CHOWAi/hERALD
482-4418 Wednesday, March 20, 2019 75 C
INSIDE
Obituaries 3A Church 3B
Opinion 4A Community 4B
Community ....5A Region 6B
Sports 1-2B Classifieds... 7-8B
Inside: Albemarle Magazine
Commissioners reject new clinic proposal
Board OKs purchase of tractor/
bush hog for road work
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff Writer
Chowan County Com
mission addressed sev
eral matters Monday that
ranged from the mundane
to mention of Venezuela
and even a bit about the
pitfalls of applying for a
permit needed to plug a
hole.
As to that rapidly deteri
orating socialist country in
South America, that’s how
one county commissioner
described what would
happen if the federal gov
ernment took over health
care. Hold that thought for
a moment.
Metropolitan Commu
nity Health Services asked
for a letter of support
to aid possible plans to
open a new health center
in Edenton. Though ex
panding local health care
sounds good, the devil is in
the details.
Commission Vice Chair
Ron Cummings warned
that if Metropolitan ex
panded into the county
those government health
care dollars used to pay
for medical care would
evaporate — follow the
patient. Moreover, once
those dollars run out as it
affects Metropolitan’s bot
tom line, Cummings said,
that would mean that this
clinic may restrict health
care.
A new clinic would jeop
ardize federal money paid
for patient care received
by the local health depart
ment, Cummings said. If
patients seek care at the
clinic, Cummings said, less
money would flow to the
health department. More
over, because not every
one has the same ability to
pay for medical care, costs
are spread out so as to bal
ance the books and keep
the health department in
the black ink. Shifting pa
tients eligible for govern
ment subsidies away from
the health department to
the clinic would directly
affect the county’s bottom
line — more so since the
health department is not in
a position to deny care.
Commissioner Don Fair
cloth noted that the health
department has served
See CLINIC, 3A
Harrell
was ace
insky,
pulpit
Former Editor’s note:
Never knowing what
kind of story I’m going
to find untit I find it, I [
lurked into meeting Bob |
Harrell about a year
ago for a story about his
military service. While
interviewing Harrell, I |
learned about a life that
was dedicated to God.
Thus, we’re reprint
ing that interview from
Ap^'il 2018. Harrell died
Sunday. His obituary
appears on Page 3A.
Veteran dedicated life
to helping others
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff Writer
Robert S. Harrell wasa
lieutenant serving in the
U.S. Army Air Corps when
his bomber veered off a
course, a
bit one
night dur
ing a train
ing run
over the
Pacific at
the tail
end of
World War HARRELL
n.
Since there were no
gas stations in those skies ,
where the B-24 could pull
over to get directions, he
said, another approach
was needed to get the
bomber crew home.
Harrell, the plane’s co
pilot, said the bomber’s
navigator went up inside
a window at the top of the
plane to make some cal
culations.
“There were no com
puters then, so he looked
at the compass, took
a sexton up there and
pointed it at the stars,”
Harrell said with a smile. I
“We made it back to base
— straight line — saw the
See HARRELL, 2A
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0
R
PHOTOS BY NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON/CHOWAN HERALD
Members of the Edenton Lions Club serve up eggs, pancakes and sausage Saturday during their annual Breakfast
for the Blind.
Breakfast raises money for blind
Edenton Lions Club
fundraiser serves 800 meals
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff Writer
Last Saturday held a lot of
promise. The temperature
was in the 60s and there
was sunshine.
Sso a lot of folks wanted
to start the day with a good
breakfast served by the
Edenton Lions Club.
Proceeds of the annual
Breakfast for the Blind sup
port Lions Club initiatives
aimed at helping the blind
and a scholarship.
Instead of dining on a
bowl of Captain Crunch
cereal while watching the
morning’s fake news on
television, more than 800
folks had a tasty meal of
scrambled eggs, sausage,
grits and top-notch pan-
Husband’s quick thinking saves new mom
Holley had stroke; received
care at Vidant Chowan -
BY NICOLE BOWMAN-
LAYTON
Editor
When you look at Jenni
fer Holley, you have no idea
what she’s been through dur
ing the past year.
The Creswell resident has
a smile that lights up her face.
She is a new mom of a boy
who is almost a year old.
She is also a stroke survi
vor. Holley shared her story
on a recent Monday in the
Vidant Chowan Hospital ad
ministrative offices.
About two months after
her child was born, Holley,
who was 29 years old at the
time, had what she describes
as the worst headache she’s
ever had.
“It was just a normal day,
and I got a really bad head
ache. I’ve never really had
Jack Parker (left) and Rob
Jackson work on the grits.
cakes served with maple
syrup and perhaps a spot
of butter in the fellowship
hall at Edenton Baptist
Church.
Early estimates indicate
the fundraiser brought in
between $4,500 and $5,000.
Co-chairs for this year’s
r
INSIDE
Education important in stroke
care - 7A
migraines before, so I actu
ally thought you know, may
be this is the migraine, and it
was so bad,” she said of that
fateful Thursday in July. “I
couldn’t think and it felt like
someone was hammering a
nail into my brain.”
Holley’s family was living
in Edenton at the time. She
said she remembers how she
couldn’t think straight and
decided to take some Advil
for the pain.
“My husband noticed that
it looked like I was going to
trip and fall, and I thought that
was because I just couldn’t fo
cus enough to walk straight,”
she continued. “So I went I
took the Advil. When I took
the Advil, some of the water
Scrambled eggs are stirred Saturday during the Edenton
Lions Club annual Breakfast for the Blind at Edenton
Baptist Church.
event were Craig Miller
and Paul Stallings.
“The event was a great
success. The funds will be
used to fund eye glasses/
exams for those in need
poured down my mouth and
again, I just thought okay, I
can’t think straight because
in our community,” Miller
said.
“Also, some of the prof
its will fund a scholarship
for a worthy JAH graduate
this year.”
NICOLE BOWMAN-
LAYTON/CHOWAN
HERALD
Jennifer Holley,
of Creswell,
smiles at the
Vidant Chowan
Hospital
administrative
offices. In July,
she received
treatment at
the hospital
after suffering
a stroke. After
being treated
in Edenton,
she was flown
to Vidant
Medical Center
in Greenville,
where the blood
clot causing
the stroke was
removed.
the headaches too bad, so I
See MOM, 7A
Bill to let
co-ops
expand
broadband
Lawmakers mull coverage
inequities with commission
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff Writer
Chowan County Com
missioner Bob Kirby said
the state’s broadband pol
icy does not accurately
reflect reality.
“I’ll tell you firsthand,
it’s no good,” said Kirby, a
retired engineer who like
most
difficult Chowan County
time needsbroad-
with in- band — 4A
ternet
cover
age at his home in the
county.
State Sen. Bob Stein
burg and Representative
Ed Goodwin, both R-
Chowan, addressed ex
panding broadband cov
erage when they spoke
to county commissioners
recently about legislative
matters they are pushing
within the General As-
See BILL, 2A
Solar
farm
permit
sought
Facility to be located on
Sign Pine Road
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff Writer
Chowan County is be
ing considered as the site
for another solar farm that
has applied for a permit
to develop a 5-megawatt
generation facility.
A division of SunEn-
ergyl, Gliden Solar, LLC
seeks a conditional use
permit to develop a facil
ity at 414 Sign Pine Road,
with an access to the site
from approximately 638
Gliden Road. This is an
approximately 82-acre
tract, where roughly 56
acres will be utilized for
the solar development. If
all local, state and federal
permits are approved,
the land for this develop
ment will be from Eugene
N. Jordan, Inc. A farmer,
Jordan is also president
of the Edenton-Chowan
Board of Education.
If approved, this would
be the second solar project
to set its sites on Chowan
See SOLAR, 2A