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EDENTON NC 27932-1854
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2019
$1
COMMUNITY
Wreaths Across America will be held Dec. 14 nationwide. Activities start
at noon in Edenton’s Beaver Hill Cemetery. - A5
NEWS
Sheriff Goodwin offers holiday shopping tips, advice regarding gift card
scams. - B5
Letters to Santa
The deadline for Letters to Santa is Friday, Dec. 6. Letters can be dropped
off at the Chowan Herald office or emailed to nlayton@ncweeklies.com.
Local, state candidates file for 2020 election
Steinburg, Goodwin seeking
re-election for NC Legislature
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff writer
Legislators and county com
mission candidates took time to
sign the line when candidate fil
ing opened Monday.
State Sen. Bob Steinburg, R-
Chowan, and state Rep. Ed
Goodwin, R-Chowan, filed for
their second terms.
“It continues to be an honor
and a privilege to represent
northeastern North Carolina in
the largest legislative district in
the entire General Assembly,”
Steinburg said Monday after he
filed, joined by his wife Marie.
“The strong relationships I have
within the region and with leader
ship in Raleigh has meant that
our voice is one that will be heard
and not denied or ignored when
it comes to the challenges facing
a rural legislative district.”
Steinburg said he remains
strongly committed to serving
the region.
“I have the desire, energy, drive
and commitment to continue rep
resenting this region in a manner
that will ensure that the needs of
northeastern NC will not be ig
nored,” he said. “Next year the
voters in Senate District 1 will
See ELECTION, A2
GOODWIN STEINBURG
Chief King: Don’t pass stopped school buses
So far this school year, 8 tickets
issued within the town limits
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff writer
When a school bus comes to
a stop, nearby drivers have a
choice to make — break the
law, face a huge fine, receive
driver’s license/insurance points
and possibly harm someone —
or to do the right thing.
Seems like an easy choice,
but some folks decide other
wise to risk everything to gain
nothing. Since mid-August,
eight tickets have been issued
for motorists who’ve been
charged with passing a stopped
school bus with the town of
Edenton — a number that is
quite high for a town of about
5,000 souls, according to Police
Chief Henry King Jr.
“One incident is too many,”
he said. “So if you simply don’t
want to hear from the police,
then just don’t pass a bus.”
To see a video featuring
King’s interview about the
penalties of passing a stopped
school bus, see the Chowan
Herald’s Facebook page.
Any person violating this sec
tion shall be guilty of a Class 1
misdemeanor and shall pay a
minimum fine of $500, have five
points assessed against a driv
ing record and four insurance
points. According to the NC
North Carolina
SCHOOL BUS
STOP LAW
Wro-iane roadway: When school Cus stops
for passengers, ail traffic from toft dr-fictions
mart stop.
Two-lane roadway with a center turning
lane: When school bus stops tor passengers,
ail traffic from both effectors must stop.
Four-lane roadway without a median
separation: When school bus stops tor
passengers, at traffic front both elections
must stop.
Department of Insurance, a con
viction of passing a stopped
school bus will increase a mo
torist’s insurance rates by 80
percent.
King said distracted driving
Any divided highway with a median
separation: When schoci bus steps for
passe-gers, only traffic foilawing the bus
must stop.
Roadway of four lanes or more with a
center turning lane: When school bus stop
tor passengers, only traffic fetowng the bus
must stop.
N.C Division of Motor Vehicles
School Bus a Traffic Safety
— be it talking on a cellphone
or to passengers — means a
motorist has to focus on some
thing other than the road.
“Please understand that
when traveling at a certain
speed like 35 mph and you take
your eyes off the road to look at
a passenger, you will be travel
ing at around 51 feet per second
— it does not take much for
missing a stopped school bus,”
he said.
During a six-month period
from August 2018 to March
2019, 12 children were killed
and another 47 were injured
while getting on and off school
buses in the U.S., according to
state statistics. Bus stop-arms
were extended at the time,
which means that in North
Carolina and the 49 others, mo
torists were required to come to
a full stop.
“Our youth deserve the right
to grow up and become adults,”
King said. “Nothing in your vehi
cle when driving is more impor
tant than the safety of our chil
dren.”
Edenton-Chowan Schools
Transportation Supervisor
Amanda Goodwin cited state
law:
When a school bus is dis
playing its mechanical stop
signal or flashing red lights
and the bus is stopped for the
purpose of receiving or dis
charging passengers, the
driver of any other vehicle that
approaches the school bus from
any direction on the same
street, highway, or public
See BUSES, A2
County
to rebuild
facility
Restroom at Chowan River pier
burned down in November
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff writer
Good news on the horizon for
folks who may need a pit stop
when kayaking or fishing on the
Chowan River between Rocky
Hock and Edenton.
During Monday’s meeting,
Chowan County Commission
approved a bid from Eure and
Sons Constrution of Hertford for
the reconstruction of the
Chowan River fishing pier’s re
stroom.
About a year ago in Novem
ber, the restroom area burned
down. No foul play is suspected
in the fire.
The fishing pier bid was
awarded to Eure and Sons Con
struction ($162,376) with the ap
proval contingent on the insur
ance company’s final approval.
In other business, commis
sioners approved tech software
for about $100 month annually
for the next three years. Pro
gram that is $2,300 to implement
See COUNTY, A2
Town to host tree lighting, flotilla Friday
‘Home for the Holidays’
parade set for Saturday
By NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON
Editor
The Town of Edenton will
kick off the holiday season
this weekend with activities
on Friday and Saturday,
Dec. 6-7.
On Friday, Destination
Downtown Edenton will
host the Christmas Tree
Lighting and Flotilla from
5:30-8 p.m. at the downtown
Edenton waterfront. The
night’s events are sponsored
by Regulator Marine, South
ern Bank, Capt. Mark
Theiser and GR Little
Agency.
An opening ceremony
will be held, which include
the singing of carols.
Student choirs from
White Oak and D.F. Walker,
as well as the Albemarle
Sounds, will lead the
singing.
The tree and star were
bought in 2018 through
donations from the commu
nity. Mayor Roland
Vaughan’s wife Peggy Anne
lead the effort to secure the
funds for the 20-foot artifi
cial tree and the star on top
of it. In a previous interview,
Roland Vaughan said the
tree itself has 7,140 lights.
Destination Down Eden
ton Executive Director Jen
nifer Harriss said the Christ
mas Tree Lighting has be
come a huge event.
“Many folks have com
mented saying the tree
lighting is straight out of a
Hallmark movie. I believe it
truly encompasses our
sense of community,” she
said.
When the Christmas Tree
is lit in front of the Confed
erate statue, other trees will
be lit around the park. The
trees, coordinated by Vonna
O’Neil, have been spon
sored and decorated by lo
cal nonprofits, businesses
and other groups. The 6- to
See FLOTILLA, A3
FILE PHOTO
The Christmas
tree in down-
town Edenton
will be lit Friday
during a tree-
lighting cere
mony. The 20-
foot tree and
star were pur
chased in
2018 with the
help ofdona-
tions raised by
Mayor Roland
Vaughan and
his wife Peggy
Anne.
Edenton-Chowan Schools announce transfers
Michelle White to lead CMS
effective Jan. 3,2020
SUBMITTED REPORT
Edenton-Chowan Schools Su
perintendent Dr. Rob Jackson
announced the following admin
istrative transfers in a press re
lease issued on Wednesday, Nov.
27.
The transfers, which will take
place Jan. 3, 2020, involved the
principal positions at Chowan
Middle and D. F. Walker, as well
as an administrative role.
Michelle White, currently
principal of D.F. Walker Elemen
tary School, will assume the role
of principal of Chowan Middle
School.
White has been with the
Edenton-Chowan School Sys
tem for seven years. She pre
viously served as principal of
White Oak Elementary and D.F.
CAMPBELL LINDA MICHELLE
WHITE WHITE
Walker Elementary. Under
White’s leadership, both ele-
mentary
schools experi
enced tremen
dous success.
Most recently,
D.F. Walker
Elementary
was selected
as North
Carolina’s
ESEA National
Title I Distinguished School in
the category of high progress.
D.F. Walker was one of two
North Carolina schools chosen
to be finalists for this prestigious
award out of approximately
1,400 Title I schools across the
state.
White has received several
awards and recognitions includ
ing Edenton-Chowan Schools
Principal of the Year, Northeast
Regional Principal of the Year,
See TRANSFERS, A3
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Vol. 84, No. 49
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