482-4418
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
75*
Speight pays homage
We all have places
that remain special to
us throughout our lives,
even if they just exist
now in our memories.
But for W.O. “Will” Spei
ght, one of the places
closest to his heart still
exists in Edenton. — 1B
‘Don’t look down’
Veronica Downing
had a mind-blowing
experience this past
weekend at the Eden
ton Music and Water
Festival. For the first
time in several years,
she finished the Rock
Climb, and made it to
the very top. — 2B
Sackrison retires
Friday morning, Jeff
Sackrison’s office was
empty, cleared of pho
tos, stick-it notes and
the paperwork that was
usually neatly organized
on his desk. In fact,
Sackrison had a smile
on his face as he talked
about his last day and
retiring as President
at Vidant-Chowan and
Vidant-Bertie. — 7A
Aces attend Girls State
Two Aces’ politicos
learned more about
democracy at Tar Heel
Girls State, a week long
workshop in the legisla
tive process sponsored
by the North Carolina
American Legion Auxil
iary. — 4A
Council approves budget, tax and rate hikes
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Town Council unani
mously passed a budget
ordinance for fiscal year
2018-2019 on Monday night
that contains a moderate
tax increase as well as rate
hikes for electric, water
and sewer.
The Town’s tax rate will
increase around 4 percent
PHOTO BY ELECTRICITIES OF NC
Utility poles along NC 32 in the southern end of Chowan County sustained heavy damage during Wednesday’s
storm. Linemen from across the region were busy Thursday morning restoring electricity to those neighborhoods
and homes affected by the storm.
Crews restore power in storm ravaged county
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A powerful storm ripped
through Chowan County
and the region last week
that left memories and a bit
of damage in its wake.
Nearly 3 inches of rain
quickly bathed the area
Wednesday evening, so
flooding was reported in all
the familiar places be it the
dip on Court Street behind
the 1767 Chowan County
Courthouse to the various
low lying areas in the Rocky
Hock neck of the woods.
Wind speed approached
60 miles per hour, accord
ing to the National Weather
Service.
A tree with a trunk that
was at least 4-feet round,
came tumbling down across
of valuation to 40 cents per
hundred.
The tax rate was last in
creased three years ago in
FY 2015/16, by around 3.8
percent due to the Legis
lature eliminating munici
palities’ authority to levy
privilege license tax.
Council approved a one
percent increase to its elec
tric retail rates due to a re
cent increase on the Town’s
PHOTO BY SUSAN BIRCKHEAD
A bolt of lightning splits an ominous cloud filled sky by
Warren Grove Baptist Church during Wednesday’s storm.
North Broad Street by Dairy
Queen.
Leonard Small’s barn roof
sustained some damage as
wholesale power purchase
rates.
Water and Sewer Rates
were increased by 7 per
cent. Water rates increase
from $5.75 to $6.13 per one
thousand gallons of water
for customers using be
tween 2,000 to 10,000 gal
lons. Sewer rates increase
from $6.05 to $6.45 per one
thousand gallons of sewer.
The average residential
did nine utility poles in the
southern end of the county
by NC 32. Tree limbs big and
small were spread across
customer will see their
monthly water and sewer
bill increase from $52.58
to $54.92, which is an in
crease of $2.34 per month.
This translates to about a
4.5 percent increase.
The budget for the
coming year will total
$5,571,275, according to
town finance officer Vir
ginia Smith.
Prior to the vote Town
the landscape from the Ire
dell House to the county
line.
Thursday, electricity fad
ed to black for several hours
at Village Creek, Edenton
Bay, Cape Colony, Country
Club and Mulberry Hill.
Long before the sun had
emerged the morning after
the storm, linemen from
Greenville Utilities, City of
Wilson and River City Con
struction toiled alongside
with Town of Edenton line-
men to get the lights back
on. Traffic flow was tempo
rarily restricted on NC 32
as crews removed downed
lines and replaced broken
utility poles.
When the power returned
around 3 p.m. in many plac-
See STORM, 6A
Manager Anne-Marie Knigh
ton reviewed a summary of
final adjustments made to
the proposed budget. They
included an increase in
the General Fund revenue
line item from $630,000 to
$664,000 based on project
ed sales tax revenue.
Other adjustments in
cluded:
See COUNCIL, 3A
Fabulous
Fourth
ahead
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
With the approach of
the community’s annual
Fabulous Fourth of July
celebration hosted by the
Chowan Edenton Opti
mist Club, thoughts of
a spectacular fireworks
show, tasty food, enter
tainment, and fun-filled
games for children are
uppermost in the minds
of local residents.
Optimist Club members
say they are hard at work
getting ready to deliver
yet another outstanding
Independence Day cel
ebration on Wednesday,
July 4 at the downtown
waterfront. And as the or
ganization marks its 40th
anniversary of the cele
bration’s start next year,
Optimists are already
thinking about how to
build an event that’s even
bigger and better.
“We’ll have a lot for ev
erybody to look forward
to this July 4 as we plan
for next year,” said Opti
mist Club member John
McArthur.
Attractions for this
year’s event are scheduled
to include music courtesy
of DJ Cowboy Adam Ev
ans along with the return
of the popular mechani
cal bull ride, “a crowd
pleaser,” McArthur said.
There will lots of fun
for children including a
watermelon eating con
test and a penny hunt, he
said.
And around lunchtime
each July 4, those who
like variety can be seen
heading to the waterfront
where they’ll be faced
with a variety of choices
including hot dogs, ham
burgers and french fries,
courtesy of American
See FOURTH, 3A
King sworn in as chief
Edenton’s new Po
lice Chief Henry King
was officially sworn-in
Tuesday afternoon
within Town Council’s
chambers. — 2A
BOE filing begins Friday
Harriss files for re-election
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©2018 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Filing for election for a seat
on the Edenton-Chowan School
Board begins this week and at
least one incumbent won’t be
seeking re-election.
Glorius Elliott, whose at-large
seat on the Edenton-Chowan
Board of Education is up for elec
tion this fall, has indicated she
will not seek another term.
Filing for four of the seven seats
on the Edenton-Chowan Board of
Education starts Friday and ends
Friday, July 27.
Besides Elliott’s seat, other
seats up for election include the
District 1 Seat 2 held by Jean
Bunch; the District 2 Seat 2 held
by Ricky Browder; and the Dis
trict 3 Seat 1 held by Gil Bur
roughs.
The most important respon
sibility of school boards is to
work with their communities to
improve student achievement
in their local public schools. To
ward that end, school boards are
responsible for the budget, over-
seeing facilities issues as well as
developing and adopting policies
aimed at enhancing the education
of Cubbies, Hornets and Aces.
In related news, the filing pe
riod for two of the three supervi
sors for the Soil and Water Con-
See BOE, 6A
SUBMITTED PHOTO
District Court Judge Meader
Harriss filed for re-election on
Friday at the State Board of
Elections and Ethics in Raleigh.
From Staff Reports
District Court Judge Meader
Harriss filed Friday to seek a sec
ond term in this fall’s general elec
tion.
Harriss, who was first elected
in 2014, serves on the bench in the
seven-county First Judicial District
that includes Camden, Chowan,
Currituck, Dare, Gates, Pasquo
tank, and Perquimans counties.
“I am committed to serving the;
citizens of the First Judicial Dis
trict and the fair and impartial;
administration of justice in our
great state,” Harriss said in a news
release.
As a District Court judge, Harriss
See HARRISS, 3A
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■ uuuivuj t nluwunij ullUW mechanical bull riding children!!! IRS Tax Exempt ID # available upon request
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