WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019
"News from Next Door"
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Jackson gets restraining order against woman
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Hertford Mayor Pro Tern
Quentin Jackson has ac
cused a 76-year-old Front
Street resident of stalking
him after she turned over
pictures of Jackson driving
the town’s Chevy Tahoe to
the mayor.
He also accused Muri-
elle Harmon of being “very
disruptive and aggressive
JACKSON
in council
meetings.”
The tem
porary re
straining
order was
granted
by District
Court Judge
Amber Da
vis. It prohibits Harmon
from attending town coun
cil meetings.
“I am getting a lugh lev
el of support and I want to
congratulate Mr. Jackson
that he fears a 76-year-old,
4-foot-lO woman. It’s unfor
tunate that we have to put
the court system through
such a frivolous thing.”
In the court filing, Jack
son accused Harmon of
following him on Sept. 9, 10
and 21st and taking pictures
of him with the SUV.
Harmon said that is sim
ply not true.
“I did not take the pic
tures, I have an old flip
phone and I don’t even text.”
She said she left the pic
tures for Mayor Horace
Reid to see, but others took
the actual pictures of Jack-
son in the SUV.
“I would have thought he
would have checked that
out first, but I didn’t take the
pictures. We’re good. I am
just sorry that this is coming
just before an election.”
While he still has two
years left on his council
term, Jackson is running for
mayor this November. Reid
opted not run again. Jack-
son is facing a challenge
from Earnell Brown.
Harmon’s original court
date was Oct. 2, but she
said she’s asked for a con
tinuance. She had already
planned to be out of town
on vacation at that point.
Harmon maintains it is
Jackson who is confronta
tional at meetings.
“He’s very aggressive at
council meetings. If I were
that confrontational, we
have a police officer at ev
ery meeting and you would
flunk they would have had
me removed, which they
haven’t.”
The town bought the
SUV on May 21 from Perry
See JACKSON, A2
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Walkers heed out from Perquimans County High Schoo! Saturday for the 20th annual Jim “Catfish” Hunter ALS Walk. More than 250 people
took part in the event.
Moreland named Principal of the Year
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Laura Moreland is glad
to be back in Perquimans
County, and last month the
school system showed they
are glad to have her back.
Moreland was named
Perquimans County’s
Principal of the Year even
though she only returned to
the school last summer.
In December she an-
nounced she would be leav
ing her post as principal at
Perquimans County Middle
School take ajob as human
resources director for the
Dare County Schools.
She quickly discovered
she was not cut out to work
in an office.
“I am meant to work with
kids and when I was sepa-
Belvidere Day to offer to new events this year
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
For a few hours in October the
population of one small communi
ty in Perquimans County can be ex
pected to swell from 45 people to
upwards of 2,000 with celebration
of Belvidere Day on Oct. 26.
ALS Walk
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Perquimans County Middle School Principal Laura Moreland (center) has been
named the school system’s principal of the year.
rated from the kids, I lost She doesn’t regret ac- “You have to try some-
my joy,” Moreland said. cepting the Dare job. thing to see if it’s a good fit,
“If we can get a pretty day, it will
be good,” said Doug Layden, the
retired owner of Layden’s Groceiy
and the man who started the event
seven years ago.
Last it rained, b f ut Layden esti
mates there were still about 1,000
people who attended the event. The
year before the figure was closer to
1,500 to 2,000. Layden considers
the larger Belvidere area has about
1,000 people, but the core area has
only about 45.
“When I first started I never
thought we’d have 1,000 people in
Belvidere,” he said,
The event runs from 8 a.m. until
4 p.m. and any funds raised will go
but as I said, I lost my joy.
“I love being a small
town principal. I have real
ly found myself in the past
few years. The thought of
leaving was an opportunity,
but we all missed Perquim
ans County so much.”
She doesn’t mind that a
trip to the Food Lion might
take three hours because
people will stop her and
want to talk. She actually
likes that part.
Moreland is the mother
of three, and her son Kendyl
is sixth grader at PCMS. In j
fact for tile next few years,
one of her children will al
ways be at her school.
School officials sprung
the surprise announcement
on Moreland on Sept. 20.
See MORELAND, A2
One
dies in
wreck
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
One person died after an
accident Monday afternoon
involving a passenger ve
hicle and a motorcycle on
Harvey Point Road.
Emergency crews were
dispatched to the 1500
block at 2:40 p.m.
EMS initiated command
and then it was turned it
over to Hertford’s Assistant
Fire Chief Robbie Reed af
ter he arrived on the scene.
One occupant of the ve
hicle was transported by
Perquunans EMS to the
landing zone at Inter-Coun
ty Fire Department where
he was flown by Nightingale
to Sentara Norfolk General,
according to Julie M. Soles-
bee, the public information
officer for EMS.
The person on the motor-
cycle was dead at the scene.
The Hertford Fire De
partment, Intercounty Fire
Department, Perquimans
County Sheriffs Office, Per
quimans EMS, Nightingale
and NC Highway Patrol as
sisted with the incident.
The NC Highway Patrol
is investigating the accident
but were unavailable at
press time. No other details
were available.
to the Belvidere Ruritan Club. They
use the money to help with com
munity projects.
Admission is free and the event
centers around Layden’s store at
1478 Belvidere Road.
As it has for the past few years,
See BELVIDERE, A2
Plantation
plans are
proposed
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The Perquimans County
Planning Board will con
sider plans for a 1,500-acre
second phase Albemarle
Plantation next week.
The project will be locat
ed across the street from
the original development,
which was created in the
1990s. As the Plantation
See PLANTATION, A2
PAL arts show is set for Saturday
Jollification
From Staff Reports
The Perquimans Arts
League will celebrate the
ninth annual “Arts on the
Perquimans” Saturday at
the Perquimans County
Recreation Center.
The juried show will
open at 10 a.m. and close at
4 p.m.
The show has grown to
include outside exhibitors
in addition to the full gym
and kitchen inside. There
will be nearly 20 new artists
this year.
There will be exhibits in
pottery, wood, painting, fiber
aits, jewelry, photography,
glass and literary offerings.
There will also be a bake
sale, and breakfast and
lunch foods will be avail ¬
able for purchase. This year
it will have four food trucks
on site.
The Perquimans County
ornament and PAL cook-
books will be available and
there will be a drawing for
the winner of the 50/50 raf
fle. In previous years, the
raffle winner has received
over $700. Raffle tickets
can be purchased at the
PAL gallery, 109 Church
Street, in the Hall of Fame
Building or the day of the
event. The winner need not
be present.
For yarn enthusiasts,
Geraldine, the yarn truck
from Knitting Addiction, a
yarn specialty shop in Kit
ty Hawk, will be in the Rec
Center parking lot dining
the show.
Admission to the show’ is
$3. Guests can stop in at the
PAL Gallery, 109 Church
St., to pick up a postcard
good for $1 off the admis
sion price.
STAFF PHOTO BY
PETER WILLIAMS
Mary Alice Brinn
stands next to a
portrait of herself
in her home
on Front Street
Saturday. The
home, built in
1913, was part
of the Jollification
tour sponsored by
the Perquimans
County
Restoration
Association.