October 10,1
12 013165 10/09/1997 2C
?£^GUI^'ANS county library
110 W ACA0E--:Y ST
HERTFORD NC 27944
The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 64, No. 40
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Howto
vote on
Nov. 5
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Part 2 of a series
The registration books for
the Nov. 5 general election
close Friday. County residents
who are not registered by Oct.
11 will not be eligible to vote in
the general election.
Voters should take special
care when voting for county
Election
No. 1 IN Peanut Fest Parade
^o^ U Voil C'.Ol’MS
commissioner. There are four
candidates running for three
available seats. Under tlie
county’s electoral plan, each
voter may choose only one
candidate for the office. The
three candidates who collect
the most votes will be declared
the winners.
If a voter chooses more than
one candidate, the ballot will
be declared spoiled, and the
vote will not count.
County commissioners will
be sworn in at the board’s
December meeting.
Commissioners serve four-
year terms.
All polling places are
manned throughout election
day. They are responsible for
checking registration records
for all those who go to the polls
to vote. All those who vote
must be registered.
Voters are given ballots for
each race and/or referendum
item. Voters take the ballots
into voting booths to mark
their choices. After voters
complete their ballots, the bal
lots are placed in the appropri
ate locked ballot boxes.
When the polls close, the
election workers at each
precinct, sometimes assisted
by appointed counters, begin
the process of counting votes.
One person calls out the name
of each candidate who gets a
vote, while others at the table
tally. This process is done for
each ballot item.
After this process has been
completed for each item on
each ballot, a sheet is complet
ed showing the results from all
ballots in each precinct. This
sheet, along with all the ballots
placed back in the ballot boxes
and locked, is taken to the
board of elections office.
At the elections office, full
results from each precinct are
written on posters. After one
stop votes, absentee ballots
and the results from all
precincts are in, results for
each ballot item are totalled.
These results are still unoffi
cial until the elections board
validates them at the county
canvass later the same week.
Vote counting is open to the
public; however, those who
choose to be present during
the process must not interfere,
with the vote tabulation and
must be quiet so that those
involved in counting can clear
ly hear the person calling out
the votes.
Elections personnel are
careful to follow all local, state
and federal elections guide
lines and laws to ensure the
integrity of the election
process.
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Josh Harrell adjusts his trumpet while wait
ing for the Perquimans High School
Marching Band to take to the field during
PHOTO BY BRIAN VANDERVLIET, THE DAILY ADVANCE
Saturday’s Edenton Peanut Festival band
competition. Perquimans High School was
voted the top parade band.
Marching Pirates take first
in Peanut Festival parade
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The Marching Pirates
took first place in Edenton’s
Peanut Festival Parade
Saturday.
In addition, the
Perquimans band took sec
ond place drum line and
third place drum major in
class AAA category. The
Marching Pirates narrowly
missed claiming third place
overall in the group’s first
year competing in the 3-A
category.
David Ziemba,
Perquimans County Schools
Director of Instrumental
Music, said he was extreme
ly pleased with the band’s
overall performance.
The band competition was
the largest and most compet
itive in the 21-year history of
the Peanut Festival. Twenty-
one bands from northeastern
North Carolina and southern
Virginih participated in the
event.
Cox High School won the
festival’s Band of the Day
Award for receiving the top
field performance award.
Bertie County High School
received the Marvin Shaw
Award for having the high
est combined parade and
field competition scores.
The festival is a fund rais
ing event for the Edenton-
Chowan band programs.
Federal help available for
local hurricane victims
USDA Rural Development
Representative Barbara Scaff
announced the availability of
loans and grants to repair or
replace homes damaged by
Hurricane Fran. Scaff said
that the assistance is available
under Public Law 104-134
which appropriated funds to
be used to assist persons need
ing emergency assistance
resulting from natural disas
ters.
USDA Rural Development
has two programs which can
assist low or very-low income
applicants whose homes were
damaged by Hurricane Fran.
One program. Section 504, pro
vides loans to very-low income
homeowners to make repairs
or improvements needed to
remove health hazards. Loans
are made at one percent with
payment terms of up to 20
years. Very-low income elder
ly applicants may qualify for
grants of up to $7,500 to make
necessary repairs. Home con
struction, purchase, or
improvement are eligible pur
poses for the Section 502 loan
program. Rural residents who
have suffered uninsured dam
age to their homes or renters
who have lost their homes due
to damage from Fran may
want to contact their local
USDA Rural Development
Office to receive information.
“USDA housing disaster
assistance will complement
other disaster programs being
provided by the Federal
Emergency Management
Agency, (FEMA), the Small
Business Administration, and
others. Anyone in need of
assistance due to the damage
caused by Hurricane Fran
should contact FEMA for
information and assistance,”
said Scaff.
Information on USDA Rural
Development Programs can be
obtained by calling 426-5733 or
by visiting the office at 512 S.
Church Street, Hertford.
Perquimans County farm
ers who sustained physical or
production losses courtesy of
Hurricane Fran may qualify
for federal assistance.
President Clinton declared
the entire state of North
Carolina a major disaster due
to the damages and losses
caused by Hurricane Fran.
M. Kent Sawyer of the Farm
Service Agency, Ag Credit
Division in Hertford said farm
ers in Perquimans,
Pasquotank, Camden,
Currituck and Chowan coun
ties may apply for emergency
loan assistance for both physi
cal and production losses. May
6,1997 is the filing deadline.
The Perquimans FSA office
is located in the county office
building at 512 S. Church
Street, Hertford, 426-5802.
Offices hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m.,
Monday-Friday.
Manager;
Purchase
orders a must
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
County government depart
ment heads who refuse to fol
low established procedures for
purchases may find them
selves in front of the board of
commissioners.
County Manager N. Paul
Gregory told the commission
ers Monday that he has had a
problem with some depart
ment heads not obtaining pur
chase orders and getting prior
approval from his office before
placing orders. Iri one case,
Gregory said, an order exceed
ed the approved budget item
by $250.
Gregory said he has remind
ed all department heads in
writing that county audit pro
cedures require obtaining and
having approved purchase
orders prior to placing any
order for items costing over
$25. He said the item will also
be on the agenda when depart
ment heads meet with him at
their regular monthly meeting
in November.
The next time a department
head fails to follow policy,
Gregory said he will not pay
the bill and will have the
department head come before
the commissioners to ask for
the money.
As finance officer, Gregory
said he makes every attempt to
follow state audit guidelines,
as well as the recommenda
tions of the county’s auditor,
Sonja Hibbard. Both require
purchase orders.
In departments where one
person is responsible for all
purchase orders, there is no
problem, Gregory said.
Commissioner Charles
Skinner said he saw no need
for department heads to come
before the commissioners.
Skinner said he questions the
performance of a department
head who fails to follow estab
lished procedures. Bringing an
offender before the commis
sioners was tagged by Skinner
“a waste of time.”
A group of Snug Harbor res
idents joined the list of those
complaining to commisisoners
about dog problems in their
neighborhoods.
Cindy Bowling told the com
missioners that dogs in the
subdivision are attacking peo
ple, other dogs and property.
“It’s getting real bad,”
Bowling said.
Gregory told the group that
animal control officer Ron
Priddy needs help determining
the owners of offending dogs
so that citations can be issued.
Priddy is trying to catch the
strays, Gregory said.
Health officials
plan shot day
Influenza and pneumonia
are major public health prob
lems in North Carolina. In
1994, more than 2,200 North
Carolinians died due to com
plications of influenza and
pneumonia, most of whom
were 65 and older. Locally
pneumonia and influenza is
the fifth leading cause of
death, in 1994, 36 persons died
from disease complications.
Many of these deaths could
have been prevented by timely
vaccinations.
More than 50 percent of
North Carolina’s population
over 65 do not receive an annu
al influenza vaccination. Many
of those who receive the vac
cine receive it too early in the
year and have little protection
during the critical months of
January and February.
Influenza vaccines are most
effective if received from mid-
October to mid-November, the
closer to the beginning of flu
season (mid-December) the
better. More than 70 percent of
those 65 and older have never
received the pneumonia vac
cine. This is true even though
Medicare Part B pays for the
cost of effective, safe vaccina
tions for influenza and pneu
monia.
With the support of
Governor James B. Hunt Jr.,
local organizations and health
care facilities have joined
forces to improve North
Carolina’s influenza and pneu
monia prevention efforts.
Their efforts will result in
Senior Vaccination Sunday
events, a mass influenza and
pneumonia vaccination pro
motion to take place Nov. 3,
the Sunday before Election
Day. Plans are being made to
make Nov. 3 a grand event in
the Albemarle area.
If you are 65 or older or
know someone who is, Nov. 3
will be the perfect opportunity
for you to protect yourself or a
loved one from contracting a
preventable disease.
Details on Senior
Vaccination Sunday grand
events will be coming soon.
For additional information
call the senior citizens center
or health department in
Perquimans County.
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