CHOWAP{ HERA
482-4418 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2019
.RT LOT**C 002 A0038
P16/C9
SHEPHERD pruden library
EDEN^NC 27932-1854
Celebrate
the Class
nf on-19
Edenton town council OKs water rate hike
Increase to help pay off
treatment plant upgrades
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff writer
When a famous adven
turing steer named Finn
visited Edenton recently,
he should have stuck
around a bit longer to at
tend Monday’s special
meeting of Town Council
so as to learn more about a
water rate increase, the
pending sale of the Conger
Building, the adoption of
the annual budget and
much more.
Of course space is tight
within today’s Chowan
Herald, so the print version
of the story has no room to
chew the cud. Thus
readers are advised to visit
the newspaper’s Facebook
page, which will direct
them to the web link
needed to find the full
story online at the Daily
Advance.
First up, council ap
proved a $1.35 water rate
increase that will take ef
fect in the near future. The
rate hike is the first of what
will be two rate increases
— $1.35 and later, $1.40 —
that will total $2.75 within
the next year or so. In 2020,
council is poised to ap
prove the $1.40 rate in
crease. The total rate in
crease is needed to pay
back $2.64 million in bonds
to renovate and upgrade
the town’s Beaver Hill and
Freemason water
treatment plants.
Council was split 3-2 as
to whether to approve
splitting up the total rate
increase or approving an
all-at-once rate increase
next year after the renova
tions are completed and
bond payments com
mence. Councilors Craig
Miller, Jimmy Stallings and
Roscoe Poole voted for the
rate increase while Elton
Bond and Steve Biggs op
posed the measure. Sam
Dixon did not attend
Miller advocated for
“softening” the rate in
crease by spreading it out.
Mayor Roland Vaughan
preferred to have the total
rate increase approved
See COUNCIL, A2
Bovine inspiration visits kids’ art class
Fundraiser with Finn
helps Kids First Inc.
BY MILES LAYTON AND
ANNA GOODWIN
MCCARTHY
Adams Publishing Group
Going to moo right to it.
There was a cow on the
courthouse green Saturday
morning. Yep!
And not just any cow, it
was Finn, who is known
for his adventures far and
wide on social media.
Finn came to town so
budding artists with Fear
less Kids Art could paint
the bovine’s portrait, all for
a good cause. Proceeds
from this event are going
to Kids First Inc. of Eliza
beth City, a nonprofit that
helps children of abuse.
While morning views of
Edenton Bay and certainly
the courthouse green are al
ways inspiring, there is
something about having a
friendly cow walking about,
even in the studio, that
mooooves the soul to create
a work of art, maybe makes
you want to be a kid again.
“The excitement never
left their faces,” said Tracy
Whichard, owner of Fear
less Kids Art. “They were
able to pet Finn, feed and
paint a beautiful portrait.
Summer program feeds Chowan’s youths
Benefit set for June 30
at Edenton Baptist Church
BY NICOLE BOWMAN-
LAYTON
Editor
The Edenton Chowan
Food Pantry isn’t usually
open at night. On June 19,
the nonprofit’s lights were
on and the doors open as its
Children’s Summer Nutri
tion Program kicked off.
The program, currently in
its third year, was created
to help ease family’s
He’s beautiful and such a
sweet cow! There were 12
kids who painted and lots of
visitors stopped by. Amanda
Smith (Finn’s owner) and I
are friends. We came up
with the idea together.”
Much like social media
favorite Crusoe the
Celebrity Dachshund, trust
us when we say Finn gets a
lot of ink and attention
from his many minions of
followers, so. instead let’s
focus our story on
Whichard, who gets her
artistic inspiration from
CONCERT
Edenton Chowan Food Pantry
is sponsoring a free concert
from 4-6 p.m. Saturday, June
30, at the Edenton Baptist
Church Fellowship Hall, corner
of Queen and Granville streets.
Donations will be accepted for
the Children’s Summer Nutri
tion Program.
budgets during the sum
mer.
See YOUTHS, A5
the children.
“They inspire with theft-
creativity and how eager
they are to start creating,”
she said.
Whichard said it is impor
tant for kids to be creative.
“In this world today with
all the electronics we have
and that they play, for kids
to be creative is more im
portant than ever,” she said.
Whichard helps budding
young artists learn not only
how to work in different
See ART, A2
PHOTOS COURTESY
KATHY MYERS FRANCIS
No need to adjust
the bifocals when
reading this story.
That's not a giant
dachshund with
horns - no - that's
Finn, a social media
bovine sensation.
Finn came to town
so budding artists
with Fearless Kids
Art could paint the
cow's portrait, all for
a good cause.
Proceeds from this
event are going to
Kids First Inc. of
Elizabeth City, a non-
profit that helps
children of abuse.
Four-year-old Brinkley Evans poses with Finn.
NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON/
CHOWAN HERALD
Volunteers from Eden
ton United Methodist
Church including John
A. Holmes High School
Principal Stephen
Wood (center) and
Edenton Town Coun
cilor Jimmy Stallings
(second from right)
pack food for the Chil
dren's Summer Nutri
tion Program. Edenton
Chowan Food Pantry
Warehouse manager
Karen Harrington
(right) watches.
Two men
charged
in murder
Police: Cruize Riddick
shot, killed last week
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff writer
Two men are being held
without bond on first-de
gree murder charges fol
lowing the shooting death
COPELAND
last week
of an
Edenton
man.
Deean-
dre Keith-
hale
Copeland
Jr., 20, of
Edenton,
and Ja-
SPEAKS
heim
Tykelly
Speaks,
17, of Ber
tie County,
were ar
rested
Thursday,
June 20,
and
charged in
the shooting death of
Cruize A. Riddick, Edenton
police said.
They were scheduled to
be arraigned Tuesday
morning in Chowan
County District Court as
presided over by District
Court Judge Eula Reid.
According to police, offi
cers were notified of an in
cident in the 1000 block of
Badham Road Wednesday
about 10:22 p.m. Wednes
day, June 19. When they ar
rived, they found Riddick,
32, of Edenton, critically
injured from a gunshot.
Riddick was transported to
Vidant Chowan Hospital in
Edenton, where he died
from his injuries, police
said.
After their arrests,
Copeland and Speaks were
charged with first-degree
See MURDER, A2
Ceremony will honor
town’s Joseph Hewes
40 years of July 4th celebrations
Tea Party NSDAR hosts
20th annual event
BY SANDRA LANCASTER
SPERRY
For Chowan Herald
The 20th annual July
4th Ceremony, spon
sored by the Edenton
'89076
44813 1
Vol. 84, No. 26
©2019 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
Tea Party Chapter, Na
tional Society Daughters
of the American Revolu
tion (NSDAR) will be
held at 10 a.m. July 4, at
the Joseph Hewes Monu
ment on the Historic
1767 Chowan
See NSDAR, A3
See JULY 4TH, A3
0
Optimist Club puts
together annual event
By NICOLE BOWMAN-
LAYTON
Editor
For 40 years, the
Chowan Edenton Optimist
Club has made sure
Chowan County celebrates
Fourth of July in style.
This year, the nonprofit
is again seeking help as it
celebrates Independence
Day with fireworks and
Optimist youth activities.
The activities begin at 4
p.m. and will be held at
Edenton’s Colonial Park.
The fireworks will start af
ter dusk.
Train rides will be avail
able from 5-7:30 p.m.
In case of inclement
weather, fireworks will be
July 5.
DJ Cowboy, Adam
CHOWAN-EDENTON OPTIMIST CLUB
Chowan-Edenton Optimist Club has provided Fourth of
July fireworks for 40 years.
Chowan Edenton Optimist Club
40™ ANNUAL
Fabulous 4“ of July
COME TO EDENTON’S WATERFRONT
EAT DINNER AND ENJOY
NORTH CAROLINA'S LARGEST
“Over die Water Ms Shew”
Entertainment by
DJ COWBOY
(Adam Evans) of Edenton
EVENTS START AT 4:00 P.M.
LOTS OF FOOD,
FUN, CRAFTS,
RAFFLES AND
GAMES FOR
CHILDREN!!!
Please Support Our Fabulous 4th of July
WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL HELP!
MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO
CHOWAN EDENTON OPTIMIST CLUB
108 Meadow Lark Dr., Edenton NC 27932
IRS Tax Exempt ID # available upon request