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P8/C8******CAR-RT LOT**C 002 A0092
* SHEPHERD PRUDEN LIBRARY
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EDENTON NC 27932*1854
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482-4418
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Threat closes schools Tuesday
From staff reports
A threat made in a letter
received by the Chowan
County Sheriff’s Depart
ment led to all four public
schools in the county being
closed Tuesday.
Chowan Sheriff Dwayne
Goodwin said Tuesday
morning that he was taking
the threat seriously.
“This day and time we
have to take it seriously un
til we can prove otherwise,”
Goodwin said.
The threat did not target
schools specifically, but did
mention harming children,
according to Goodwin.
The letter has been sent
to Raleigh for forensic eval
uation, Goodwin said.
No motive for the threat
was indicated in the letter,
which specifically refer
enced Oct. 8 and contained
a “general threat of harm”
as well as specific threats
against the Chowan River
Bridge, Albemarle Sound
Bridge and other facilities
in the county, Goodwin
said.
Edenton-Chowan
Schools Superintendent Al
lan Smith said the schools
Dixon
receives
Cannon
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Samuel B. “Sambo” Dix
on is the 2013 winner of the
prestigious Ruth Coltrane
Cannon Cup. Presented by
Preservation North Caro
lina, the Cup is the most
significant
preserva
tion award
given in
North Car
olina.
The
award is
presented
to an mdi- DIXON
vidual or organization that
has made contributiona
of statewide significance
to historic preservation in
North Carolina, according
to Lauren Werner, director
of preservation outreach for
PNC.
Dixon, an Edenton at
torney and ardent preser
vationist, said he was very
surprised to receive a letter
telling him that he would re
ceive the coveted award.
“I was really shocked,” he
said.
Werner said that Dixon
was a logical choice to re
ceive the award.
“Sambo won because of
his unequivocal commit
ment to historic preserva
tion,” Werner said in an
email.
Werner said that Dixon’s
achievements included:
• Founding the Dixon
Company of Edenton, LLC
to purchase and restore
endangered historic prop
erties, now holding over 30
. structures, many located in
traditionally African-Ameri
can neighborhoods;
• Moving and restor
ing.the early 18th century
See DIXON, 3A
02009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
v» • •
.jiVf,.. :
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THOMAS J. TURNEY /THE DAILY ADVANCE
Broad threats against Chowan County schools and bridges, including the Chowan River Bridge (pictured), made
in a letter mailed to the Chowan County Sheriff’s Department on Monday prompted county schools to close on
Tuesday.
were closed at the request
of the sheriff in light of the
“broad threat made to the
community.”
Remodeling starts at Vidant Chowan Hospital
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
Construction began this week
on the outpatient services project
at Vidant Chowan Hospital.
The nearly $5 million remodel
ing project is expected to be com
plete by September 2014, liccord
ing to Brian White, the hospital’s
director of clinical and support
services.
“Of course, you know with con
struction that’s tentative,” White
said.
The remodeling will improve
the public’s experience of outpa
tient services, according to Vidant
Chowan Hospital President Jef
frey Sackrison.
' “From my standpoint I think
this is going to just give our pa
tients and the community a much
better place to receive their outpa
tient care,” Sackrison said.
He also noted the project will
provide the hospital opportunities
to expand.
“So we’re excited about it,”
Sackrison said.
Candidate Profiles
Curtin cites need for
forward thinking
BY REGGIE PONDER „
Editor
LoriAnn Curtin promises if she’s
elected to the town council she
will be a strong voice for citizens
of the 4th Ward and will work to
bring longer-term thinking to bear
on issues before
the council.
“I think it’s time
to change the
way business has
been done and
to start thinking
more proactively
about the day af
ter tomorrow and
stop reacting about yesterday and
today," said Curtin, wjio faces El
ton Bond Jr. in the Nov. 5 election.
“Fresh ideas and new voices can
make a difference.”
Curtin helped found the com
munity watch program and has
been very active in the North Oa
kum Street neighborhood watch.
“My community here I don't
think has ever been fairly repre
sented,” Curtin said, referring to
the North Oakum Street neighbor
hood where she lives.
CURTIN
Smith said “the schools
were referenced as part of
that (threat).”
Goodwin said Tuesday
morning that authorities had
completed hand and canine
searched of all schools, the
courthouse, and both bridg
The project will be completed in
phases. The new rehab gym is ex:
pected to be ready in December.
“This will be a relatively quick
turnaround,” White said of the re
hab gym.
Kristy Worrell, the hospital’s re
hab services manager, said one ad
vantage of > the remodeling fs that :
it will move all outpatient services
into a single building. The change
will simplify access to services,
she said.
“It will be a lot more conve
nient,” Worrell said.
Worrell said there shouldn’t be
any change in services during the
construction. The idea is at the
end of the project to move out of
the current space on a Friday and
move into the new facility that fol
lowing Monday, she said.
Hospital spokeswoman Megan
Booth-Mills said the hospital ap
preciates the community’s sup
port.
Ginny Waff of the Vidant Chow
an Hospital Community Hospital
Foundation said $138,000 has
been raised to date for the remod
The community watch system
has pressed a lot of issues and
made a difference, she said. As
an example, Curtin cited a con
demned house of Cabarrus Street
that was tom down after four
years of pushing by the neighbor
hood.
Curtin said the house had been
used as a drug house, and area
children also played in and
around it A nine-yea
old found a gun in die
empty back yard, she
said. i
Curtin said I
known felons are I
walking the street \
and an effort needs '
to be made to change
the system that allows
that to happen.
As an example of the kind
of forward-looking thinking that
she’s committed to, Curtin pointed
out there is eight acres of undevel
oped land ort Oakum Street just
beyond the housing authority.
“Everybody wants the Boys and
Girls Club to come back here and
See CURTIN, 2A
es, and no explosive device
had been turned up.
The threat in the letter
mentioned “both blowing
<
futureboMo! _
Services Center
VlDANT" * Rehabilitation Services
<•***»,> _ . , .... .
• Specialty Cfmie
STAFF PHOTO BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff from Vidant Chowan Hospital hold a banner celebrating the
remodeling project at the hospital. They are (k) David Kolikas, Ginny
Waff, Brian White, Dana Byrum, Claire Evans, Carolyn Hare, Kelly
Raney, Kristy Worrell and Markie Gregory.
eling project.
“And those efforts continue,”
Waff said.
Waff said the community fund
raising goal set by the directors
Bond values community
service tradition
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Elton Bond Jr. says a desire to
continue the tradition of commu
nity service on the town council
by incumbent Willis Privott has led
him to file for the 4th Ward seat
Privott will vacate at the end of his
current term.
Privott announced in July
that he would not seek
re-election to the seat
he has held for the
past 33 years.
“I am running for
town council be
cause I feel it is my
civic duty to contin
ue the long legacy Mr.
Pnvott started over 30
years ago, a legacy of ser
vice to the 4th Ward and the en
tire town of Edenton,” Bond said.
Bond, 61, added that he was
ready to get to work alongside
other council members to address
critical issues facing the town such
as crime and bring jobs back to the
community.
“Every neighborhood needs to
feel safe whether they are sitting
up and killing” Goodwin
said.
Goodwin said the let
ter was received around
10:30 am. Monday and law
enforcement authorities
had been working on since
them
Goodwin said he made
the decision to keep the
threat quiet Monday be
cause he was trying to pre
vent a panic from occurring
Monday night
“We didn’t want what is
happening this morning to
happen last night,” Good
win said, referring to the
widespread confusion and
worry Tuesday morning.
Goodwin said there is no
way law enforcement would
have been able to do its job
Tuesday night while also
dealing with public panic.
Agencies that have been
involved in the investigation
—in addition to the sheriffs
department — include the
Edenton Police Depart
ment, State Highway Patrol,
Coast Guard, Postmaster
General, State Bureau of In
vestigation, Federal Bureau
of Investigation, and N.C.
Department of Transporta
tioivaccording to Goodwin.
council is $150,000, but the foun
dation actually will continue rais
ing money after reaching that
. See HOSPITAL, 3A
on their porches, riding their bikes
or just taking a stroll around town,”
Bond said.
“I want to be a part of the town
council to help find businesses and
industries to come to Edenton so
we can get a lot of our citizens back
to work,” Bond added.
Bond, who
holds a bachelor’s
degree in political
science from Eliz
abeth City State
University and is a
fiber line operator
for Domtar (previ
ously known as
Weyerhaeuser),
said that he also wanted to be a part
of building partnerships within the
community that would make posi
tive activities available for young
people.
“I want our youth to have a place
to go where they can be a part of " S
a positive environment,” he said.
“I want to be a part of the team <xf
councilmen who are willing and
ready to find funds to build a youtfc
center and create a youth council
•See BOND, 2A i
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