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SHEPHERD PRUDEN LIBRARY
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482-4418
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Nixon, Kehayes will not seek reelection
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
Two county commissioners
have announced they will not be
seeking reelection next year.
Commissioners Keith Nixon
and Alex Kehayes said they would
not be seeking reelection.
Both are Republicans. Com
missioner Emmett Winbome, a
Democrat, said he would be an
nouncing his pints at a later time.
Winbome, a Rocky Hock farm
er who represents the county’s
1st District, served as a county
commissioner from 1996-2004,
WMmmmma
KEHAYES
NIXON
WINBORNE
then sat out a term before being
elected again in 2008.
Commissioner Greg Bonner, a
Democrat who represents the 3rd
District, could not be reached for
comment for this story.
Filing for state and county of
fices will run from December
1-21 because the Primary will be
March 15. North Carolina’s Pri
mary Election for years has been
in May, wit h filing for state offices
and most county offices taking
place in February.
“I will not be running,” Nixon
said Friday.
Nixon, who has held the at-large
seat on the board since 2008, said
he feels like eight years is long
enough to serve on the board. He
said he believes he has served his
purpose as a commissioner and
it’s time for someone else to have
a turn.
He also pointed out that he has
kids who are still in school and is
working full-time for Sherwin-Wil
liams. He doesn't have as much
time to devote to county govern
ment as he did previously, and he
believes in giving everything he
ran to what he does, he said.
Nixon left open the possibility
that he might run for office again
at a later time.
Kehayes, who represents the
county’s 2nd District, is in his
first term, having been elected in
2012.
Kehayes said Saturday he
wanted to announce his plans not
to seek reelection so that other
candidates might begin tossing
their hats in the ring.
“I think we need some younger
people on there,” Kehayes said.
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
X Thile tlu1 authen
▼ f Eleanor Dare
Stone has not yet been
conclusively proven,
Fred Willard, director of
the Lost Colony Center
for Science and Re
search, and associates
like Edenton native Phil
McMullan, who now
lives in Hertford, are
open to the possibility.
The two believe there
is a good chance that
the 21-pound granite
stone holds the key to
the gruesome deaths
and gravesites of El
eanor Dare's husband
Ananias and their little
daughter Virginia — the
first child born in tlm
American colonies
- and in the process
offers clues to the fate
of the group collec
tively known as tlu*
Lost Colony. Finding
the gravesites would
offer conclusive proof
to those who doubt tlu*
stone is authentic, they
said.
Willard said during
an Oct. 10 invitation
onlv gathering inside
the Edenton Town
Council Chambers that
the stone, if authentic,
was "the only English
artifact ever found
directly related to the
Lost Colony."
He and McMullan
acknowledge that the
search goes on for con
clusive evidence that
the stone is genuine and
its message describing
the burial site of Dare
and his daughter is real.
But an archaeological
dig featured on a two
hour History Channel
ticity of the
See LOST COLONY, 2A
PHOTO COURTESY PHIL MCMULLAN
Kathryn Willard foreground) and Gaston Pinner
search for artifacts at the Chowan County site.
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Fred Willard (seated) and his wife Kathryn (standing) show artifacts from the most recent dig in Chowan County to
(k) Chowan Tourism Director Nancy Nicholls, Gaston Pinner, Lisa Baker and John Morehead at the Edenton Town
Council Chambers during a recent invitation-only viewing.
Solar farm
developer
gets $23M
in loans
■ USDA awards nearly
$2.3B in loans nationwide
From staff reports
The Charlotte area firm
developing a 20-megawatt
solar farm on Yeopim Road
has been awarded nearly
$23 million in loans from
the U.S. Department of Ag
riculture.
Cornelius-based 02 EMC
Portfolio 1, LLC is receiving
three loans totaling nearly
$23 million to build several
solar' farms. The company
develops, owns and oper
ates solar farms across the
' Southeast.
The Chowan County
Planning Board in August
approved a special use per
mit for 02 EMC to develop
a solar farm on about 120
acres at 740 Yeopim Road.
At presstime a spokes
woman for 02 EMC was un
able to confirm whether any
of these USDA loans would
be p;ut of tire financing for
the local project.
The spokesman said the
Chowan project is still in
the development stage. En
vironmental assessments
are continuing - including
some soil sampling ;urd wet
lands assessment that are
taking place at the site this
week - and the tentative
timetable calls for coastruc
tion to strut in the spring.
The loaf is to 02 EMC for
the development of solar
energy projects are part of
nearly $2.3 billion in loans
announced last week by Ag
riculture Secretary Tom Vil
sack to build and improve
rural electric infrastructure
See $23M IN LOANS, 3A
Future unclear for Op. Santa
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Operation Santa, a
local holiday tradition
since 1095, is facing an
uncertain future.
The event — carried
out annually by a com
mittee led by Gwen
Brown that is made up of
employees of the Eden
ton-Chowan Schools
— has lost its two major
sponsors and the loca
tion where in previous
llllllII llllllllllllll III lllll
b y u / e>"4 4Hir'"u
f|j2004 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
years it stored and hand
ed out toys and clothing
for children on its annul
Day with Santa activity.
Brown said at this
point they are weighing
their options and consul
ering whether to try and
keep the tradition going.
“We don’t want any
child to be left without
presents on Christmas
See OPERATION, 2A
PHOrO COURTESY OF GWEN BROWN/OPERATION SANTA
Kids attending Operation Santa last year were given
knitted caps and scarves to keep them warm during the
winter, courtesy of Edenton United Methodist Church.
Sheriff, police chief offer
tips for a safe Halloween
■ Downtown biz district ■
trick or treating is Friday
From staff reports
Later this week the streets
will be scattered with little
ghosts, goblins and witches
trick-or-treating.
Destination Downtown
Edenton will sponsor its
annual Safe TYick or TYeat
ing event Friday at 5:30 p.m.
- one day before the actual
date of Halloween.
Many trick or treaters,
of course, will choose to
See HALLOWEEN, 3A
r
I
FILE PHOTO
Raggedy Ann
escorts trick
or treaters
on Halloween
night in
downtown.
This year join
Destination
Downtown
Edenton on
Friday at
5:30 p.m. for
Safe Trick or
Treating.
RELAY
J|OCK»rHOCK
:L4vU4{frui&
, S3'
f Diirtfan’t Rolau fnrf HoTaam nJKi
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4th, 7:00PM
Ticket*
$10.00
■•m i 4
r SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5th, 7:00PM
E.A. SWAIN
AUDITORIUM
HINTON, NC
iick/is Avauaoie ai various locations or can vio or zoi-jau-jajo. email rocKynocK opry@Hve.com