December 14,1995
12 013165 08/17/1996.20
PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD NC 27944
The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 63. No. 47
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
King Street house fire
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Hertford firefighters responded to a house fire at 330 King
Street Sunday evening. They arrived to find the rear portion
of the house totaliy engulfed, according to fire chief Sid Eley.
The fire blazed again later Sunday and shortly after noon on
Monday. The occupants got out unharmed, but Eley said the
home’s contents were destroyed.
Fire destroys home of Hertford couple
A fire and subsequent flare-
up destroyed a local minister’s
home Svmday.
Bishop R.A. Griswould and
his wife escaped injury when
their 330 King Street home
caught fire around 4:40 p.m.
The Griswoulds lived in a
two-story wood frame house
that had a three-room addition
bunt off the first floor. The fire
began in the three-room addi
tion, Fire Chief Sid Eley said.
The couple, who are in their
80’s, were in the firont section of
the house counting Sunday’s
church offerings and did not
know the fire had started.
Neighbors had to go in the
house to rescue them, Eley said.
The money was saved.
The Hertford Fire
Department, along with the
Bethel and Winfall departments,
responded to the call. The three-
room addition was destroyed
and there was extensive smoke
and water damage throughout
the first floor, but the second
floor was spared.
Approximately four hours
later the fire departments
returned to the scene. The fire
had rekindled on the second
floor, gutting the entire build
ing.
The main group of fire fight
ers left the scene at 11 p.m., but
Hertford fire fighters rotated
shifts at the scene throughout
the night to watch for flare-ups.
Early Monday afternoon a
second flare-up occurred but
was quickly contained, Eley
said.
Fire fighters have not deter
mined what caused the original
blaze.
The Hertford Department
also responded to a mobile
home fire at Wynn Fork Trailer
Park Monday evening around 5
p.m. Eley said one bedroom was
totally gutted and the rest of the
mobile home sustained heat
and smoke damage.
Eley said the fire was started
by children playing with a ciga
rette lighter.
20/20, county
seek to hatch
new business
Perquimans 20/20 Vision
Coalition and Perquimans
County hope to establish an
incubator to hatch new busi
nesses in Perquimans and the
siUTOunding counties.
The 20/20 Vision incubator
would provide facility and
business services assistance
to new and emerging techno
logical companies willing to
share temporary office space.
Answering, secretarial, con
sultation, legal and tax ser
vices; copy and FAX
machines; and work process
ing/computer use would be
shared by the businesses in
the incubator.
The objective of this com
munity-based project is to
help area business owners get
the information and knowl
edge they need to develop
their businesses.
Because technology compa
nies comprise the major
ei^dne of new job creation and
have the greatest economic
impact on commvmities, these
types of companies are being
targeted for assistance.
Model incubators operating
in 16 locations around the
state have proven extremely
successful.
For information, contact
20/20 coordinator Leo
Higgins, 426-2020, or county
economic development direc
tor Robert Baker, 426-2027.
New vehicle in service
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
The Perquimans County (Volunteer) Rescue Squad recently purchased and had repainted
this former N.C. Highway Patrol car. According to rescue squad spokespersons Larry
Chappell and Darlean Perkins, the vehicle has already been used by the squad to transport
additional personnel needed on a call. The county commissioners agreed to house and
maintain the vehicle.
Inside
Coming up
Holocaust study
stimulates student
creativity
Page 7
Get next week’s issue of
The Perquimans Weekly.
it’s our annual Christmas edition, including holiday
greetings and letters to Santa.
Perquimans
SADD gets
grant funds for
safety projects
Planned activities
will target drunk
driving, seat belt
education
Perquimans was one of 78
high schools across the state
to receive a $500 cash award to
conduct activities aimed at
encouraging its students to
buckle their seat belts and
avoid alcohol.
The University of North
Carolina Highway Safety
Research Center and the N.C.
Governor’s Highway Safety
Programs are sponsoring the
funding project.
All award
recipients will
conduct pro
grams that
will periodi
cally monitor
seat belt use
by student
motorists and
will promote
belt use with events and activ
ities. Program events will also
sent the message that alcohol
is not needed to have a good
time. Schools wlU use the cash
awards to purchase small
prizes and supplies.
Perquimans’ program to
run from January until the
end of school. The Students
Against Drunk Driving Club,
with the help of the Health
Occupations Students of
America, will coordinate the
program. The goal of the pro
gram is to increase seat belt
usage while promoting the
message that alcohol and
drugs kill.
A special kick-off activity
has been planned for Jan. 24.
The event will include assem
blies at Perquimans High and
Perquimans Middle schools
during the day, and a commu
nity assembly at Perquimans
High School at 7 p.m. Lin
Dawson, former New England
Patriots football player, will be
the speaker for these assem
blies.
Other scheduled activities
include seat belt surveys, the
Prom Promise Campaign, and
Lights for Life.
Studies conducted by the
UNC H^hway Safety Research
Center show that teenage
motorists stand the greatest
risk of being involved in auto
mobile crashes. Teenage dri
vers also suffer more serious
and fatal crash injuries than
any other motorist age group.
In fact, nearly one-half of all
the youth, ages 16-19, who die
each year in the United States
are killed in automobile crash
Lights for Life
Friday, Dec. 15
Drive with your headlights
on all day in remembrance
of those killed and injured
in alcohol-related crashes
es. To compound the problem,
younger drivers tend to use
their seat belts less than older
drivers.
The Governor’s Highway
Safety Program and the UNC
Center are providing the funds
as part of a research project.
Researchers are trying to
determine if high school-
based, student-coordinated
promotional programs can
affect the seat belt-wearing
and alcohol-consuming habits
of teenagers, and reduce crash-
related deaths and injuries.
The local SADD Club has
not waited for its funds to
sponsor public awareness
campaigns. In addition to
activities conducted during
' ' ' Red Ribbon
Week and
homecom
ing, SADD
has a num
ber of
December
activities
underway
designed to
promote student involvement
and raise awareness.
A Christmas tree in the
school library is being deco
rated with ornaments made by
SADD members. Students sign
the ornaments to show that
they promise not to drive
drunk over the Christmas hol
idays.
A “Graveyard of the
Greats” has been erected
between the school and the
student parking lot. Crosses
bearing the names of famous
people who have died from
drug or alcohol use create the
graveyard.
The club asks that the
entire county become involved
in its Lights for Life Campaign
on Dec. 15. Drivers are asked
to drive with their lights on all
day during this one-day,
nationwide observance in
remembrance of persons
killed or injured in alcohol-
related crashes. This event
also serves as a reminder that
law enforcement throughout
the nation will especially tar
get impaired drivers during
the holiday season.
Lights for Life is sponsored
by the National 3D Prevention
Month Coalition.
SADD has just ended its
coat collection drive. One hun
dred twenty-five coats of all
shapes and sizes were donated.
Hands were attached to the
coats reminding people that
when they put their coats on,
they should also remember to
buckle up. The coats will be
distributed through Catholic
Social Ministries.
Outside
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