THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 3*, No. 4 USPS 428-080 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, Jan. 24, 1980 20 CENTS
Winter produce
Mrs. John White of White's fresh produce fame, is reaping the benefits from their winter garden. The produce stand is located
on Edenton Road Street in Hertford. (Photo byNOELTODD-McLAUGHLIN)
Insurance commissioner speaks here
In a talk he described as
"short but full of meat," North
Carolina Insurance Com
< naissioner John Ingram
wtttnttdrwejibeft Of the
Albemarle regional Planning
and Development Commission
last Thursday of the havoc
special interests have played
on the pocketbooks of North
Carolinians.
"As a result of bad
legislation passed in 1977 and
made worse in 1979, the people
of this state have paid out $400
million (in excessive in
surance rates) in just two
years," said Ingram.
As insurance commissioner,
Ingram said he has saved
North Carolinians "millions
and millions" of dollars in
insurance rate increases. But
despite all that Ingram's of
fice has done to make N.C. a
"model" of insurance reform,
much of what he has ac
complished has been "un
dermined" by the special
interests.
"They (specUt interests)
- ?Md their Influence on the
leadership of this state and
our leadership has listened to
them rather than listen to the
needs and wishes of the people
of North Carolina," said
Ingram. "And unless this bad
law that was passed by the
General Assembly is changed,
the people of this state will be
faced with a mind-boggling (1
billion in unjustified insurance
rate increases before the
decade of the 80's is half
over."
Ingram offered insurance
surcharge as an example of
one of the unjustifiable in
surance costs plaguing North
Carolinians.
In 1973, Ingram said that the
only reason an insurance
consumer could be sur
charged was for a bad driving
record.
Since then, Ingram said
incurttee companies have
become discriminatory.
"People have been sur
charged because they were
young, old, black, nicknamed
'Shorty', or drove a red car,"
said Ingram.
Ingram noted that North
Carolina Governor Jim Hunt
had "finally" joined with his
fight against surcharge. "If he
(Hunt) had joined with me last
spring, we would not have to
go through a lawsuit," said
Ingram.
Better government is
Ingram's answer to the poor
legislation that has cost North
Carolina residents billions of
dollars in undue tax amounts
and unfair insurance rates.
"An eastern tobacco farmer
told me that the way to change
bad laws is to change the
people who make bad laws.
Together we can bring about
the changes we need here in
North Carolina to put
(fwrenu&eat fcacltin the hands
of the people rather than in the
pockets of the special in
terests," concluded Ingram.
Following Ingram's speech,
the ARPDC held a regular
business session.
Among items discussed it
was noted that Aging
Program Funds amounting to
$3,600 had been appropriated
for legal services for the
elderly in the counties of
Perquimans, Pasquotank, and
Chowan. This money would
pay the regular lawyer's fee of
$45-$50 an hour for a session of
group counciling in designated
places where seniors gather.
In another matter, Hertford
Mayor Bill Cox was
nominated to represent the 10
county region as a Joint
Regional Forum member for
a second year. The Joint
an ad
visory board to regional
governments which consists of
members appointed by the
League of Municipalities and
the Association of County
Commissioners.
John Ingram
Addition will costa little extra
The Perquimans County
- School System will have to pay
isome $7,500 more than had
been anticipated for the ad
dition to the county high
school, apparently because of
an oversight on the part of the
architect.
Schools superintendent Pat
Harrell told the school board
at a Monday morning meeting
that the wiring of the ad
ministrative area of the ad
dition had not been included in
the contract.
The wiring had initially
been deleted due to coat
considerations, but was to
have been put back in, Harrell
said. He said that the om
mission appeared to be an
oversight on the part of the
architect.
In another matter, the board
approved the acceptance of an
*000 federal grant to finance
a study of the role* and
responsibilities of centrti
in the school
and federal contributions to be
higher here than in other
areas of the state.
It was also noted that the
school board has requested an
additional $18,000 for the
operation of school buses in
the county during the
remainder of the school year.
The state had attempted to
cut gasoline allocations of
school systems across the
state to 80 percent of last
year's allotments. The
Perquimans County School
Board has joined other
counties in informing the state
that 80 percent just isn't
unqigh.
"They'll just have to find
some more money in Raleigh
somewhere," Harrell said.
An energy audit report
covering all county school
buildings has been completed,
and Harrell produced a thick
manual of recommended
improvements that resulted.
The board has already
gotten time ipwHtt on the cost
of lowering ceilings at Central
Gri
?av
as
7XSS
matter, Harrell told the board
that school-owned gyms could
no longer be heated for non- change in state school board
school activities because of a policy.
Coach may be replaced
Perquimans High School
head football coach Celvin
Webster will apparently be
replaced because of a per
ceived lack of community
support for the team.
Webster said he had been
told by schools superintendent
Pat Harrell and principal
William Byrum he would be
replaced.
Harrell, however, stated
that no official action had been
taken by the school board in
replacing Webster
"We've had conferences
with the coaches," Harrell
said, but would not comment
further on what was discussed
at the conferences.
Harrell did say, though, that
the wufWy situation had
been discussed in an executive
session at the school board
meeting on Mondav
But Webster said that as far
aSheiscoswersedhisoustaris
already final.
"It's hard to understand,"
he sail "We've had some
super crowds, we've made
money. That's what support is
ill about, ia't it?"
By Us own standards,
Webster's seven ytnrs >1
Perquimans High School have
been a success.
"I thought we were one of
the better 2-A schools
around." Webster said. "We
played some much larger
schools and beat 'em."
Webster said that 22 of his
former players had received
grant-in-aids to (day football
in college.
Alio head coach in
basketball and track, as well ?
teacher, Webster said his
other positions were not
mentioned in the conference
and appear to be intact.
Still,, his anticipated
removal as head coach of
football stings a little. "I feel
like it's a raw deal," Webster
said. "It should make other
people aware ... that a good
job don't mean anything."
Because the position is an
appointment, Webster said
there is probably no appeals
process for him. He said he
had "no idea" who his
replacement would be.
The school board will meet
Friday morning in a special
session following a tour erf
Central Grammar and
Perquimans Union Schools.
Two more file
Incumbent District I
Commissioner Lester Simp
son has filed for re-election,
Joining other Democrats who
announced their intentions
last week.
Simpson will be pitted
against Lee Brabble, who has
alrqpdy filed for his District I
seat
Register of Deeds Jeamw C.
White has oot yH officially
filed bat has indicated her
intention to aeek re-election to
that office.
Charles Ward and Billy
Pierce have filed for the two
District II commissioners'
seats, as has incumbent
chairman Joe Novell.
Janice Y. Boyce of ParkviOe
Township has filed tor election
to the Board of Education.
The filing deadline is Feb. 4
at 12 uooo.
Tri-County
Grant application
finally funded
The Tri-County Career
Center funding search got an
unexpected boost last week
when a previously denied
(20,000 grant application was
funded.
The grant, awarded at the
discretion of Governor James
B. Hunt, Jr. by the Coastal
Plains Regional Commission,
will allow for more face to
face contact in the search for
funds, according to center
director Kenneth Stallings.
Without the grant, Stallings
said, much of the
correspondance with potential
funding sources would have
been by telephone or through
the mail.
"But if I can get eyeball to
eyeball contact," Stallings
said, "I think I can convince
that man to help us here in
North Carolina."
The grant will also help
draw more people in the
development of curriculum
fdr the center, he said.
Teachers and administrators
will be taken to career centers
both in state and out of state,
to experience the career
center concept in reality.
School officials and in
fluential laymen of the
community will also be asked
to meet with potential funding
sources, Stallings said.
The proposed Tri-County
Center would offer advanced
vocational and academic
courses to students of Gates,
Chowan and Perquimans High
Schools.
The student would spend
part of his day at the center,
but would retain identity with
his county's high school.
The combination of
resources and student in
terests, would allow for an
expanded curriculum
otherwise impossible in the
? ??
sparsely populated counties.
Phase I of the project was a
study that determined a need
for the center. Phase II, which
will include developing a
curriculum, as well as
determining cost and securing
funding sources, is presently
underway.
Stallings said the Coastal
Resources Commission
originally put the center's
Phase II funding request in
category II, that of projects
worthy of funding but not of
top priority.
A spokesman for the
commission promised that if
extra money became
available, the grant would be
approved. The money did,
apparently become available,
as Stallings received a phone
call last Wednesday from Joe
Pell, senior assistant to the
( Continued on page 2)
? -a
Youth council president
held for embezzlement
The president of the
Perquimans County Youth
Council has been arrested by
the Hertford Police Depart
ment and charged with em
bezzling more than $400 from
the council's savings account.
Jamps Uroy Saupders, 18,
of Rt. I, Belvidere has been
arrested and charged with 12
counts of embezzlement of
property by virtue of an office,
according to Hertford Police
Chief Marshall Merritt.
Merritt said that on 12
different occassions, money
had been taken from the youth
council's savings account,
usually in increments of some
$20, but on Dec. 19, some $120
was removed from the ac
count.
The youth council is spon
sored by the Economic Im
provement Council and
promotes community in
volvement through various
projects.
Saunders was elected to
serve a one year term as
president of the council by its
membership, according to
EIC coordinator Grace Dizon.
She said she discovered that
money was missing from the
council savings account when
she got her most recent bank
statement, which showed a
balance of some $40. The
account was supposed to have
held more than $450, she said.
Most of the money had been
awarded to the local council
by the state youth council in
the form of a $320 mini-grant
to pay for improvements to
three community buildings
located in the county.
The rest of the money had
been raised by the group to
pay for attendance at func
tions on the state level.
Ms. Dizon said she became
"physically ill" when she
discovered the money
missing. She said that
Saunders had been an
exemplary member of the
club.
"He is the one who kept the
club going," she said. "I
always thought of him as
dependable... He seemed
trustworthy to me."
She also worried about the
impact the incident might
have on the youth council's
image in the community.
"I don't want people to feel
the youth council can't be
trusted," she said. "They are
good kids."
She said that the youth
council would still have to
complete improvements to the
community buildings, or
return the mini-grant monies
to the state council.
Road work
Vernon Hintoo, (1), of Gates County, and Ken
Dail of Perquimans County are patting down
curbing ana guttering on a portion of toentoo
Road Street in Hertford.