SHEPHERD PRUDEN LIBRARY
Battered Aces
shock Booker T.
Washington
— 7A
482-4418
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Board modifies wind energy ordinance
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
The Chowan County
Board of Commissioners
voted 5-1 Monday to make
three chan ties to the 2013
wind energy ordinance.
Following a public hear
ing on a text amendment to
the ordinance that had been
recommended by the plan
ning board, the county com
missioners did not adopt
the planning board’s recom
mended text amendment.
But the board did vote to
amend the county’s 2013
wind energy ordinance by
requiring a $50,000 escrow
account to cover county ex
peases related to the project ;
removing salvage value of
materials as a consideration
in the ordinance’s decom
missioning requirements;
and eliminating “letter of
credit” as an alternative to
a cash bond in decommis
sioning.
Commissioner Alex
Kehayes, who expressed
concerns about the health
effects of low-frequency
sound and infrasound - very
low-frequency sound that
can’t be heard but can be
felt - cast the lone dissent
ing vote.
Commissioner Emmett
Winbome made the motion
to adopt the three amend
ments to the existing wind
energy ordinance.
Kehayes supported a
noise limit of 35 decibels
that had been recommend
ed by the planning board in
April. He said the current
linut of 55 decibels would
not be adequate to protect
residents from the health ef
fects of noise and especially
of low-frequency sound.
He said the 55-decibel
limit and 1,500-foot setback
were not adequate to pro
tect public health.
“We’re putting people at
risk by not having suitable
setbacks and sound restric
tions,” Kehayes said.
He said he was concerned
about the effect on both
See ORDINANCE, 3A
PHOIO COUKItSY HANStNS bPtCIACULAH
Shane Hansen performs on the trampoline before a festival crowd. The Hansens Spectacular family acrobatics show is a
highlight of this week's Chowan County Regional Fair. The fair began Tuesday and ends Saturday. Visit chowanfasr.
com for more information about this week’s regional fair.
Sackrison back as
president of hospital
■ Veteran hospital exec
also at helm of Vidant Bertie
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
Jeffrey Sackrison, long
time president of Vidant
Chowiut and Vidant Bertie
hospitaLs, Ls b;tck in that
role following a restructur
ing at Vidant Health.
Meanwhile1, Jeff Dial
- who had been serving as
president at Vidant Chowan
and Vidant Bertie - has as
sumed an executive position
at Vidant Medical Center in
6
0
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
1 (Ireenville.
S a c k r i -
son Is in
( liis .second
I stint ;ls
• president
• of the two
hospitals
SACKRISON in Edenton
and Wind
sor. Previously, he served as
president of Vidant Chowan
Hospital and Vidant Bertie
Hospital from March 200; 1
luitil October 2014.
'Hie restructuring that
brings Sackrison back to
Vidant Chowan and Vidant
Bertie as president comes
on the heels of a change
at the helm of Greenville
based Vidant Health.
A little more than a year
See SACKRISON, 3A
Faith builds a house
in storm’s aftermath
■ First Presbyterian member:
‘It has been a real blessing to us’
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
When Leonidas Parker of the
Cliapanoke community in Per
quimans County first heard that a
group of people lie had never met
wanted to build a house for him, it
sounded too gocxl to be tme.
But Parker, who lost liis home
in one of the fierce tornadoes that
struck Chowan, Perquimans and
Pasquotank counties on April 25,
2014, learned to trust that group
- the United Methodist Disaster
Response Committee of the N.C.
Confeivnee - and now considers
them family rather tlian strangers.
And Saturday the Parker family
and its extended disaster response
family, including Quaker, AME
Zion and Presbyterian volunteers
;is well as l iiited Methodists, came
together to bless tlte new house
that has l>een built for Piirker.
"I just thank Ucxl that 1 got in
volved with these jieople,” Parker
said during the serv ice of blessing
at las new home.
He rt'calk'd receiving a
phone call from the disaster re
sponse group and thinking it
was a scam. He had received a
little bit of money to rebuild his
house after the tornado, he said,
and he was reluctant to slime
wliat he h;id received with tills
organization tluit was claiming it
would use the money to build a
house for him.
But 1h> decided to take a first
step of faith.
“I gave them a little bit to start
with,” Parker slid.
But he senses! that he needed to
See AFTERMATH, 4A
Husband of
senator facing
attempted
rape charge
■ Ingram is husband of Sen. Smith-Ingram
BY WILLIAM F. WEST
Staff Writer
The husband of the state
senator who represents
Chowan County in the Leg
islature is due in court on
Wednesday to face charges
of attempted rape.
Maud Edwin Elliott In
gram. 49, a probation officer
INGRAM
with N.C. Probation, was
arrested last week after alle
gations surfaced that he had had inappropri
ate relationships with his probationers, the
State Bureau of Investigation said in a pre
pared, statement.
Ingram, husband of stat e Sen. Erica Smith
Ingram, D-Northampton, has been charged
wit|i one felony count of attempted second
degree rape, one felony count of obstruction
stice and one misdemeanor count of
to make reports and discharge other
is, the SB! said in a statement issued Fn
, day.
Smith-Ingram, who is in her first Senate
term, couldn’t immediately be reached for
comment on Tuesday. In a statement issued
to media outlets in Raleigh, however, Smith
Ingram said she had no knowledge of the ba
sis for the claims against her husband. She
trusts the judicial process, she said.
“At this time, I am not able to respond
to media requests for information in regard
to tills ongoing investigation,” Smith-In
gram said. “My family and I appreciate your
See INGRAM, 3A
NC adopts
new historic
tax credit
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
A revamped histone preservation tax
credit program adopted last week by the
General Assembly promises to be a shot in
the arm for local ;uid regional projects.
Bob Hows;ire of SAGA Construction and
Development Inc., which Ls restoring the
historic Hotel Hinton building on East King
Street, said this; week that the project would
be able to move forward more quickly ;ind
with greater flexibility because of the new
tax credit.
“The biggest thing Ls that it makes the proj
ect viable,” Howstire said. The tax credit will
help with financing for the project, he said.
“It’s a huge win for people in North Caro
lina who are trying to do historic rehab,”
Howsare said.
Howsare said the company also has a long
tenn contract for purchase of the Southern
Hotel balding in Elizabeth City, and the tax
credit also will benefit that project.
The new tax credit is slated to expire or
“sunset" on Jan. 1,2020.
Rep. Bob Steinburg, R-Chowan, said he
and other supporters of the historic pres
ervation tax credit pushed hard for its pas
sage.
“We worked very hard - fought like the
dickens,” Steinburg said. “Those of us who
were in favor of them stuck by our guns."
See TAX CREDIT, 3A
MONDAYS, SEPT. 28TH-0CT 12TH AT 5:30/FINALE OCT. 16 AT 6