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PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
514 S CHURCH ST
HERTFORD NC 27944-1225
“News from Next Door”
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2019
$1.00
All area lawmaker seats to be contested
BY STAFF REPORTS
All four of the region’s leg
islative seats will be contested
in next year’s general election,
thanks to last-day filers on Fri
day.
Tess Judge, a Democrat
from Dare County, filed to run
against state Sen. Bob Stein
burg, R-Chowan, in the 1st
Senate District in the Novem
ber 2020 election.
Emily Bunch Nicholson,
a Democrat from Chowan,
filed to run against state Rep.
Ed Goodwin, R-Chowan, in
the 1st House District in next
year’s general election.
The region’s other two leg
islative seats—in the 5th and
6th House districts—were al
ready contested. Keith Rivers
of Pasquotank is challenging
Howard Hunter, D-Hertford,
in District 5. The winner will
take on Republican Donald
Kirkland of Ahoskie.
Rob Rollason of Dare is
challenging state Rep. Bobby
Hanig, R-Currituck, in District
6. The winner of the 6th Dis
trict primary will face Demo
crat Tommy Fulcher of Dare
in the November election.
In Perquimans County,
Democratic incumbents Jo
seph Hofller and Charles
Woodard and Republican
Kyle Jones are running for the
three open seats on the Board
of Commissioners. Democrat
ic Register of Deeds Jacque
line Frierson is also running
unopposed for re-election.
There is a race for Perquim
ans school board. Incumbents
Leary Winslow, Russell Lassit
er and Arlene Yates are being
challenged for their seats by
Joseph Silva. The top three
vote-getters will gain seats in
the March election.
Chowan County saw only
one new filer on Friday: TYa-
vian Taylor filed to run for the
District 3 seat now held by fel
low Democrat Greg Bonner,
who did not seek re-election.
Also not seeking re-elec
tion in Chowan is Democrat
Don Faircloth, who holds the
at-large seat Two Republi
cans had already filed for the
seat: Chris Evans and Michael
Dean.
Incumbent Commissioner
Ron Cummings, a Republican,
is running unopposed for his
District 1 seat Alex Kehayes,
a former GOP commissioner,
is also running unopposed for
the District 2 seat now held by
Patti Kersey, who did not seek
re-election. Lynn Gilliard, the
county’s Democratic register
of deeds, is also running unop
posed for re-election.
Hertford
touches
Egypt
Rotary’s Dr. Jaklic serves
others, rides camel
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Thanks to matching funds
from Rotary International,
local and countrywide lo
cal Rotary Clubs, including
Hertford, San Francisco,
New Jersey, Rotary clubs
in Egypt and grant partner
Alliance for Smiles, and his
own wallet, Hertford Rotary
Club member Frank Jaklic
traveled to Aswan, Egypt.
“Hertford Rotary Club
has stepped up their game
by participating in world
wide projects on a very real
level by sending someone
and sending money to help
the project. That money is
multiplied which is the real
benefit of doing a global
grant with Rotary. We get
the experts and help fund it.
Because of our donations to
the Rotary Foundation, that
money comes back to us
through support of a global
grant.”
Jaklic and 23 other med
ical professionals, record
keepers, videographers,
photographers and Rotary
and Alliance leaders led a
mission to successfully op
erate on 47 Aswan, Egypt
area cleft palate victims
over a two week period.
Total grant was about
$72,000 to change children’s
lives overseas.
“I tell people the reason
I went is that I want to see
what our money is doing,”
Jaklic said. “I think we
made a difference. It wasn’t
just the kids, it was their
families. It’s their friends.
The hospital was glad that
we did this - we put the hos
pital on the map because we
did this. Wherever we went
when they knew what we
were doing, we were treat
ed great. Thank-you’s all the
time.”
Working in an unfamiliar
hospital, with a crew from
various cities in the U.S.
and Brazil, doctors, nurses
and the rest of the team,
many who have never met,
overcame language barriers
with the help of local AFS
(American Field Service)
students.
The doctors, nurses, etc.
had a wide range of birth-
places before emigrating
to the U.S.A. Team mem
bers heralded from China,
Burma, Pakistan, Mali, Viet
Nam, San Francisco, Fort
Collins, Chicago, Oakland,
New Jersey, Akron, and
Hertford.
“Here’s 24 divergent peo
ple going to a hospital that
they’d never been to before,
working with equipment
6 89076 47144
2
I
‘Twas the Night
Before Christmas in
Perquimans County
HI M
W
SEE
Sure. Santa has reindeer and a sled, but sometimes the big man n
break, needs to get out on the water on a warm sunny day. Rememfidr. Iff
North Pole may be a winter wonderland, but not exactly the kind of placebo
cast a line for a catfish or go kayaking.
This photo submitted by Connie Jaklic brings to mind the song “0 Holy Night” as
sung by Josh Groban.
POEM BY CLEMENT CLARKE MOORE
“Twas was the night before Christmas,
when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a
mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney
withcare, /
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would
be there.
The children were nestled all snug in
their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in
theirheads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my
cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long
winter’s nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such
a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was
the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the
sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fall
en snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects
below.
When, what to my wondering eyes
should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny
reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and
quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they
came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called
them by name!
“Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Pranc-
er and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and
Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the
wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away
all!”
As dry leaves that before the wild hurri
cane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount
to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they
flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St Nich
olas too.
See CHRISTMAS, A2
A
Habitat selects new homeowner
BY VERONICA
DOWNING
Correspondent
Things are starting
to look up for Daneye-
11 Bunch, a part-time
employee of Vidant
Chowan Hospital and
Tar River LTC. This
year, the Chowan-Per-
quimmans Habitat For
Humanity and their
Partnership Program
worked with Bunch to
get her a remodeled
home for she and her
five children: Daniy-
iah (16), Deondre (14),
Kelvontae (11) and her
10-year-old twins Ma
laya and Marchello.
The home came after a
slight disappointment
in waiting.
“I was in line for a
home that was being
built from the ground
up,” Bunch said in a
phone interview Satur
day. “But someone got
to it before me.”
Habitat continued to
work with Bunch until
another home became
available. This home,
in Edenton, will be a
complete renovation,
and should be avail
able by the beginning
of summer 2020.
“I am very excited”,
Bunch joyfully con
firmed.
See HABITAT, A2
Round-up
‘Pass the Buck’
and new friends
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A round-up of all
things Perquimans
Comity..
Town Council had a
special meeting last Tues
day to discuss the travel
policy. Meeting lasted
about two hours - shorter
than most meetings.
Councilman Hodg
es penned some revi
sions, worked hard over
the weekend and into
Tuesday afternoon to
put together a new and
improved travel policy.
Though council hadn’t
had a much of a chance to
truly review the document
before Tuesday evening’s
special meeting, they opt
ed to discuss the revisions
in open session, more or
less line by line.
Transparency up front
- that’s a good start. No
action was taken and
nothing will be decided
until January’s council
meeting when there will
be a more complete news
story about the matter.
During Tuesday’s meet
ing, Councilman Frank
Norman said Town Hall
was supposed to pro
vide some financial data
related to recent trips for
elected and non-elected
officials. Spending is an
essential part of any travel
policy discussion.
Town Manager Pam
Hurdle apologized for not
having the information
ready for Tuesday’s spe
cial meeting, but pledged
to get the information to
council in the near term,
perhaps by the end of last
week.
On a related note, Per
quimans Weekly has still
not received any answers
from Town Hall regarding
Councilman Quentin
Jackson's trip to San
Antonio in November.
However, all of this may
have changed after press
time for this edition of the
newspaper, so I’ll follow
up as needed.
For now, keep reading...
Newspaper made a
Freedom of Information
Act request Nov. 25, and
subsequent inquiries to
follow-up.
State law says public
agencies must provide
public records “as
promptly as possible” -
GS 132-6. Though the time
frame as to when to honor
these requests may vary
within reason, if the news
paper had asked for a line-
by-line travel expenditure
request during the last 10
years, yeah, that’s going
to take some time for any
Town Hall to produce.
On the other hand,
Perquimans Weekly’s very
generic request should be
reasonably forthcoming,
perhaps a day or so.
Friday, Town Manager
Hurdle sent this note
Friday and thanked me
for my patience.
“I will be sending
you the answers to the
questions below. Waiting
for one more statement
from our Banks. But if
that is not available by
Monday, I will send you
the information that I do
have and will note that
the remaining information
will be sent to you when
I get it. My apologies to
you for the delay but the
statements and traveling
receipts had to be com
piled and processed by
our Finance Department.”
In a subsequent email
Saturday morning, Hurdle
asked
”Can you redirect your
questions about the San
Antonio trip and ask for
See LAYTON, A2
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Chowan-
Perquiamans
Habitat for
Humanity has
selected the
Bunch family
as the new
Partner Family
for renovating
a house in
Edenton.
From left to
right, Daneyell
Bunch,
Deondre,
Daniyiah,
Kelvontae,
Malaya, and
Marchello.