Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / Feb. 23, 1989, edition 1 / Page 1
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THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY Volume 58, No. 8 USPS 428-080 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, February 23, 1989 in cfn-p I [LOCAL ^ Partners with Youth gets funds page 8 1 FEATURE Olympians compete in contest page 7 C6MMUNIYV Community and Senior news page 2 Local Briefs Hertford buys back FmHA bond The Town of Hertford will partic ipate in the Farmers Home Admin istration program which allows the municipality to buy back its $200,000 bond at a reduced rate. The taxpayers will save some $87,000 due to the decision made by the town council last week. The $113,002 to pay off the debt will come from the town's reserve funds. Members of the council said they preferred to pay off the debt, which carries a 6.75 percent interest rate, and lessen the town's reserves. They said they realized the mea sure would call for frugality in the future. If emergencies arise which exceed remaining reserves, the councilmen said they would bor row at that time. "We've got to get rid of this in debtedness," said Councilman Jesse Harris. The proceeds of the FmHA bond were used to help finance the up date on the waste treatment sys tem, which carried a price tag of over $800,000. The council voted to accept the proposal of Howard Capps and As sociates to study the waterfront from Skinner's Bridge to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Harris. The town has received a CAMA plan ning grant to fund most of the $10,000 project. Capps and Asso ciates will make recommendations on improving the waterfront prop erty surrounding the town. Elderly man attacked Friday A Hertford Senior citizen was as saulted in his back yard Friday af ternoon. William Corbin Dozier, 88, of 128 W. Market Street, was hit on the head with an unknown object, according to the report of investi gating officer Robert Harvey. Dozier stated to Harvey that he saw a black, heavy-set male be hind Hertford Baptist Church. He called the Hertford Police Depart ment, said his wife, and then went out to investigate. ; The unidentified man struck Dozier twice, and then laughed at him, according to Dozier's wife. The man, wearing a white coat and ren pants, then jumped a fence the Dozier's yard and ran to wards Covent Garden. Dozier was treated by Dr. Robert E. Lane, then transported to Cho wan Hospital. He required stitches for a gash on his head, but no frac tures or other injuries were found. He was admitted to the hospital for overnight observation. Mrs. Dozier reported Monday that Mr. Dozier is doing well, al though she said it has been quite an ordeal for them. "It's scary when something like this can happen in your own yard," she stated. No arrests have been made in the case. Chamber has member drive The Perquimans County Cham ber of Commerce will hold a sup plemental membership drive from March l through March 10, accord ing to membership chairman Le wis Evans. ? Organized in 1960, the Chamber promotes the economic, civic and general interest in Perquimans County. During 1988, the Chamber supported five ribbon cuttings and answered numerous tourist and business requests for information about the county. They promoted organization of the Perquimans Playhouse, Inc. In addition, the Chamber also sponsored the an nual Indian Summer Festival, and operated a vehicle license facility for the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles. ' Of the approximately 250 busi nesses in Perquimans County, only ?about half are members of the Chamber of Commerce, says Ex ecutive Director Mary Harrell. Funds for operation of this "goodwill center for Perquimans County comes from membership fees and a small fee paid by the state for each vehicle license trans action. - Evans also stresses that in addi tion to businesses, private mem berships are available to all per sons who share the objective of Chamber at 430-5657. Regular monthly meetings are held on the fourth Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the -Hertford Chamber building t Board hears report from attendance counselor The Perquimans County Board of Education heard a report of Schools Attendance Counselor Jan ice Winslow at its regular meeting Monday night. Winslow apprised the board of her job duties and the methods she uses to accomplish the county's good attendance record and low drop-out rate. Handbooks are distributed at the beginning of each school year out lining the attendance policy, Winslow said. She goes to the el ementary schools on a regular ba sis to check the attendance in each class. When she sees a possible prob lem with attendance, Winslow fol lows up with telephone contact and letters. On the high school level, absen tees are telephoned each day. The report cards at PCHS show the ab senses from each class period. The measures taken by Winslow have resulted in an overall atte ~ dance rate of 95.6 percent in grades kindergarten through eight, and 92.76 percent at the high school. Winslow also gets referrals from other school personnel for children with medical and psychological needs. She works closely with school guidance counselors, the Perquimans County Department of Social Services and the clerk of court to assist students with needs. She told the board that the abuse and neglect heard about on the news is a local problem. "It's right here in Perquimans County, too," she told the board. Many times, Winslow said, lack of attendance can be an indication of problems in the home. Winslow told the board that she has assisted in removing neglected and abused children from their homes through the proper agen cies, and in making proper medical assistance available for such prob lems as head lice. If a doctor says a child cannot attend school, Winslow said that Mrs. Helen Woodard goes to the student's home to teach them there. Winslow told the board that the county is very fortunate to have the services of Mrs. Woodard. When asked what some of the problems facing students are, Winslow said that a lack of a real good home life is a concern in some cases. She said that many things can be overcome, but the indiffer ence of parents is a great stum bling block to attendance in some cases. She said that her job requires compassion and a true concern for children. Board Chairman Clifford Winslow expressed his apprecia tion for the great strides that have been made in the attendance and drop-out rates in the county. "Cer tainly Janice is a very caring per son," he said. The drop-out rate, 3.01 percent, is among the lowest in the state, thanks to the diligence of Winslow. Assistant Superintendent Jake Boyce told the board that the county is trying to establish a hu man resource linkage in the county to encompass all human resource agencies including Social Services, the health department, the police department, juvenile probation of ficers and school personnel. A meeting will be held on March 13 with representatives of all agen cies in an effort to establish a pro gressive and comprehensive net work for families. Art week Superintendent Mary Jo Martin proposed to the board a change in the annual Arts Extravaganza. She asked the board to consider having an Art Week to be held at the end of April in each school, rather than at one location. Martin said that it would elimi nate transportation problems, and the concern of students being out of class for long periods of time. She suggested forming committees of the principal, and cultural arts tea chers at each school to coordinate the arts festivities. A separate summer school pro gram for cultural arts was also proposed by Martin. She said that the goal of the program could be a production. Members of the newly formed Perquimans Playhouse have offered their assistance* in such an endeavor, she said. The board voted to support the change. Board retreat Dr. Martin updated the board on programming for the upcoming board retreat scheduled for March 3. The board will review its public relations, vocational ecuation, sec ond language and guidance pro grams on Friday morning. On Friday afternoon, the princi pals from the four schools will ap prise the board of the way they have approached the goals set by the board for the 1988-89 school year. Testing standards will also be reviewed. All discussion will be tied into the state accreditation model. The board will discuss goals and objectives for the 1989-90 school year on Saturday morning. Snowmen decorated many front yards as county residents enjoyed playing in the weekend snow. Shown above is the yard of the Rev. and Mrs. Ray Wittman. The family built snow replicas of them selves and their dog. "Catfish" is partner in fish saving venture Bass tournament fishermen have a big problem keeping fish al ive long enough to be weighed in and released back into the river. Citizens in some areas have been outraged by the sight of dead fish, floating belly-up, along the shore line. Vocal groups have spoken out at open meetings and public hear ings in an effort to stop the fish kills. A solution to the problem may be at hand. A Tampa, Florida-based company has put together a sys tem that keeps fish alive for ex tended periods, and is a must for tournament fishermen. Deckard, Hunter and Rogerson Enterprises is marketing a unique device they claim is a fish-saver. The Longer Life Fish and Bait Kit may be used on any size water tight container, replaces cumber some fish tanks and eliminates the hose over the top edge of an aquar ium. It can be used for transport ing all types of fresh and saltwater animals. It is well-suited for con servation of fish life and is helpful in marine biology field work. According to company spokes man Raymond Rogerson, the kit will keep fish alive for weeks. He says he has fish in his Tampa office that have been kept alive for over 90 days on the device, which up to now has been impossible. - Rogerson, a Hertford native, showed the product to avid sports man Jim "Catfish" Hunter on a visit Rogerson made here last July. Hunter signed on as a partner in the marketing effort after seeing the product work. "It's hard to believe until you see it work. . .but the fact is, it works," Hunter said. "I saw fish from the Perquimans River placed in a cooler in the back of my pickup, driven over 300 miles in 92 degree heat and placed back in the river more than 40 hours later, still alive and frisky!" The Longer Life Kit offers out doorsmen worry-free tournament fishing. The kit can be used with either an A.C. or D.C. power aera tion system, or on four C-cell re chargeable batteries which will run the pump for 12 to 14 hours in an emergency. Ice chests and water coolers work well with the system since their insulation helps to stabilize water temperature, thus avoiding injury to fish. The air flow can be controlled by the insertion of a valve on the air line. The company touts the product as the perfect way for tournament participants to avoid "losing the big ones before weigh-in." Information on the product is available through Longer Life Bait and Fish Co., 4032-C W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, Florida 33609. Local man attends umpire school A Parkville man recently re ceived his diploma from the Harry Wendelstedt School for Umpires in Daytona Beach, Florida. Thomas Speight graduated from the school, capturing the Golden Mask Awan) for outstanding effort by a student. After knee injuries prevented Speight from playing Softball him self, he began umpiring games about eight years ago. He has worked in Hertford, Elizabeth City and Eden ton. "It's a great game/' he said, and finds umpiring a good way to participate in a sport he loves "I've built a reputation for being fair," Speight said of his career. "I'm not biased.'' He added that he doesn't care who wins, it's the sportsmanship and fair play that really count. V Speight said he is looking for col lege and legion league games to umpire now. "I feel I'm going to have a full schedule for this sum mer," he said optimistically. Although he is now qualified to be an umpire in the major leagues, Speight says, "You have to pay your dues and come up through the lower leagues before moving on to the majors. He said he was told to lose weight before trying to break into the majors and they look for "lean and mean" officials. During the school, Speight said that students are graded on calling high school and college baseball It's not only calling balls and strikes that count, but how guickly you move and think on your feet, he commented. Future umpires are taught to think quick, to interpret the rules S and to stick to their guns. "It's (umpiring) the nearest thing to a dictatorship in the world," he stated. "That's your ball field when you're calling. You not only call balls and strikes, you also con trol the game and the crowd," he added. Of hecklers, Speight commented, "You've got to hold your cool." Un der no circumstances can an um pire use profanity on the field. Speight plans to go back to the school, which he says is very ex pensive, next year after losing weight. "When I come back next year with that (major league) con tract in my hand, I want to be able to say, i made it. I'm going.' " Speight is married to the former Carolyn Lamb, and lives in the four-mile dessert section of the county. Winter storm dumps snow on county Old Man Winter awoke Friday, sending a winter storm to Perqui mans County which dumped a mix ture of rain, sleet and snow over the area. Driving was treacherous Friday evening and much of Satur day as sleet-slickened roads sent cars sliding and spinning, several ending up in ditches. The N.C. Highway Patrol stayed busy throughout Friday evening, although they report that no one was seriously injured in Perqui mans County accidents. According to Glenn Collins, offi cial weather person at the Eliza beth City Municipal Airport, Eliza beth City got about six inches of accumulation. He said that using his calculations, approximately 14 inches of snow would have been re corded had the sleet and rain not compacted the snowfall. Fortunately for residents here, the storm caused very few prob lems with power lines, although the ice and snow were heavy on them. The town of Hertford had no re ported outages, while Albemarle Electric Membership Corporation reported that the only problem they faced was an underground service blow up at Holiday Island. A company spokesman said that the problem was fixed in about one hour. Many events scheduled for the weekend were cancelled or de layed due to the icy roads. County schools started two hours late Mon day morning due to icy roads. Sledding, snowball fights, build ing snowmen and eating snow cream were the favored activities Saturday. Sunday brought warming tem peratures and melting snow, al though remnants of the storm will probably last until late in the week when forecasters predict rain. N.C. Highway Patrol has busy storm weekend N.C. Highway Patrol troopers hurried from one accident to an other Friday evening as what had been melting sleet earlier in the day turned to a snow-sleet mixture, and roads began to freeze. Several accidents were reported in Perquimans County. James Otis Carawan, Jr., 26, of Bayboro did an estimated $3,000 damage to his 1985 Chevrolet pick-up on U.S. Highway 17 Friday afternoon at 4:35. According to trooper C.S. Ad ams, Carawan was traveling south on U.S. 17 when he ran off the left side of the road during an attempt to pass another vehicle. The vehi cle went out of control, struck a ditch and turned over. Carawan was transported to Chowan Hospi tal. No citations were issued. At 5:45 p.m., a 1988 Ford oper ated by Ellen Nowell Lane, 20, of Route 3, Hertford, lost traction in a curve on snowy, icy Rural Paved Road 1329 about 11 miles east of Hertford. Lane ran off the road on the left, struck a driveway culvert, and came to rest in a ditch. She was transported to Albemarle Hos pital. Trooper D.C. Garris issued no ci tations as a result of the accident which did approximately $2,000 damage to Lane's vehicle. William Wiley Copeland, Sr., 43, of Route 5, Hertford was involved in a one-car accident at 6:20 p.m. Trooper D.C. Garris reported that Copeland was traveling north of U.S. Highway 17 three miles north of Hertford when his 1977 Dodge van lost traction on the icy road. The van ran off the road on the left, overturned and came to rest par tially in a ditch on its wheels. Copeland was unhurt, although a passenger. William Wiley Ordon, Jr., 19, of Hertford, was trans ported to Albemarle Hospital. No citations were issued. Garris esti mated damages to the van at $2,800. The Highway Patrol said there were numerous small accidents caused by the icy roads over the weekend, but no other reports had been filed at press time which out lined damages of over $500. From all reports, no one was seriously in jured due to the poor driving condi tions. County receives request for tougher trash ordinance Leo Higgins spoke to the County Commissioners at their regular session Monday night regarding the problem of unsightly trash, such as appliances and junk cars, along roadsides in the county. "Our entire county is becoming saturated with the stuff," Higgins told the commissioners, saying that one of the problems is a lack of public services in the county. Higgins said that another prob lem is enforcement of present laws concerning dumping on the rights of way. "It's against the law to dump there, but it's not enforced," he said. A change in attitudes and educa tion is the key to changing the situ ation, Higgins said. Education can come in the form of enforcement and fines, he said. Although Higgins said he is aware that the county cannot do much about what people put on pri vate property, it can restrict the view from the road. "You can make them hide it," he said. A volunteer effort has begun in the Snug Harbor area, Higgins said, to nelp with dumping prob lems there. Free transportation x and labor is available to haul large items to the county dump. Although the volunteer help is available, Higgins said that is not enough. Ordinances with penalties are needed to force residents to clean up their properties. The commissioners took no ac tion on Higgins' request. Jail facilities considered Commissioner Thomas Nixon told the board that there will be a public meeting on Friday at 2:00 p.m. in the Pasquotank County Courthouse to discuss the possibil ity of building a seven-county jail. Representatives from Washington, Chowan, Perquimans, Pasquo tank, Camden, Currituck and Gates counties will meet. Perquimans has recently been forced to house prisoners as far away as Raleigh due to overcrowd ing at Albemarle District Jail, according to Aubrey Ownley, a captain at the facility. Land transfer tax The commissioners endorsed the proposed land transfer tax that will soon come before the N.C. legis lature for consideration. The com missioners see the tax as a way to raise county revenues. *
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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Feb. 23, 1989, edition 1
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