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Wednesday, March 9, 2016
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Coleman to replace Wells as food pantry director
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Leadership at the Eden
ton-Chowan Food Pantry is
changing hands.
Ray Wells, who for nearly
a decade has been the pub
lic face of the organization,
is stepping aside as director
of t he nonprofit. Roger Cole
man, a retired minister and
author, will replace Wells.
Pantry Board President
Robert Bastek explained
that the changeover began
Feb. 29 when Coleman en
tered an orientation process
with Wells to familiarize
himself with operations at
the Pantry, which is located
on North Broad Street Ex
tended.
“Roger has a wealth of
experience in community
outreach programs includ
ing meals on wheels, before
and after school childcare
centers, and housing for the
elderly,” Bastek said in an
announcement concerning
the transition in leadership.
“He also served as chairman
of the Mayor’s Task Force
on Hunger in Kansas City.”
Coleman praised Wells
for his past leadership and
insight into the needs of the
people in the community
both for nourishing food
and encouragement in dif
ficult times.
“He is an exceptional
person and has created a
compassionate program
that brings together a total
community response to the
food needs of those at risk,”
Coleman said.
Wells, who noted that this
is his fourth professional
retirement, said most of his
career experience involved
developing start-up pro
grams. He said that experi
ence came in handy as the
Pantry began to experience
growing pains and the need
to serve additional clients as
the economy has continued
to worsen in recent years.
Wells added that the Pan
try has been fortunate to
have experienced very little
turnover among its volun
teers.
They come in and see
this is a true ministry that
helps people in a practical
way, and they stay,” he said.
See DIRECTOR, 2A
Cookies for Sale
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STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Girl Scout Troop 815 had a successful drive-thru cookie sale at the Edenton Boy Scout Hut. This was the first time the troop had tried reaching out to the community this way. The
girls sold almost 500 boxes of cookies aodieceived a generous donatioi| from the owners of an Edenton-based business, Marlin, LLC, group spokeswoman Tyeisha Phelpls said.
Program is effective teaching tool, board told
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
'Hie Alternative Learning Pro
gram in the Edenton-Chowan
Schools is proving to l>e an effec
tive tool in helping students return
to their regular classrooms, ac
cording to program director Jamie
Bowers.
Bowers, a past principal at D.F.
Walker Elementary who now
serves as director of the early
college and alternative learning
programs for the school system,
offered an overview of first se
mester results during the March
1 monthly school board meeting.
Besides Bowers, ALP staff mem
bers are teacher Andy Downing
and instructional assistant Angela
lewis.
Bowers began by noting that
the program was begun as a way
to help students achieve academic
success by meeting their individu
alized learning needs.
“This non-traditionaJ program
is designed to accommodate the
non-traditional student in grades
6-12,” she said, which in this case
means students horn Chowan
Middle School and John A. Hol
mes High School.
Among those eligible for entry
into the program, she said, are stu
dents who:
Have not been successful in
the traditional school setting due
to a combination of academic,
behavioral, social and maturation
reasons
Have previously dropped out of
school
Have a history of disciplinary
issues
Have an excessive number of
unexcused absences
Bowers said that nine students
from Holmes were referred to the
program during the first semester.
Of that number, she said, two have
---
returned to the high school and
one has progressed enough to be
eligible for early graduation.
Of the six Chowan Middle
School students accepted into the
program during the first semes
ter, she said, five have returned to
CMS.
“We are still checking on those
students,” she said of those who
have returned to their respective
See EFFECTIVE, 2A
Albemarle Bank & Trust’s local branch to open Monday
From staff reports
The newest branch of Albe
marle Bank & Trust (a West Town
Bank) in Edenton will open for
business on Monday.
Edenton resident Heather Saw
yer will serve as branch manager
and assistant vice president.
The full-service branch will be
located at 216 S. Broad Street,
which has served as a loan pro
duction office for Albemarle for
the past four years. Operating
hours will be Monday through Fri
day from 8:30 amt. to 5:30 p.m.
“Albemarle Is dedicated to
providing a full-range of financial
services and a superior customer
experience to the residents of
Edenton and the surrounding
communities,” Sawyer said. “We
offer all the same services as a
large institution, but with the
friendly attitude you would expect
from a community bank.”
The building has a rich history
as a financial services facility. It
was originally constructed in 1924
as the Citizens Bank of Edenton.
From 1966 to 1980, it served as a
branch of the Bank of North Caro
lina Albemarle began using the
building in 2012.
“We’re excited to be a part of
the historic and vibrant down
town area,” Sawyer said. “We
know residents have options for
financial services in downtown
Edenton so we will work hard to
make their experience in our new
ly renovated facility as convenient
and personable as possible.”
West Town Bank & Trust is a
North Riverside, Dl.-based state
chartered bank. The bank pro
vides banking services through its
offices in Illinois and North Caro
lina and also maintains loan pro
duction offices in North Carolina,
Maryland, Florida, Idaho, New
York and New Jersey. Its primary
deposit products are checking,
savings, and time certificate ac
counts, and its primary lending
products are residential mortgage,
commercial, and installment loans.
Additionally, the bank engages in
See TO OPEN, 2A
Early voter turnout up slightly more than 2012 numbers
From staff reports
The addition of a sec
ond site for early voting
in Chowan County ap
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
pears to be making a dif
ference in voter turnout.
As of the close of vot
ing on Monday, 392 vot
ers had cast ballots in
the March 15 Primary
Election. That puts the
county on pace to exceed
its total one-stop voting
turnout of 982 in the 2012
Primary.
The Chowan Board of
Elections Office in Eden
ton has had 313 voters
and the Northern Chow
an Community Center
-- the new site that has
been added - has had 79.
In addition, 76 absen
tee-by-mail ballots have
been requested. Just 41
absentee-by-mail ballots
were returned in the 2012
Primary.
Chowan County Elec
tions Director Rebecca
Lowe said there had not
been any problems at
either site related to the
new photo ID require
ment.
Two voters so far have
voted an non-partisan
ballot, which has only the
NC Connect bond issue.
Of the other ballots,
178 have been KepuDii
can ballots and 212 have
been Democratic ballots.
The Republican bal
lot has contests for the
party’s nomination for
president and for other
offices such as governor,
U.S. House of Represen
tatives and U.S. Senate,
but no contested local
races.
me uemocrauc uanoi
for residents of the coun
ty’s 1st Commissioner
District includes a con
test between Democrats
Emmett Winborne and
James “Jill” White to be
the party’s nominee for
county commissioner in
that district. The winner
will face Republican Ron
Cummings in the fall.
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