Saturday Would mark the
first opportunity for those
shopping at the market to
use the cards.
“The delays were mostly
administrative,” Brenljens
said. “I’m glad they are be
hind us and we can move
forward.”
Brenljens said that those
using the cards — many
of whom are experiencing
long-term unemployment
— will be able to purchase
fresh vegetables and fruit,
some of it organic, as well
as jams and jellies, cheeses,
baked goods and more.
Whatever they get in food
stamps each month is put
on their card as a credit,
Brenljens explained. They
will receive tokens equal to
the amount that they spend,
she said.
There are a few things at
the market that the cards
can’t be used to purchase
such as plants and cut flow
ers. The burgers and hot
dogs grilled at the site are
also off-limits, she said.
Bretjens said that once
the EBT cards are. swiped,
those using them to shop
would be issued tokens that
they can present to the ven
dors. At the end of the mar
ket, the vendors will present
the tokens to Brentjens who
will then reimburse them
the amount of money that
See EBT, 2A
Tyner couple killed in Gates County accident
From staff reports
TWo Tyner residents
were killed July 23 after
their car collided with a
tractor-trailer on N.C. High
way 32 in Gates County, the
N.C. Highway Patrol said.
Julian Hendrix, 63, of
Cannon’s Ferry Road, and
Karen Reeves, 56, also of
the same address, died in
the wreck, which happened
at 6:15 pm, about half a
• '•
mile south of Muddy Cross
Road, the patrol said.
Hendrix was driving
a 2000 Nissan Maxima
south on N.C. 32 when his
vehicle slammed into the
back of the trailer to a 2007
Kenworth truck driven by
Michael Odom, the patrol
said.
Odom, 68, of Hobbsville,
had stopped the truck in
the roadway and was in the
process of backing it into a
residential driveway when
the collision occurred.
According to the patrol,
Hendrix apparently neither
reduced his speed nor ap
plied the car’s breaks. The
patrol said it could not find
any tire impressions on the
pavement showing an in
tention to stop.
1116 2007 Kenworth trac
tor-trailer is owned by CA
Perry & Son TVansit Com
pany, according to the high
way patrol report filed by
Trooper G.P. Bowman.
Bowman’s report showed
that the car, a 2000 Nissan
Maxima owned by Reeves,
struck the 18-wheeler
slightly rear of the cab.
No charges were filed in
the accident
According to informa
tion from a co-worker of
the two victims, they were
employed at BAE Systems
Norfolk,, Ship Repair. Hen
drix had worked in the
welding shop, first join
ing the company in 1978.
Reeves, hired in 2006, was
employed in the pipe shop.
A witness to the col
lision began performing
cardiopulmonary resus
citation on Reeves, who
was a passenger in the
Maxima. She died later at
Vidant Chowan Hospital
SeeACCIDENU*i