Vision2020-ChowanHerald

Vision2020 Business, Industry & Health Care

INSIDE ■ Highways I-87, I-587, I-42 link eastern NC to future, Page A3 ■ Small biz turning to tech to reach more customers, Page A4 ■ Entrepreneurship center helps residents start new biz, Page A5 ■ Small farmers expect to meet coming challenges, Page A6 ■ Rural Prosperity Initiative seeks to help rural economies, Page A7 ■ Attracting, keeping skilled providers challenge for rural areas, Page A7 ■ Networks of care, prevention focus on heart disease, Page A8 ■ Hospitals become stroke centers to offer higher level of care, Page A8 ■ Trillium rides waves of change to provide mental health services, Page A9 ■ Telemedicine connecting doctors, patients, Page A10 ■ Vision 2020, Page A10

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THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

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BUSINESS, INDUSTRY & H EALTH CARE Highways I-87, I-587, I-42 link eastern NC to future

BY BOB GARNER Adams Publishing Group

Three future interstate highways will further streamline existing eastern North Carolina corridors and will continue spurring economic development and population growth in the region during the next several decades, according to developers and transportation officials.

The routes are future I-87 between Raleigh and Norfolk, future I-587 between Zebulon and Greenville and future I-42 between Raleigh and Morehead City.

There are no accurate projections of when these highways will become fully completed interstates, since they are funded and scheduled for construction or improvement in sections that compete for priority, officials said. However, simply the promise of relatively continual upgrading of these routes to interstate standards over time is enough to quicken the pulse of economic development efforts in the counties and regions through which they pass.

What are now rural, largely agricultural areas of eastern North Carolina will inevitably become better connected to highway networks, seaport facilities and rail terminals serving prosperous population centers throughout the eastern United States and beyond.

In some areas, like North Carolina’s Crystal Coast — accessible by U.S. 70/ Future I-42 — population will almost surely increase and generate a wave of related economic investment along with growth management challenges.

In others, vitality-sapping population declines over recent decades will hopefully be diminished through the creation of many new jobs in advanced manufacturing, food processing, logistics and other infrastructure-dependent enterprises feeding off the new future interstates.

“Ninety percent of all new job creation takes place along these type corridors,” said Christian Lockamy, a former Greenville economic developer who is now director of the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County Economic Development Authority. “All three of these future eastern North Carolina interstate thruways have driven a lot of looks at our region from companies we’ve been working to attract. As a result, businesses and industrial parks are increasing significantly along the

THE DAILY ADVANCE

A sign along U.S. Highway 17 Bypass in Pasquotank County announces the future Interstate 87 that will link Raleigh and Norfolk, Virginia. The 180-mile North Carolina portion of the highway will follow the current U.S. Highway 64 east from Raleigh through Rocky Mount to Williamston, where it will turn toward the north and follow current U.S. 17 past Edenton and Elizabeth City to the state line. In Virginia, the future I-87 will join interstates 64 and 464 in the vicinity of Norfolk and the Port of Virginia.

routes.”

NORFOLK TO RALEIGH Future I-87 from Raleigh to Norfolk will be the longest of the three routes at about 213 miles. The 180-mile North Carolina portion will follow present U.S. 64 east from Raleigh through Rocky Mount to Williamston, where it will turn toward the north and follow present U.S. 17 past Edenton and Elizabeth City to the state line. In Virginia, future I-87 will join interstates 64 and 464 in the vicinity of Norfolk and the Port of Virginia.

Even though it’s widely estimated that future I-87 could take as long as 30 years to be brought to full interstate status, the existing multi-lane roadway from Raleigh to Norfolk is already a big selling point.

“We’re blessed to have future I-87, in addition to I-95, as a conduit to get our clients’ products to the end user quickly, efficiently and when the customer wants them,” said Norris Tolson, president of the Rocky Mount-based Carolinas Gateway Partnership, an economic development group that focuses on Nash and Edgecombe counties.

“Even now on present U.S. 64 and U.S. 17, the Norfolk port is within a two-hour drive from Rocky Mount, while the ports at Morehead City and Wilmington are both only two hours and fifteen minutes away.

That makes the Rocky Mount area a great logisti-

cal hub — especially when you add in the new CCX intermodal rail terminal here that will become operational in January 2021.”

“As future I-87 is upgraded to full interstate status in the coming years, Nash and Edgecombe counties can only become even more attractive as an advanced manufacturing, food processing and logistics center,” Tolson said.

To cite just one example of what is happening already, Triangle Tyre selected Edgecombe County in 2018 for its first U.S. manufacturing facility. The Chinese tire manufacturing company will create 800 jobs and is investing nearly $580 million at a 1,449-acre advanced manufacturing megasite site located near Tarboro and just off future I-87. The project will contribute an estimated $2.4 billion to North Carolina’s economy.

When future I-87 was signed into law and announced at the end of 2015, initial preliminary estimates were that the total cost of the route would be around $1 billion. But according to more recent information released by the N.C. Department of Transportation, estimates now range from $1.7 billion to nearly $2 billion. Approximate calculations of the cost of improvements to the section between Raleigh and Williamston range from $845 million to $1 billion. The preliminary estimates for upgrading the

NC EAST ALLIANCE

The dotted lines on the map created by NC East Alliance economic development partnership represent three future interstate highways — I-87, I-587 and I-42 — expected to enhance the region’s prosperity. Four-lane, interstate-quality roads already exist through much of the corridors.

portion from Williamston to the Virginia border vary from $850 million to $945 million. According to the Federal Highway Administration, the federal government pays 90 percent of the cost of interstate construction.

The only portion of I-87 now finished and in operation as a completed interstate is a 13-mile stretch in eastern Wake County between Raleigh and Wendell. (That makes I-87 the nation’s shortest current interstate highway.) Around three miles coincides with the Raleigh beltline (I-440), while the next 10 miles is known as the Knightdale

Bypass, which extends as far as Wendell.

According to the DOT, improvements to bring future I-87 from Wendell eastward to Zebulon up to interstate standards, mostly thru widening outside lane shoulders and upgrading some interchanges, are scheduled to begin in 2026.

There is no firm timetable for how long that overall process may take.

Although no design work has yet been done on future I-87 east of the Wake-Nash county line, there is still a lot of work to be done to bring the roadway up to interstate standards. Existing paved shoulders will need

to be widened, some bridges will have to be replaced and some interchanges will have to be improved to meet modern requirements — lengthening onramp lanes, for example.

Certain segments on present U.S. 17 that still have intersecting side roads and driveways, traffic lights and other characteristics will have to be re-engineered or bypassed entirely. Some stretches of U.S. 17/Future I-87 around Windsor, Edenton and Elizabeth City, however, already meet most interstate standards.

“I’ve been working on I-87 for 15 years, and I always tell people we shouldn’t be amazed at how long interstate highways take to complete, but rather that they get built at all,” laughed Joe Milazzo with the Regional Transportation Alliance in Raleigh.

“But bit by bit, they do get built. And those red, white and blue signs — even the ones that say ‘future’ — are remarkable things, providing not only branding but focus for advocacy by local leaders and developers.

“Interstates won’t ‘make’ a region by themselves, since land, workforce and other infrastructure are also vital, but they do provide the opportunity to at least participate in the broader economic development game,” Milazzo emphasized.

GREENVILLE SPUR Future I-587, announced by the North Carolina Department of Transportation in late 2016, will run from future I-87 at Zebulon east to Greenville along an upgraded U.S. 264. Once fu-

See HIGHWAYS, A5

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THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY & H EALTH CARE

Small biz turning to tech to reach more customers

BY NICOLE BOWMANLAYTON Chowan Herald

EDENTON — Candace Thompson, owner of Downtown Diva in Edenton has been using social media to build her business since it opened in 2010. She has become so adept at it that other downtown Edenton business owners often seek advice from her.

Thompson said that when she started using Facebook 10 years ago, it wasn’t as well known as it is now.

“I just did it and got good results,” she said.

Businesses like Thompson’s boutique are one of the keys to North Carolina’s economy. According to the Small Business Administration, 1.7 million workers were employed by 913,398 small businesses in the state in 2019. SBA counts any business with fewer than 500 employees as a small business.

Of those small businesses, 283,153, or 31 percent, have fewer than 100 employees, while 164,412, or 18 percent, have fewer than 20 employees.

With so many small businesses in the state, reaching customers and networking with other owners is vital.

Thompson says she uses social media to connect with other boutique owners, who share updates on social media platforms and business tips, such as special things they’ve done at their store and how well they worked.

“We share what’s working and the latest algorithms,” Thompson said. “We get ideas on what will work, trends and other things like that.”

Algorithms are a way for social media platforms to

sort out content for their users. For businesses, however, there’s the belief that social media algorithms exist to push brands to pay for ads. If brands can’t reach their audience organically, they’ll turn to ads instead.

Obviously, this means more money for the social networks.

As Facebook and other social media platforms evolve, it has become harder for businesses to reach their audience, Thompson said.

“Back in the early days, everybody saw every post for a page they liked,” she said. “Now Facebook wants businesses to pay. If you don’t post something every 24 hours, you’ll move down the algorithm so your link moves down a search list.

There are certain words, like ‘sale,’ ‘buy now’ or the dollar sign, that also will move you down in the algorithm.”

Despite the changes, technology remains an easy way to connect with customers. Thompson says she primarily uses Instagram, which is linked to Downtown Diva’s Facebook and Twitter account. So when she posts to Instagram, the item also goes to the other social media platforms.

“I think it’s easy for me to use because I’m used to all the features,” she said. “But it’s harder to reach customers due to the algorithms.”

If algorithms seem like a foreign language, College of The Albemarle’s Small Business Center can help business owners sift through the array of social media tools and other issues that come up while running a business.

Each of the state’s 58 community colleges has a Small Business Center,

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Candace Thompson, owner of Downtown Diva in Edenton, has been using social media to build her business since it opened in 2010. She is so adept at using social media that other small businesses come to her for advice on how to use it.

College of The Albemarle’s Small Business Center can help business owners sift through the array of social media tools and other issues that come up while running a business.

which are funded by the state Legislature. COA’s Small Business Center is one of the most wide-reaching in the state, serving seven counties: Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Pasquotank and Perquimans. The center has only two full-time employees, one of whom is director Ginger O’Neal.

At the center, prospective and current business owners can receive help starting up or establishing their companies. And the nice thing is, most of the help is free.

“The state wanted to make the expense for start-

ing a business in North Carolina very small,” O’Neal said, noting that funding pays for everything the center does except when it’s unable to find a sponsor to help pay for meals.

O’Neal noted that small business growth in Elizabeth City has almost doubled in six months.

“Some people are in the process of pursuing their ideas. If we get six or more (businesses) up and running, it will be great for the city and economic growth,” she said, referring to the businesses with whom the center is currently working.

During the 2018-19 fis-

cal year, the center helped start 14 businesses, the majority of them in Elizabeth City. With those businesses, 27 new jobs were created and 64 total jobs were retained.

The center offers small businesses information and confidential assistance such as help with marketing, sales, bookkeeping and management. O’Neal noted that while some of the clients are prospective business owners, others are established businesses that may have hit a hiccup or two and need help staying in business.

Training at the center

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touches on seven core topics, including marketing.

O’Neal noted that it is easy for business owners to get bogged down on the internet. The center often advises people to use two social media sites and a website so they don’t get overwhelmed.

“It can hurt the social media presence if it’s not updated on a regular basis,” she said.

The center also suggests cross-marketing — using several different marketing platforms to get your product in front of customers.

Often, the center will suggest a client feature a specific product it has as part of its marketing strategy.

“Then we’ll suggest a website or whatever works best for them,” O’Neal said.

“It really depends on your services. You have to look at your market and the age of people you’re trying to reach.”

She noted that social media isn’t a one-sizeworks-for-all marketing tool. Besides the multitude of social medial platforms — Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Tinder, etc. — there are many other forms of marketing.

Radio, Chamber of Commerce e-blasts, newspapers and newsletters can all relay information to potential customers.

“Sometimes, you have to spend some money to get a greater return,” O’Neal said.

Information about the Small Business Center Network, of which the COA center is part, is available online at https://www.ncsbc. net/. The COA Small Business Center is located at 1208 N. Road St., Elizabeth City, and can be reached at 252-335-0821, ext. 2370.

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THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

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BUSINESS, INDUSTRY & H EALTH CARE

Entrepreneurship center helps residents start new biz ERCMY TILLMON/ THE DAILY ADVANCE

said.

In the last two years, the center has provided nearly $800,000 in loans, she said.

Five of the six businesses that received loans are based in Elizabeth City. One of those loan recipients is Crystal Colson, owner of the Merle Norman Cosmetics store at 406 S. Griffin Street.

In 2019, Colson used her loan through the Eastern Women’s Entrepreneurship Center to buy the store, where she had worked the previous seven years. The loan helped her with other aspects of starting her business, she said.

“We purchased track lighting for the studio, signage for

the front door, a new computer system and to help us with our grand opening expenses and advertising,” she said. “I also wanted to have some (funding) as a cushion in the event of any unexpected bills or charges.”

Colson said she visited the entrepreneurship center after hearing about it through a

downtown business owner.

At the center, Colson received one-on-one guidance and was helped with any questions she had about starting a business, she said.

She recommends prospective owners visit the center, which will still be of assistance after their business is up and running.

“Yes, they are great throughout the process,” Colson said. “As well as being available to help you even after you’ve become an owner.”

Created to help boost economic growth in rural northeastern North Carolina, the Eastern Women’s Entrepreneurship Center serves a 30-county region that is bordered by Granville to the west, Lenoir to the south and Dare to the east. Twenty-two of those counties, including Chowan, Pasquotank and Perquimans, are designed Tier 1 counties, Baylor-Henderson said.

Tier 1 counties are considered the state’s top 40 “most distressed counties” because of their average unemployment rate, median household income, percentage growth in population and adjusted property tax base per capita. That’s according to the center’s website, www. ewecnc.org.

A state map of the county distress rankings, or tiers, can be found at the N.C. Department of Commerce’s website, www.nccommerce.com.

ing U.S. 264 to interstate standards, according to Cadmus Capehart, Division Construction Engineer for North Carolina DOT’s Division 2.

Both involve widening outside lane shoulders from four to 10 feet, as required for interstate highways, and both will take place in conjunction with a process of rehabilitating the pavement through strengthening and resurfacing. These two projects, totaling approximately $22.5 million, should be complete in late 2020 or early 2021.

These improvements will still not bring Pitt and

Greene Counties totally up to interstate standards because there will still have to be more work in the future on bridges to bring them into compliance with vertical clearance and required length of on and off ramps. Altogether, it’s estimated that $100 million will eventually be needed to bring the entire route from Zebulon to Greenville up to interstate standards.

“Greenville was the largest city in North Carolina without an interstate connection until I-587 was approved,” said Vann Rogerson, interim director and

CEO of the N.C. East Alliance. “Now, though, Pitt County can be presented to potential clients as well situated for going back up toward Raleigh, up Interstate 95 and up toward the Port of Virginia via the connection near Bethel with I-87.”

“Now it’s vital that we stay behind future I-587 and the other future interstates in the region to make sure they — and our local economy — remain competitive as far as the process of setting funding priorities is concerned,” he added.

U.S. 70, the existing fourlane highway between the Raleigh area and Morehead City, is also undergoing upgrading and will eventually become I-42. The future interstate basically follows the U.S. 70 corridor in a southeasterly direction, connecting Garner, Clayton, Smithfield, Selma, Goldsboro, Kinston, New Bern and Havelock with Morehead City and its state port facilities. (I-42 will actually terminate near the Carteret County line in the vicinity of Newport and will not enter Morehead City, although some congestion-clearing

bridge construction near the port itself is part of the long-range transportation plan in the city.)

Cutting travel time between Raleigh and the Morehead City-Beaufort area from three to just over two hours, the 137-mile roadway will function as a far less congested hurricane evacuation route. It will also become a much-improved freight-hauling corridor and will connect Seymour Johnson Air Force base and Cherry Point Marine Air Station, as well as Kinston’s Global TransPark, to the interstate highway system.

BY CHRIS DAY Multimedia Editor

Starting a business may sound intimidating, but a local nonprofit offers free help that could alleviate prospective business owners’ fears.

The Eastern Women’s Entrepreneurship Center, located at Elizabeth City State University’s K.E. White Graduate Center, provides free assistance to residents interested in starting a new business. The center is a service of the Carolina Small Business Development Fund and was created in partnership with ECSU, said Shannon Baylor-Henderson, the center’s director.

At the center, prospective business owners, both women and men, can ask questions, receive free technical assistance and counseling, and attend workshops and classes. They can use the center’s resources to research the region to determine if their business would be sustainable and generate a profit.

The center also provides capital loans for new businesses, Baylor-Henderson

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ture I-87 was approved and announced, officials and economic developers from the Greenville area lobbied the state and federal agencies for a spur route on behalf of the city. This rural freeway joins Raleigh to both Wilson and Greenville, as well as overlaying I-795 between I-95 and its continuation south to Goldsboro.

There is now a funded contract for two separate projects in Greene and Pitt Counties related to upgrad-

Crystal Colson is the owner of the Merle Norman Cosmetics store at 406 S. Griffin St., Elizabeth City.

Colson used a loan she received through the Eastern Women’s Entrepreneurship Center to buy the store and pay for other business start-up expenses.

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THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY & H EALTH CARE

Small farmers expect to meet coming challenges

BY MILES LAYTON The Perquimans Weekly

HERTFORD — John Layton says predicting how agriculture will change over the next decade is about as easy as predicting the weather, which, despite a lot of new technology, is still pretty hard to pin down.

“It changes daily, in fact it changes hourly,” says Layton, who lives in Rocky Hock and manages a family farm on about 1,800 acres in Chowan County.

Layton ticks off a number of variables, each of which is constantly changing, that can affect his family business: commodity prices, politics, foreign disease crises, equipment costs, rising input costs, labor issues, and, yes, the weather. All of them make it hard to predict, he said, what direction agriculture will take in the next 10 years.

There is one certainty, however: agriculture will remain a big driver not just for the local economy but for the state economy as well.

According to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, there are about 49,500 farms spread across 8.4 million acres in the state, with each farm averaging about 168 acres. Agriculture’s combined economic impact on North Carolina is about $76 billion annually.

Dylan Lilley, an agriculture agent for the Perquimans Center of N.C. Cooperative Extension, believes farmers will endure because they always have prevailed — no matter the circumstances.

“In 10 years, things may

look different but the importance of agriculture will remain for Perquimans County,” he said.

“Farmers have faced endless challenges from year to year.”

Lilley also notes many of the same challenges Layton does: rising input costs for seed, fertilizer and pesticides; rising equipment and land costs; lower commodity prices because of trade wars or increased production in other countries; heat stress, drought, hurricanes, and too much rain.

“Despite all of these challenges farmers still prevail,” Lilley said.

Family farms across eastern North Carolina continue to endure and survive, but it’s getting harder.

According to Modern Farmer, 88 percent of American farms are classified as “small” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, meaning the farm’s annual gross revenue doesn’t exceed $350,000. However, small farms account for only about 5 percent of net farm income, while “large” farms — those grossing over $1 million annually — account for 56 percent of net farm income.

“My grandad has always told me, ‘son, the small man is on his way out. The big guys and the corporations are going to take over,’” Layton said. “In his lifetime he has seen the family farm basically fade away. ... We are fortunate in our area to still have most farms family owned so I haven’t always taken his speech to heart — although sometimes I think he’s right.”

Forty-one percent of

MILES LAYTON/ THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY

John Layton, whose family farms 1,800 acres in Chowan County, says predicting what the next 10 years will be like for agriculture is like predicting what the weather will be: challenging.

He expects local growers will meet those challenges, however.

small farmers turn a profit each year. They may make six figures in revenue, but the majority fail to break even after paying expenses. That’s why 64 percent of small farmers also work another job.

Layton said it’s harder for smaller farmers to stay afloat without having a niche market, or unless they farm superior land that produces well every year.

“It’s hard to reap enough profit to foot the operating bill for the next season,” he said. “All it takes is a couple of bad years in a row and your operation is done.

Everything your family has worked generations to secure is now gone. It’s a hard pill to swallow.”

Corporate farms don’t face the same struggles

with cash flow, Layton said.

They also command the resources to “cut out the middleman” or buy out smaller competitors, he said.

He noted that Walmart now owns its own dairy farm, a change he said jeopardizes small dairy farmers.

“The small dairy farm now has to compete with a smaller market and less market share,” Layton said.

“When it comes to financial problems the dairy industry has taken the blow full force.”

As for what crops local growers will be producing in 10 years, Lilley doesn’t see much change.

“As long as pork, chicken, and beef consumption remains, there will be a high demand for grain crops needed to feed livestock,” he said.

And while cotton may not be king in the region, it’s certainly one of the crown princes.

“Cotton will likely continue to be a major crop as well — as long as farmers can be profitable growing it,” Lilley said. “For that to happen cotton prices will need to go up.”

He noted farmers’ input costs for growing cotton have risen so high, it’s difficult to make a profit growing it unless you have an above-average yield.

Lilley said a large majority of soil types in Perquimans are well suited for growing cotton in rotation with other grain crops like corn, soybeans and wheat.

But growing industrial hemp will continue to be a question mark because it has a volatile and unpre-

dictable market. He noted tobacco-growing areas are better suited for hemp production.

Tobacco contracts have been cut quite a bit due to trade wars, Lilley said. That is opening up the possibility for more hemp production. Hemp grown for cannabidiol, or CBD, has been profitable but also requires the most labor to produce, he noted.

Tobacco growers have the equipment, soil types, and labor needed to grow hemp. They also have the market because hemp processors are contracting out acres of production to tobacco growers.

By contrast, he notes there are no such contracts in the area; investing in the necessary equipment to grow, harvest, dry and store hemp would be costly; and local soil types aren’t suitable for growing hemp.

“For these reasons, I do not see hemp becoming a crop grown in Perquimans,” Lilley said.

Whatever challenges the next 10 years hold, Lilley expects local farmers will meet them and continue to play a big role in the economy.

“I have no doubt that Perquimans County farmers will continue to weather any storms they face in the future,” he said. “They are adaptable, innovative, and just good at what they do.”

Layton feels the same way.

“Our farmers will have a fight ahead of us but it’s one we are facing head on.

We are a determined resilient group of people and we like a good challenge,” he said.

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BUSINESS, INDUSTRY & H EALTH CARE Rural Prosperity Initiative seeks to help rural economies

BY GINGER LIVINGSTON The Daily Reflector

Generations of eastern North Carolina families have sent their daughters and sons to East Carolina University for 113 years.

While many returned home to become teachers, nurses, business people and later doctors and engineers, others left the east to make their way in other parts of the state, nation and world.

For those who stayed, the rural economy changed as big box retailers killed mom and pop shops and national supermarket chains did away with locally owned supermarkets and country crossroads stores.

As these businesses closed and bypasses swept past the edges of these small towns, their downtowns were left empty and fading away.

But where many people see a lost past, East Carolina University leaders see a new future waiting, and they are dedicating the time and talents of faculty and students into revitalizing these communities.

Launched by former Chancellor Cecil Staton in the fall of 2017, the ECU Prosperity Initiative focuses the university’s research and engagement expertise on finding solutions to disparities in health, education and economic development in rural and coastal communities.

Research teams are

working in areas of biomedical science, precision medicine, health and chronic disease, health behaviors; energy and natural resources, marine and coastal systems, big data and analytics and STEAM education.

“The Initiative is a way to conceptualize the work that’s been ongoing for many years and to think about it strategically and thematically,” said Sharon Paynter, assistant vice chancellor in the Division of Research, Economic Development and Engagement.

“It is an initiative that lives in the research and the teaching and the learning of the faculty, staff and students at this university,” Paynter said.

Slightly more than 10,000 ECU students come from the rural areas of North Carolina, mainly from the east, said Keith Wheeler, executive director of ECU’s Office of National Security and Industry Initiatives, which is part of the Division of Research, Economic Development and Engagement. That is almost twice as many as the next UNC institution, said Wheeler, a Dare County native.

The prosperity initiative, and its stated goal of improving rural life, is important because it helps sets ECU’s mission of service apart from other University of North Carolina System institution, he said.

Once the broad goals of improving the region’s

ETHERIDGE

PAYNTER

WHEELER

economy, health and education were set, Paynter said ECU leaders looked at the work already underway to build upon it.

“The university made an institutional, strategic commitment to grow research,” Paynter said.

ECU has almost doubled its research during the last three to four years, building on “multidisciplinary, collaborative efforts” in areas where it already has strengths such as telepsychiatry, environmental health, water quality and responding to environmental disasters to name a few, Paynter said.

“Where we started was to understand better what we were already good at, what we are already doing and what we need to build on,” she said.

The universities research grants have grown from slightly less than $10 million in 2016 to $34 million in 2019.

Part of that involved

meeting with elected leaders, citizens, industries, nonprofits and other interested parties to find out what mattered to them, Paynter said.

Randall Etheridge, a faculty member with the College of Engineering and Technology, is a Beaufort County native who grew up in Pitt County.

After earning multiple degrees from North Carolina State University, Etheridge joined ECU’s faculty in 2015.

“Randall wanted to use his engineering knowledge to do something that mattered,” Wheeler said.

One of his early projects was studying water quality issues at Lake Mattamuskeet in Hyde County, focusing on the disappearance of submerged aquatic vegetation.

However, when the county sustained back-toback bouts of flooding following Hurricane Joaquin in 2015 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, which caused

millions in crop losses, the community’s interest turned to mitigating the damage.

The Hyde County Soil and Water Conservation District had questions about whether the flooding was being driven by delayed maintenance of canals that drained the county’s farmland and asked Etheridge to find answers.

Etheridge’s team of students found that dredging would lessen the flooding to some degree but rising sea levels resulting from climate change also contributed to the situation because it reduces the flow rate out of the canals.

There also was a question about whether dredging the canals would transport the lake’s water quality issues to the Pamlico Sound, an important area for shell fishing.

As Etheridge and his team weighed these questions, the North Carolina Coastal Federation was launching an initiative to

create a watershed restoration master plan for addressing the water quality and flooding issues. Etheridge and his students became part of that process.

He received a $299,454 grant from the National Science Foundation last year for a project that will have ECU seniors and community members working jointly to research and develop plans to mitigate flooding in Hyde County and other coastal communities facing similar flooding issues.

Small communities typically don’t have the financial resources to hire private engineering firms to design solutions to flooding, Etheridge said.

“Our goal is to put some of the expertise of the students and pair with the expertise of community members to help advance the engineering process for these communities at minimal cost,” he said.

The students will begin their work in August, meeting with officials from Hyde County, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the tourism sector, Lake Mattamuskeet Wildlife Refuges and others.

The students and local experts will develop three design options with the goal of presenting Hyde County and other communities an idea of the costs and effectiveness of each solution.

“Then (the communities) will be able to focus on one

See RURAL, A10

Attracting, keeping skilled rural providers challenging

BY PAUL NIELSEN Staff Writer

Rural health care providers say they need more skilled professionals like Dr. Tyler Pittman.

When Pittman recently completed his residency in rural West Virginia he thought very little about taking his skills to a big city and instead decided to sign on with Sentara Albemarle Medical Center in Elizabeth City.

“I was looking for places, this popped up, it was close to the Outer Banks, and it was still rural,” said Pittman, who is a primary care physician. “I just like rural medicine. You get to develop a rapport with your patients.

I grew up country and it is what I like and what I am used to. Rural medicine is what I want to do for the rest of my career.”

It is doctors, and other skilled heath care providers like Pittman that rural hospitals like Sentara Albemarle need. Rural hospitals are the cornerstone of the communities they serve. But just keeping their doors open has become a major challenge for health care providers in

rural parts of the country like northeastern North Carolina.

According to the North Carolina Rural Health Research Program, 95 rural hospitals across the country closed between 2010 and 2018, including several in North Carolina. However, some rural hospitals that closed, like Washington County Hospital in Plymouth, have been able to reopen.

Rural hospitals face unique challenges like attracting and retaining skilled health care providers, dealing with high numbers of Medicare and Medicaid patients and having a higher percentage of preventable deaths.

Sentara Albemarle Medical Center President Phil Jackson said that when the health care provider is recruiting new physicians to the area it places emphasis on matching a candidate’s lifestyle and personal values to the community.

“Our goal is to recruit long-term healthcare providers to the community,” Jackson said. “We also target candidates in surrounding communities who may be

ERCMY TILLMON/THE DAILY ADVANCE

Dr. Tyler Pittman, a new primary care physician at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center, said he was looking to practice medicine in a rural area when he was completing his residency in rural West Virginia. “I just like rural medicine. You get to develop a rapport with your patients,” he said.

open to commuting to our facility while maintaining their roots in their current geographical areas.”

Sentara Albemarle also partners with local educational institutions in an effort to attract skilled health care providers.

“Our team works closely with key local institutions to address the themes as-

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sociated with recruitment challenges,” Jackson said.

“We partner with College of The Albemarle and other educational institutions to develop the next generation of nurses, surgical technologists and other healthcare workers. Internally, we offer tuition assistance that allows individuals to obtain additional education that

makes them eligible for higher skilled roles. We are also committed to local community investment, which helps sustain the quality of life in the region and enhance its attractiveness to recruits.”

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last year that potentially preventable deaths — cancer, stroke,

heart disease and respiratory disease — were more common in rural than urban counties between 2010 and 2017, which is another challenge facing rural health care providers.

Jackson said providing access to screenings and community-wide education can decrease the number of preventable deaths.

“The team at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center pays close attention to community health statistics and works with community partners to address outliers,” Jackson said. “The introduction of low-dose CT screenings for lung cancer has increased the capability to detect early stage lung cancer, which increases survivability. In the first two years after Sentara implemented this screening tool, detection of stage 1 lung cancer, when five-year survivability is at its highest, increased from 25 percent to 51.6 percent.”

Rural patients also often don’t have the ability to pay for services and don’t seek medical attention when needed.

“They sit on the side-

See PROVIDERS, A10

A8

THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY & H EALTH CARE

Networks of care, prevention focus on heart disease

BY KAREN ECKERT For The Daily Reflector

“Wow! Are we going to be able to fill this up?”

That’s what Dr. Reza Ershadi, a cardiologist at Vidant Medical Center, remembers wondering over 10 years ago when the six-story heart center was under construction.

Now that the East Carolina Heart Institute at Vidant has been open since 2009, Ershadi has learned the answer to his question.

“We’re always busy,” he said. “There’s a need and we’re filling that need.”

In North Carolina, 20.5 percent of deaths were attributed to heart disease in 2018, a close second to cancer at 20.9 percent, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

In eastern North Carolina, in particular, the rate of heart disease is higher than in the rest of the state, according to NCDHHS. Specifically, in 2018, heart disease was the cause of 22.4 percent of deaths in the 29-county area served by the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, making it the leading cause of death in that region of the state.

In Pasquotank County heart disease ranked No. 1 in cause of death at 28 percent. In Edgecombe County the percentage was 22.9 percent and in Nash, 22.1

percent.

In Pitt County heart disease caused 21.8 percent of deaths.

Higher rates of poverty, smoking, obesity and diabetes contribute to the higher rates of heart disease in eastern North Carolina, according to Dr. Paul Bolin, chair of medicine at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.

Also, a large segment of the population in eastern North Carolina is underserved medically, he said, and that contributes to a higher rate of heart disease.

The heart center at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, with its 140 inpatient beds and 40 outpatient beds, has brought major changes to the region regarding heart health care over the last decade, Ershadi said.

“That facility we have there is top-notch,” Ershadi said. “It’s state of the art in every way you can imagine.”

Ershadi, who received his training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which is renowned for cardiology and heart surgery, said that Vidant’s heart center rivals anywhere he’s seen, been or trained.

“It’s hard to find a place like that in a rural area,” Ershadi said. “I don’t think people understand what a gem (the heart center) is,”

CLIFF HOLLIS/ECU NEWS SERVICES

Dr. Bryan Ehlert, assistant professor in the division of vascular surgery at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, performs a transcarotid artery revascularization procedure at the East Carolina Heart Institute at Vidant Medical Center.

he said.

“Pretty much every service that’s offered anywhere else, that everybody thinks of as the big names in the state, we can do all the same kind of stuff,” he said.

For example, within the last two years, Dr. Brian Cabarrus, another cardiologist at Vidant, has been doing a procedure called a TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement), Ershadi said.

Cabarrus is also working on the mitral clip procedure. The mitral clip is a device used when patients have a leaky heart valve, Ershadi said. Cabarrus just did his first case at Vidant earlier this year.

On the heart failure

front, Dr. Hassan Alhosaini and Dr. Courtney Saunders have done procedures with the LVAD (left ventricular assist device), Ershadi said.

In the past, these were devices that would bridge to transplants, but now they are starting to become destination devices for some patients, Ershadi said.

The only thing that the heart center at Vidant does not do is transplants, Ershadi said.

In addition to treating patients at the Vidant heart center in Greenville, cardiologists also reach out to patients in the more rural areas, holding clinics, for example, in Ahoskie, Beaufort, Edgecombe and Duplin, Ershadi said.

And there are efforts

being made to augment facilities at Vidant sister hospitals, for example in Beaufort and Edgecombe counties, so that more procedures can be done there, he said.

Another resource for eastern North Carolina residents lies northwest of Greenville.

Nash, Halifax, Edgecombe and Wilson counties are part of the 29-county area served by the Brody School of Medicine, but residents there also have access to the heart center at Nash UNC Health Care.

While smaller in size than the heart center at Vidant, the Nash Heart Center has earned awards from the American Heart Association and from the Ameri-

can College of Cardiology, according to cardiologist Dr. Carlos Espinoza, who completed his Interventional Cardiology Fellowship at East Carolina University in 2017.

The cardiologists at Nash are faculty physicians with the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and UNC collaborates with them in all aspects of cardiology care, said Espinoza.

“A lot has been done to streamline the care of patients coming to the Nash Heart Center with heart attacks,” Espinoza said. “We have worked with local paramedics, ER physicians and supportive staff to reduce the time from first

See HEART, A10

Hospitals become stroke centers to offer higher level of care

BY PAUL NIELSEN AND THADD WHITE Adams Publishing Group

Area hospitals have stepped up their level of care for patients who’ve suffered strokes by becoming either certified primary stroke centers or certified acute stroke ready hospitals.

Sentara Albemarle Medical Center in Elizabeth City received certification as a primary stroke center in 2018. The certification was the first such designation in the hospital’s 104-year history.

More recently, Vidant Chowan Hospital in Edenton and Vidant Bertie Hospital in Windsor received certification as acute stroke ready hospitals.

Primary stroke centers and acute stroke ready hospitals both receive their certifications from the Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association.

Development of a higher level of stroke care at Sentara Albemarle has been ongoing since 2016. The hospital first introduced tele-stroke technology, which allows for the quick

connection of a neurologist to the patient for consultation and treatment planning.

New stroke alert protocols and training were also implemented hospital-wide to provide a rapid response to patients exhibiting signs of a stroke. If a patient’s behavior or condition indicates a stroke then an alert is deployed across the hospital leading to a response by a “stroke alert team” which can then provide appropriate care without delay.

Kate Turner, a registered nurse who is also coordinator of Sentara Albemarle’s Stroke Program, said a patient receives many benefits from having a local quality stroke care facility. Those benefits are both physical and mental.

“Being able to stay in a patient’s own community versus having to be transferred for care decreases emotional stress, financial stress, and often decreases their length of time in the hospital,” Turner said. “Also, it can make it easier for family and friends to visit.”

She noted that a simple task like having a relative or friend run home and let a pet out can be a challenge if a stroke patient has to be

ERCMY TILLMON/THE DAILY ADVANCE

Kate Turner, (left) stroke coordinator at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center, and Hannah Yetzer, a nurse practitioner, look over Sentara Albemarle’s procedures for stroke care.

transferred to a facility outside the community where they live. That’s why having the primary stroke care designation is important.

“Living in one of the counties we serve, it is a great feeling to know the community I live in has resources to care for myself or a loved one and that more people will have access to the best care,” Turner said.

Rehabilitation — physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy — and preventing a second stroke are key components of Sentara Albemarle’s stroke center.

“Once a patient has suffered from a stroke, our next main goal is prevention of a secondary stroke and to help the patient return to as much functionality as possi-

ble,” Turner said. “We offer rehabilitation therapies to all of our stroke patients, which is a requirement of our accreditation.”

Turner said that education — both prevention and recognizing the signs of a stroke — are critical in reducing the incidences of strokes. Last year, Sentara Albemarle’s stroke team participated in the hospital’s

Community Day and spoke to senior citizens centers in Currituck and Camden counties “As the stroke program coordinator, I do participate with educating the community on stroke risk factors, prevention, and recognition,” Turner said. “This year we plan to add education to elementary school students.”

Beverly Venters, quality director for both Vidant Bertie and Vidant Chowan hospitals, said the hospitals had worked on earning acute stroke ready certification for some time.

“We prepared and did all of the steps and then went through a rigorous evaluation process,” she said.

Vidant Bertie staff have worked closely with Bertie County emergency medical services personnel to identify potential stroke victims early and alert the hospital they’re on the way, Venters said.

“The hospital calls ‘code stroke,’ which alerts people in the facility we have someone in the hospital who is likely suffering from a stroke,” she said.

But the work and invest-

See STROKE, A9

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THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

A9

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY & H EALTH CARE

Mental health provider Trillium rides waves of change

BY THADD WHITE Bertie Ledger-Advance

Changes in state law, treatment and other factors have led to a multitude of differences in how individuals with substance use, mental illness and intellectual or developmental disabilities in eastern North Carolina receive care.

Bland Baker, who serves as northern regional manager for Trillium Health Resources, said his 26-county agency has changed with both the passage of time and new laws.

“We are always looking for ways to fill gaps,” Baker said.

“It is difficult, but we are doing our best to provide a variety of services.”

In the 1970s, North Carolina legislators mandated area programs to care for those suffering from mental illness and substance abuse. At the time, the programs served as basically a “one-stop shop,” employing their own psychiatrists, nurses and therapists.

“We were the only game in town,” Baker said. “We provided whatever service was provided for mental health and substance abuse.”

In the 1990s and early 2000s, the state changed course and had those area agencies, instead of providing direct services, begin overseeing providers. The area agency became what’s known as a local management agency, or LME. “We endorsed providers and monitored them, but we didn’t provide any services,” Baker explained.

As the state began moving forward with the LME approach, it also encouraged area agencies to merge.

Trillium in fact was formed by a merger between an area agency in the Roanoke-Chowan region and one in the Albemarle region.

More counties from what was formerly the Tideland region later merged with the other two agencies.

The overall effect of the mergers has been the reduction of 42 separate areas into seven. Trillium now manages mental health services in 26 counties in northeastern and southeastern North Carolina.

Last year, it had an operating budget of $450 million and provided services to 57,000 people.

Baker said things changed yet again in 2011-12 when state leaders decided the LMEs should also become managed care organizations.

That basically meant the state provided money to the local management agencies

STROKE

Continued from A8

ment the hospital has put into becoming a strokeready facility means little, however, if people don’t come to the hospital when they suffer a stroke.

Renee White, Emergen-

THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY

Children play on a four-seat teeter-totter at a ribbon-cutting in August 2016 for the new inclusive playground at the Perquimans County Recreation Center. The new facility, plus the paving and expansion of a walking trail, was made possible through a $350,000 grant from Trillium.

to pay others to provide services.

While state mandates have changed the way services are provided, technology and the needs of those receiving care have also changed.

Baker said every year Trillium performs a needs/gaps survey that asks each of its stakeholders — departments of social services, health departments, governing boards, service recipients — what is needed. Trillium then tries to meet those needs while ensuring it gets “the best bang for our buck,” he said.

It can be a daunting challenge, Baker said.

“We are always going to have gaps, especially in our region because it is so rural,” he said. “Sometimes you have to be creative.”

Stigmas surrounding mental health and substance abuse can also make meeting those needs difficult. One of Trillium’s solutions is to operate a call center for those in crisis situations and in need of immediate help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

“The crisis call center is staffed with individuals who receive the call and then refer them to a clinician who is in the center,” Baker said. “The clinician will have a conversation with them and do an

assessment to determine what service the individual needs and get them to the closest provider.”

Several programs used by Trillium are provided by Integrated Family Services, making them an important partner, according to Baker. IFS provides a mobile crisis team that can perform an assessment and get someone the services they need, including hospitalization. The mobile crisis team is also available to law enforcement, emergency medical personnel and school districts. If a school experiences a traumatic event, including the loss of life of one of its students or staff, IFS would come in to provide debriefing and assistance to students and staff.

Baker said Trillium does more than manage behavioral health services for Medicaid and indigent populations.

It also offers free crisis intervention training for law enforcement and emergency medical services personnel.

“If they come up on a situation with someone who has mental health issues, the training gives them approaches to help, which may make the outcome different than if they don’t know how to handle someone in crisis,” Baker said. “It just gives them

another tool in their belt if they have someone who struggles with addiction or mental health issues.”

Trillium also provides mental health training for average citizens. Its free eighthour course, which is offered at churches and to civic organizations, can help people recognize “there may be an issue” and learn when to contact someone for help.

“The child/adolescent training is more geared toward school systems,” Baker said. “It teaches school personnel how to recognize what is regular teenage behavior, and what behavior may mean something is going on.”

Trillium also provides Naloxone kits to law enforcement agencies in the region.

The kits include nasal applications to help reverse the effects of a drug overdose.

In addition, Trillium provided funding three years ago for “inclusive” playgrounds in all counties it serves.

“It put everyone on a level playing field — those with disabilities and those without disabilities,” Baker said.

“When they get on a playground, the differences disappear. It was money well spent.”

Another initiative, which

originated from the needs/ gaps survey, is placement of kiosks at departments of social services, libraries and courthouses that allow individuals who are not yet ready to receive a mental health screening in person to do so in private. The kiosks feature both a privacy booth and a computer screen.

Information individuals provide at the kiosks remains anonymous. As a result, while Trillium has information about how many people have used the kiosks, it doesn’t have information about those who use them.

“It was an innovative way of reaching out into the community, especially when people weren’t publicly ready to talk to someone,” Baker said.

Another key issue that arose in the needs survey was services for kids up to age 5.

Baker said the earlier services are provided to children who live in unsafe homes, suffer from abuse, are homeless or face other stressful situations, the less likely they are to suffer longtime effects from those problems.

Baker said Trillium found Child First to operate a pilot program providing those services and thus far the program has been well received.

Baker said Trillium also

has partnered with providers to put therapists in school systems. He said the program allows children to get help on a school campus.

Trillium also works with Integrated Family Services to provide a Crisis Chat program that allows people to speak to a clinician anonymously.

“It started out targeting children, but we found out adults are using it as well,” Baker said. “They can talk about what happened that day, bullying, trouble with parents. Anything they need to talk about.”

If a person chatting with the clinician begins talking about hurting themselves and the clinician believes the situation is an emergency, the chat does have a tracking mechanism that allows the person to be located and emergency personnel sent to intervene.

One unique feature of Trillium is its governing structure.

Baker said each of Trillium’s three regions has an advisory board appointed by county commissioners in that region, but the agency’s operations are overseen by a 13-member governing board. A third of that board’s members are consumers of Trillium’s services and their families.

cy Department manager at Vidant Bertie, said it’s vital to raise more awareness about strokes. Some of the risk factors include high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, poor circulation, not being active, obesity and a family history of strokes.

White said those most at risk of suffering a stroke are between 65 and 82, but that people of any age can suffer a stroke. And the three common symptoms of stroke — an uneven smile, a weak arm, and slurred speech — aren’t the only ones, so seeking care is vital.

“Don’t sit at home think-

ing it is going to better if you have symptoms of a stroke — seek medical attention,” White said. “That’s what we’re here for.”

Clot-busters, which help stroke patients, can only be administered in the first 3½ hours after a stroke, which makes it even more vital to get to the hospital

quickly. If stroke patients arrive later, they can still be sent to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville where the clot can be removed surgically.

Once patients arrive at the hospital, Vidant Bertie has access to a neurologist via telemedicine and can coordinate care with Wake

Forest Baptist Medical Center.

White said the hospital’s work to raise awareness about strokes is seeing results. Currently, code stroke is called about four times a month. It was about 10 times per year before the hospital’s outreach began.

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A10

THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY & H EALTH CARE VISIONS 2020

Albemarle Termite & Pest Control, Inc. As we entered this new year, we also entered a new decade, one filled with new ideas and direction. For the leaders at Albemarle Termite & Pest Control, Inc., this is a time to reflect back on past successes and failures, as we plan for how we go forward.

Our industry is very robust, but there have been some areas that have lagged behind a bit, and technology has been one of those areas. Over the last decade we’ve started seeing many in our industry implement technology to their daily operations. Two issues encountered by many smaller companies is having the willingness to change and then the resources to change.

Our company decided in 2019 it was imperative we enter this new decade with new ideas and thinking.

We had learned through our very loyal customer base that convenience and easy access through technology was something that interested them. Whether it was prospective customer accessibility or existing customer access, they were seeking convenience through technology.

When we appointed our new, 28-year-old general manager to manage the daily operations, he immediately went to work on a technology overhaul. We had been utilizing some of the technology available to us for several years, but not like we are now under his leadership.

Change is hard for many, but as we enter the new world of “quick access and information now” we must keep pace if we plan to remain relevant. Consumers like accessibility and convenience; having the ability to find us online, shop, pay bills, view their accounts and more, is very important to them.

It is our goal at Albemarle Termite & Pest Control, Inc. to give our existing customers as well as our prospective customers a very user-friendly experience. We believe this will be a trend that many local businesses will seek in the near future to remain relevant.

— JAY CORPREW, FOUNDER/OWNER

Twiford Funeral Homes Twiford Funeral Homes is locally owned and operated and has served northeastern North Carolina and the Outer Banks since 1933. Our vision is service beyond expectation before, during and after serving a family’s needs.

We strive to provide a positive, meaningful and peaceful environment in which to recognize the value of a loved one’s life and to create a memorialization that exceeds all expectations for families. Providing this environment to families facilitates the healing process and builds hope for a brighter future.

We continually seek new opportunities to serve.

Albemarle Crematory offers our area’s exclusive worry-free cremation process to ensure the highest level of respect and care. Owning and operating our on-site crematory enables us to control the cremation process from start to finish, ensuring complete security and peace of mind.

We are always evaluating the new tools offered by the internet to enhance communication with families.

We implemented TwifordDirect as a convenient, lowcost alternative to the more traditional direct cremation enabling families to complete cremation arrangements entirely online in the comfort of their home, with our support available 24/7.

We offer free pre-planning services and counseling.

For those wanting to prepay for their services the Inflation-Gard Plan is offered exclusively by Twiford, guaranteeing funeral costs at today’s prices and eliminating inflation.

Twiford Funeral Homes was recently honored by the National Funeral Directors Association with the 2019 Pursuit of Excellence Award for the 32nd consecutive year. Only five other funeral homes worldwide have received the award more than Twiford Funeral Homes.

In March 2008 David and Darlene Twiford became owners of Twiford Funeral Homes and Albemarle Crematorium. The family tradition continues with the leadership of our fourth generation: David Twiford Jr. and J.J. Twiford. Twiford Funeral Homes’ foundation is service, the cornerstone is affordability and the mortar is our love of and respect for family.

— DAVID TWIFORD, OWNER TWIFORD FUNERAL HOME

Hornthal, Riley, Ellis and Maland Looking forward to the coming decade, the law firm of Hornthal, Riley, Ellis and Maland will continue to counsel each client as if they were our only client. We will remain committed to excellence and integrity, while adapting to the growing and ever-changing needs of our practice areas and clients.

While not limited to the following, we aspire to: ■ provide clear information about estate planning options and assist our clients’ personal representatives when it comes time to carry out the estate plan; ■ continue to support our school board and school system clients through the day-to-day challenges of providing education in a complex legal and political environment; ■ advise our local employers of all sizes, from family-run startups to large corporations, in all aspects of employment law; ■ assist in making each of our client’s real estate transactions, however large or small in monetary value, as smooth as possible; ■ continue to represent clients in real property condemnation matters; ■ guide our municipal and local government clients through the legal issues involved with creating a better place to live for each of their constituents; ■ strongly represent our region’s injured; ■ provide practical legal advice for our local business owners; ■ vigorously represent our clients in their litigation matters; and ■ continue providing volunteer service to the Bar and to the community at large.

We will seek new opportunities and employ new strategies to maintain our standing as one of the state’s premier law firms while recognizing that the guidance we provide to our clients has an immediate impact on our cities, counties, and region.

— WILL NORRELL, ATTORNEY

Telemedicine connecting doctors, patients

through telemedicine. A camera cart can be placed by the patient’s bedside where a specially trained neurologist can give immediate care by interacting with the patient.

Simon said the neurologist is able to access the patient’s electronic medical record from the hospital. The neurologist is then able to examine and interview the patient through the screen, often using a camera to control the angle of view.

The neurologist provides a diagnosis and recommendation to the physician who is onsite at the hospital. The neurologist can consult with that physician by phone to bring the best possible care to the patient in an efficient manner. Simon estimates Chesapeake’s number of teleneurolo-

gy consults to be near 100 each month.

“It’s amazing to see how naturally patients can interact with physicians through the camera,” said Simon.

Telepsychiatry is also utilized for the “behavioral needs of patients,” she said.

Simon said she believes the patients “appreciate the access to specialty physicians.”

“Our patients benefit from quality care,” said Simon. “It’s a positive experience.”

Annya Soucy, customer development adviser at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center in Elizabeth City, said telemedicine technology is used to support patient care in many areas of the hospital.

“This includes, behavioral

health, neurology and stroke, and in the ICU to provide 24/7 intensivist services,” she said.

Most recently, Sentara launched Sentara Virtual Care, a program allowing patients in both North Carolina and Virginia to schedule a “virtual visit” with a primary care provider.

There are multiple reasons telemedicine is used, Soucy said.

“It can be implemented as a standalone service, such as tele-neurology services,” she said. “It can also be used to augment a service, such as in our ICU where we utilize Sentara eICU services to provide intensivist coverage when our own intensivists cannot be on-site.”

It can also be used to make seeing a provider more convenient and accessible, Soucy said.

“Telehealth is a promising public health tool because of its potentially significant impact on medically underserved populations through increased access, increasing prevalence as a recognized standard of care, influence on the provider-patient relationship, and potential to save billions of dollars in healthcare expenditures,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

For information about the services offered at Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, visit https:// chesapeakeregional.com. For information about the services offered at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center, visit https://www. sentara.com/hampton-roads-virginia/hospitalslocations/locations/sentara-albemarle-medical-center.aspx.

its 112 inpatient beds and 45 outpatient beds as one of the nation’s top programs, according to Sentara’s website.

While state-of-the-art medical facilities and technological advances are important, prevention is the most effective strategy in the fight against heart disease, according to experts.

The No. 1 treatment of heart disease is prevention, said Dr. Jason Foltz, chief medical officer at Brody.

Prevention applies to everyone, he said.

For patients who have already experienced a heart event, such as a heart attack, the focus is on the prevention of another occurrence, Foltz said.

For people who have not experienced a heart event, the focus is on prevention of an incident in the first place.

Ershadi said that everyone already has some heart disease, referring to the build-up of plaque in the arteries.

The build-up starts in childhood when tiny plaques in the arteries start to form, he said.

“And, of course, they get more significant by the time you get older.”

The idea is to prevent that accumulation, Ershadi said.

In the United States the most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD), according to the CDC. Conditions that increase the risk for heart disease in-

clude high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Behaviors that increase risk include a diet high in saturated fats, trans fat and cholesterol; not getting enough physical activity; drinking too much alcohol and using tobacco.

“Stop smoking, get moving, maintain a healthy weight and focus on eating foods that are good for you,” Foltz said.

“Those are the things that are very important for folks to understand to prevent heart disease.”

Foltz, who is also a primary care physician at ECU Physicians, the faculty medical practice of the medical school, said that it is important that doctors and patients work in partnership to prevent heart disease.

People don’t go to see their doctor because they are afraid of what their doctor might tell them, but that is a mindset that needs changing, he said.

“You need to see your doctor to partner in your wellness,” Foltz said.

By seeing a primary care physician, patients can learn their blood pressure numbers and if they are at risk for diabetes, Foltz said.

One of the newest trends in caring for patients is a more comprehensive approach between disciplines, Foltz said.

For example, at a patient’s appointment with him, Foltz will bring in a dietician who can discuss healthy eating

with the patient.

Doctors develop partnerships in other ways as well.

Eating sensibly is an important way to prevent heart disease, but a study done at the medical school revealed that many patients face the issue of food insecurity, Foltz said.

That means that, in the course of a month, patients said they weren’t sure they would have enough money for food on the table.

That situation sparked a partnership between the Food Bank of North Carolina, the Brody School of Medicine and Vidant Health in creating a medical food pantry in 2018 to be an emergency resource for healthy food alternatives, Foltz said.

Health care providers at ECU Physicians also promote a program called Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina, Foltz said.

He likes the program because it offers simple, doable steps for eating right and exercising, such as moving more, preparing more meals at home, making fruits and vegetables half of one’s plate and replacing sugary drinks with healthier alternatives.

NCCARE360, a statewide initiative that helps health care providers connect patients with resources such as health coaches and social workers, is another valuable tool, Ershadi said.

the way of life in Hyde County is very important to the people there and that’s one of the biggest inputs they’ve had, they want to preserve that way of life and it’s one of our goals,” he said.

Being a good partner means doing more listening than talking and bringing forth information so people can make decisions they can carry out, is how the initiative functions, Paynter said.

“The university cannot do this alone. It’s neither our role nor our expertise to come into a community and tell them

how to recruit people to live in their place,” she said. “What we can do is act as a facilitator, act as a connector, act as a convener of conversations in which communities identify the things they feel best define them, best showcase them and use the resources that they’ve got while identifying the needs they have.”

Another means of encouraging community growth is the Rural Innovations Strengthening Eastern 29 Counties, or RISE-29 initiative, a program funded with a $1 million grant from the Golden LEAF Foun-

dation.

Working through the Miller School of Entrepreneurship and its partners, opportunities will be created to help ECU graduates to establish new businesses in towns throughout Beaufort, Hyde, Martin and Pitt counties.

Students also will be teamed with existing small businesses looking for succession and continuity plans as the small business owners prepare for retirement.

The goal is to create 25 microenterprises and 100 new direct jobs.

by funding care or offering discounts totaling $17 million in assistance.

“I have been able to use that in several cases,” said Pittman, who joined Sentara Albemarle in January. “I can write prescriptions all day long, but if they can’t afford it, they won’t do it. It (affording medical care) is a huge limitation on what you can do for a patient. But the Sentara Charity Care helps

a lot.’’

Brian Harvill, president of Vidant hospitals in Chowan and Bertie counties, said that rural health care providers need to work with local, state and federal officials to get more funding for rural areas, including expanding Medicaid in the state.

“Vidant Bertie Hospital and Vidant Chowan Hospital are not immune to the challenges

of providing care in a rural community,” Harvill said. “I would ask our community members to continue talking with their elected officials regarding the critical need of services in our areas. To continue services, we will need better reimbursements including Medicaid expansion, which would expand access to care for our underserved region.”

BY ANNA GOODWIN MCCARTHY Correspondent

Area hospitals are striving to bring enhanced care to patients through telemedicine.

Through telemedicine, physicians are now able to communicate with patients using a camera and monitor screen that allow both the physician and patient to see each other and talk as if they are in the same room — even though they may be miles apart.

This often enables health care facilities to provide access to specialty physicians in a time-efficient manner to best serve patients.

According to a Telehealth Fact Sheet from the American Hospital Association, “Currently 76 percent of U.S. hospitals connect with patients and consulting practitioners at a distance through the use of video and other technology.”

Jeannine Simon, associate chief nursing officer at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, said telemedicine is beneficial to patients giving them “expedited access” to care.

Simon said telemedicine is used primarily at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center for teleneurology and telepsychiatry.

The expedited access to teleneurology is especially beneficial to patients with a neurological emergency, Simon said.

“We are able to access teleneurology within 15 minutes,” she said.

For example, in the case of a possible stroke, access to a specialty physician can be provided

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Continued from A8

medical contact to the opening of the blocked artery causing the heart attack.

“Our catheterization labs have top-notch technology, such as catheters, stents, intravascular imaging and devices that support the function of the heart while we perform high risk procedures.

If patients are coming with a heart attack that needs more complex intervention, we have the capability of airlifting them immediately and to get them where they can receive care,” Espinoza said.

Still another resource in eastern North Carolina is the Sentara Health Care system, which lies northeast of Greenville.

Residents in Pasquotank County and the surrounding areas are served by the Sentara Health Care system, particularly at the Sentara Albemarle Medical Center in Elizabeth City. It is a licensed 182-bed, full-service facility that provides a wide range of services, including cardiology, according to the center’s website.

Further to the north, in Norfolk, Va., is the Sentara Heart Hospital on the campus of Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks the dedicated heart hospital with

RURAL

Continued from A7

solution to move forward with and apply for grants and funding for that one solution and it hopefully cost them less.

If our project is effective,” Etheridge said.

Community involvement is a critical component of the project, he said.

“One thing that was pretty clear initially and has become even more clear as we’ve gone through the watershed restoration planning process is that

PROVIDERS Continued from A7

lines, and it is like a slow train wreck,” Jackson said. “They don’t have the money to come, so they don’t.”

To address that problem Sentara Albemarle helps patients pay their bills through its Charity Care Program. In 2018, the hospital helped local patients

ERCMY TILLMON/THE DAILY ADVANCE

Through telemedicine, physicians are now able to communicate with patients using a camera and monitor screen like the one shown at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center that allows both the physician and patient to see each other and talk as if they are in the same room — even though they may be miles apart.

THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

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THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

Vision2020 Education & Leisure

INSIDE ■ Schools give students ‘early’ look at higher education, Page B3 ■ CTE programs allow students to earn credits, learn skills, Page B4 ■ District is working on ways to improve low-performing schools, Page B4 ■ Online education growing at

universities, colleges, Page B5 ■ Region’s golf courses appeal to all ages, skill levels, Page B5 ■ Foundation Fitness part of growth industry in fitness biz, Page B6 ■ Parks and Rec agencies offer new programs, facilities, Page B6 ■ Groups provide creative, biz

opportunities for artists, Page B7 ■ Breweries offer unique form of recreation, Page B8 ■ Vision 2020, Page B10-11 ■ Spectator sports offer feast for local fans, Page B10 ■ In eastern NC, fishing a sport for all seasons, Page B11

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THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

EDUCATION & LEISURE

B3

Schools give students ‘early’ look at higher education

BY AMELIA HARPER AND REGGIE PONDER Adams Publishing Group

Early college high schools are designed to provide post-secondary education opportunities for those students who are the most underrepresented on college campuses.

Among those are students are those that are first in their families to go to college, students from low-income households, minority students, English language learners and students atrisk of not graduating from high school.

Students enrolled in early college programs can choose to stay in high school for a fifth year and continue working toward a two-year college degree without paying tuition.

The Albemarle is currently home to four early college programs: three at traditional schools and one at a charter school focused on project-based learning.

The oldest, J.P. Knapp Early College High School in Currituck County, was founded in 2008.

Many J.P. Knapp students take college course online but others are transported by bus to College of The Albemarle’s campus in Elizabeth City to take courses.

J.P. Knapp Early College is open to all rising ninth-graders in Currituck County.

For the 2019-20 school year J.P. Knapp has 264 students, 159 of whom took college courses in the fall semester. Students earned 464 college credits in fall 2019.

J.P. Knapp has received an “A” school performance grade and exceeded expected growth for the past five

straight years. The school was recognized as one of the best high schools in the nation by U.S. News and World Report in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019, and has been recognized by N.C. New Schools as a School of Innovation and Excellence.

Camden Early College is the second-oldest early college program in the region. This year, the school has an enrollment of 179 students: 36 freshmen, 46 sophomores, 48 juniors, 47 seniors and seven fifth-year students.

Three ninth-graders at Camden Early College are taking a class at COA, as are 45 sophomores, 48 juniors, 40 seniors and all the fifthyear students.

Elizabeth City Pasquotank Early College High School is the youngest of the area’s early colleges.

Now in its second year, the early college is housed on the COA campus in Elizabeth City and has an enrollment of 116 students: 32 ninth-graders, 51 tenth-graders and 33 eleventh-graders.

ECPPS integrates STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) methods into all content areas. STEM labs have been installed at Elizabeth City Middle School, River Road Middle School, Pasquotank County High School, Northeastern High School and Elizabeth City Pasquotank Early College.

The labs contain various tools and equipment, such as robotics equipment, circuitry tools, three-dimensional printers, and engineering and building tools.

ECPPS is sending a group of eighth-graders to the COA-Currituck campus in April to participate in the annual Advanced Manufac-

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In this Monday, Aug. 12, file photo, sophomores Alex Andrews (left) and Caroline Lilly take notes in class on the first day of class at Camden Early College.

Early college high schools are designed to provide postsecondary education opportunities for those students who are the most underrepresented on college campuses.

turing Day. The Northeast Academy of Aerospace and Advanced Technologies, an aviation-oriented STEM charter school in Elizabeth City, offers innovative STEM education to students from counties in northeastern North Carolina.

NEAAAT incorporates project-based learning, STEM and early college concepts in its unique approach to getting students ready for further study and the world of work.

Last fall, 57 NEAAAT students earned 615 semester hours at COA and 35 students earned 169 credit hours at Elizabeth City State University.

This semester there are 56 NEAAAT students taking 585 semester hours at COA and 45 students taking 190 credit hours at ECSU. These schools are public schools, but they differ from traditional public schools in the state. They fall into the

Emergency Services Building

category of Cooperative Innovative High Schools which operate under the Cooperative Innovative High School Programs statute crafted by the state General Assembly in 2003.

The purpose of this statute and the Innovative Education Initiative Act was to “encourage Local Education Agencies to partner with their local postsecondary Institutions of Higher Education to provide cooperative programs jointly in high schools and colleges/ universities that will expand students’ opportunities for education success through high quality instructional programming,” according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction website.

Though not all cooperative innovative high schools in the state are early college high schools, all early college high schools are cooperative innovative high schools. Some other specialty schools, such

at the CITI High School in Rocky Mount which focuses on preparing students for trades and technical education, are also cooperative innovative high schools. Currently, there are more than 130 cooperative innovative high schools in the state.

Roughly 90 of those are early college high schools.

These early college high schools are usually smaller than the average traditional high school and are usually located on the campus of an institution of higher learning such as a community college or university.

Elizabeth CityPasquotank Early College, for example, is located on the campus of COA. Although it’s currently building its own facility, NEAAAT is currently located on the ECSU campus.

The close proximity allows students to attend some classes at the college or university and to take advantage of the greater

learning resources and opportunities such institutions offer.

Cooperative Innovative High Schools target students who are at risk of dropping out of high school, first-generation college students, and students who would benefit from accelerated learning opportunities, according to the DPI website. Early college high school students usually attend high school for five years, spending their final year as a “super senior.”

By the time they graduate, these students generally earn one or more associate degrees in addition to their high school diploma and are in a better academic and financial position to complete a college degree, should they desire.

Currently, almost 13,000 high school students across the state are enrolled in early college high school

Senior Center

See EARLY, B10 Dobbs Street Building

Perquimans Perquimans County Courthouse:

Library

County Manager – Frank Heath - 426-8484 Finance Officer – Tracy Mathews- 426-8484 Clerk to the Board – Mary Hunnicutt - 426-8484 Register of Deeds – Jackie Frierson - 426-5660 Clerk of Court – Todd Tilley - 404-5000 Tax Department – Bill Jennings - 426-7010 Location: 128 North Church Street

Courthouse Annex Sheriff’s Department – Shelby White - 426-5615 Magistrates – George Long & Drew Woodard 426-2201 Probation & Parole – 426-4780 or 426-7224 Location: 110 North Church Street

Cooperative Extension Agricultural Service – Jewel Winslow 426-5428 Family & Consumer Science Education & 4-H – 426-7697 Elections Office – Holly Hunter 426-5598 Soil Conservation – Janet Stallings & Jacob Peele 426-5545 Location: 608 Edenton Road Street

Perquimans County Perquimans CountyCourthouse Courthouse

Librarian - Michele Lawrence (252) 426-5319 Location: 310 Grandy Street

Parks & Recreation Director – Howard Williams - 426-5695 Location: 310 Granby Street

Senior Citizen Center Coordinator – Beverly Gregory 426-5404 Location: 1072 Harvey Point Road

Emergency Services Emergency Services Director: Jonathan Nixon Communications - 426-5751 EMS - 426-5646 Emergency Management - 426-7029 Water Department - Nick Lolies, 426-8230 Location: 159 Creek Drive

Perquimans County Library Perquimans County Library

Social Services Building Emergency Services Building

Albemarle Commission Building Albemarle Commission – Robert Murphy Interim Executive Director 426-5753 Farm Services Agency – Denise Gregory 426-5802 Location: 512 South Church Street USDA Rural Development – Travis Lassister – (252) 358-7836 Location: 305 Tyron Street, Winton, NC 27986

Social Services Director – Susan Chaney - 426-7373 Location: 103 Charles Street

Dobbs Street Building Building Inspector – Virgil Parrish - 426-8283 Planner – Sam Barrow/Rhonda Money 426-2027 Veteran’s Services – Preston Spear - 426-1796 Location: 104 Dobbs Street

Social Services Building Cooperative Extension

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THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

EDUCATION & LEISURE

CTE programs help students earn credits, learn skills

BY CHRIS DAY Multimedia Editor

Gaining career-building skills and earning college credits are among the benefits for students enrolled in area schools’ CTE programs.

CTE, or career and technical education, encompasses courses taught in secondary schools that teach students hands-on training and skills that prepare them for the workforce.

Through CTE programs, students can gain credentials and certifications that are in line with the needs of a particular industry, such as nursing or firefighting.

Both Camden and Elizabeth City-Pasquotank schools offer an array of CTE programs for students to participate.

“CTE program areas offer many benefits to our students, from learning a skill that may lead to a career or lessons that will help them advance in life,” said Carol Overton, Camden County Schools’ CTE coordinator.

Students in the welding program can earn their basic certifications, and students in business classes can earn Microsoft Word and Powerpoint certifications, Overton said.

“Students that complete the pharmacy technician course and pass the national exam can become a registered pharmacy tech,” Overton said. “Each of our CTE courses offers the student the ability to refine their professional skills, or soft skills during their time in high school. These skills are the skills we hear from industry the most that students need.”

In Camden County

Schools, about 700 students in grades 7-12 participate in CTE courses, according to Overton.

“Camden County Board of Education policy states that each student must complete one CTE course in order to graduate,” she said.

Camden’s list of CTE programs includes agriculture, business, family consumer science, health science, marketing and trade and industrial education. Those programs include courses in animal science, foods and nutrition, welding, pharmacy technician, and computer skills, such as Microsoft Office applications, coding, and many more.

“Our health science program has been a popular program area traditionally,” Overton said. “Also, as we have restarted our family consumer science program area, foods has become a popular addition.

“We foresee our firefighter technologies program growing also,” she said.

The future looks bright for Camden’s CTE program.

Overton said district plans include expanding the family consumer science and firefighter program areas by adding more courses.

“We will add drone technology to our agriculture program,” she said. “In our business program area, new course offerings from the state will be investigated, such as financial planning.

We are looking to add additional course offerings in each of our program areas.”

Overton said she is proud of all of the district’s CTE students, but she recalls one success story in particular.

A former student had taken

ERCMY TILLMON/THE DAILY ADVANCE

Pasquotank County High School students (l-r) Cheyenne Hudkins, Max Cameron, Mackenzie Collins, Dasia Phillips, Kirsten McGinley train for a test in their firefighter class. Students at both PCHS and Northeastern High School can earn certification as a firefighter through the course, one of the popular pathways in the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools’ career and technical education program. Students can participate in several levels of firefighter training and earn certification that could help them land a firefighting job after graduation. The CTE program features courses taught in secondary schools that teach students hands-on training and skills that prepare them for the workforce.

CTE marketing classes and later enrolled in college to earn a marketing degree.

The student later contacted their former Camden High School teacher to say how their CTE courses had prepared them, Overton said.

“They particularly stated they were ahead of everyone in their classes because of what the (Camden) teacher taught them and their expectations of the student,” Overton said. “I think any success story you find that deals

with CTE, you will discover the student stating that their participation in a CTE class gave them the skills to succeed in whatever their chosen career is.”

Students in Pasquotank County have as many CTE options as their peers in Camden.

Shelia Hughes, CTE coordinator for Elizabeth CityPasquotank Public Schools, said students can choose from several program areas that serve as “pathways”

to more specific career-oriented program areas, like animal sciences, marketing, early childhood development, firefighting, automotive services and more.

“These career pathways provide our students with the knowledge, skills and credentials needed to support students, whether they go straight into the workforce or to higher levels of education,” Hughes said.

“Some of these program areas also offer job shadowing

as well as work-based learning opportunities.”

In northeastern North Carolina, agriculture is a key driver of the area’s economy. It’s no surprise that the agriculture program at Northeastern High School is among the popular CTE pathways.

“We have a very strong student organization tied to our agriculture program,” Hughes said, referring to

See CTE, B11

ECPPS working on ways to improve low-performing schools

BY REGGIE PONDER Staff Writer

The Elizabeth CityPasquotank Public Schools are focusing on students, teachers and principals in order to improve student achievement in four state-identified low-performing schools.

“We definitely see progress in our schools,” said ECPPS Superintendent Catherine Edmonds.

Edmonds said she sees a difference on the faces of students, who are very excited about the progress that they are making.

ECPPS has the Albemarle area’s only schools — Pasquotank Elementary and P.W. Elementary — that have been designated by the state as “F” schools. In addition, Pasquotank County High School and Elizabeth City Middle School have been assigned a grade of “D” on the most recent state accountability report.

But school officials see positive signs at all four

schools. A big shift has occurred in the level of community support, according to Edmonds.

School principals have played an important role in developing a higher level of community support, she said.

“I think the support from the community has been amazing,” Edmonds said.

ECPPS is committed to providing high-quality training for principals and teachers, Edmonds said.

“A lot of our investment is in our people,” she added.

The school district employs instructional coaches to help teachers in the classroom, and teachers also have opportunities to participate in learning opportunities outside the district when it’s deemed beneficial.

Edmonds said the hiring of Amy Spencer as chief academic officer has been a boost to local efforts to improve instruction.

“We have really great people here,” Edmonds said. “Part of our improvement strategy is how we hire people.”

ERCMY TILLMON/THE DAILY ADVANCE

Teachers (l-r) Cotina Skinner, Jada Lister, Corrolyn Edwards, Lekia Privott, and Bernardine Wood discuss ways to improve academics at Pasquotank Elementary School.

Nine principals attended a meeting in Pinehurst last month of the N.C. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Edmonds said. She said money was in the budget for principals to attend the training event but none had

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in several years.

Teacher turnover is also dropping in the district, she said.

“We try to make sure the teachers feel supported,” Edmonds said. “We have kept our vacancy list to less than 10 for most of the year.

This year we have been pretty intentional about keeping our long-term (substitute) list down.”

Edmonds said principals are focused on innovative ways of addressing discipline in the schools. A key part of their approach is to

reduce the number of students who are out of school for disciplinary reasons.

Some schools are using federal Title I funds to pay for restorative facilitators who help with behavior management, especially with alternatives to outof-school suspension. The principals decide whether the restorative facilitator is needed for a particular school.

The school district is focused on providing support for principals, Edmonds said.

“We definitely have principals that are thinking more about the approach to school improvement,” she said. “I do have a lot of confidence in our principals.”

Not having a state budget is a challenge, though, because funding is more restrictive, Edmonds said.

One of the state’s strengths historically has been offering flexibility in how some state funds can be used to strengthen schools, she said.

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THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

EDUCATION & LEISURE

B5

Online education growing at universities, colleges

BY REGGIE PONDER Staff Writer

Online education is catching on in a big way at area institutions of higher education, offering increased flexibility for students.

Elizabeth City State University has three programs that are offered entirely online, according to Provost Farrah J. Ward.

At College of The Albemarle, 13 associate degree and certificate programs can be completed entirely online.

And at Mid-Atlantic Christian University, students can earn a certificate in professional Christian ministries and an associate of arts in Biblical studies entirely through online courses.

ECSU launched its first fully online degree, the bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies, in fall 2017 with two students.

By 2018, the program had grown to 64 students.

Ward said the interdisciplinary degree program was started because the university had noticed a large number of students had started degrees but never finished them. Many of those students were no longer in the area so it wouldn’t be feasible for them to attend classes on campus, she

added.

In addition, university officials observed that there were military veterans and military family members in the area who had accumulated credits from different universities and needed a way to finish a degree if they moved somewhere else.

Those were the two main target groups when the degree was started but the program is now open to all students.

The university’s second degree available entirely online was the master’s degree in elementary education.

Only three students were enrolled in the master’s program in fall 2018, but when the program went online in spring 2019 enrollment climbed to 15 and it was at 36 last fall.

“You can see how tremendously that program has grown,” Ward said.

The elementary education master’s degree features concentrations in initial certification, for students who already have a bachelor’s degree in any field and wish to become certified in teaching, and in teacher leadership, which prepares teachers for national board certification.

This semester ECSU launched a new online degree in homeland security.

While just three students are currently enrolled, Ward thinks enrollment will increase “once we get the word out” about the program.

ECSU also offers degree completion options in criminal justice and business for students who hold an associate degree from College of The Albemarle, Pitt Community College or Edgecombe Community College.

Ward explained that students earn the associate degree at the community college and then complete the degree in criminal justice or business through online courses offered by ECSU. Virtually every academic program at ECSU includes some online course offerings, but students can’t take more than half of their courses online unless they are enrolled in a program designed for online education, Ward said.

Taylor Starling, an ECSU student from Marshville in the Charlotte area, has an associate degree from South Piedmont College and is majoring in marketing.

Now in her second semester at ECSU, Starling is currently enrolled in an online course in environmental science.

“It was challenging in the

REGGIE PONDER/ THE DAILY ADVANCE

Taylor Starling, an ECSU student from Marshville in the Charlotte area, has an associate degree from South Piedmont College and is majoring in marketing. Now in her second semester at ECSU, Starling is currently enrolled in an online course in environmental science. She likes the flexibility of online classes.

beginning,” Starling said, explaining that it took about 2½ weeks to get the hang of the online course and what the professor expected.

But she has come to appreciate the flexible schedule the online course offers.

“I can take my own notes at my own pace,” Starling said.

She said she expects to take more online courses at ECSU. “I’m just a very busy person so I like that flexibility,” Starling said.

Ward said online education has grown over the past

five years, and now includes some students coming straight from high school.

In the future the university is looking at an online program in aviation, beginning with the aviation management concentration.

Echoing Starling, Ward said flexibility is one of the biggest advantages of online education.

Drawbacks include having to get used to the online platform and having to selfpace and manage your time effectively, she said.

Regardless of how much online education grows,

Ward doesn’t think it will ever entirely replace traditional classroom education.

“I think there always will be traditional universities,” Ward said. “I don’t think it’s all going to go online.”

COA, meanwhile, is offering 154 courses online during this year’s spring semester.

At least 20 programs at COA offer 50 percent or more of their required courses online, and those programs are in the Arts and Sciences, Business and

See ONLINE, B8

Region’s golf courses appeal to all ages, skill levels

BY BOB GARNER For Adams Publishing Group

Golf continues to grow in popularity in eastern North Carolina, appealing to a broader range of individuals than ever before.

People of virtually all ages, skill levels and economic circumstances — and those varying widely in degree of physical fitness — benefit from the game. It’s a low-impact form of exercise; a sharpener of mental acuity; a stress, anxiety and depression reliever; and a valuable tool for building the skill of mixing socially with others.

“One great thing about golf is that it’s the game of a lifetime — and it’s practically never too late to start, even for those in their mid to late 70s,” said Dan O’Boyle, director of the Atlantic chapter of the Carolinas PGA section.

Golf courses provide aesthetically pleasing spaces, and preserving these greenways improves the environmental quality of any community in which they’re located. More than 70 percent of the average course consists of rough and nonplay areas, including trees, water, natural grasses and shrubs, so combined with open fairways and greens, these layouts offer valuable wildlife habitat. Courses offer many other ecological benefits, including improv-

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Hertford’s The Sound Golf Links at Albemarle Plantation is one of the region’s most popular golf courses with public access. Built in 1990 and located roughly equidistant from Edenton and Hertford, Albemarle Plantation is a soundside residential golf community featuring a 6,431-yard, five-tee Don Maples design that’s the region’s only golf club earning 4½ stars from Golf Digest. The course abuts several marsh areas and winds through cypress groves festooned with Spanish Moss. The finishing three holes offer expansive views of Albemarle Sound.

ing air quality, absorbing and filtering rainfall, protecting topsoil from erosion and discouraging pests like ticks and mosquitos.

Perhaps most importantly, golf courses encourage people to engage with nature in a unique way. O’Boyle, who’s general manager of Seascape Golf Links in Kitty Hawk in addition to serving on the Carolinas PGA board, thinks golf may strengthen adaptability more than any

other leisure activity. “People often assume golf is predictable and repetitive, but when you play a golf course, you play it differently every day based on the wind and the weather and the position of the pins and the tees,” he said. “Sure, you may be playing the same layout, but, like life circumstances, conditions change every day.”

Speaking for fellow PGA pros, O’Boyle said one overarching goal of his organiza-

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tion is to “grow the game.”

“We want to expose juniors, seniors, men and women of every stripe to this great game who just haven’t participated in it yet for whatever reason,” he said.

“As one example, we have a national PGA foundation called REACH that actively engages juniors from different economic backgrounds, veterans and a wide diversity of people in terms of gender, race, ethnicity and

so forth in not only playing golf but also working in the industry.”

Golf also makes major contributions to the economic vitality of communities and regions. In North Carolina, golf generated an annual direct and indirect impact on the state economy of $4.2 billion, supported more than 53,000 jobs and paid $1.3 billion in wages in 2018. Those who view golf as an elitist pastime may be surprised to learn that nearly eight of every 10 rounds of golf is played at public golf courses or clubs accessible to the public.

Public play is, for example, invited at one of the highest-ranked golf courses in eastern North Carolina, which is located on the private, 900-acre Scotch Hall residential community in Bertie county, near Edenton. The North Carolina Golf Panel annually ranks the state’s top publicly accessible courses, and Scotch Hall is listed as number 12 in the panel’s 2019 “Dream 18.”

The course at Scotch Hall, formerly known as Innsbruck, is an Arnold Palmer “signature” design, meaning the late championship golfer had a heavier level of involvement in its creation than in many of the other courses in the United States bearing his name. After it opened in 2008, and before it became accessible to the public, Golf

Digest ranked the layout as the ninth-best new private course in the United States.

At 7,267 yards, it boasts five sets of tees from championship to novice and offers beautiful views of Albemarle Sound, the Chowan River or Salmon Creek on 11 of its 18 holes. It has been ranked at No. 1 among the top 25 Arnold Palmer golf course designs and was ranked in 2015 as No. 14 on the “Best of Golf Advisor” list.

Nate Brill, the director of golf at Scotch Hall, describes the course design as featuring distinct landing areas for each of the five sets of tee boxes, along with strategically placed, challenging bunkers and rolling greens that are more challenging than they seem. “It definitely offers a challenge to all golfers, except possibly a really talented player who’s playing from a tee too far forward of where he or she should be,” he said.

Scotch Hall has an inn and several villas available for stay-and-play packages, and there’s a convenient market for food and beverages located within 10 minutes of the preserve. There’s also a pro shop, putting green, practice hole and an on-site restaurant and lounge, The Shed.

“The Arnold Palmer course was fun, challenging and in

See GOLF, B8

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THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

EDUCATION & LEISURE

Foundation Fitness part of area growth in fitness biz

BY MALCOLM SHIELDS

ERCMY TILLMON/ THE DAILY ADVANCE

Sports Editor

HERTFORD — Amy and Donnie Tinsley are invested in the fitness industry.

In January 2018, they opened Foundation Fitness at 220 Ocean Highway South in the shopping plaza off U.S. Highway 17 in Hertford.

From cardio machines to weight lifting equipment, the cozy 24-hour gym has what anyone interested in fitness needs.

The Tinsleys’ gym is one of a growing number of locally owned fitness centers in Perquimans, Camden, Chowan, Currituck and Pasquotank counties.

The expansion of fitness facilities in the area highlights the overall growth of the global fitness industry in recent years.

According to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association — an organization that monitors and promotes growth in the health and fitness industry — the global fitness industry featured more than 200,000 facilities, 174 million members, and generated more than $87 billion in revenue.

The 2018 IHRSA Global Report also notes that the

Amy and Donnie Tinsley, owners of Foundation Fitness, pose inside their gym in the shopping plaza off U.S. Highway 17 in Hertford. The Tinsleys’ gym is one of a growing number of locally owned fitness centers in Perquimans, Camden, Chowan, Currituck and Pasquotank counties.

United States led the world in both fitness facilities and membership with just over 38,400 facilities and 60.9 million members.

Before the Tinsleys opened Foundation Fitness in Hertford, about the only local fitness center available to Perquimans residents — if they didn’t want to drive to Edenton or Elizabeth City — was the county senior center.

Previously there was a Curves — a fitness center for women — in the same plaza where Foundation Fitness is located.

Donnie Tinsley said once

word spread of his and his wife’s fitness center, people started showing up and joining as members.

“Overall, it’s been well,” he said. “A lot of support from the community.”

The Tinsleys say focusing on other aspects of fitness, like proper nutrition, is as important as exercise.

“You need both aspects,” Amy Tinsley said.

She said Foundation Fitness works with members by showing them new exercises and giving them ideas on how to eat differently.

“Everybody has differ-

ent needs,’’ Donnie said.

Besides operating their gym facility, both Tinsleys provide training in other aspects of fitness. Donnie teaches mixed martial arts classes in Elizabeth City and Hertford, while Amy instructs dance at The Dance Company in Hertford.

Amy said some parents will take their child to the dance studio, go over to Foundation Fitness for a workout, and then go back and pick up their kid from dance.

While their business has been good, Donnie says

there is a need for additional fitness facilities in rural areas.

Both Tinsleys believe locally owned fitness centers provide more of a personal connection for their members than larger franchise fitness centers.

“When people come in — because we are a smaller gym and because we are locally owned and operated — a lot of the members we know by name and by face,” Donnie said. “We know what they are working on.

There’s a personal touch and that’s where it’s more

welcoming.”

“They know us personally, too,” Amy added. “They know our children. They see us in the community.”

Both Tinsleys said they like the personal connections they’ve been able to make with members of their fitness center. Their members include everyone from employees at Captain Bob’s Restaurant to students at Perquimans County High School.

The Tinsleys say staying involved in the community helps connect them with potential members for their fitness center.

“We try to do extra things in the community,” Amy said.

That includes Amy’s involvement in a 5K race two years ago that resulted in the proceeds going to the Perquimans County High School band.

Donnie noted that Foundation Fitness also assisted a student at Perquimans County High School who wants to be a fitness trainer and is taking college courses at College of The Albemarle.

He added that because of Foundation Fitness, the student is able to work out at a gym and get credit for her class.

Parks and Rec agencies offer new programs, facilities

BY DAVID GOUGH For The Daily Advance

City and county Parks and recreation agencies in the area are coming up with new ways to help families enjoy their leisure time.

In the near future, residents can expect both new activities and programs as well as upgrades to parks.

One of the newest programs offered by the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County Parks and Recreation Department is archery.

Archery was introduced in the Knobbs Creek Recreation Center on Monday, Feb. 17, and, according to Parks and Recreation Director Dexter Harris, people of all ages showed up.

He estimated more than 60 people showed up for the program, with kids as young as 6 and adults in their 70s participating.

“It was a really great turnout,” Harris said. “They really enjoyed it. That’s something we’re looking to expand upon.”

For example, Parks and Rec would like to offer an outdoor archery program when it gets closer to the summer.

For right now, however, the archery program is still on a trial run with no set date for the next archery night. Harris said residents

should check out the department’s Facebook page for updates.

Harris also noted that interest in pickleball is on the rise and that Knobbs Creek Recreation Center has been holding game nights for the sport for all ages. Pickleball is a paddleball sport for either two or four players that combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis.

The department is also looking to make additions to Enfield Park off Corsair Drive. The park potentially could get a new playground and a large pavilion that featured space for concessions and restrooms, Harris said. Also under discussion is an outdoor gym and multiple smaller pavilions.

Harris noted Parks and Rec officials are constantly trying to upgrade and add to the approximately 45 parks and recreation facilities they manage in Pasquotank County.

“None are truly concrete, but as far as the vision of expansion, the vision is definitely alive,” he said, referring to his department’s plans.

In Currituck County, Parks and Recreation Director Jason Weeks said county officials were preparing to break ground on a new park in Moyock by the end of March.

Shingle Landing Park,

PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF ELIZABETH CITY

The Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Parks and Recreation Department introduced an archery program at the Knobbs Creek Recreation Center on Monday, Feb. 17. Parks and Recreation Director Dexter Harris estimated more than 60 people showed up for the program. For now, the archery program is on a trial run, he said.

a $2.5 million facility that has been planned since 2016, will be what Weeks described as Currituck’s first attempt at a nature play area.

Just a couple miles south of the Virginia border and on the east end of N.C. Highway 168, Shingle Landing Park is expected to take up more than 20 acres.

Included in the park will

be 4,000 feet of sidewalk for a lengthy walking trail, a picnic and playground area and a pond with a gazebo over the water.

The nature play area will consist of nature-imitating equipment like a fallen tree and mounds of dirt.

Weeks noted the new park will be within walking and biking distance of sev-

eral hundred homes.

“We certainly anticipate it will be a popular location for folks to come and exercise or just get away and have some leisure time on their own or with their kids,” Weeks said.

There’s also room for future expansion of the park as well. One potential addition down the road could be an amphitheater.

While Shingle Landing Park remains in the works, Weeks said Currituck Parks and Rec currently operates nine other county-owned parks.

In Camden, meanwhile, the county Parks and Recreation Department plans to add two new adult sports leagues this spring.

Director Timothy White said Camden Parks and Rec will be bringing back an adult volleyball league after not having one for several years. The league’s games will be played in the Camden Intermediate School gymnasium.

An adult kickball league will also debut, with games played at Camden Community Park.

“It’s a new offering for us that we’re going to try and see if we can get more adult participation in our programs,” White said.

The Camden Parks and Recreation Department also partners with the Camden Youth League to offer youth soccer, baseball, softball and tee-ball.

Registration for soccer closed on March 7 while registration for baseball and softball closed on March 21. Registration may still be open after those dates if there are still team spots to fill.

White noted that more information is available at camdenyouthleague.com.

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THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

EDUCATION & LEISURE

B7

Groups provide creative, biz opportunities for artists

BY KESHA WILLIAMS Correspondent

In a region without a lot of large-scale retailers, creativity is helping make area arts councils central shopping zones.

That creativity appears in an array of art, home, office and garden decorative items and hand-crafted jewelry sold at the Perquimans Arts League, the Chowan Arts Council and Arts of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City.

All three agencies also offer an affordable collection of workshops and classes and provide a stream of performing artists.

Some customers who shop with the art groups do so for themselves. Others, however, purchase merchandise or gift certificates for others. The money spent at these arts councils contributes to the local economies in Hertford, Edenton and Elizabeth City.

Ed Sanford, president of the Perquimans Arts League, said art obviously attracts visitors to Perquimans and contributes to the number of people shopping at other businesses and tourist sites.

Visitors often arrive in Perquimans for outdoor recreation and tours but many depart toting bags of items purchased at PAL’s gallery, Sanford said. To maintain high quality, he said, the artwork goes through a jury process before it can be displayed in the gallery.

“Because PAL operates an art gallery, we are by definition retail sellers of fine art created by our artists,” Sanders said. “We offer a full array of art, including paintings, pottery, carvings, jewelry, quilts, photography and even poetry and other

written work.”

The majority of art sold in the gallery is created by PAL artists, Sanford said. And most artwork is for sale, since only a small number of artists want their pieces in the gallery just for display purposes.

Sanford said having an art gallery in Hertford helps attract both visitors and as well as locals to the downtown, Sanford said. He said PAL plans to raise its profile once renovations to its new gallery are complete.

“As we increase our activity level the economy will see additional net positives,” Sanford said.

Gallery sales, Sanford noted, help artists earn income from their work.

Some of PAL’s artists are very popular, and have a following of customers who like their work and purchase it regularly. They usually try to keep pieces in the gallery for sale.

A number of PAL artists also teach classes, workshops and seminars. Sanford said the sessions are fee-based, allowing the artist to receive remuneration for teaching. That income helps artists with the cost of supplies as well as the cost of maintaining a studio or a crafting workspace.

Barbara Redenz is one of the artists who displays and sells her work at PAL. She began by taking quilting lessons and after making a number of quilts, discovered she also enjoyed making smaller items. Over the past 10 years, she’s made purses, wallets, microwave potato bags, bowl cozies, table runners, place mats, jewelry bags and more.

“I love to sew and make things that I hope will make nice gifts,” Redenz said.

SUBMITTED PHOTOS

Frank Miglorie, a potter who moved to Edenton from Vermont, is a member of both the Perquimans Arts League and the Chowan Arts Council. Miglorie, who works in both stoneware and terracotta, said his primary goal is to create artworks that are functional and that people can use every day, but that also appeal to their aesthetic sensibilities.

“The self-confidence (you get from) people liking what you made is number 1.”

She said being paid for her work is important because of the cost of fabric and the hours it takes to complete a piece. She jokes that her income also gives her an “excuse to buy more fabric.”

Regan Coxe, president of the Chowan Arts Council, said artists’ work shown in the CAC’s gallery benefits both the artists and the gallery.

“We are predominately a consignor for the artists and they get the larger percentage when their artwork sells,” she said. “We, too, get a percentage which allows us to operate the gallery, of- Barbara Redenz is one of the artists who displays and sells her work through the fer events to the communi- Perquimans Arts League. She began by taking quilting lessons and after making a ty and programming to the number of quilts, discovered she also enjoyed making smaller items. Over the past 10 years, she’s made purses, wallets, microwave potato bags, bowl cozies, table runners, place mats, jewelry bags and more.

See ART, B10

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THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

EDUCATION & LEISURE

Breweries offer unique form of recreation

BY DONNA MARIE WILLIAMS The Standard

A growing trend that is sweeping the nation, breweries are challenging preconceived notions of recreation. Breweries are drawing more people into downtowns and are providing an ideal spot for younger and older adults to hang out.

“Breweries have become a tourism magnet over the past 10 years because there is much, much more to a brewery than drinking beer.

Breweries allow people of all ages to enjoy others company at a unique location. They allow people to sit outside and enjoy beautiful weather,” said Stephen Penn, economic developer for the town of Winterville.

Breweries are unlike traditional bars where the bartenders offer widely distributed imported and domestic beer. Instead, each brewery offers its own custom-made selection by the brewery’s brewmaster.

Selections presented by the breweries are often ever-changing with the inclusion of one and off beers and seasonal selections.

Breweries also are transforming into a hangout for families and professionals.

“Those who have never been to a brewery may be surprised at how many children there are running and playing outdoors while their parents catch up with friends,” Penn said. “Since many breweries have pet-friendly areas, it allows people to include their dogs on their relaxing evenings.

For many, it’s a great way to mingle with friends and the community in a relaxing atmosphere.”

Breweries’ relaxed at-

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good shape … Between what we brought with us to drink, snack and cook and The Shed, there was no need to go anywhere. We stayed right on the property for the three days we were there,” a recent Trip Advisor review said.

“We had a group of 27 guys down from Virginia Beach recently, and several of them told me that there is no golf course in the Hampton Roads area that provides the competitive price and value of what we have here,” Brill said.

Another of the region’s most popular golf courses

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Computer Technologies, and Health Sciences and Wellness.

COA officials noted that even some of the more

mosphere helps to foster communication, according to Jeremy Maxic, owner of Hook Hand Brewery Taproom in Williamston.

“We’re all kind of glued to our cell phone,” Maxic said.

“It seems like it’s harder to connect to people. Breweries have a way of creating an atmosphere where strangers connect. They come more for the experience than a beverage, but the beverage is part of the experience.”

Breweries have also helped to spur revitalization efforts in their communities.

“You also tend to see new businesses and restaurants springing up around recently opened breweries,” said Sierra Jones, director of communications and marketing for the Greenville-Pitt County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “That further helps in the development of our destination by providing additional ways to extend and enhance your experience by trying a new restaurant, getting a cup of locally roasted coffee, or exploring a new art gallery.”

In Pitt and Martin counties, breweries have helped to enhance recreational values. In 2017 in Pitt County, it has spurred the creation of the Pitt County Brew & ‘Cue Trail, which helps to market and promote the growing number of craft breweries in Pitt County, Jones shared.

“These events and activities all help create a sense of community and fun in the downtown areas and communities … (This) helps attract not just local residents, but visitors from outside of Greenville-Pitt County as well who can get a sense of our destination’s local flavor and authentic vibe,” she said.

In Elizabeth City, Ghost Harbor Brewing Co. opened downtown almost two years ago. Owners Thomas and Tabitha Reese said in a recent interview they are remodeling a space for a new taproom on Colonial Avenue that is across Pailin’s Alley from their current location.

When the new taproom opens it will free up some space in the current taproom that will allow Ghost Harbor to double its current craft beer production.

Ghost Harbor currently produces 400 barrels of craft beer a year and plans call for production to double to 800 barrels annually.

The original plan for the brewery was to open small and grow as demand increased. Thomas Reese said that business has been on the uptick since the doors opened.

“Our thought was to open small and open with what

we could afford,’’ Reese said.

“But the fans of craft beer have helped make it grow.

Our goal was to always to try and meet demand and that is what this step is.’’

Reese said having two taprooms open at the same time will also allow beer drinkers to get away from the “hustle and bustle” of the new taproom on busy nights.

“This will allow us to have a more intimate setting,” he said.

The added venue space will allow the brewery to host more private events like birthday parties, company events, baby showers and small receptions. The brewery only hosts private events on Monday and Tuesday, which are days the current taproom is closed.

“We will still be able sit around 38 to 40 people,” Reese said.

The expansion will also

mean new hours this spring.

Ghost Harbor is planning to open on Tuesdays and have expanded hours on Friday and Saturday.

A second craft brewery, Seven Sounds Brewing, also plans to open in downtown Elizabeth City. Renovations to the former Hurdle Hardware building on Water Street are underway and the brewery could open sometime this fall. Dean Schaan, one of the partners in the project, said last October that the brewery could open within a year.

A brewery project is also planned for the Edenton waterfront.

In Williamston, Hook Hand Brewery Taproom opened its doors in December 2019, and has quickly become a staple in the town’s downtown.

“As a whole, Williamston Daily Advance Staff has flocked to support Hook Writer Paul Nielsen conHand since their opening in tributed to this story.

with public access is Hertford’s The Sound Golf Links at Albemarle Plantation, built in 1990 and located roughly equidistant from Edenton and Hertford. Albemarle Plantation is a soundside residential golf community featuring a 6,431-yard, five-tee Don Maples design that’s the region’s only golf club earning four-and-a-half stars from Golf Digest. The course abuts several marsh areas and winds in spots through cypress groves festooned with Spanish Moss.

The finishing three holes offer expansive views of Albemarle Sound.

A full-size marina, a pool, tennis courts and attractive retirement homes add am-

biance to the golf course’s setting, while the Plantation Clubhouse offers not only a pro shop but convenient dining and a full-service bar in the Clubhouse Restaurant’s Grill Room. Another informal dining option is the Dockside Café beside the marina, which features a large wraparound deck.

Cutter Creek Golf Club in Greene County gets many glowing reviews on its publicly accessible layout, particularly for a course in a largely rural area without a great many other area attractions. Built in 2008, this 7,280-yard course (with five sets of tees) led one self-described advanced golfer to comment in a Golf Advisor

review, “This is a great links course with lots of interesting holes and challenges.

There are some monster par 4s (especially into the wind) on which a 4 will be a very good score, and there are some drivable par 4s.’ Definitely will have to work your way around the course.”

Another reviewer wrote on Golf Now, “If you’re in this part of the state for some reason, stop and play this course. It’s absolutely immaculate. One of my favorite courses. Long, challenging and cheap.”

Located in a residential community with homesites and homes for sale, the golf course is equipped with a pro shop, a driving range,

a putting green, a pitching/ chipping area and a practice bunker. The Cutter Creek Grille, open for breakfast and lunch, offers a menu of burgers, sandwiches, wraps, chips and beverages, while the adjacent Cutter Creek bar had the distinction of becoming Greene County’s first business with a liquor license Cutter Creek has three homes available for rent by golfers, who can choose between The Loft (4-bedroom, 3-bath); The Lakehouse (6-bedroom, 6.5 bath); and The Cedar (3-bedroom, 3-bath). All the rental homes are owned by Cutter Creek and offer a fully equipped kitchen, a living room with a gas fireplace, cable TV, wire-

less Internet, washer-dryer facilities and access to the community’s swimming pool.

There are other top-notch regional courses available to the public (see sidebar) that bring a wealth of benefits to the area and its residents.

As more and more people in all walks of life discover the opportunity to take up golf in their own particular way, most will see the wisdom in these words from golfing great Bobby Jones: “Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots, you get good breaks from bad shots — but you have to play the ball where it lies.”

hands-on programs have at least one course taught online during the semester.

In the past five years online education at COA has grown by 19 percent. There were 129 courses offered online in spring 2015 and 154 this semester.

This semester, 99 percent of students — 2,374 out of a total enrollment of 2,664 — are enrolled in at least one online course.

Evonne Carter, COA’s vice president of learning, expects online education to continue growing.

“If I had to predict the growth of online offerings, I would say that there will be an increase in students, as that option has continued to grow due to ease of access,” Carter said. “It is also a way for us to increase our enrollment without adding ‘brick

and mortar’ buildings and to expand our footprint beyond our region.”

Kevin Larsen, MACU’s vice president for academic affairs, said the school is working to grow the online certificate in professional Christian ministries and

associate of arts in Biblical studies.

“We’re focused on supporting those,” Larsen said.

MACU plans to add its first graduate level program over the next few years and that degree will be delivered entirely online, he said.

THE DAILY ADVANCE

Thomas and Tabitha Reese, owners of Ghost Harbor Brewing, pose for a photo outside their new space at 602 E. Colonial Ave., Elizabeth City. The microbrewery is remodeling part of the building that was once Thumper’s Bar and Grill to make room for a new taproom.

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December 2019. Especially on the weekends, the building is packed full of Williamston residents,” said Zach Dickerson, planning and downtown marketing coordinator for the town of Williamston. “Reviews, both by word-of-mouth and online, mention how the unique vibe of the place and the excellent product make for an excellent experience.”

According to Dickerson, Hook Hand serves as a “third place” for both residents and visitors.

“People have work and home, but a well-rounded town has a third place where people can gather to socialize that is not work or home,” he said. “It is refreshing to hear people ask, ‘Want to meet at Hook Hand tonight?’ By having a place to meet downtown, Williamston citizens are encouraged to get out and spend some time meeting friends and making new ones.

Hook Hand has been a huge boost for adult recreation in town.”

Maxic hopes the brewery’s success will create a ripple effect downtown Williamston and beyond. For Maxic, the taproom’s part in downtown revitalization is vital.

“I’ve been making booze since I was underage,” he said. “I have seen the revitalization it brings and how it brings the community together. I’d like it to be the catalyst that brings Williamston back to life. I don’t want to forget about Windsor and all of eastern North Carolina. I want to be able to spread (the growth throughout).”

THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

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THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

EDUCATION & LEISURE

VISIONS 2020

Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center The Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center has celebrated 30 years of service to travelers and tourists in northeastern North Carolina.

Travelers have changed in many ways, but still value knowledgeable staff and options. We are thrilled to be the face of hospitality to the state of North Carolina, northeastern North Carolina and Camden County, and take our jobs seriously.

We know you only have one chance to make a first impression. We are often told this facility, both our visitor center and the rest area, are a welcome respite along the highway, and are ranked high in the traveler’s view when compared to other states. The Dismal Swamp State Park is a neighboring asset, and an extra bonus for visitors. Staff encourage guests to take a break and “walk on water” to access the park’s visitor center, trails and boardwalk or make plans to visit on their next trip.

Our staff feels the personal touch of genuine interest in each guest’s need and our attempts to provide the best outcome, are a step above the expectation. We feel the human element is vitally important to each of our businesses, and as we become more technologically advanced, we will all seek out ways to obtain a connection to nature and other human experiences.

When you walk through our doors, don’t be surprised to hear birds singing and be greeted with a fresh essential oil aroma. We want your experience at the Dismal Swamp to be anything but dismal! North Carolina has so much to love, and we want to help you to find your favorite places.

— Donna Stewart, executive director, Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center

Museum of the Albemarle Museum of the Albemarle’s vision continues to support the quality of life for all people, as it has for more than 50 years. In the years since the move from the old location into our new 50,000-squarefoot facility overlooking the Pasquotank River, our vision has grown and broadened to include more visitors; more events, exhibits, and programs; more artifacts; new technologies; and new and diverse histories. We are proponents of enrichment education and lifelong learning for multiple generations. Our mission is to collect, preserve and interpret the unique culture of the Albemarle region.

The future holds many challenges and opportunities for the museum. We are researching plans for expanding the first floor to transform the portico into a year-round, environmentally protected space. This expansion would allow us to accommodate an increase in visitation by providing more space for school groups, children programs, conferences, community events, and weddings, along with a multitude of public offerings.

We are exploring possibilities for expanded communications by using computer technologies, traveling exhibits and teaching kits. We’re also researching ways to bring more visitors and students to the museum for hands-on learning.

Museum of the Albemarle is a place to entertain and educate visitors about the importance of the Albemarle region. It serves as a forum dedicated to the discussion of past events in relation to present and future.

We invite you to join us as we proceed into a new and exciting era of changes in the region.

These changes could become the stories told in the museum by our children.

— Barbara Putnam, operations manager for Museum of the Albemarle

Elizabeth City Habitat for Humanity Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build simple, decent, affordable homes, communities and hope. Elizabeth City Habitat for Humanity works to create a world where everyone in Pasquotank County has a decent place to live. To bring this vision to reality, we collaborate with local nonprofits, government, civic and church organizations as well as local businesses.

— Jane Elfring, vice president of Elizabeth City Habitat for Humanity

Easterseals UCP Power of Elizabeth City The Easterseals UCP Power of Elizabeth offers a Transition to Employment program that prepares high school students and adults ages 16-26 with intellectual and developmental disabilities for employment.

Through job exploration efforts, we provide these students and adults with activities to explore career interests and abilities. Through workplace readiness training, we help them develop soft skills, workplace communication and behavior, independent living skills and learn to access transportation.

Through work-based learning experiences, we provide them with informational interviews, job shadowing and mentoring, worksite tours, volunteering and internship opportunities.

Easterseals UCP also provides instruction in self advocacy, helping clients learn about rights and responsibilities, how to request accommodations on the job and participate in youth leadership activities in the community.

Our staff also provide assistance to clients about choosing a job. We also provide activities and support for them in acquiring a job as well as ongoing support in maintaining a job.

— Jen Scialdone, site director, Easterseals UCP EMPOWER of Elizabeth City

Spectator sports offer feast for local fans

BY RONNIE WOODWARD AND NATHAN SUMMERS The Daily Reflector

GREENVILLE — Sports fans visiting Greenville will find more than a college town, although that atmosphere is tough to beat on East Carolina University football game days.

The city once named by Sports Illustrated as one of the top 50 sports towns in America still lives up to that name and, combined with surrounding counties, the area is home to sports at every level from youth to professional.

East Carolina’s Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium annually draws droves of Pirates fans to Greenville during the fall.

Dowdy-Ficklen, the centerpiece and most recognizable venue among ECU’s athletics facilities, has undergone multiple renovations since it was first built. TowneBank Tower opened in 2019 to enhance the fan experience at Pirate football games.

The structure filled with new premium seats, suites and a media work area was part of coach Mike Houston’s first season with the Pirates. ECU also used new-look Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium last year to implement kids zones and other attractions to try to increase attendance at games.

“I knew that people loved the Pirates when I got here, but I really didn’t know to what level that was. I look back at the (NCAA) baseball regional (last June) and what type of atmosphere you had here,” second-year athletics director Jon Gilbert said. “We had almost 13,000 students at a football game, and while all of our crowds haven’t been up to my expectations, I’ve seen glimpses that there are a lot of people who care about the Pirates.”

ECU had a 2-4 record in home games in 2019 with TowneBank Tower soaring over the south side of the stands. The Pirates’ schedule this year includes home games against Marshall,

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programs. Because the admission process for these schools vary widely and stricter admissions protocols usually apply, students who are interested in enrolling in a cooperative innovative high school need to contact their school district central office or their principal, ideally while they are in middle school.

The Northeast Regional School of Biotechnology and Agriscience is a different kind of early college high school, one that has cooperative relationships with multiple institutions of higher learning.

The NERSBA was created by Senate Bill 125 in the 2011 session of the General Assembly as a regional school. It is the only regional school in the state, comprising of students from Beaufort, Martin, Washington, Terrell and Pitt counties, according to Principal Hal Davis.

The school allows students to take classes at Martin Community College, Beaufort Community College, Pitt Community College, East Carolina University, the University of

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schools.”

Last year, the Chowan Arts Council relocated to its current waterfront site in Edenton, allowing it more space to display the work of local and regional artists.

Like Sanford in Perquimans, Coxe believes the CAC is helping fuel the economy in Chowan and Edenton.

“By promoting the council we attract more people to the area, not just to purchase art or attend events but to also patronize others businesses in the community,” she said.

Frank Miglorie, a potter who moved to Edenton from Vermont, is a member of both PAL and the CAC. He works in both stoneware and terracotta and his work is primarily function-

THE DAILY REFLECTOR

East Carolina baseball coach Cliff Godwin high-fives fans in “The Jungle” after East Carolina beat Campbell to win the NCAA Greenville Regional at Clark-LeClair Stadium on June 3, 2019.

UCF and Navy.

Pitt County has a proud college baseball tradition in the form of successful programs at East Carolina and Pitt Community College.

ECU baseball is a regular participant in NCAA regionals, and during the last two years earned the right to host regional games at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

The Pirates won the 2019 double-elimination NCAA Greenville Regional despite losing to Quinnipiac in their first game. ECU stormed to the title after its opening loss, delighting purple-and-gold fans, especially with a win over rival N.C. State and also beating Campbell in the championship contest.

“We couldn’t have won that regional without our fans,” said Pirate coach Cliff Godwin, an ECU alum, this preseason.

“Their energy and their support and their purple-gold chants helped keep our guys going for four wins in two days. It was a special environment.”

Attendance for the championship game, which was a 12-3 Pirate victory over the Camels, was 5,206.

PCC quickly evolved into a junior-college powerhouse under veteran coach Tommy Eason and plays its games at the Minges-Overton Baseball Complex.

Eason, an ECU hall of famer for his baseball playing days, has won nearly 70 percent of his games with the Bulldogs and guided them to NJCAA World Series in 2010 and 2017.

Grainger Stadium opened in 1949 in Kinston and is currently home of the Down East Wood Ducks.

The minor-league team is the high Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, dressed in a unique orange, green and black uniform color scheme. Their mascot — “DEWD” — helps attracts fans to the old-school park, plus a fresh approach to the summer features promotion nights like thirsty Thursdays, Christmas in July and dogs in the park.

“This ballpark is an older, smaller park, and a lot of people come and will like that atmosphere,” Wood Ducks vice president Wade Howell said last summer. “We like to say that we market to all of eastern North Carolina and we want people to come and watch a game here and kind of adopt us as their minor league team.”

Nestled next to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium for East Carolina football games is Minges Coliseum for ECU men’s and women’s basketball games.

As with football, kids zones recently were installed in Minges to help create a family-friendly atmosphere for games. The building opened in 1967 and has seen Pirate basketball upsets, including ECU wins over top-15 Marquette teams, along with hosting concerts and other events.

Greenville’s cherished Little League baseball stadium has become something to look forward to visiting — and playing in — for players and families for a long time.

Mount Olive and N.C. State University.

NERSBA’s curriculum is designed to follow the similarities of early college programs while focusing on biotech and agriscience applications, such as animal science and equine technology.

“We have a wide variety of courses to choose from whereas in a traditional school you are more focused on a specific track,” Davis said. “Most early colleges are on the campus of a specific community college whereas we have our own campus on the former site of Jamesville High School and Jamesville Middle School. In the future, that property will be permanently owned by NERSBA.” Students are transported to the campus by the transportation departments of the public-school districts. This is a gargantuan task, according to Davis.

Only 200 students are enrolled at NERSBA, which allows it to be flexible in addressing each student’s course of study, Davis said.

“We don’t have a standard curriculum that every student

has to follow. We take each student’s needs, each student’s career goals and customize our program specifically to them,” he said. “We’re able to provide students with the opportunity to earn up to two years of college in program areas that they are very much interested in and relate to, which leads eventually to a successful career.”

While every school in the school’s service area does a great job at educating students, the school provides a higher degree of hands-on learning opportunities than most schools, Davis said. It also provides a college-like atmosphere.

“It is a college atmosphere within the campus itself,” he said. “We give students a lot of flexibility. They appreciate that because they feel like they’re being treated like young adults.

We do put a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. Obviously, just for a student to make the trip from, say Grifton, to NERSBA is a big responsibility in itself.”

All of the school’s graduating students have been accepted to their first-choice college

since 2016, Davis noted.

“There have been some surprises,” he said. “The number of students we’ve had who go on to Campbell University or UNC-Greensboro. We have students at Appalachian State, Brevard, Western Carolina and every college back to Elizabeth City State.”

The school’s greatest success is increasing student self-esteem, Davis said. When students first start, they often do not have the skills to introduce themselves to others or complete job interviews. However, by the end of their five years, students look people in the eye and can hold conversations with people they have not met before.

“We really try to appeal to first-generation college families,” Davis said. “We have students who are considered lower-performing who, once they get to NERSBA, really blossom. We have a student who is graduating in May, who thought she would never graduate high school. She’ll have her associate degree in May. “That’s what we’re really proud of and what we’re all here for,” Davis said.

al. Miglorie said his primary goal is to create artworks that people can use every day but that also appeal to their aesthetic sensibilities.

For the past six years, he’s displayed his artwork at PAL. He said the constant exposure to new clients, both those who live in the region and those just traveling through, is priceless.

Miglorie said both galleries provide secure environments and sales assistance that frees him to spend more time in his studio working on new pieces.

“Many times visitors see my pieces in the galleries and are motivated to visit my studio,” he said. “In addition, both PAL and the Albemarle Craftsman Guild host annual craft shows in the fall which are highly successful and enable craftsmen to sell their work directly to visitors.”

Miglorie believes a thriving arts community is something

both businesses and individuals are seeking when pondering whether to relocate to an area.

“Businesses looking for relocation opportunities evaluate the quality of community life at potential sites,” he said. “The arts and the culture that emanates from the concentration of creativity within a community is a deciding factor when visitors, whether individuals or businesses, think about the possibility of relocation.”

Debra Boyle said she has been a member of the Chowan Arts Council since it started. A painter, she recalls there being some years when she painted a little and others when she painted a lot. Regardless, the Chowan Arts Council has always accepted her work, and she says that has encouraged to keep working.

“Knowing that it was there

has been an anchor,” she said.

Boyle said she likes to tell stories with her paintings, so her works touch on a variety of subjects. She often doesn’t know ahead of time how the work will turn out.

“I am always surprised when I sell something and why it speaks to them,” she said, referring to customers. “That is why I price my paintings reasonably. I like to cover my costs and let CAC get some money, but it is more important that my paintings be in a home where appreciated.”

The Perquimans Arts League, a member-supported nonprofit founded in 1995, is located in the Hall of Fame Building at 109 N. Church St. Hertford. The Chowan Arts Council, also a member-supported nonprofit that began in 1976, is located at 112 West Water St., Edenton.

THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

EDUCATION & LEISURE VISIONS 2020

Visit Elizabeth City We’re geared up for a great start to the decade!

You’re sure to find something new to discover this year in Elizabeth City. Here’s our guide to experiencing what’s coming in 2020.

• Visit Elizabeth City and surrounding partners are working to develop the first official Coast Guard Half Marathon here in Elizabeth City.

Mark your calendar for this noteworthy event on Sept. 19.

• Rent kayaks or canoes, fish along the pier, or hold private events at the newly developed Coast Guard Park opening this summer.

Also starting in June, Sail River City is bringing rowing to downtown Elizabeth City. There will be camps, classes and more, including open rowing; no experience necessary.

• Ghost Harbor’s microbrewery is expanding to a new tap room across from its current location.

The additional space will allow double production plus accommodate private events. Also, Seven Sounds brewing will be opening in late 2020. This new brewery will feature a first-floor brewery and snacks, while the second floor will accommodate special events and have a roof top area overlooking the river.

• We’re thrilled to see fabulous new businesses opening downtown and throughout the city.

Check out Brackwater Brush, Dear Alchemy and Willow Tree Medicine.

If you’re hungry, you’ve got plenty of new, local options coming, including The SweetEasy, Big Boss Burritos, Pier 17 Seafood, Currituck BBQ, Happy Taco and Tooley’s Tavern at the Narrows.

We’re looking forward to seeing what 2020 brings and can’t wait to experience everything “new” with our friends and neighbors. To stay up-to-date on all of these developments, go to VisitElizabethCity.com .

— Corrina Ferguson, executive director, Visit Elizabeth City

CTE

Continued from B4

Future Farmers of America. “We are also supporting our agriculture program at both high schools with the classroom-to-farm-to-table project.

“With our new ECPPS-Harris Demonstration Farm, students are able to apply their knowledge within the classroom through demonstration on the farm,” she said.

According to Hughes, the school district will soon add a new pathway titled sustainable agriculture.

“This program area recently received two grants to support an outside classroom and a high tunnel on the farm site,” she said.

Like in Camden, the health sciences program at NHS is also popular.

“In an attempt to meet the healthcare demands, our healthcare professionals pathway provides students the opportunity to become certified nurse aides,” Hughes said. “These students earn a certification through a state examination.”

At Pasquotank County High School, two popular CTE pathways are the firefighter and marketing programs, Hughes explained.

“Our fire program allows students to earn a variety of credentials and provide opportunity for employment to meet the needs of the industry,” she said. “We are currently trying to seek ap-

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In eastern NC, fishing a sport for all seasons

BY NATHAN SUMMERS

NATHAN SUMMERS/ THE DAILY REFLECTOR

The Daily Reflector

Fishing in eastern North Carolina is unique, and it does not matter what month is showing on the calendar.

In much the same way as the seasons flow seamlessly into one another, so too do the prime times for catching some the state’s most prized saltwater and inshore species.

Even though they very often share the same habitat during certain months of the year, the fish have a strange way of cooperating with each other, and anglers, in terms of their prevalence in ENC’s primary coastal river system. It is a complex web of thousands of creeks, channels and bays all creating a steady flow into the state’s sounds and ultimately the Atlantic Ocean.

The migrations and seasonal tendencies of different species within that system mean there are chances to catch fish year-round, even right here in Greenville.

In fact, simply asking a local angler or tackle shop worker and they will quickly name one or two fish that just so happen to be biting at that time.

Following is a breakdown of which dominates which season for ENC fish-chasers:

SPRING Local lore says that when the Bradford pear trees in eastern N.C. start blooming, usually in late February or early March, striped bass, or “rocks” will be teeming in the Tar/Pamlico River system locally (the Tar officially becomes the Pamlico at the US 17 bridge in Washington), as well as the Roanoke River to the north and the Neuse and Cape Fear to the south.

The striper, like most Carolina gamefish, has a complicated history here, so much so that a day of fishing for the iconic species currently comes with a good deal of regulation, chiefly a ban placed on keeping the fish west of the river ferry lines last spring in hopes of reestablishing what was once a native, migratory population but is now almost entirely hatchery fish in the Tar system due to overfishing and netting in the sound and its tributaries. proval to build a fire tower to aid in the practice of their skills.”

Students can participate in several levels of firefighter training and earn certification that could help them land a firefighting job after graduation, she said. The fire program also is available to NHS students.

Pasquotank’s marketing program features a popular student-led organization known as DECA, or Distributive Education Clubs of America, according to Hughes.

“These marketing high school students develop leadership skills in business through academic competitions,” she said.

According to Hughes, 1,283 students participated in CTE programs last year.

While EC-Pasquotank’s CTE program load is expansive, school officials hope to build on it.

“In an effort to continue to meet the demand of our stakeholders, we would like to add a health science program to PCHS,” Hughes said.

“We would also like to meet the demand of the shortage of teachers by growing our own through the ability to add a teaching/training pathway.”

Hughes said several former CTE students graduated and became firefighters with local departments.

“Some of our nurse aide students have gained employment at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center and one of our local long-term care facilities,” she said.

Greenville resident Billy Igoe fishes for flounder during a trip to the Pamlico Sound in July.

The aim is to recreate a self-sustaining population again, and for anglers a return of more and bigger trophy-sized fish as has been done with some success on the Roanoke.

Also ingrained into the spring culture of eastern North Carolina is the shad, another migratory species so beloved as to have festivals named in another of the fish’s annual journey into the smaller sections of rivers and creeks.

During its peak a few decades ago, the shad run would lure lines of anglers to the banks of all them, and piles of fish could be caught in a matter of hours.

Still, on a nice spring day in Greenville, a flock of anglers can be found on wooden fishing plank at the Town Common and up and the down the open banks of the Tar.

SUMMER A lot of fish dislike the heat and the generally poor water quality that comes with it.

Fish like those schooling up in the small water in the spring are long gone by late May and early June, and as they trek back toward the ocean, so do a majority of anglers. When it’s hot, it’s usually time to get out in the early morning to beat the heat, but also to ‘beat the banks’ as many here call it.

That means heading to the Pamlico Sound and the dozens of inshore bays it Another student completed the nursing aide program and graduated from high school in 2015. She continued her education at College of The Albemarle, where she earned her registered nurse certification, Hughes said.

The former student continues to support the district’s CTE program.

“She comes back to our high school to speak to current health science students and support and encourage their journey through education,” Hughes said.

Trey Michael, the state CTE director at the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, said CTE courses “have remained incredibly popular” over the last several years.

Parents who remember taking CTE-type courses when they were in school may not recognize the names of today’s organizations that support career and technical education courses.

For instance, what parents may remember as VICA, or Vocational Industrial Clubs of America, is now known as SkillsUSA, Michael pointed out.

Michael said North Carolina offers students a “wide and impressive selection of course offerings for skilled trades.”

“We are now seeing more focus on the importance of them due to several labor market shortages in key areas,” Michael said. “This new focus is helping increase career awareness and exploration in our elementary and middle grades.”

fills. The water is shallow and perfect for targeting the flounder that patrol the water near the shorelines and in many cases, the water that gushes beneath the banks of sea grass.

Fishing 3-5 feet of water within 20-30 yards of the bank will generally locate the flatfish, but anglers coming to eastern Carolina to find flounder this season will face some red tape the same as they will with rockfish.

Declining numbers of bigger, older fish forced a shutdown on keeping the species and creating an abbreviated season late spring.

FALL When the temperature begins creeping down, giant redfish begin creeping into inshore waters from the ocean and become accessible to local anglers for generally one to two months before the onset of colder

weather.

Many locals consider this to be the prime time to fish because most target species are invigorated from their summer sluggishness, also including speckled trout.

A majority of the boats floating around the sound and the river mouths this time of year, however, will be armed with big rods and ‘popping corks,’ a flotation device added to the line above a lure or piece of bait that is pulled in violent jerks to create loud surface splashes and the indication of an injured fish.

Mature red drum, or “old drum” as locals call them, often can’t resist.

Regulations protect such older fish and force the release of the biggest ones, but that doesn’t keep the fall drum bite from being a key to the ENC angling experience.

WINTER

The time of year when most angers around the globe pack it up and daydream about next year is prime time to catch one of the state’s true trophies.

Although speckled sea trout, or specks or just ‘trout’ to most natives, are year-round residents and can often save a slow flounder trip in the summer, there is no mistaking these fish dominate the cold weather. When there is frost caked to the boat launch and fishing means bundling into all-weather gear and knit hats and gloves, the biggest trout of the season, called ‘gators’ are lurking even in some of the smallest creeks.

Specks take over some of the same shallow backwaters dominated by flounder in the summer, and this year was regarded as one of the best in recent memory by some fishermen who have been doing it for decades.

Carpet Connection:

Celebrating 41 Years of Covering Albemarle Area floors

Jon Van Dalsum began his career at a temporary job in a floor covering business.

He fell in love with the work and 41 years later he’s still at it.

“To tell you the truth, I enjoy it,” Van Dalsum said. “It’s an interesting field. You get to meet a lot of people with different lifestyles and help them find what they need.”

Van Dalsum, who is originally from the Washington, D.C. area and his wife Melba (a local girl), who he met on a blind date 44 years ago and never left, are the owners of Carpet Connection and the Tile Shop. The business sells and installs name brand floor covering at discount prices, including ceramic tile, laminate floors, vinyl floor covering, hardwood floors, carpeting and waterproof flooring.

“All our installers are factory-trained and we offer free estimates, free delivery and interest free financing,” Jon Van Dalsum said.

The company has been in business for about 19 years and has more than $150,000 in inventory and ready for immediate delivery,” he said.

“We have just added an additional 6,000 SqFt of display area, making us the largest flooring center in 8 Northeastern N.C. counties.”

The main thing customers want, Van Dalsum says, is to add character to a room with the proper flooring.

“We try to help people pick out the right floor for a low or high traffic area. Also, we go to great lengths to make sure all we offer has been properly tested to ensure a clean, healthy environment.”

Some of the brands they carry include Mohawk carpet, laminate and ceramic tile; Shaw carpet; Florida tile; Mannington Vinyl, Bruce hardwood floors, and many more.

Van Dalsum says Carpet Connection beats the prices of the larger stores, and customers get more individual attention.

“Don’t go to the big box stores,” he said. “We offer name brand floor coverings for less and personal service to boot.”

Carpet Connection’s service blankets eight counties in northeastern North Carolina and Tidewater, Va., Van Dalsum said. “That includes delivery and installation.

You can come to us, or we can go to you.”

Carpet Connection and the Tile Shop is located at 441 S. Hughes Blvd., Elizabeth City. You can reach them at 338-2050. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday; after hours by appointment.

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THE DAILY ADVANCE, SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE ALLOWED US TO PROUDLY SERVE OUR COMMUNITY FOR 38 YEARS. 1982

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