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SHEPHERD PRUDEN LIBRARY
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EDENTON NC 27932-1854
482-4418
Wednesday, May 3, 201 7
Commission OKs 120-day moratorium on solar farms
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Chowan County Com
mission approved a 120-day
moratorium on solar farms
during Monday’s meeting.
The moratorium affects
county’s solar farm ordi
nance and gives officials
time to study possible
changes to the law.
Camden’s Board of Com
missioners recently ap
proved a 60-day moratorium
on solar farms. The morato
rium expires in late May.
Prior to the commission’s
decision to put in place a
moratorium that ends Aug.
28, a public hearing on Mon
day offered people a chance
to voice their views.
Rachel Reid was among
several people who spoke
in favor of a moratorium
and against solar farms.
“I’ve lived here all my life
in Chowan County,” she
said. “It’s been my home, my
parent’s home - our whole
family. We’ve been here for
ever. My parents are farm
ers: I drive back and forth to
Edenton every day and look
at the crops. It really offends
me that they would call this
a solar farm because they
are not farms. They’re not
agriculture. There’s noth
ing whatsoever that I want
to look at driving down the
road.”
Reid said she doesn’t be
lieve the promises that have
been made about these fa
cilities being made to blend
in better with the surround
ings.
“They say that they’re go
ing to do all these things so
that you can’t see them or
how they are going to have
sheep there. Well, they’re
not going to have sheep or
make it all nice and pretty,”
she said. “I’ve looked at the
solar farm on the way to
Elizabeth City. I know we’ve
all looked at that. They aren’t
going to do jack squat. There
are a lot of empty promises
that are being made about
these things and they not
being policed I believe like
they should be.”
Not everyone favors a
moratorium.
“I want to express my
opposition to this morato
rium,” Frank Sellers said. “I
can’t remember when this
was done before. Moratori
ums to me spells negativity.
It is a negative sign to future
investment not only to solar
farms, but other things as
wen.”
Susan Inglis said the cur
rent ordinance is sufficient
and that any changes to
the ordinance arising from
a moratorium could “snuff
out” future opportunities.
“You can raise animals
under solar panels. You
can plant flowering plants
for polinators - 85 percent
of our food crops require
polination. It is a threat to
our current food security
that we don’t have enough
polination. I request that we
do not lose any opportunity
and do not have a morato
rium.”
Inglis’ mother Frances
added, “We need to support
alternative energy sources.”
Sellers said he’s studied
the documents related to or
dinance as it relates to solar
farms. Instead of drafting a
new ordinance, Sellers said,
the commission should rely
instead on the existing law.
He provided the commis
sion with a template for solar
development - documents
acquired from various gov
ernmental groups who have
studied the issue.
See SOLAR, 6A
Guard
dies after
assault
From staff reports
WINDSOR — A prison
guard from Edenton who
worked in Bertie County
has died after she was at
tacked by an inmate.
North Carolina Depart
ment of Public Safety
spokeswoman Pamela
Walker said in a hews re
lease the attack happened
late Wednesday afternoon
at the Bertie Correctional
Institution in Windsor.
Walker said prison
medial staff and first re
sponders were unsuccess
ful in the attempt to save
-29-year-old Sgt. Megan Lee
Callahan of Edenton. She
died about an hour after
the attack.
An inmate who has been
in the prison since 2004 on
a life sentence for murder
in Cumberland County is
being investigated in the
attack but no charges have
been filed yet.
The State Bureau of In
vestigation is handling the
case.
Callahan had been with
the department since 2012.
She had been promoted to
sergeant in February 2016.
Tim Brabble, a Vidant
company police officer at
Vidant-Chowan Hospital
in Edenton, said he had
known Callahan for many
years, starting from their
time together more than a
decade ago when he was
serving as Chowan Sher
iff’s Department’s school
resource officer at Chow
an Middle School.
“She was a good kid.
This is tragic. I’m heart-
broken,” Brabble said.
Gov. Roy Cooper has
ordered all North Carolina
flags lowered to half-staff
in tribute to Callahan.
Cooper issued the order
on Thursday. Flags were
to be lowered immediately
and returned to full staff at
sunset today.
Regulator Marine to expand
PHOTOS BY MILES LAYTON
Regulator Marine President Joan Maxwell points to a boat as assembly is finished at the Peanut drive facility.
The company is looking to employ more workers as it expands.
God’s grace spurs business
BY NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON
For the Chowan Herald
Before each shift, employees gath
er at Regulator Marine’s facility on
Edenton’s Peanut Drive, a road that
serves several local industries.
They start their shift with a prayer,
perhaps to bless the upcoming shift
or to seek support for a co-worker’s
relative. They go over their schedule,
keeping an eye toward safety as an
OSHA Carolina Star facility. Regula
tor is the only .boat manufacturer to
have the designation for meeting the
high safety standard.
Then the shift gets to work filing
fiberglass molds, installing wiring,
creating supply lists — eveiything
needed to finish the 15-18 boats cur
rently in various stages of the pro
duction process. Regulator Marine
completes four boats every week.
But with an upcoming expansion,
owners Owen and Joan Maxwell
hope to increase that number to
meet the demand for its fiberglass
sportfishing boats.
The company’s multi-phase ex
pansion includes an increase its
workforce — now at 160. Regulator
has 15 immediate openings ranging
from technical writer to control/CFO
to assembly and lamination person
nel. Interested people can apply at
the facility, 187 Peanut Drive.
The parking spaces there may be a
little hard to come by. President Joan
Maxwell said the parking lot will be
one of the things expanded under
the project, as will be the assembly
area. A gravel lot has been construct
ed behind the facility with another to
be put in later this year. Both will al
low for the expansion of what is now
the storage facility for the fiberglass
molds used to make everything on
Regulator’s boats — from coolers
See REGULATOR, 4A
A boat is lowered onto a trailer for
shipment to a dealer. Regulator
Marine produces four boats per
week.
Legislators
differ on bill
BY REGGIE PONDER
Daily Advance
Area lawmakers dis
agree on whether a univer
sity free speech bill that
has passed the state House
is a necessary safeguard or
an unnecessary diversion
from more
important
issues.
“I think
this is just
an addi
tional safe
guard, ”
said state
Rep. Bob
Steinburg,
R-Chowan,
who voted
for House
Bill 527.
Steinburg
represents
a part of
Pasquo
tank Coun ¬
ty, which is home to Eliza
beth City State University,
one of the 16 campuses
in the University of North
Carolina system affected
by HB 527.
. But state Rep. Howard
Hunter, D-Hertford, who
also represents a part
See BILL, 2A
Arts show
creates fun
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff writer
Those attending the open
ing reception tomorrow
(Thursday) night for a four-
woman, mixed media show
will have the opportunity
to experience a visual treat
that encompasses every
thing from colored pencils
to rice paper.
The reception opens at
the Chowan Arts Coun
cil Gallery in downtown
Edenton at 5:30 p.m. Admis
sion is free and everyone is
See ART, 5A
f
‘Midnight Masquerade’ memories made
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©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Dressed in their best,
John A. Holmes High School
students made their arrivals
Saturday evening in front
of the school to attend the
prom.
Parents and neighbors
greeted each couple as
they walked toward a time
and place where memories
would be made. Superin
tendent Rob Jackson, who
greeted the Aces in his dap
per suit and bow tie, noted
that of his long tour of duty
at many proms over the
years, Holmes’ proms are
unique because folks gather
to greet sons and daughters
as they step out of cars and
onto the red carpet. For
a moment, time stopped
as parents used cellphone
cameras to take photos and
videos of their dressed up
teens.
Aces’ ladies — the styles
of dresses have changed
over the years, but that is
to be expected. There was
a lot of time spent making
this fashion moment spe
cial. Gowns were classy
and elegant, much like
See PROM, 8A
Aces’ prom
king was
Kyrese
Phelps
while the
queen was
Jer’Kyrah
Jackson.
PHOTO BY JAN
SMITH
May Play Day
FAMILY FUN IF MI rH , „ „
MwwMin^ MINH “HS^
Hi Fill!
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BBQ CHICKEN CORN HOLE T
PLATES
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10:00 Until
Winning Team - Grand Prize - $100.00 Cash
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SATURDAY, MAY 6TH - 10AM
Pembroke Bass Club - Kids Fishing Instructions
Contest and Prizes
For Craft Booth Spaces, Call 252-221-4169