. THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Vofcnitt37.Na.13 USPS 4M-080 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, April 2, mi ? CENTS
Go fly a kite
*
FrMay tfteraoM was Jot perfect (or
kite flytag. aad jiMtilin from
Three Bears Day Care gare ft a try is
the park with kitea the? made
themselves. Cristie Reed (left)
prov?d a amter at keeping her kite in
the air after Donna Haakett helped
her to get it there, and Chrii Hare
(right) learned that one good way to
keep a kite flying is to keep the feet
moving.
County should
hire director,
says state rep.
A representative of the North Carolina
Department of Commerce advocates the
hiring of a director to help coordinate
Perquimans County's efforts to attract
industry to the area.
Roger A. Critcher Jr., regional in
dustrial development representative,
told members of the Perquimans County
Industrial Development Commission at a
Monday night meeting at Angler's Cove
that the county needed to hire a full time
director to help attract prospective
businesses.
"You have no one over here going up to
Raleigh to fight you battles," said
Critcher, "and you need somebody."
Critcher told the group that he felt the
"odds were against" an industry
choosing Perquimans County over the
state's metropolitan areas. "You're
competing with Raleigh, Greensboro,
Winston-Salem and places like that,"
said Critcher, adding "You have got to
sell Hertford -
One way of competing with larger
areas, according to Critcher, was to
combine forces with surrounding
counties. "Regionalism is one way to
compete ? if you combine all your
monies in one pot you might get
something accomplished. ' he said.
He advised the commissioa to identify
what type of industry wouM be suitable
to the area, and to identfy the potential
labor force. "Ask yourself, 'where are we
going?'" said Critcher.
One prospective industry interested in
the Hertford area was scared away when
a town resident told company
representatives that the labor force was
poor, said Crither. who added. "You
cant let that happen again."
The commission also heard from
representatives of College of The
Albemarle. Dennis Burgess, director of
occupational education at COA, outlined
vocational and technical programs
available at the college, and toM
members that many of the courses could
be slanted to suit a particular industry's
training needs.
Pam Whitley, assistant to COA
president, described options available at
the college for putting together
brochures and booklets designed to aid in
attracting industry to the area.
Squad, Coast Guard team up in rescue effort
... Tt tri* Iflrr triwtliini w| rrf I tnlaniiiion
<frama on paramedics.
K The Perquimans County Rescue Squad
was dispatched to an aeddeot in the Four
Mile Desert area of the county. Squad
members John Danchise and Jack
Symons wound up riding a logging
machine a mile deep into the woods on a
swampy, bumpy path, to a man who had
been seriously injured in a logging ac
cident.
The trouble was, there was no way to
get him out without injuring him further.
Danchise thought of calling the Coast
Guard, and though the accident had little
to do with the coast, the Guard responded
quickly.
- Within 15 minutes, DawcWsc said f
helicopter was hovering over a brief
break in the woods, and the vicitm, 24
year-old Keith Weathersby, was being
hoisted up in a Stokes Basket.
Less than five minutes later the
chopper was well on its way to Albemarle
Hosiptal where medical attention waited,
Danchise said
The whole thing started at 9:15 on
Tuesday morning when the call first
came in. Symons and Danchise
responded, and they followed a logger
deep into the woods in the ambulance.
Symons said the road was muddy, and
only the positive traction got him
through. He went over a couple of
wooden togging bridges dlat were fesfly
touch and go.
Finally they went as far as the am
bulance could go, and from there C.D.
Lamb of Lamb and Stevenson Logging
Company took them to the injured man
on a Franklin Logger. %
That was an extremely rough ride.
Down in holes, up over logs. "I thought
that boy was going to turn that tim
berjack over," said Symons.
He got off once to walk and sunk up to
his knees. He got back on. "That was
nothing in the world but just mar
shland," said Symons.
When the two men got to the victim
they reaMJ& flteYS VSs' going to be dif
ficulty.
Witnesses said Wheathersby had been
standing on the ground sawing with a
chainsaw when he was thrown back
wards and got tangled up with a tree that
had already been felled.
He was lying between two fallen trees
and complained of pains in his back, left
leg, chest, and lower abdomen. "It threw
him straddle a log and messed up his
groin a little bit," said Symons.
Symons and Danchise had brought
along a backboard and other rescue
equipment, but there was no way to
carry the man back out for a mile
through the mud.
"If the path had been a good path we'd
of had a job carrying him out," said
Danchise.
The only other option was to take him
out on the timber jack but that was too
rough a ride for a man with a possible
back injury. "We were concerned about
injuring him further," said Danchise.
So the decision was made to call the
Coast Guard, and the organization came
through like a champ.
Perquimans County Sheriff's
Department Deputy Joe Lothian was one
of the few who could figure out where the
men were and led the helicopter to the
spot in his patrol car.
Symons had the lights on the am
butane? flashing and a logger waved a
stick with a pillow case on it. The group
was spotted on the helicopter 's third pass
over the area, Danchise said.
"It was the first time we've been in a
position where we couldn't get to the
man," said Danchise. "We just want to
thank the Coast Guard for their quick
and efficient help."
Symons. for one. was hoping such a
situation would not arise again. "It was
an experience I don't want anymore.
That's when they need some young ones.
When you get to be 52 years-oM yoti don't
have any business back in the woods like
that."
Weathersbv was released from the
hospital oo Sunday.
Abuse , neglect make tough work
Statistically, child abase and neglect
are oo the increase in North Carolina,
and the same appears to he trae for
Perquimans County.
"We're getting more reports now than
ever before." said county social services
director Paul Gregory.
The department follows ?p im
mediately on those reports, Gregory
said, and in the vast majority of cases,
they doa't turn out to be cause for real
) alarm.
"Most (reports) are unsubstantiated."
Gregory. "There is usually a
there, but tt*s ?w we cm work
Relatively speaking. Gregory said he
didn't think there is a great deal of child
> and neglect here, but he qualified
f This week
"For the small county we are, I
wouldn't say so, however one is too
many," Gregory said.
Figures provided in a press release
from the state Department of Human
Resources indicate that abuse and
neglect are on the rise.
"During fiscal year 197M0, these
social workers investigated 25,000
suspected cases of child abuse and
neglect reported to county social ser
vices departments as required by the
law. After these investigations, it was
determined that protective services were
nedded for 11,000 of these children,"
reads the release.
"The number of children identified as
victims of abuse and neglect represented
a ST percent increase over the previous
year," it states.
And as a social worker, walking into a
ham* in which an instance of child abuse
or neglect has beta reported can be a
*htervsntet in a problem home is
simply a tough job, says the Department
of Human Resources. Governor James
B. Hunt, Jr. apparently agrees.
He has declared April 5-10 "Child
Protective Services Worker Recognition
Week" in North Carolina.
Gregory said that even though the
workers are professionally trained to
deal with problem situations, the job can
be trying. "No job's gonna be easy."
Gregory said, "especially if you find a
child that's been abused ? gosh, it's
heartbreaking."
In his four years as director, Gregory
said the department hasn't found a case
of serious abuse. "That doesn't mean
there hasn't been one," he said.
Gregory maintained that there are still
people who are afraid to report cases of
abuse and neglect because they don't
understand that their confidentiality is
completely protected.
"We don't even tell the family when we
go into a home," said Gregory.
When the department receives a report
of alleged neglect, it has 72 hours to
conduct an in-home visit. In cases of
abuse, the law requires a visit within 48
hours of the report.
Social services tries to react much
more quickly. "We're usually there
within two hours," said Gregory.
Gregory makes the visits himself on
nights and weekends.
Cases in which social services takes
custody of a child are exceedingly rare,
Gregory said, and he sees taking custody
as a last resort measure. In such casei,
though, the child is placed in a foster
home.
The in-home investigation begins with
a frank disclosure of the reason for the
visit. "We open by telling him the truth,"
said Gregory. "You've got to build trust
so you can work with a parent."
The ultimate aim of the social worker,
Gregory said, is to aid in the creation of a
healthy family atmosphere in the child's
own home.
Sold!
Attcc Bmrin aalm a nil to Jm Haary
Bafky at the flowar staad A* act 9 la
BmUHhiI Ust TWsiay. TV priec? A
grMt M(SSe?^
Holiday Island raises lot assessments
BrJACEGftOVX
Ed Altap. Holiday Island budget
coaualttee chairman, gave a one-hour
prwaotatk* of a proposed budget which
rayraaeoted an iaereaac of ??1,4?7 mr
last f*uft Ndgot at a property owner**
Id a departure from the policy of
previous year*. Allen announced that
club membership* would he available to
the general public. In dofcig so be pointed
out the lack of swimming pools in
Perquinuns and neighboring counties.
The club memberships will be
available for an initiation fee ot ISO and
.andJHpHHBH
budget was adapted by
i by a vote of ttto 50.
budset remKnts ? a
? m
Highlights of the new budget include
suck bar. $10,275; marina, 0,?; bad
debts, $28,500; capital outlay* (mostly
new equipment), $$1,000; five percent
reserve $1$,400; loan repayment, $15,000;
water co. $55,600; pools, $34,151; feneral
maintenance $40,410; sewage plait
|$.n$; and roads $12,3*.
The budget meeting started on an
uncertain note when Alan told the
assemblage that the tentative budget
resolution should have boon mailed to
property owners along with the call lor
the meeting This requirement was
embodied in a lfTI policy rMohrtfen of
theboardfj5, ./ ..
Due to this oversight, Allen said
another meeting would have to he Mi in
April. After some diacunioa and a M
unanimously to set aside this
During his praHtittn of the hndget.
Allen qvipped, "I have already received
twe packages One had tar la R. The
One property owner wanted te know
a large budget increase was
had token place in the last
that m tacreue M km votM 4mm
last year.
A|L a T ?rn ir k&jl
wiwrs voKtd concerns aooui me mo
d*Ms Am. ABm tiluii fey nri|
that "ta wrj krtiiii Am are mm
bad MU." H? alM saM that