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SHEPHERD PRUDEN LIBRARY
106 W WATER ST
EDENTON NC 27932-1854
482-4418
50c
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Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Chaplain honors fallen, calls
serve
Vietnam veteran
STAFF PHOTO BY RFBECCA BUNCH
and chaplain Corbin Cherry speaks at Monday’s Memorial Day ceremony at the county's Veterans Memorial in Edenton.
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
Retired Army Chap
lain Corbin Cherry
told the crowd
assembled for Chowan
County’s Memorial Day
observance Monday that
Americans need to re
member those who made
the ultimate sacrifice and
also do their own part to
keep freedom alive. “We all
need to be reminded again
and again what days like
this in our year’s calendar
stand for,” said Cherry, a
Perquimans County native
who served as a chaplain
during and after the Viet
nam War. “There’s nothing
trite, there’s nothing trivial,
about this day. We have an
obligation to never let the
flame of our freedom be
extinguished, so those who
did die in defense of our
freedom will not have died
in vain.”
Cherry said he and other
veterans of wars in Viet
nam, Korea and elsewhere
remember what it was like
to serve “in a place so far '
away it might as well have '
been the moon.”
Cherry lamented some of
the things now happening ;
in American society, includ
ing peaceful demonstra
tioas have been giving way
to mob scenes everywhere
from abortion clinics to
See MEMORIAL DAY, 4A
County, town negotiate
County eyes cost savings
with new health plan
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
The Chowan County Board of Commis
sioners is looking to change health insur
ance providers in the 20ir>-201ti fiscal year
in order to save some $180,(XX) in costs.
At its May IS meeting, the board voted <>
1 to back a staff recommendation to switch
to a plan from Aetna.
Commissioner Emmett VVinbome cast
the lone dissenting vote after expressing
concerns about privacy for employees in a
wellness program that would be part of the
new plan.
County staff and Donna Nixon, a con
sultant to the county on health insurance,
said the wellness program - which would
include voluntary health screenings for
employees - would not compromise the
privacy of employee he;ilth information.
Employees would get a copy of their re
sults but no health information on individ
ual employees would be made available to
county staff, they said.
The purpose of the screenings is to help
individual employees detect health prob
lems early and to give the county an idea
of what types of health concerns are most
prevalent among its workforce, Nixon ex
plained.
'Flu* county pays health insurance pre
miums for employees, but an employee de
siiing fcunily coverage pays the additional
premium for that coverage.
Nixon recommended the county switch
See COUNTY HEALTH, 4A
rising health care costs
Town exploring options
for health coverage
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
With the Town of Edenton facing an an
nual rate increase of just over 25 percent
for employee health insurance premiums
with its carrier, the NC League of Munici
palities, the town council is exploring oth
er possible options.
During a special meeting held May 20
the council heard a group benefits cost
overview from Rand and Ed Williams of
The Sorin Group in Raleigh.
Williams' repoit focused on three areas
— understanding claims and how they im
pact decisk >ns in the process; solutions and
options from The Sorin Group designed to
mitigate an increase in the cost of employ
ee health care coverage; and non-medical
solutions and services that could be pro
vided by The Sorin Group.
Mayor Roland Vaughan noted as the
meeting opened that when town staff
learned of the proposed increase that
would take place this summer, "they asked
us to go out into the marketplace to see
what else was available.”
Town Manager Anne-Marie Knighton
noted that town staff had solicited propos
es from insurance brokers and following
that The Sorin Group had been working re
ally hard to put together pertinent informa
tion and present it to the council prior to
May 30 which is the deadline for the town
to notify the League if it intends to with
draw from its current healthcare plan.
See TOWN HEALTH, 4A
Local man shot Monday
From staff reports
A shooting occurred
around 4 am. Monday on
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Ave. near the entrance to
Wedgwood Apartments.
Darrell Boyce, 39, of
Jolm Hill Lane, Edenton,
was transported to Vidant
Hospital by an unknown
person and discovered to
Itave suffered multiple gim
shot wounds, according to
Edenton Police Chief Jay
(02009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
Fortenl>ery.
Boyce was being treated
at Vidant Medical Center
in stable condition Monday
evening, Fortenbery report
ed.
'I\vo vehicles parked at
Wedgewcxxl were found to
have been hit by bullets but
no one else lias reported
being injured, Fortenbery
said.
This Ls an active inves
tigation and witnesses or
suspects have not been
identified, according to
Fortenbery.
Anyone with information
related to this case is urged
to contact Sgt. Laura Wilkins
of the Edenton Police De
partment at 482-5144.
Wreck victim status critical
From staff reports
A Beaufort County man
was in critical condition
Tuesday at Sentara Norfolk
General Hospital after be
ing ii\jured last Wednesday
morning in a two-vehicle
accident on West Queen
Street.
Brian Dale Oakley, 44,
of Pantego, was airlifted to
the hospital, according to
the Edenton Police Depart
ment.
Oakley was injured
when the 1999 Plymouth he
was driving west on West
Queen Street collided with
an eastbound 2006 Ford
truck, according to the re
port by Officer Gerald T.
Lassiter III.
The Ford was driven
by Clyde Thomas Sex
ton, 54, of Plymouth, and
was owned by East Coast
Equipment, according to
Lassiter's rejrort.
Sexton was taken by
Chowan County Emer
gency Medical Service to
Vidant Chowan Hospital.
Oakley had to be cut
out of the car, Lassiter re
port ed.
The collision occurred
about 150 feet east of the
intersection with Oak Hill
Drive.
The Plymouth crossed
the center line and the
driver of a vehicle behind it
sounded the honi, prompt
ing Oakley to try to steer
the car back to the right
side of the road, Lassiter
reported.
Sexton slammed on
breaks to try to avoid a col
lision but the two vehicles
still collided as Oakley was
trying to correct tire car, ac
cording to Lassiter's report.
A witness indicated Oak
ley appeared to be1 talking
on a phone, Lassiter re
ported.
(iakley is being charged
with careless and reckless
driving and with driving
wliile license revoked, ac
cording to Lassiter’s report.
Damage was estimated
at $15,000 to the Plymouth
and $5,000 to the Ford.
tdenton
Steamers’home
opener is today.
See player
photos and
schedule in our J
preview on
pages 8A-9A. I
i t. |„»
n rnce 4
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