P8/C8******CAR-RT LOT**C 002 A0092
SHEPHERD PRUDEN LIBRARY
106 W WATER ST
EDENTONNC 27932-1854
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482-4418
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
of
Edenton
set for
Sept. 13
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Council responds to police chiefs plan
Editor’s note: This is the
second in a two-part se
ries of stories detailing the
town’s response to neigh
borhood ordinance viola
tions in parts of the com
munity.
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Recently when Council
woman Norma Simpson
has left work she hasn’t
been spending her evenings
at home enjoying some
well-deserved relaxation.
Instead, she’s been getting
in her car and riding around
town.
“I ride out at night,” Simp
son said, noting that she
uses the opportunity to talk
with kids she sees hanging
out “I’m trying my best to
talk with these kids. I have
grandchildren and I know
you have to talk with kids to
make a difference.”
Simpson said some of
the kids she talks with need
love and encouragement to
turn their lives around and
stay out of trouble.
“A lot of them need a lot
of love, they don’t get it at
home,” Simpson said.
Other councilors have
also developed different
ways of responding to the
loitering and other town
ordinance violations that
recently brought a group
of citizens who live in the
North Broad and West Albe
marie Street corridor before
the council demanding ac
tion.
In response, Police Chief
Jay Fortenbery presented
during the Aug. 26 town
council work session a plan
Of action he calls “Operation
Peace and Quiet” to restore
calm to the neighborhood
and the downtown streets
as well as the waterfront
park. The plan partners
tougher enforcement by
the police with initiatives
aimed at positively impact
ing the lives of students at
the middle school and high
school, and developing bet
ter communication with
adults through an academy
where they can learn how
to serve as additional sets of
eyes and ears for the police:
Councilman Sambo Dix
on, though, said he thought
the town still needed to
consider adding three ad
ditional police officers to
work the streets he termed
“hotspots.”
Councilman Willis Privptt |
said that the town definitely
needed to have adequate I
police protection in order |
for citizens to be kept pro- |
tected and safe. i
“If we don’t have the s j
manpower, you’re not doing
much,” he said.
Dixon added that *he
would like to see horse pa
trols by officers because he •
See PLAN, 2A
County
taking
action on
violations
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
Chowan County officials
have begun the first steps of
enforcement in connection
with several zoning viola
tions in the Chowan Beach
neighborhood- — mainly
travel trailers being used as
permanent housing.
On Aug. 27, County Man
ager Zee Lamb and Planning
Director Landin Holland
met with some concerned
citizens at Chowan Beach
and drove around the devel
opment to observe reported
violations, with an empha
: sis on people using travel
jp,cr trailers as permanent resi
I ■ denees. '• "-’w:' - *
{ The coimty has sent let
■ ters on the travel trailers
to the property owners
See VIOLATIONS, 4A
Something New
SUBMITTED PHOTO
This lovely flower painting was created by artist Leanne Clayton who Is a partner in
the Side Street Studio In Edenton. See Clayton’s story on page 4A.
Hospital stands
by performance
■ ‘Consumer Reports’ study panned Chowan surgery
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor ■
A recent Consumer Reports study of surgical out
comes at hospitals across the country cast Vidant
Chowan Hospital in an unfavorable light - but hospital
officials say the report distorts the reality of surgery at
the hospital.
The study examined inpatient surgery for Medicare
patients at hospitals nationwide. The focus of the study
was how likely patients were to die after surgery or to t<
remain in the hospital longer than expected following
surgery.
Hospitals were ranked in five categories, and Vidant
Chowan Hospital was found to be in the worst of the five
categories. Vidant Medical Center in Greenville also was
placed in that bottom tier.
Albemarle Hospital in Elizabeth City was in the mid- .
die category, as were Duke University Medical Center
and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
Vidant Chowan Hospial spokeswoman Megan Booth
Mills noted the mediocre ranking of the Duke and Mayo
hospitals.
“We were disappointed when we saw the results and ;
believe it was not an accurate portrayal of the care that j
Vidant Chowan Hospital provides,” Booth-Mills said in a
recent interview.
Cindy Coker, Vidant Chowan’s vice president for
See HOSPITAL, 2A
Candidates offer thoughts on crime response, prevention
i
■
I
'
From staff reports
This is the first of a series
of “Question of the Week”
items the Chowan Herald
is running in advance of the
Nov.5 Municipal Election.
The purpose of this series
is to provide Tbwn Council
candidates an opportunity
to address a number of im
portant issues. In addition,
the newspaper also will be
interviewing candidates for
profile stories in each coun
cil race.
One-stop voting begins
Oct. 17 and ends at 1 p.m.
on Nov. 2.
Registration to vote in the
Nov. 5 election will close at
5 p.m. on Oct 11.
There are three council
seats on the Nov. 5 ballot in
Edenton.
LoriAnn Curtin and Elton
Bond Jr. are vying for the
Fourth Ward town council
seat being vacated by Wil
lis Privott. Privott, who has
held the seat for the past 33
years, recently announced
he would not seek re-elec
tion.
The Rev. Roscoe Poole Jr.
is seeking to unseat Norma
Simpson, who was named
to fill the unexpired Ward
3 term of the late council
woman Phyllis Britton who
died in December 2011.
And Bob Quinn is seek
ing reelection to the at-large
seat on the council.
Quinn is finishing his first
elected four-year term.
See QUESTIONS, 2A
©2009 The Chowan Herald
/^jl Rights Reserved
Be creative, reach out
to organizations, churches,
encourage participation in
mentoring those acting out
in unlawful ways. Encourage
our school system to incor
porate citizenship, commu
nity pride. Develop a plan to
encourage neighborhoods to
be self-correcting. Encour
age citizens to be aware and
report - Call 911, actively
support the fight on crime.
Review ordinances: noise,
littering, curfew, loitering. If
necessary, make them more
stringent and make certain
our police have the required
means to enforce them.,
Intensify initiative to
remove derelict buildings;
enforce Minimum Housing
Standards and Demolition by
Neglect.
(Regarding whether more
police should be hired),
our town manager and
police chief will make that
evaluation. If more police are
required, we will first seek
funding from budget items,
but if that is insufficient, our
town would face required tax
increases to keep our town
safe. Our #1 Vision State
ment is to be a Crime-Free
Community. We have the
responsibility to do all in our
power to meet that vision.
BOB QUINN
AT-LARGE SEAT
INCUMBENT
3RD WARD SEAT
INCUMBENT
Reducing crime is going to
take help from the citizens.
One program I think we need
to really push is the public
information campaign the
council reviewed at the last
meeting, the 'If you see some
thing, say something’ cam
paign. We need the citizens’
help because, as Councilman
Stallings said, we can’t put a
police officer on every corner.
I am hearing from citizens that
they want to help make things
better. We need to encourage
citizens to call the police when
they see something suspi
cious or see or hear a distur
bance. I also like the ‘citizens
on patrol’ cpncept too, extra
set of eyes helping the police.
I think we should definitely
pursue this.
Regarding delinquency, I as
sume you mean juvenile, and
this problem worries me to no
end. We have so many good
young people, but unless they
have a strong home life, the
chances for delinquency sky
rockets. We need to identify
programs that will teach young
people at a very early age and
is reinforced as they grow up,
good ’public’ manners - how
to behave in public. We can’t
put it all on the schools -1
have asked (Town Manager)
Anne Marie (Knighton) to see if
there are programs that other
communities might have that
could help us. Regarding the
need for more police, it may
be that we need more officers.
We are going to evaluate the
results of the Peace and Quiet
Plan of Action in October and
make a decision then.
ROSCOE
POOLE JR.
3RD WARD SEAT
I believe the town has
already taken steps to
curb crime and delinquen
cy, and have seen police
posted in suspected crime
areas, walking and riding
bicycles. All implementa
tions to make things (life)
better in Edenton is a
process that takes time
and evaluation to see if it
is the right thing to do.
I do now know the
full status of the police
department. I can only
assume that it is staffed
according to the popula
tion and need. But I can
say, if the town is to grow,
have more tourist attrac
tions and less crime, it
has to plan and prepare
to train and increase our
police force.
(Regarding whether the
town should hire more
police officers), I have
learned that if you pur
chase something cheap,
you get what you pay for.
Though taxes may be the
main source that keeps a
town, city, state and gov
ernment running, I believe
when Edenton needs more
police officers, they will
have funds in place.
LORIANN
CURTIN
4TH WARD SEAT
In the past, police
officers knew the people
in their community. They
knew their names, their
children's names and a
little more than generali
ties of neighborhoods they
patrolled. From informa
tion I have seen and
heard, this approach is
making its way back intp
our police force.
I don’t think we need
additional police, but
rather to make better use
of the ones we have, per
haps by stepping up the
foot/bicycle patrols in the
residential neighborhoods
as well as the business
area. Operation ‘Peace
and Quiet’ Will have to be
given a chance to work.
I’m glad the police are be
ing more diligent and ac
tive. It’s unfortunate that
it took an uprising from
one specific neighborhood
to garner the attention
other neighborhoods have
long been begging for.
Education of values and
respect, as well as the
knowledge of action and
repercussion are impor
tant. The police depart
ment cannot do it alone.
Solving this problem will
take our entire commu
nity for lasting effective
change. Neighbors need
’ to get involved and speak
up when they see some
thing.
4
ELTON L.
BONO JR.
4TH WARD SEAT
I believe that the town
council and the police de
partment are doing a good
job. Additional police of
ficers are needed to make
sure that the entire town
is protected. We need to
explore all our options and
resources to find funding
for additional officers.
In regards to delinquen
cy. we must get parents
involved to supervise their
children. Parents must
be held accountable for
their children’s actions.
Enforcing curfew is a must.
More educational activities
are needed to involve the
young kids'efter school
to occupy their time. Also
there should be more
recreational activities. I
feel that if we plan and
implement activities for ■ ■
our youth to do this will be
a step in the right direc- *
tion to giving them positive
things to do. -<
Edenton is a very beauti-.
ful town filled with a lot of •
good people. As I stated ,
earlier, we do need more
police coverage, not only
to patrol the hot spots in
our town but to give the
entire town the police pro
tection needed. People In
$very neighborhood
to be able to feel
protected.