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Leo Club earns charter on historic date — IB
452-4418
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
50*
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
Hie owner of the Chowan
Crossing shopping center
said this week he was “very
dose” to finalizing a deal
with a tenant for the former
Farmers Foods building.
Terry Reeves said Mon
day he was unable to pro
vide any information about
the prospective tenant be
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
A large crowd of fam
ily, friends and colleagues
converged on historic Pem
broke Hall in Edenton on
Thursday evening to pay
tribute to retiring Judge
Chris Bean.
A reception in his hon
or held that evening was
book-ended with humorous
stories, recollections and
personal tributes celebrat
ing the life’s work of Bean,
who served as chief district
court judge for the 1st Judi
3 cial District
And a portrait of Bean
by noted Edenton portrait
artist John Becker was un
veiled. It will hang in the
courtroom at the historic
1767 Chowan Courthouse,
the only portrait to receive
such an honor.
Edenton attorney Sambo
Dixon, who helped organize
and host the event, called it
“a glorious end to an amafeii
ing legal career.”
Those who know him
well said that evening that
Bean, who began his career
as an attorney, has become
known as rhuch over the
years for his personal values
such as honor and integrity
as he has for upholding the
law.
“You knew when you
were in his courtroom you
were gonna get a fair deal,”
said attorney Pitt Godwin,
son of the late legislator Phil
Godwin of Gates County.
When it was his turn to
speak Bean said he was
Edenton cops using cameras
BY WILLIAM F. WEST.
The Daily Advance
Long, before the contro
versial deaths of two black
men at the hands of police
created a public ground
swell for cops to use body
cameras, Edenton police'
officers were wearing the
devices to record their in
teractions with citizens.
Edenton police Chief Jay
Fortenbery said his depart
ment’s 19 officers have been
wearing the small lapel
cameras since 2012. So far,
the results have been posi
tive, he says.
“I think they’re great,"
Fortenbery said, noting the
cameras have helped an
swer questions that have
arisen following arrests and
use-of-force incidents.
Fortenbery said he’s seen
studies indicating cops’
wearing of cameras actu
ally reduces the use of force
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
cause he had signed a confi
dentiality agreement
When he was asked if the
prospective tenant was a
grocery chain, he respond
ed; that he could not answer
that question because of the
confidentiality agreement
Reeves added, however,
that he expected an an
nouncement about a tenant
very soon.
Local officials have indi
Edenton attorney Hood Ellis (right) tells a funny story about Judge Chris Bean (center), as Mayor Roland Vaughan (left) looks on. Ellis was
among those who shared memories of Bean’s legal career as an attorney and a district court judge during a retirement reception held in his
honor last week at historic Pembroke Hall. The reception was attended by a large number of family members, friends and colleagues.
“overwhelmed” by all the
compliments and special at
tention.
“I can’t thank you enough
for this,” Bean said. “It’s one
of the most touching things
THOMAS J. TURNEY/THE DAILY ADVANCE
Pictured Is a close-up of an on-body camera used by the
Edenton Police Department
by police. Apparently the
knowledge that their inter
action is being recorded
changes behavior, both
of the police officer and
the citizen or citizens with
whom they’re interacting.
Fortenbery said his de
partment’s on-body cameras
are capable of recording 30
frames a second, and with
a memory card, an officer
can record up to two hours
of footage before download
ing it into a computer. Plus,
at $60 a piece, the on-body
cameras are a bargain com
cated that a number of dif
ferent grocers have shown
some interest in the former
Fanners Foods location..
Edenton Town Manager
Anne-Marie Knighton said
earlier this fall that the town
was doing what it could to
assist in recruiting a grocery
store but that the negotia
tions were being handled by
the property owner.
In letters to the Chowan
in my life. These last £2
years (as a judge) have beep
good ones.”
Bean, who was a lawyer
and assistant district at
torney for seven counties
pared to on-board car cam
eras, which Fortenbery says
can run as much as $3,500
each.
Currently, no other area
law enforcement agency
that responded to inquires
last week says it regularly
uses body cameras. In Hert
ford, police Chief Doug
Freeman said his depart
ment has one on-body cam
era it purchased to field test
before committing to buy
ing others.
See BODY CAMERA, 3A
Herald and a number of
other public statements,'
members of the public have
stated a strong preference
for having a second gro
cery store in town to fill a
void left by the departure of
Farmers Foods.
Knighton said last week
that a group of local inves
tors has been scouting sites
for a possible new location
for a grocery store and has
for 14 years before becom
ing a judge, said he learned
how to serve on the bench
honorably from two fellow
jurists, Judge John Chaffin
and Judge Grafton Beaman.
expressed interest in con
structing a building for a
grocery chain should the
former Farmers Foods site
not generate a second gro
cery store for the commu
nity.
Reeves told the Chowan
Herald earlier this fall that
he was working with town
officials to the extent that
it was feasible, but added
“there is not but so much
Bean said both men decided
cases on their merit and re
fused to let themselves be
influenced by outside influ
ences.
Bean said that during his
that the town can do.”
The level of interest in
the site that local officials
know about indicates that
the grocery market here
is profitable, according to
Knighton.
Knighton has noted that
retail leakage studies have
shown that people in the
local market are spending
money on groceries beyond
this market
first few years on the bench
he had several individuals
approach him and attempt
to influence his thinking
See JUDGE BEAN, 3A
BY REGGIE PONDER
Chowan Herald
Rep. Bob St^inburg stood by his support
of a new amusement tax as he met with a
group of Chowan Regional Fair volunteers
last week. ■*.
About 20 people turned out for the
meeting, which was held Wednesday night
at American Legion Post 40.
The tax is set to take effect Jan. 1.
The meeting came on the heels of a
strongly worded letter than Chowan Re
gional Fair President E.C. Toppin wrote to
Steinburg; RrChowan, expressing concern
about the negative impact the tax was ex
pected to have on the fair’s bottom line.
Steinburg told the group Wednesday
Schools seek changes to rules
■ Appropriation Act requires some
substitutes to use school insurance
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Local school officials are hopeful that
the North Carolina General Assembly will
soon address what they term the “unin
tended consequence” of making it more
difficult for school systems in the state to
utilize retired teachers as substitutes.
At issue is Senate Bill 744, otherwise
known as the Appropriations Act, passed
that the new amusement
tax was a result of tax re
form adopted by the Gen
eral Assembly.
He said he and most of
his legislative colleagues
believe tax reform is one
of the best ways to stimu
late the economy. The leg
islature therefore is cut
ting taxes and eliminating some taxes.
“Four years from now we’re hoping
there will be no personal income tax at
all," Steinburg said.
Previous tax laws have included “cut
outs” for various groups, but the current
STEINBURG
See NEW TAX, 4A
during the last legislative session that es- >
tablishes a new healthcare benefit eligibil
ity category for nonpermanent full-time .
employees in order to comply with the Af
fordable Care Act
That category requires that substitute
teachers who work at least 30 hours a
week on a regular basis — such as during
a classroom teacher’s maternity or short- 7
term disability leave — be offered health
insurance coverage by the school system
that would replace the insurance coverage
See SUBSTITUTES, 3A
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