THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
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Volume 61, No.49__Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Wednesday, December 3,1992 35 Cents
Local:
I . r »'■ •
Perquimans Social
Services earns
' state awards: Page 2
Feature:
Being politically correct
is tough at Christmas
Ramblin’ with Susan Page 4
Feature:
.
Perquimans vocalist '
earns second annual
music award: Page 5
Paige Underwood has the Orchard Shop all ready for Santa
to come by and choose gifts for special friends. The
Christmas tree lights one room of the shop’s new addition
(left). Throughout the store lie home accents and handmade
Christmas ornaments that anyone on most Christmas lists
would love. These little Santas (right) would brighten up any
tree. The elves make great stocking stuffers, or can even be
used instead of a bow on a package for someone special.
Ail across Perquimans, merchants are gearing for holiday
shoppers. (Photos by Susan Harris).
National Home Care Week celebrated
Families can
provide medical
care at home
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor__
Caring for the sick at home
is a concept as old as the hu
man race.
Families can continue to
care for sick loved ones in the
comfort of home while meeting
the patient's medical needs by
using the services provided by
Albemarle Home Care.
Albemarle Home Care was
founded in 1964 to provide pro
fessional health care services to
patients in Pasquotank. Perqui
mans, Camden, Chowan and
Currituck counties. Nurses; in
home aides; physical, occupatio
nal, and speech therapists; hos
pice workers; nutrition
counselors and personal care
service providers travel the five
counties, taking professional
medical services to patients in
their own homes.
Home Care offers advantages
to patients, said Kay Whedbee.
coordinator of Albemarle Home
Care. Hospital stays are usually
shorter when home health serv
. ices are available. Readmission is
District health agency joins in observance
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Albemarle Home Care joined home care pro
viders across the nation to observe Home Care
Week, Nov. 30-Dec. 4.
Proclamations issued by North Carolina
Governor James Martin and President George
Bush honored the professional and paraprofes
sionals who provide quality, cost-effective serv
ices to patients in their homes.
“In comfortable and familiar surroundings,
home care patients gain a sense of indepen
dence and security that contributes to their
well-being,” Governor Martin said when he
signed the state proclamation.
“During Home Care Week, the providers of
home care services are recognized as part of the
rapidly-growing segment of North Carolina’s
health industry," the governor added.
Home Care is the oldest, yet least appre
ciated. component of the nation's health care
delivery system, according to an Albemarle
Home Care information packet.
The cost effective and quality service avail
able through home care agencies offer an alter
native to hospital or nursing home care.
Home Care is the focus of increased public
awareness and legislative attention as the na
tion's leaders grapple with rising health care
costs and public demand for help with long
term care expenses.
sometimes prevented. In some
cases, home health visits mean a
patient can stay at home, rather
than be admitted to a nursing fa
cility. And perhaps most impor
tantly from a psychological
standpoint, patients are usually
more comfortable and secure
when they can remain in familiar
surroundings.
Whedbee said Home Care is
not only for elderly or economi
cally disadvantaged patients.
Services are available to patients
of all ages and all economic lev
els. . ■,J
Charges for services can be
billed to private insurance com
panies, Medicaid, Medicare or
die patient, depending on the pa
tient’s financial circumstances.
Home Care services must be
ordered by the patient’s doctor.
Whedbee said about 60 pa
tients in Perquimans County re
ceived Home Care services in
September. The number changes
monthly, but normally 50-70
county residents use the services
each month. -
Home Care professionals
usually visit once or twice each
week, Whedbee said. But visits
have been made up to three
times a day in unusual circum
stances. In other cases, visits are
only needed once a month.
Home Care administrator
Howard Campbell believes in
the importance of offering
health care services to patients
in their homes.
"We want everyone to know
about our work to bring health
care back home where it be
longs,” he said.
Anyone interested in learn
ing more about Albemarle Home
Care or volunteering time to its
hospice program should call
338- 4066.
Who’s Who
In The News
SEE PAGE
4
Help Us Begin This
Service Again! /*■
The Perquimans
Weekly
See Page 4
for information
Christmas should be glowing, not flaming
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor. ■
A state fire code effective this
past summer is designed to
make sure the glowing lights on
live Christmas trees spark good
cheer, not flames.
Hertford Fire Department
lieutenant and Training Officer
Parker Newbem said the law re
quires any decorative material
placed in a business or public
place of assembly be treated
with an approved flame retar
dant Decorative materials in
clude livq Christmas trees,
bushes or branches.
. Newbem said the law applies
to' churches and other public
places of assembly, schools, res
taurants, theaters, nightclubs,
commercial industries and busi
nesses. While'the law does not
apply to private dwellings, New
bern recommends the use of a
flame retardant on home decora
tions as well.
In addition to treating live
greenery with flame retardant,
officers said following other
safety tips can prevent a fire
from ruining the holidays.
Live trees should lie recut at
home to allow water absorption
and moisture retention. The wa
ter level in the tree stand should
be watched closely. "frees should
be watered regularly. *
„ Tree lights should be turned
off when no one is at home. If
the tree dries out and leaves be
gin to drop, the lights should not
be turned on.
Extension cords should be
used only when necessary.
Cords should be UL approved
and should not be frayed. They
should not be run under rugs.
Only those cords approved for
outside use should be used with
lawn decorations.
Outlets should not be over
loaded.
» Newbem said by following
the new law and Are safety
guidelines, the fragrant live
greenery used during the holi
days can add to your Christmas
celebration, not lead to tragedy.
Burke is guilty
Prosecution
gives account
of murder
By SUSAN R« HARRIS
Editor
Assistant District Attorney
Frank Parrish gave Superior
Court Judge William C. Griffin
an overview of the state's case
against Vivia Darvis Burke Mon
day after Burke pleaded guilty to
second degree murder and first
degree burglary.
Parrish said Rosa Lee Over
ton Newton, a Winfall native,
moved back to the town after liv
ing in Philadelphia for 40 years.
She was renovating a home.
Mrs. Newton spoke by tele
phone with a neighbor around
11 p.m. on Sept. 7. 1989. The
two confirmed an appointment
for early the next morning.
The neighbor telephoned
Mrs. Newton again at 6:15 a.m.
on Sept. 8. 1989. When Mrs.
Newton failed to answer her tele
phone, the neighbor and another
neighbor went to Mrs. Newton's
home to check on her.
There, they found the door to
Mrs. Newton’s home broken.
They entered the house and
found Mrs. Newton’s lifeless body
on the kitchen floor in a pool of
blood.
The neighbors called law en
forcement officials. Sheriff Joe
Lothian and deputy George Long
were the first on the scene. They
immediately contacted the State
Bureau of Investigation.
SBI crime technicians took
flooring from the house which
bore shoe impressions in blood.
A change purse was found on
Mrs. Newton's bed. Drops of
blood were near the change
purse. An open pocketbook
marked with blood was also
found in the bedroom.
On Nov. 18. 1989, Burke’s
former girlfriend told law enforce
ment officers that Burke con
fessed the murder to her. Burke
told his girlfriend he first went to
the house and asked for money.
Later he went back, broke in.
stabbed Mrs. Newton and left.
Burke also told his girlfriend
he threw some of the clothing he
wore the night of the murder in
an outhouse on the property
where he and his brother lived.
Sheriffs officers and SBI
agents searched the property on
Two Mile Desert Road. The offi
cers found Puma tennis shoes
buried under the outhouse.
SBI experts matched the left
shoe impression from the floor
ing take from Mrs. Newton's
house to Burke’s shoe.
The postmortem report said
Mrs. Newton was stabbed 25
times. Thirteen of the wounds
were described as defense-type
wounds. The report said no sin
Confessed
killer to be
sentenced
this week
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
More than three years
after the murder of Rosa Lee
Overton Newton in Winfall,
her killer admitted his guilt.
Vivia Darvis Burke. 30.
of Winfall. pleaded guilty to
second degree murder and
first degree burglary Monday
in a special session of Per
quimans County Superior
Court.
Burke was arrested and
charged with first degree
murder and first degree bur
glary on Nov. 18, 1989, after
two months of investigation
by the Perquimans County
Sheriffs Department and
the State Bureau of Investi
gation.
tjUirvc origuiany enicreu
not guilty pleas, but chose
to seek a plea bargain with
prosecutors Frank Parrish
and Robert Trivette Monday.
Under the terms of the plea
arrangement, the state re
duced the murder charge
from first to second degree.
While Burke no longer faces
a possibility of the death
penalty, he faces up to two
life sentences for his crimes.
Also under the arrange
ment, the prosecution will
allow Burke to present evi
dence at a sentencing hear
ing. No date had been set for
the hearing at press time,
but prosecutors expect it to
be held this week.
Burke’s court appointed
attorneys Gary Underhill
and Samuel Dixon told Su
perior Court Judge William
C. Griffin they plan to offer
testimony from Virginia psy
chiatrist Dr. Robert Brown
Jr. at the sentencing hear
ing. Brown, who evaluated
Burke earlier, could not be
reached by telephone Mon
day to set a date to testify.
Griffin recessed court
until further notice to allow
the defense time to contact
Brown.
The jury pool, sworn in
because Burke had initially
requested a jury trial, was
asked to wait outside for
over an hour during the le
gal wrangling that led to the
plea agreement.
gle wound hit a vital organ,
and that no single wound was
fatal. Mrs. Newton bled to
death on her kitchen floor.
Parade set for Saturday
The Christmas holidays offi
cially kick off in Perquimans
County Saturday when the an
nual Christmas parade steps
through the streets of Hertford.
Leading the “Christmas in
the Albemarle” caravan will be
grand marshal William Byrum,
Perquimans County High School
principal. Behind him will be a
group of his charges, the pride of
Perquimans - the Marching Pi
rates Band.
Floats, decorated cars. Boy
Scouts, dancers, baton twirlers
and other entries will spread hol
iday cheer throughout the town.
Parade participants will line
up at tire high school at 1 p.m.
The parade will step off promptly
at 2 p.m. The route begins at the
comer of Jimmy Hunter Drive
and Edenton Road Street. The
parade will move north on Eden
ton Road Street, turn right (east)
onto Dobbs Street, turn left
(north) onto Church Street, turn
left (wrest) onto Grubb Street,
turn left (south) onto Edenton
Road Street and proceed back to
the high school.
The floats will be judged at
the high school prior to moving
onto the parade route.
Near the end of the parade,
Santa Claus will be drawn by his
reindeer. The jolly old man will
stop downtown and sit at the
courthouse green to hear the
Christmas wishes of children.
Businesses downtown will ex
tend their hours beginning Satur
day to allow residents the
opportunity to browse and pur
chase gifts for special people on
their lists. Merchants have or
dered a wide selection of gift items
to please every taste and every
budget.
The parade is co-sponsored by
the Perquimans County Jaycees
and the Perquimans County
Chamber of Commerce. Entries
will be accepted until 1 p.m. Sat
urday. Contact Parker Newbem or
Sara Winslow for more informa
tion. ' ;