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"News from Next Door"
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018
75 cents
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Little remains of a house on River Cove Lane that was
destroyed by a fire Friday in New Hope.
Fire destroys New Hope home
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Crews from four vol
unteer fire departments
battled a house fire Friday
night in heavy winds that
spread embers up to a mile
away.
No usuries were reported,
but the home on River Cove
Lane and a carport were de
stroyed. A truck parked near
the home was also heavily
damaged but another large
truck was spared.
Durants Neck Fire De
partment Chief Robert Eure
estimated the winds off the
Little River were steady at
between 30 and 35 miles per
hour.
“The wind was a big fac
tor,” Chief Eure said Satur
day. “It was sending embers
flying up to a mile away and
catching the forest on fire.”
While fire crews from
Durants Neck, Inter-County,
Winfall and Hertford were
fighting the structure fire,
members from the N.C. For
est Services were fighting
the fires in the woods.
Eure said when fire crews
arrived shortly after 9 p.m.
the home was fully involved
in flame.
“At that point we went
on defense (to prevent the
fire from spreading),” Eure
said.
Nobody was in the home.
In all three fire engines,
five tankers and the two
forest service brush trucks
were involved. Most fire
figliters were still on site at
2 am. Saturday.
Sheriff Shelby White said
See FIRES, 2
Adults talk safety, prayer
Hunter enters
House race
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County High
School Principal Wayne
Price and two area minis
ters met with students last
week, two weeks after the
shooting in Parkland, Fla
The talk Wednesday
morning with Chuck Hart
man of Up River Friends
Meeting and Gwayland Mc-
Cleney of All For His Glory
Christian Ministries was
to reassure students that
there are people who want
to listen if they want to talk.
It was billed as a “prayer
around the flagpole” event.
Price also said there are
ways students can alert
adults of a problem without
actually talking with any
body if they don’t want to.
On the school system’s
website, PQschools.org,
under the “quick links” tab,
there is a form for anony
mous incident/bullying re
ports.
While it might have been
designed with bullying in
mind at first, Price said stu
dents can and should use it
if they hear of a threat.
If the slider button is set
to PCHS, the button sends
the message to Price, School
Resource Officer Sgt. David
Murray and Assistant Su
perintendent James Bunch
at the same time.
There are other things
students can do to secure
their school that are far eas
ier, Price said.
“You don’t have to be so
nice.”
He told students just as
a test, he went around to
the back of the school and
knocked on one of the solid
metal doors.
Sure enough, a student
heard the knocking and
opened the door without
having any idea of who was
on the other side.
Price also cautioned
students about using their
words wisely.
“Your words have im
pact,” he said. He said stu
dents should find a way to
express their feelings that
don’t hurt them or others.
“Think about your actions
because they can control
See SAFETY, 2
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Students bow their heads for a prayer during an event before class at Perquimans County High School
last week.
Lawmen, schools to hold drill
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Lawmen and Perquimans Coun
ty school officials are planning
training between now and June to
deal with an armed intruder in the
schools.
The large drill would likely be
held once students are out for the
year but before teachers leave for
the summer.
Students would not be partici
pating in the event. Instead school
employees would be given the op
portunity to play the role of stu
dents.
Perquimans County Emergency
Services will also play a role.
Perquimans Sheriff Shelby
White said law enforcement and
school officials held a tabletop
drill in 2014 at Hertford Grammar
School. It’s unclear how the new
drill will differ from that.
‘Training will focus on a review
of existing response plans and the
function of each agency in an inci
dent of this type,” the joint news
release said. “The collaboration
between school personnel and
public safety officials will ensure a
unified response in the event of an
armed intruded.”
White said the sheriff’s office
staff, local police and the N.C.
“Training will focus on a review of existing response
plans and the function of each agency in an incident of
this type. The collaboration between school personnel
and public safety officials will ensure a unified response
in the event of an armed intruded. ”
From news release
referring to armed intruder training
Highway Patrol will participate in
the drill. Parole and probation staff
will also participate.
White said he’s not waiting for
the drill to make sure his depu
ties are totally familiar with the
inside of each school. He said he’s
instructed his deputies to visit
schools when they have any spare
time and get familiar with the lay-
out of all four.
Since the shooting at Sandy
Hook Elementary, Perquimans
schools spend tens of thousands of
dollars to “harden” each of the four
schools. That included creating a
single point of entry for people vis
iting once class is in session. Each
visitor must be buzzed in using an
electronic door lock.
Last year the Perquimans Coun
ty Commission made additional
protection available in the form of
a third armed School Resource Of
ficer. The school system had two
up until then.
The school system will likely
make the pitch again for a fourth
SRO during budget time this year,
White said. He supports the addi
tion.
The last tabletop exercise in
2014 involved Perquimans County
Schools, Perquimans Sheriff’s Of
fice, Hertford Police Department,
Winfall Police Department, Per
quimans EMS and Rescue Squad,
Belvidere Fire Department. Bethel
Fire Department, Durants Neck
Fire Department, Hertford Fire
Department, Inter-County Fire De
partment, Winfall Fire Department,
Perquimans Communications,
NC Highway Patrol, Sam’s Safety
Consultant (SSC), and Perquimans
Emergency Management.
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Candice Hunter will challenge
Eddy Goodwin of Chowan County in
May for the Republican nomination
for NC House District 1.
Hunter, a Perquimans County resi
dent, filed last week.
Ron Wesson, a
Democrat and Ber
tie County Commis
sioner has also filed
and will appear on
the ballot in Novem
ber.
William Alexan
der, an unaffiliated
candidate of Tyrell HUNTER
County, filed too ac
cording to the Daily Advance, but the
Perquimans Weekly was unable to
confirm his candidacy with the Tyrell
Board of Elections.
Hunter describes herself as a
“Christian, conservative, small busi
ness owner” and ninth generation
North Carolinian.
She said she waited to file until
the last week so her mother, who is
currently battling cancer, could make
it down from Richmond, Va. for the
event.
Hunter vows to help area schools,
improve broadband access, and bring
back jobs.
“Our superintendents do more
with less than any other part of the
state. Our students are struggling
with nutrition and the lack of Inter
net access to complete necessary
homework. We must address these
inadequacies at the state level and
provide our Superintendents with
the flexibility they need. Every child
must have the resources to achieve
their full potential.
“Recently I asked a county manag
er to share some of his biggest chal
lenges. He immediately responded,
‘managing disappointment.’ We
should not be in the business of
managing disappointment anymore.
In the future, I want our leaders to
say their biggest challenge is man
aging growth and planning for the
future.”
Hunter believes that creating
jobs, sound infrastructure, and great
schools must be a top priority to en
tice young people to return home,
saying “74% of our population is 41
year of age and older. We must pro
vide the opportunity for our young
people to return home — if they
choose — and we must attract 30-
somethings and young families. We
already own the market on quality of
life and affordable living as a retire
ment destination, which provides us
tourism dollars.”
Races fill out for
Senate District 1 seat
BY JON HAWLEY
The Daily Advance
There will be a Demo
cratic primary for the newly
drawn Senate District 1 that
includes all area counties.
Washington County Com
missioner D. Cole Phelps,
29, filed for the seat on
Wednesday, the last day of
filing. Phelps’ entry into the
PHELPS
race fol
lows the
filing of
Hertford
County
business
man Rich
ard “Steve”
James on
Tuesday.
Phelps
could not immediately be
Peeler to seek seat on school board
gave several statements in
a press release issued by
the N.C. Senate Democratic
reached for comment, but
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Former Perquimans County Com
missioner Matthew Peeler threw his
hat into the ring Wednesday for a
race for the county school board.
School board incumbent Anne
White also filed on Wednesday, the
last day. Chairman Amy Spaugh had
filed previously.
That means there are three candi
dates for three seats.
Ralph Hollowell, who had won
election in 2010 and 2014 opted hot to
run again.
Peeler served four years on the
county commission, but decided not
to run again two years ago.
Peeler, settled in Perquimans
County after retiring
from the Navy.
Peeler said he’s
a strong believer in
the school system
and wants to help as
best as he can.
“Even though I’m
a single guy, I don’t
PEELER have any children, I
believe in what Su
perintendent Matthew Cheeseman
is doing and I want to support him,”
Peeler said. “I’ve always believed that
if you want to make a change, you
have to step up and run for office.”
Peeler said he’s also been a strong
supporter for the new athletic com
plex. The first phase is supposed to
be complete by August.
“It’s a pride related issue. People
who visit (the complex) will remem
ber Perquimans County for the rest
of their lives and the school system
should be proud of it. It’s important
kids have pride in their school.”
In the race for three seats on the
Perquimans County Commissioner
were are incumbents Wallace Nelson
and Fondella Leigh and challenger
Alan Lennon. Lennon ran two years
as ago as a Republican and lost. This
time he’s running as a Libertarian.
Because there aren’t two or more
people of the same party running, the
commission race will be decided in
November when a write-in candidate
might stand a chance of winning a
See PEELER, 2
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2
See SENATE, 2