CHOWAffHERALD
252-482-4418 WEDNESDAY, July 10,2019 $1
State Senate passes Prison Reform Act
House must OK bill before it
heads to Cooper for signature
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff writer
RALEIGH — NC Senate unan
imously passed the Prison Re
form Act last week to improve
safety and working conditions
within the state’s corrections sys
tem.
The bipartisan bill, sponsored
by Senators Bob Steinburg (R-
Chowan), Norman Sanderson
(R-Pamlico) and Floyd McKis
sick (D-Durham) was the result
of recommendations from the
Senate Select Committee on Pri
son Safety, which was chaired by
Steinburg.
The committee was formed as
part of the state’s continued re
sponse to the slayings of five cor
rectional employees at prisons in
Bertie and Pasquotank counties
in 2017. In the aftermath
of the attacks, Steinburg
pledged to tackle the
prison system’s “secret
society” that he said has
resisted reform and
transparency.
The committee has
met regularly since Fe
bruary to discuss ways
to make prisons in
Carolina safer.
STEINBURG
for months and had sig
nificant, meaningful dis
cussions about the best
way to improve safety in
our prisons,” Steinburg
said. “There are thou
sands of hardworking
correctional officers
throughout North
Carolina that risk their
North lives every day simply by going
to work and we owe it to them to
as safe as possible. This is an im
portant next step moving in that
direction.”
Steinburg is optimistic about
the bill’s chances in the House.
“Given that I have yet to hear
of any major pushback from my
former House colleagues, I am
cautiously optimistic about the
bill’s passage in the House,” he
said. “Hard questions are to be
“The committee met regularly ensure that work environment is
See PRISON, A2
Churches donate to
Boys & Girls Club
Still Going Strong
Funds to help nonprofit
pay for summer activities
BY VERONICA DOWNING
Correspondent
The Boys and Girls
Club of Edenton/Chowan
County recently received
generous donations from
three local churches:
Open Door on Haughton
Road, Ballard’s Bridge
Church on Virginia Road
in Tyner and Edenton
Baptist Church’s Vaca
tion Bible School on
South Granville Street.
The donations will as
sist with the organi-
INSIDE ON B6
Boys & Girls Club members at
tend Greensboro camp
zation’s upcoming Sum
mer Camp Program.
Ballard’s Bridge
Church, pastored by the
Rev. Ron Parr, donated
$3,100; Edenton Baptist
Church, pastored by
David Brooks, donated
$481.29 and Open Door
Church, pastored by
Stephen Mizell, donated
$1,020.
See CLUB, A3
MILES LAYTON/CHOWAN HERALD
Belinda Respass, who co-owns Taylor Theater with husband Ryan, sells tick
ets to a family about to see the movie "Spider-Man: Far from Home". About a
year ago, the theater reopened after having been closed for a year.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Boys & Girls Club Edenton/Chowan unit members hold
a certificate noting a recent donation from the Eden
ton Baptist Church’s Vacation Bible School.
Taylor Theater celebrates
one year since re-opening
3RD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT RACE
Due to an early press deadline, results from the second Republican
primary election in the 3rd Congressional District were not available
for this edition. Please check our Facebook page, @thechowanherald,
or dailyadvance.com for results in the race between Greg Murphy and
Joan Perry.
:
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff writer
About a year ago or so,
Taylor Theater reopened
July 5 with a showing
“Ant-Man and The
Wasp,” the latest super
hero movie based on the
Marvel Comics charac
ters.
Last week, the local
theater celebrated its
one-year anniversary
with another Marvel
crowd-pleaser, “Spider-
Man: Far from Home.”
Lion King opens this
summer and another
Star Wars movie is set for
December where hope
fully Emperor Palpatine
restores order to the gal
axy by banishing that
emo kid, Kylo Ren.
“It’s been a good year,”
said Belinda Respass,
who co-owns the theater
with her husband Ryan.
“I’ve been pleased with
business. It’s been steady
and we’ve had multiple
sell-outs over the year.
Every month or so, we’ve
had a sold out show.
From what I remember
in the old days, those
See TAYLOR, A2
America’s journey to independence celebrated
MILES LAYTON/
CHOWAN HERALD
Mayor Roland
Vaughan reads
the Declaration
of Indepen
dence during
the Edenton Tea
Party NSDAR’s
Fourth of July
ceremony
Thursday in
Edenton.
20th annual NSDAR ceremony
honors Hewes, local dignitaries
STAFF REPORTS
“We hold these truths to be self-
evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalien
able Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness:” — so read Edenton
Mayor Roland Vaughan from the
Declaration of Independence dur
ing Thursday’s Fourth of July cel
ebration, sponsored by the Eden
ton Tea Party Chapter National
Society for the Daughters of the
American Revolution.
Much like how those works
JULY 4 COVERAGE
* To see a video of the event, go to the
Chowan Herald’s Facebook page or
check our YouTube channel.
* For coverage of the Chowan-Edenton
Optimist Club's Fourth of July celebration,
including the fireworks, see page Bl.
from the Founding Fathers will
echo an eternity, Deborah Perry
sang the National Anthem to open
the 20th annual ceremony at
Courthouse Green. Perry also
sang “God Bless America” to
close the service.
See AMERICA, A3
3 file to
run for
council
Filing period ends July 19;
election will be held Nov. 5
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff writer
Filing for mayor and
Edenton Town Council
opened Friday.
Longtime Edenton coun
cilman Jimmy Stallings
filed for mayor, while
Roger Coleman signed the
line for the at-large council
seat and Sambo Dixon
filed for re-election to the
2nd Ward seat.
Filing period ends July
19, and Election day is
November 5.
Though these were the
latest filings that could be
reported before Tuesday’s
press time, more filings
will be reported as they oc
cur on the Chowan Her
ald’s Facebook page and in
subsequent print editions.
Longtime mayor Roland
Vaughan announced his
plans not to seek another
See COUNCIL, A2
Incumbent
Dixon will
seek seat
Since 1997, lawyer has
represented 2nd Ward
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff writer
Native son and longtime
Edenton Town Councilor
Sambo Dixon filed Mon
day to run for re-election
for the 2nd Ward seat that
he has represented since
1997.
“I believe in Edenton,”
Dixon said. “That is why I
am excited to announce
that I am running for re-
election to the Edenton
Town Council for the Se
cond Ward. I want to con
tinue to work with others
to help create a town that
honors its past while also
seeking to build a sustain
able future. I will work
hard to promote projects
like the North Oakum
Street and the Moseley
Street redevelopment
I zones and the restoration
of culturally important
iconic structures like
Kadesh Church and the
See DIXON, A2
'89076
44813’
Vol. 84, No. 28
What’s Hnppruhq: in Chowan County
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Chowan officers
among graduates
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— B2
Obituary — A3
Jessie Bass Bunch
Calendar B3
Classifieds....87-8
InHoV Community....A5
IIIUCA Education 82
Obituaries A3
Opinion A4
Sports Bl
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