By Miles Layton

File this under random things and conversations that have caught my eye from the news…

Raining outside Sunday, so I got ambitious – Deer hunting with dogs; Harbor Town Project appears to be taking on water; A big housing development planned for Elizabeth City — Jay Lane is related to the property developer.   

I like dogs best, especially hunting dogs, so we’re going to start with that. 

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Last week, when I covered a Gates County Commission meeting, the topic of hunting deer with dogs came up when Gates resident Kelly Turner spoke about hunters deer hunting with dogs near her property. She was not pleased.  

Turner said a pack of dogs entered her property and approached livestock enclosures.

“Despite this, a pack of dogs came out of the swamp and approached our goat and chicken pens and created an unsafe situation,” she said.

According to Turner, law enforcement was contacted and it took time for hunters to regain control of the dogs.

“The law was called and after a good while, the hunters were finally able to contain their dogs after catching them by hand and pulling them by their collars into their dog boxes,” she said.

I don’t blame Turner for being mad — and for the record, she is not anti-hunting.

Sunday, local pundit Earl Rountree used a wide-ranging speech shared on social media to urge hunters and landowners to communicate directly with one another, warning that failing to speak up can allow others to shape policy in ways that threaten long-standing hunting traditions.

“I think it’s something to pay attention to, and it’s going to have to do with deer hunting and dog hunting and what happened, I saw at the commissioner meeting,” Rountree said. “I want to say that I’m real proud of the fact that the deer hunters, or the dog deer hunters especially, are willing, or hope they’re willing, to stand up for themselves.”

Rountree said remaining silent can have consequences when issues reach county commissioners.

“Because if you don’t stand up for yourself, then somebody else is going to stand up in front of the commissioners and do what they want done and not what you want done,” he said. “The whole bottom line is I’m extremely hopeful and proud that you will stand up for yourself.”

He recalled a past dispute in Gates County that involved animal rights activists and proposed regulations affecting hunters.

“The last time anything happened like this in Gates County, I guess it must have been six years ago or something like that, the PETA people had made in-roads into the county commissioners,” Rountree said. “They had a lady here in the county who was pushing the PETA people.”

Rountree said hunters responded by packing a commissioner’s meeting.

“The whole courtroom was full of orange hats,” he said. “That was one of the prouder moments of my life, because I stood up and made a little speech about it.”

He described a heated exchange afterward with a supporter of the proposals.

“She said, ‘I have spent three years getting ready to get these things done. And you come in and destroy it in three minutes,’” Rountree said. “I said, ‘Lady, I don’t think I’m that good a speaker.’”

Rountree said the moment reinforced the importance of communication and participation. He then turned to a personal story from his youth to illustrate how relationships between hunters and landowners once worked.

“There was a group over in Newland that hunted over here on the Folly Road,” he said. “It was just a small group of men, and they had some friends up in Chesapeake that came with them. A great bunch of people. Nicest people you’ve ever seen.”

He said one man, Carlton Temple, made a point of personally visiting landowners each year.

“He wasn’t in any hurry,” Rountree said. “He would come around in late summer or September and visit all the landowners.”

One of those landowners was Will Small, an elderly widower.

“Carlton would stop by there every year to speak to Mr. Will and get permission from him to hunt,” Rountree said. “That’s good communication.”

Rountree said problems arose after Small died and ownership of the land changed.

“The first thing that happened, I went down there and the path had been blocked,” he said. “I said, ‘What is this path doing blocked?’”

He said the issue escalated, with repeated blockages and calls to authorities.

“Every Saturday, they would call the game warden, John Savage,” Rountree said. “He knew that everything back there was legal.”

Rountree said matters worsened when a rifle was taken from a house on the property.

“He took a rifle on private property out of that house and he had no probable cause,” Rountree said. “That’s a mistake and you know it.”

The rifle was eventually returned, and the conflict ended after an attorney confirmed the path had been in use for more than a century.

“That was the end of that,” Rountree said.

Rountree said his experiences showed both sides of the issue.

“I was trying to point out the fact that I had two sides of this story, both of them my side as being a hunter, and then on the other hand, being a landowner,” he said.

He shared another example from Chowan County, where hunters entered his newly purchased property without permission.

“I said, ‘Get the hell off of my land without permission,’” Rountree said.

Later, a representative from the hunting club apologized.

“He was extremely apologetic,” Rountree said. “He said, ‘I’m a landowner. I understand.’”

Rountree said the situation was resolved through conversation.

“So it’s a matter of communication,” he said.

He emphasized that hunting remains a legal and cultural tradition.

“You have a right to hunt,” Rountree said. “We’re going to do everything possible to keep that right. It’s part of our culture. It’s legal.”

Rountree closed by urging restraint and diplomacy.

“Sometimes you can handle things in a diplomatic way and get it done without causing any trouble,” he said. “Try to keep these courses of communication available. Be as nice to these people as you can.”

He added a final warning for hunting clubs.

“If you got people in your hunting club that fly hot too quick and say the wrong things, get those bad apples out,” Rountree said. “Hopefully they’re going to be nice to you. But we’re definitely going to make sure that next fall you can hunt again.”

Harbor Town Project Taking On Water?

Harbor Town… I’ve been hearing a bit about that recently. 

Rumors, if confirmed through official sources, give me pause, but for the time being, I’ll hold those cards close to my vest.  

I’m told the “fast boats” are no longer docked at Scotty’s Marina, so I’ll be walking out there to double-check.  

For now, I’ll say this — Harbor Towns Inc., a nonprofit created to expand regional ferry service and spur waterfront economic development in Eastern North Carolina, has absorbed tens of millions of public dollars while producing only limited transportation service and minimal measurable economic impact, according to recent financial filings and state expense records. In the weeks ahead, I’ll be doing a deeper dive into this topic, but for now, here’s what I’ve got via public record.

The organization’s most recent IRS Form 990 filing for 2024 reinforces concerns that have already surfaced in grant reports and internal ledgers. Harbor Towns reported approximately $194,000 in total revenue for the year, nearly all of it derived from program services and minor income sources. During that same period, the organization recorded more than $1.075 million in expenses, resulting in an operating loss approaching $900,000.

Despite the annual deficit, Harbor Towns still reported nearly $14 million in total assets. Most of those assets originated from earlier state grant appropriations that were intended to fund ferries, docks, and other waterfront infrastructure projects across the region. The contrast between low annual revenue, high operating costs, and substantial retained assets has raised questions about how effectively those public funds have been translated into completed projects and public services.

State-reported expense ledgers provide additional context. From the original $5 million vessel grant awarded to Harbor Towns, more than $3.3 million has already been spent on boat purchases and construction contracts for three vessels. However, the regional ferry service envisioned when the grant was awarded has not materialized at the scale promised, and ridership remains only a small fraction of original projections.

At the same time, a separate $10 million grant designated for waterfront and dock infrastructure remains largely unused. Records show that only about $647,000 of that funding has been spent to date, leaving more than 93% of the grant unbuilt, uncompleted, or sitting idle on the organization’s books. As a result, many of the docks and related infrastructure projects that were intended to support ferry operations and stimulate tourism have yet to be constructed.

Have you seen any dirt move by the area’s waterfronts? I haven’t.  

While ferry operations have remained limited and economic output has fallen short of expectations, Harbor Towns’ administrative and operating costs have continued. In 2024 alone, expenses exceeded revenue by nearly $1 million. Payroll, overhead, consulting, and planning costs persisted even as ferry frequency, ridership growth, tourism activity, and broader community benefits remained largely unrealized.

Though I want to be optimistic about the project’s future, the financial filings and expense records, taken together, outline a consistent pattern. Large public grants were booked early, but many projects remain incomplete. Millions of dollars were committed to vessels that rarely operate. Infrastructure funding remains mostly unspent. Administrative costs continue without proportional operational results. Measurable economic impact and ridership outcomes have been minimal compared to what taxpayers were initially promised.

For taxpayers across Eastern North Carolina, the issue is no longer whether Harbor Towns received significant public funding. The records clearly confirm that it did. Instead, the growing question is why so little of that funding has translated into tangible public benefit. Idle vessels, unfinished infrastructure, and limited ferry service persist while millions of dollars remain tied up in accounts and ongoing administrative activity.

The situation has shifted the discussion away from funding availability and toward priorities and accountability. Harbor Towns was promoted as a tourism and transportation vision capable of connecting waterfront communities and generating economic growth. The financial record now raises the possibility that the initiative became an administratively expensive experiment that struggled to deliver results at the community level.

As state and local leaders review the organization’s performance, the central issue remains whether Harbor Towns can realign its spending with its original mission or whether the project represents a publicly funded effort that failed to convert significant investment into meaningful outcomes for the communities it was meant to serve.

Larabee Homes and Jay Lane

In other news, Elizabeth City Council will hold a public hearing later this month on a rezoning request tied to a large-scale residential development being proposed by Larabee Homes, a company headed by Benjamin Cade Larabee, who is Jay Lane’s brother-in-law — Lane is a Republican candidate for NC Senate District 1. 

That said, there is nothing wrong with Lane being related to a prominent property developer who has big plans to transform green fields into a proposed 779-unit residential development that includes hundreds of modular homes on a 99-acre tract near Sentara Albemarle Medical Center along Halstead Boulevard, though it does make you think. There may be some folks who are anti-property development, particularly in that neck of the woods.

If I remember correctly, there was/is a law percolating through the General Assembly — House Bill 765 — An Act to Reform Local Government Development Regulations in this State — that would enact changes affecting local government planning, zoning, and development regulations. 

Back to Elizabeth City — the public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, in the City Council chamber at City Hall. Residents will have the opportunity to make their voices heard council before any action is taken on the request. The council’s decision will determine whether the property can be rezoned, allowing the proposed Pilot Rock development to move forward.

No final action will be taken until after the public hearing concludes. If approved, the rezoning would clear a key step for the Pilot Rock development, allowing it to move forward. If denied, the area would remain zoned R-8, preventing the project from proceeding as proposed.

Based out of Ahoskie, Pilot Rock’s development plans include 502 single-family homes, 140 multi-family units, and 137 townhomes. The subdivision would be located near the Stockbridge subdivision, on the opposite side of Halstead Boulevard from the medical center.

The tract of land targeted for the project is currently zoned Residential 8, or R-8. If the rezoning request is approved, the change would allow for construction of the mixed-use residential development as proposed by Larabee Homes. Without rezoning approval, the development could not proceed under its current design.

Flashback — In December, the Elizabeth City Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend that the council approve the rezoning. 

So that folks reading this nugget about Lane don’t think that because I mentioned his connection to a property developer that I’m tipping the scales in favor of one candidate or another, like the mainstream media does when it comes to politics, instead, I’m going to end on a positive note — Lane gave a good speech to the Gates County Republican Party this past week.

Lane spoke emotionally about family, loss, and community support during remarks in Gates County, thanking residents for helping shape his life and his decision to serve.

Lane said his father’s influence shaped his outlook on life from an early age.

“I got to know him as a dad, John Lane, the dad,” he said. “What that taught me, the first 14 years of my life, was to love every day, love what you do, who you do it with, and where you’re doing it.”

Lane said his father was deeply committed to agriculture and family.

“He loved farming, everybody knew it,” Lane said. “He loved it all the time, worked his tail off. He loved farming with his family in Gates County.”

Lane said his father died when he was 14, and the community stepped in to help raise him.

“This community raised me the rest of the way,” he said.

He said that support continues to guide him.

“You all in this room would know better than anybody else because you helped get me there,” Lane said.

Lane closed by thanking supporters.

“I’m forever grateful for each and every one of you,” he said. “I want to do good for this state, for District 1, and for Gates County.”