June 5,1997
12 013165 10/09/1997 *
PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
.110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD NC 27944
The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 65, No. 22
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Inside
‘
h±
Bennie Murphy
What DO you
do? by
Sean Jackson
Pages
Dr. Weaver
to be honored
for service in
Hertford County
Pages
1
Middle school
honors
scholastic
athletes
Page 6
Local students
earn honors
Page 8
Perquimans County
an
All of Us Care
Community
June’s theme:
Get out of a rut
All of Us need a little change to
get out of a rut. Write that Tong
overdue letter or make phone
calls to folks you haven’t
spoken with in a while.
Tty something new. Start that prp-
ject or stop that bad habit. Get
involved in a new organization or
activity in our community. Plan a
new adventure. Take a different
route to work. Check out a library
book or an unfamiliar subject. Try
something that you haven’t done
in a long time. Stop and smell the
flowers. Take a walk along the
river or go fly a kite. Visit someone
who could use some company.
For information, contact
Sandra Smith
Perquimans County Chamber
426-5657
County budget projects no tax increase
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Perquimans County taxpay
ers will pay the same tax rate
they have paid for the last four
years if the Board of
Commissioners approve the
budget presented to them
Monday by county manager
Paul Gregory.
“The FY 1997-98 County
Budget can be viewed as repre
sentative of our Current
Economic Climate, we have
only 3 percent unemployment,
a strong economy and this is
the fourth consecutive year
with NO COUNTY TAX
INCREASE.” Gregory wrote in
his budget message to commis
sioners.
Gregory stated that the bud
get is strong and carefully
planned.
“Every department, agency
and/or unit deriving funds
from the Perquimans County
Board of Commissioners has
been thoroughly reviewed and
in many cases, planned for a
mid-year Budgetary Review,”
Gregory wrote.
Ad valorem taxes are based
on county property assess
ments of just over $4.61 mil
lion. At a tax rate of 78 cents
per $100 valuation with a col
lection rate of 94 percent, the
county anticipates bringing in
over $3.38 million in ad val
orem revenues.
There is some good news in
the county social services bud
get. Gregory stated that due
mainly to the Work First
Program, the county’s finan
cial requirement for social ser
vices program has decreased.
AFDC funding will drop by
$19,000. Special assistance to
the aged and disabled will be
decreased by $10,000. Although
Medicaid will increase by
$20,000, Gregory said that
increase is significantly less
than in past years.
A 3 percent across-the-board
salary increase for all county
staff is included in the budget,
along with one-step merit
increases for up to one-third of
the county staff.
The budget includes the
purchase of a new ambulance
to take the place of the oldest
one presently in service,
minor renovations at the
extension building, and a new
base station at the Winfall
Communications Tower.
“Perquimans County is
moving forward in a very posi
tive direction,” Gregory con
cluded his budget message.
“Financially, the county is
sound. With continued progre-
sive leadership and everyone
being of ‘one mind’ to make
Perquimans County the ‘Best
That It Can Be;” we will do just
that.”
A public hearing on the
budget is set for Monday, June
16 at 7 p.m. in the commission
ers’ meeting room. Prior to the
hearing, a copy of the pro
posed budget can be reviewed
by contacting Gregory at the
county manager’s office.
Lady Pirates are state championship-beund
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
They’re going to Raleigh.
For the second time in as
many years, the Lady Pirates
are one of only four 1-A teams
statewide to earn a slot in the
state slow-pitch championship
tournament scheduled for this
weekend at Walnut Creek in
Raleigh..
Entering the playoffs as the
No. 4 seed out of the Albemarle
Conference, the expectations
weren’t so high for the team
with a 7-5 record. The relaxed
atmosphere worked wonders
for Perquimans.
“When it comes to playoffs,
everybody is 0 and 0/’ said
Lady Pirates head coach
Karen Booker. “We were a No.
4 seed. The pressure wasn’t on
us, it was on the other teams.
“1 told the girls to go out and
have fun and play the best you
can. We were just happy to be
in the playoffs. We weren’t
expected to win. We weren’t
expected to do anything and
without the pressure, we start
ed to play like we should play
and you know experienced
teams play well in the play
offs.”
Play well Perquimans did,
knocking off three higher seed
ed teams to earn the champi
onship berth.
With Midway and Roanoke
in the win column, only con
ference champions
WUliamston stood between the
Lady Pirates and Raleigh. On
Friday, Perquimans used an
early lead and solid defense to
take a 4-1 win against a strong
Lady Tiger squad.
With bases loaded and no
outs in the first inning, clean
up batter Tiffany Baker sacri
ficed to score April Owens.
Next batter Kim Stallings sent
a three-base blast to deep right
to score Mindy Roberson and
Amber Curies. Millicent
Whitehurst followed with a
sacrifice to score Stallings.
The Tigers fell in order in the
bottom of the inning.
In the third, Williamston
mounted its first offense chal-
tf-
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
The Lady Pirates celebrate their 4-1 victory over a tough Williamston team in round three of the state playoffs Friday. With the win,
Perquimans earned the right to advance to the state 1-A softball championship tournament in Raleigh this weekend.
lenge. Two singles and a
baubled grounder loaded the
bases. With the ball coming
from the outfield to
Whitehurst at shortstop, the
runner on third stepped off the
base as if headed for home.
Whitehurst faked to home and
tagged the unsuspecting run
ner at second who had stepped
off the bag toward third. The
next batter flied out to end the
inning.
“She’s (Whitehurst) done
that four times in the play
offs,” Booker said of the fake to
home.
Again in the sixth
Williamston threatened to
rally. Starting the inning with
its No. 1 batter at the plate,
Williamston used a single, a
walk and a second single to
score one run and put runners
on first and second. The clean
up hitter sent one to right
field. Perquimans’ Stallings
caught the fly ball and sent a
bullet to Kesha Harrell at
third, picking off the baserun-
ner attempting to advance on
the long ball. A one-out, two
runners in scoring position
situation was knocked out
from under the Lady Tigers.
The inning was put to rest on a
fly ball.
The Lady Pirates were not
finished flexing their defen
sive muscle. In the bottom of
the seventh, the first
WUliamston batter singled and
was held at first when left
fielder Amher Curies caught a
fly ball and quickly got the ball
back to the infield. The third
batter sent a line drive just
above ground level back to
relief pitcher Tiffany Baker.
Baker turned her body, made a
back-handed catch and calmly
threw the ball to Roberson at
first. Not sure whether Baker
had trapped the baU or caught
it, Roberson tagged the bag
and the runner, who stepped
off the base toward second, not
sure whether to stay on first or
go to second.
Both teams and benches
froze for an instant until the
plate umpire shouted, “That’s
the game.” Baker was on her
feet just a few more seconds
before being swarmed by her
team as the large contingent of
Perquimans fans cheered.
Unlike last year when the
Lady Pirates were undefeated
in the Albemarle Conference
and were expected to be big
contenders for the state crown,
expectations for the 1997
team—playing both slow- and
fast-pitch ball—weren’t so
high.
“I think they are reaUy get-
'oting to savor this one,” Booker
' said. “The first time around
ever5dhing was so busy and so
crazy and so pressure. The
kids and coaches are really
getting to appreciate this one
more than last year because
it’s so hard to get back. There
are some really good teams
that never make it once.”
Perquimans will face,
Jamesville at noon Saturday
in round one of the double
elimination state champi
onship tournament.
Hertford Lion receives most prestigious state award
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
He spent his career in edu
cation, but the most important
lesson John Biggers has proba
bly ever taught is the example
of service to the community he
has set.
In recognition of his many
years of community service
through the Lions Club,
Biggers was presented with
the Jack Stickley Fellow
Plaque on his 90th birthday,
March 20. The Stickly Fellow
is the most prestigious award
given by the North Carolina
Lions Foundation. The award
was presented by Luther V.
Creel, president of the North
Carolina Lions Foundation at
a special meeting in Hertford.
“Congratulations,” Creel
told Biggers. “You have been
made a Jack Stickley Fellow.
Your interest in your commu
nity, your devotion to the bet
terment of mankind, and dedi
cation to the principles of
Lionism are sincerely appreci
ated by all who know you.
“As a Jack Stickley Fellow,
your name will become a per
manent part of the records of
the North Carolina Lions
Foundation, and you will be so
recognized at many futurej
meetings of the Foundation.
Wear your Jack Stickley
Fellowship pin with pride so
that all might be reminded of
the accomplishments of this
great Lion.”
Biggers became a Lion in
1946 when he joined a club in
Greenville. He transferred to
the Hertford club in 1948,
when he accepted the position
of superintendent of
Perquimans County Schools.
He served as president of the
club in 1952, and treasurer for
42 years, a job he still holds.
Please see Biggers, page 2
Outside
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