Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, August
WEEKLY
30 Cents
out u . i participate in ,
?o-day EFNEP solid waste
anagement workshops: Page 7
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There’s more in
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Briefs
Centura declares dividend
. Centura Banks Inc. (NYSE:
CBC) has declared a third quar
ter dividend of 15 cents per
’share, payable on Sept. 16,
1991, to shareholders of record
oh Aug. 30. 1991. The dividend
is equal to the dividend paid in
the third quarter of 1990.
•: Centura Banks Inc., with its
subsidiaries Centura Banks,
Mid-South Bank in Sanford and
Watauga Savings in Boone, had
total assets on June 30, 1991,
of. $2.5 billion.
NAACP to sponsor session
> The youth of the Perquimans
County NAACP will nave a
’‘Back to School Rap Session" on
Thursday. Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. at
First Baptist Church.
■ Playhouse sets auditions
? A casting call has been an
nounced' by the Perquimans
‘ Playhouse for the fall production
eof the hit play “Suitehearts,” a
; cfknedy by William Van Zandt
<and Jane Mllmore.
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s Tryouts will be held at the
‘ Perquimans County Chamber of
(Commerce office at 7:30 p.m. on
■jAug. 20 and 22. The cast con
sists of five actors Including two
; males, two females and one op
Jtional role.
v r'
! Nutrition sit* rnsnus
l , The Nutrition Site menus for
; August 19*23 are as follows:
Monday-Chicken breast pat- -
tie with gravy, green peas, sweet
potato patties, dinner roll, mar
garine. fresh orange and milk.
Tuesday-BBQ Beef, coleslaw,
stewed potatoes, whole wheat
bread, margarine, pineapple up
side down cake, and milk.
Wednesday-Oven baked pork
chop, steamed babbage. com,
dinner roll, margarine, pineapple
chunks and milk.
Thursday-Beef vegetable
soup, 1/2 pimento cheese sand
wich. carrot/raisin salad. 4
crackers, margarine and milk.
Friday-Baked turkey,
mashed potatoes, seasoned
green beans, whole wheat bread,
margarine, fresh watermelon or
melon balls and milk.
Seniors s*t picnic
' The Memory Lane Senior
Citizen Club will have a picnic
at Missing Mill Park, instead of
their monthly meeting, on Mon
day. Aug. 19 at 12:30 p.m.
Games will be played.
Shrimp F*ast slated
On Septemer 7. the American
Legion Baseball Booster Club
will sponsor their first Shrimp
Feast at the American Legion
Post 40 Fairgounds in Edenton.
It is an all-you-can-eat meal
from 5-8 p.m., including bever
age, and a disc jockey for your
listening or dancing pleasure.
The charge is $15 per person,
eat-in only.
j.f This is a fund raiser to help
support the Post 40 baseball
team. For tickets or information,
cadi Jimmy Alston at 482- 8739;
Sharon Edwards at 221-4439.
David Nixon at 221-4356 or any
Baseball Booster Club member.
ixy
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Burke arrested, charged with murder
Officials crack two-year-old Winfall case
Dotted persistence on the
part of Perquimans County
Sheriffs Deputy George Long
and State Bureau of Investiga
tion Special Agent Dwight Ran
some resulted in the arrest of a
man suspected of the September
1989 murder of a Winfall
woman, according to Sheriff Joe
Lothian.
Vivia Darvis Burke. 30. was
arrested Monday around 10 a.m.
by Long and Ransome and
charged with the stabbing death
of Rosa Lee Overton Newton.
Burke is being held in Albemarle
District Jail without bond, Lo
thian said.
First arrested and charged
with the murder on Nov. 17,
1989, Burke was released in
1990 after witnesses changed
their testimony before Burke
could be tried for the crime. The
state took a voluntary dismissal
in the case.
Newton’s bloodied body was
found in the kitchen area of her
home on Highway 32 in Winfall
just after 7 a.m. on Sept. 6.
1989. Initial investigation re
vealed that a neighbor went to
the Newton home after Mrs.
Newton did not answer her tele
phone. Upon finding the front
door broken, the neighbor left
the Newton home to get a friend
to go back to the home. The
friend found Mrs. Newton and
immediately contacted law en
forcement officials.
SBI crime reports indicated
that Mrs. Newton was stabbed
approximately 25 times. Lothian
described the death as “a very
violent crime.”
Lothian praised the efforts of
Long and Ransome in Investigat
ing the case and discovering
new evidence that led to Burke's
second arrest. He said informa
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.He photo by Susan Harris
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Hh
dian Summer fun
The countdown to the Perquimans County Chamber of Commerce Indian Summer Feetl*
vai has begun. Chamber officials are busy with last-minute details of the annual two-day
event scheduled for Sept. 13 and 14. Entertainers, food vendors and crafters will con
verge on Hertford when die 10th Indian Summer gala rolls around. Pictured above are
one of the
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Waste Industries seeks town’s business
Representatives of Waste In
dustries. Inc. spoke to the Hert
ford Town Council Monday night
in regular session about assist
ing the town with solid waste
management.
Regional Manager Jim Rob
erts and Elizabeth City Branch
Manager Tom Palmer spoke on
behalf of the company.
“We can do a lot of things
for you," Roberts told council.
“We would like to serve the town
of Hertford any way we can."
Roberts said Waste Indus
tries serves approximately^
20,000 customers, and tailors
their services to meet the needs
of the county or municipality
they serve. He said they provide
any combination of residential
pick-up, yard waste collection,
commercial pick-up and street
sweeping.
When asked by Councilman
Billy Winslow about the services
Waste Industries performs for
the county, Roberts said that
the company empties the dump
sters located around the county.
The firm will man the conve
nience centers when they are
constructed, he said.
“Some people think garbage
collection is free. It’s not," Rob
erts stated. “With landfill
charged at $25 a ton, it’s cost
ing somebody.”
Mayor and City Manager
W.D. “Bill" Cox said that those
most impacted by solid waste
management costs are small
businesses. He added that with
spiraling costs, the town will
struggle with the problem of
providing services while con
taining COStS. iw».—l
"It’s getting
to be an expen
sive proposi
tion,” Cox said.
“We need to look
at every possi
bility that there
Is out there.”
Council re
quested a bid on
services irora u)X
Waste Industries. Councilman
Erie Haste said he would like to
see the cost of providing single
services as well as a proposal on
performing all waste services for
the town.
Elliott Layden, owner of El
liott Lay den Radio & Electric
Shop, told the council that he
felt that the $20 per month
charge the town had imposed to
pick up refuse at his business
was too high.
“A small business like mine
doesn’t have much trash.” Lay
den said.
Cox told council that while
letters stating a monthly charge
for commercial collection had
been mailed, he had tried to
visit all the Hertford businesses
to tell them that the charge
would be postponed until fur
ther study coqld be conducted.
He added that another letter will
go out to businesses.
Councilman Jesse Harris
said he doesn’t think the town
should charge commercial cus
tomers at this time.
“Regardless of each one of
ya’lls’ opinions.” Harris said
pointing at his fellow coun
cilmen, v*we can get by for at
least another year...We can pay
this thing with no problems at
all at this time (from die town’s
reserves).
“This council is trying to find
a fair and equitable fee for the
merchants, if we charge a fee."
Cox said. “All this came about
because the county Imposed a
tipping fee.”
Cox said that the county will
begin charging a waste manage
ment fee to all residences In the
county this year. Commercial
customers are not being charged
the $25 county fee. Cox said
that If the town chooses to ab
sorb the cost of tipping fees at
the Tri-County Landfill from the
general fund, it would mean
that all Hertford residents would
be forced to pay the price of
commercial dumping.
He added that new waste
management regulations and
rising costs are a problem the
town must consider carefully so
that the right decisions on
handling the new problem can
be made.
“We’re not charging the peo
ple to pick their garbage up,
we’re charging them to get rid of
ft,” Councilman Erie Haste
stated.
Cox pleased with business renovations
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Business renovation In
downtown Hertford Is making
Mayor Bill Cox happy. , , *r;
** Tm real pleased with what
Is going on down there." Cox
tola the town council Monday
: night.■ \ ” ;; v i
Cox said that with the reno
vation of three buildings on
Market Street completed, the
Blanchard building renovation
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nearing completion and two
Church Street storefronts being
spruced up. the downtown area
looks much better. , s \
The mayor also announced
that Lester Keel, who owns the
building on the comer of Grubb
and Edenton Road streets which
Is presently under condemnation
proceedings, told Cox that he
will renovate the building. Keel
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told Cox that he has contacted
a structural engineer who will
evaluate the building and make
recommendations. Cox added
that Keel had requested that the
town assist him with removal of
ihe materials in and around the
building.
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tion leading to the arrest came
“due to their (Long's and Ran
some’s) perseverence."
Friends said that Mrs. New
ton, a Perquimans County na
tive, was renovating the Winfall
home and planned to retire
here. She said she wanted to
leave Philadelphia, Penn, due to
the high crime rate there.
Burke had his first appear
ance in court Wednesday. A
spokepefson for the Perquimans
County Clerk of Superior Court
said that while no definite prob
able cause date has been set,
the next session of District
Criminal Court is scheduled for
Aug. 28.
Vivia Darvis Burke
.... charged with murder
Hertford waterfront
plan comes under fire
A plan to Improve the water
front area behind the town of
fices came under fire from a
citizen during a Hertford Town
Council meeting Monday night.
Sara Winslow, a Biologist
Supervisor with the N.C. Divi
sion of Marine Fisheries, told
council that two applications for
waterfront grants had been sub
mitted to her. The first, she
said, was a request for funds to
construct a parking lot, board
walk and park along the water
front behind the town offices.
The second called for expansion
of the Missing Mill Park parking
lot and the construction of a 70
foot pier with handicap access.
Winslow said the design of
the proposed improvements to
the boat parking area on Punch
Alley would result in the loss of
half of the present parking
spaces. She said that the lot is
already congested on weekends,
and that the loss of more park
ing spaces would only add to
the congestion. She added that
residents complain now about
inadequate parking facilities and
that the improvements would
only make the situation worse.
Mayor W.D. “Bill” Cox and
councilmen said that the plan
was supposed to increase the
number of parking spaces. Cox
added that if the plan is funded
by state or federal agencies, the
town may have to consider alter
ing the design.
"1 still think that if we're
lucky enough to get the grant,
then we can change the plan,”
Cox said. “We’re flexible.”
Councilman Billy Winslow
asked Sara Winslow how she
feels about the construction of a
r
boardwalk and park area.
“Unfortunately. I see It as
something else to be tom up
(constructed) by county, federal
and state monies.” Winslow re
plied.
Town attorney Walter Eld- _
wards interjected that there was
a public hearing on the pro
posed waterfront improvements.
Sara Winslow also suggested
that the town check with the Di
vision of Environmental Manage
ment regarding the recently
paved parking lot just behind
the town offices. Winslow said
she believes the town may be in
violation of Storm Water Man
agement codes. She said while
the parking lot is not adjacent
to the riverfront, the run-off may ;
affect the river. Money to pay for
the lot paving came from the
Power Bill Fund set aside for
street improvements.
In other discussion related
to the waterfront, Phelps Street
resident Eldon Winslow asked if
the town could have the boat
ramps declared a public nui
sance. He said the early morn
ing noise and speeding boats are
a nuisance to residents along
the waterfront. He also cited en
vironmental concerns.
“I love this river more than I
love myself,” Winslow com
mented.
“I hate to be so negative.”
Winslow declared, after stating
that if the boat ramp area con
tinues to be abused it should be
shut down. Cox reminded those
present that town residents had
requested a boat ramp years
ago.
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rfm fpinri^ flin i it
i ‘ v FWe photo by Susan H«l» '|
^ Horizon funds at work ^
Mayor W. D. “Bill” Cox told Hartford Town Council mem
: liars Monday night that ha la very pleased with renova*
tions to the downtown area. Funds set aside tor Hertford
Horizons, a move to improve the looks of the town, are
available to businesses who spruce up storefronts.