P , THE
' *R 008 OOOIT
.ii|.ii.||»?ilh’h‘l’“ri
NS
''''^ 1 ' 'a am^ co LIBRARY
PERQUIMANS COUNi
c-14 S CHURCH ST
XrVitEKLY
Dance recital, 8-9
"News from Next Door"
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2019
75 cents
State officials tour Perquimans
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
About 15 state officials
representing different state
agencies visited Perquimans
County Monday as part of
Gov. Roy Cooper’s “Home
town Strong” program.
Hometown Strong is not
a branch of state govern
ment, but more a collection
of a few people who can as
semble leaders from those
branches to help communi
ties overcome issues.
“Small communities like
the one I grew up in have
a special character and
so much to offer,” Cooper
said in April 2018. “They
deserve to have a real voice
in Raleigh. I want to make
sure that state government
is listening to local leaders
and doing everything it can
to strengthen rural North
Carolina. That’s what this
initiative is all about.”
Hometown Strong Direc
tor Pryor Gibson, who was
part of the group visiting
Perquimans Monday, said
the group is about getting
everyone around the table
to address the most press
ing needs of rural communi
ties.
But Gibson said Home
town Strong didn’t come
carrying cash. It came to
talk about problems and
find possible solutions us
ing existing state agencies
and existing state programs.
Gibson said he was also
careful not to show even the
appearance that state agen
cies were coming down
from Raleigh to tell Perqui
mans residents what to do.
“I can’t make promises,”
Gibson said. “I don’t want
people to think folks from
Raleigh are trying to meddle
in stuff.”
Still some people called
on major changes. Steve Mc
Donald, a Winfall resident,
said the current plan for a
marine industrial park was
envisioned at a time more
See TOUR, 2
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Pryor Gibson listens at a Hometown Strong meeting at
Winfall Town Hall on Monday.
Biggs
Classic
gears up
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The annual Biggs Golf
Classic will be back this
week at the Sound Golf
Links at Albemarle Planta
tion.
The field of aspiring
young golfers may be larger
this year. Last year it was
limited to 120 and this year
it’s been opened up to as
many as 144.
In addition to a check for
$15,000, the winner of this
year’s event will get an unre
stricted exemption into the
Rex Hospital Open, part of
the PGA TOUR’s Web.com
Tour. It will be held May
27 June 2 at TPC Wakefield
Plantation in Raleigh.
“That’s a big carrot for
these guys playing at this
level,” said Lee Duncan, the
golf pro at The Plantation.
If a golfer wins at the Rex,
they will be fully exempt
from paying entry fees on
the Web. Com tour for the re
mainder of the year. If they
win three Web.Com events,
they can get a “battlefield
promotion” and a PGA tour
card.
This marks the sixth year
of the tournament at The
Plantation. It is sponsored
by Biggs Cadillac-Buick-
GMC, Sound Bank and
Swimme and Sons Building
Contractors.
For the second year in
a row the GPro Golf Tour
will be putting on the event.
Other organizations have
done it before, and in 2017
the Plantation put it on by
themselves.
See GOLF, 2
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Sara Winslow wheels out some of the daylilies that were planted in downtown Hertford this month.
Daylilies planted downtown
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
With a grant from the Town of Hertford, a
group has planted daylilies in pots in down-
town Hertford.
Citizens for Preservation and Growth of
Hertford asked for and received $300 from
the town for the project.
Pam Mansfield, the owner Mansfield Day-
lilies in Bear Swamp, grew and provided the
plants.
Mansfield earned a degree in horticulture
from N.C. State University and for 20 years,
she worked with the Department of Trans
portation as a Roadside Environmental En
gineer.
The job had nothing to do with pavement
and concrete.
“If it was green, that was my job. If a tree
needed to be cut down, we took care of it. We
also managed the rest stops in 14 counties.”
She also managed wildflower projects.
See DAYLILIES, 2
SUBMITTED PHOTO
This type of daylily is one of those planted in downtown
Hertford.
Family
seeks
closure
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Arlene Murin doesn’t
know what happened to her
daughter four years ago, but
she has a glimpse from the
GPS records on Karen Bos-
ta’s phone.
B o s t a
was last
seen in
Edenton
on May
i 30 2015.
She was
I 39 years
old and is
presumed BOSTA
dead.
For a time Murin wanted
to see those responsible
for her disappearance pun
ished.
Now she simply just
wants Karen’s body to be
returned home.
“I don’t care who did
what to whom, I just want
her back,” Murin said last
week.
“Something terrible hap
pened that night and I will
never see her again. What I
really want tell everyone is
that if you have any infor
mation about this, please
come forward. No matter
how small the detail, maybe
something that seems odd
or suspicious.
“Anything that is said and
the source of the informa
tion is held strictly confi
dential. Strictly confidential.
Relieve yourself of the bid
den that you carry and do
See CLOSURE, 2
CHOWAN HERALD PHOTO
Cancer survivors take a walk around the John A. Holmes
High School track during Relay For Life last week.
Relay for Life raises $55,000 so far
BY MILES LAYTON
The Chowan Herald
EDENTON — Chowan-
Perquimansr Relay for Life
paced itself to a solid fund-
raising finish tlus year.
So far, the group brought
in $55,000 but they will be
still collecting until August.
More than 20 teams partici
pated in Friday’s event.
“We are thankful to ev
eryone who has donated
money to Relay for Life this
year,” said Frances Ham
mer, the Relay for life event
chair and a longtime key
organizer of the event. “We
were pleased that all of the
teams were able to come
to the event this year and
we had about 40 children
participate in the Kids Walk.
We are always pleased to
have the survivors attend
and would love to have even
more come next year.”
The first lap and the re
maining laps around John
A. Holmes High School’s
track were the result of or
ganization, planning and
hard work, she said.
“Everyone who attended
the relay event and those
who helped plan and set up
the event deserve a round of
applause,” Hammer said.
For example, Cub Scout
Pack 164 served as a Color
Guard and led the teams,
survivors and others dur
ing the first lap around tire
track.
“We were so happy to
have the Cub Scouts pres
ent the flags for the opening
ceremony this year and to
lead the Survivor lap. Thank
you to their leaders and par
ents,” Hammer said.
Perquimans fire departments to share $88,000 in grants
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Five volunteer fire depart
ments in Perquimans Coun
ty will share some of the
$88,446 the county received
from a state fund to support
firefighters.
“Ilie 50/50 matching grant
is a great way to enhance
county funding allocations
and hard-earned funds raised
through donations to provide
much needed firefighting
equipment,” said Perquimans
Emergency Services Director
Jonathan Nixon.
A sixth fire department,
Bethel, did not submit an
application this cycle, Nixon
said.
Statewide, $9.1 million was
awarded this year. Since the
program’s inception in 1988,
the Department of Insurance
has distributed $134.7million
to volunteer fire departments
across the state
The Belvidere-Chappell Hill
Volunteer Fire Department
received the most of any local
department at $30,000. Hert
ford got $23,250, Inter-County
$12,504, Winfall $12,392 and
Durants Neck $10,298.
Departments can use the
money to buy equipment,
but equipment bought using
matching funds must be ap
proved by the Department
of Insurance Office of State
Fire Marshal.
“Fire and rescue organiza
tions protect our communi
ties large and small across
North Carolina, but some
times their budgets don’t
grow with their responsi
bilities,” said Commissioner
Mike Causey. “Our emergen
cy service personnel should
be supported with the best
equipment and supplies
needed to do their jobs cor
rectly and safely.”
The grant funds must be
matched dollar-for-dollar
for an amount approved up
to $30,000, unless the de
partment receives less than
$50,000 per year from mu
nicipal and county funding,
in which case the applicant
shall match $1 for each $3 of
grant funds up to $30,000
Causey said the Hert
ford Fire Department has
received a total of $253,165
from the fund over the past
31 years.