4
September 18,1997
12 013165 10/09/1997 *C20
PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD NC 27944
The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 65, No. 37
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Inside
Chiystal Towe,
. What DO you
do? by
Sean Jackson
Page 2
Indian
Summer
Festival 1997
comes to town
Special insert
Pirate sports
highlights
Page 6
Happenings
Page 2
Perquimans County
an
Ali of Us
, Community
September’s theme:
Do
Your
Best
Board gets mixed messages on personnel
Speakers split
on board action
regarding Tice
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The Perquimans County
Board of Education received
mixed messages from the pub
lic on recent personnel issues
at the board’s regular meeting
Monday night.
The latest personnel contro
versy involves the July 31 sus
pension without pay and dis
missal proceedings inititated
by superintendent Randall
Henion against long-time
Hertford Grammar School
principal Bill Tice. Tice
resigned on Aug. 15 effective
Dec. 31. He is now suspended
with pay until that time.
The school board issued a
statement after Tice spoke
with The Daily Advance and
The Perquimans Weekly news
papers stating that the board
had reviewed documentation
supporting Henion’s decision
to recommend Tice’s dis
missal.
“The documentation is sub
stantial and reflects serious
performance problems which
repeatedly were discussed
with Mr. Tice over the last two
years,’’ the news release read.
“The Superintendent gave Mr.
Tice appropriate time, oppor
tunity, guidance and resources
to improve his performance,
but little to no improvement
was seen.”
The release added that the
proper procedures were fol
lowed at every stage of the
process leading to his resigna
tion.
Tice’s suspension drew an
overflow crowd to the board’s
Aug. 18 meeting, where sever
al people spoke in his support.
Monday night, more speak
ers were among the full house.
Three of those who spoke
backed Henion and the board.
Two said they had concerns
about the issue.
Former school board chair
man Ben Hobbs said he attend
ed a school board convention
in October 1995 where he
heard a presentation by the
Raleigh law firm Schwartz and
Associates concerning person-
Hertford HR Miss Indian Summer crowned
crossing to
get safer
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Juveniles
suspected
of robbery
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Criminals are getting
younger, they say.
That’s definitely true in
Perquimans County, where
three children, ages 6-12, are
suspects in a robbery case in
Snug Harbor, according to
Perquimans County Sheriff
David Lane.
The trio allegedly is respon
sible for a break-in at the resi
dence of Celeste McHone of
Snug Harbor. A .22 calibur
rifle and cash were taken. The
incident was reported Sunday
afternoon around 3:30 p.m.
The sheriff said law enforce
ment authorities are seeking
juvenile petitions in the case.
The sheriff’s department
also recently arrested four peo
ple they suspect of breaking
and entering four Snug Harbor
homes in early August.
- Arrested were Charlie
McMellin, 20, of 53 Goosie
Lane, Hertford; Robert Lee
Johnson, 41, of 574A Pine St.,
Hertford; Benjamin Warrener,
16, of 41 and 42F Shady Lane,
Hertford; and Leonard
Richard Sorrell, 24, of 116
Hemlock St., Hertford.
McMellin was charged with
four counts of felony breaking
and entering, possession of
Stolen goods, second degree
burglary and breaking and
entering. His bond was set at
$9,000 secured. 'The other three
were charged with felony pos
session of stolen goods. Bonds
ranged from $3,000-$6,000.
Chief deputy Dean
Cartwright said a fifth suspect,
Michael Shields, has been
arrested and is in custody in
Virginia. Cartwright had no
other information on Shields.
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
A Hertford railroad cross
ing should get safer.
Town manager John
Christensen said the state
Department of Transportation
notifled the town that it is eli
gible for a federal grant to add
automatic warning devices at
the railroad crossing at Dobbs
Street.
Christensen said it will cost
approximately $90,000, and the
town is eligible for 90 percent
funding. The town would pay
the other 10 percent, either all
at once or over a 3 year period.
There will also be an aihnual
local maintenance fee of $1,328.
Seven streets converge at
the railroad tracks, which are
only a block from Hertford
Grammar School. The proxim
ity of the school and heavy
traffic related to the school
make the crossing especially
dangerous, councilman Sid
Eley said before moving to
apply for the funds.
Councilman Billy Winslow
suggested that the town
approach the school system
asking for funds to help with
the local match and annual
maintenance because most of
the traffic across the tracks is
generated by the school.
The town has sought to
upgrade the warning system at
the crossing for 20 years, but
could get no funding assis
tance, councilman Erie Haste
said.
The crossing is presently
served only by a flashing over
head light that cannot be seen
clearly by drivers at aU seven
of the streets that come togeth
er at the track.
'The track does have a warn
ing signal at its Grubb Street
crossing.
The excitement and enthusi
asm of youth flowed from the
stage at Perquimans County
Middle School Saturday night
during the Miss Indian
Summer Festival Pageant.
Six talented Perquimans
High School students sang and
danced their way into the
hearts of those gathered for
the gala. Junior Terilyn Ross
was crowed Miss Indian
Summer Festival 1997 by the
1996 queen. Brandy Hollowell.
Summer Warden earned first
runner-up honors. Named sec
ond runner-up was Sarah
Knehr.
New to this year’s pageant
was the contestants’ selection
of a Miss Congeniality.
Courtney Harris earned that
designation.
Julie Bunch and Keosha
Beamon rounded out the six
finalists.
“I consider all six girls who
appeared in the pageant
Saturday finalists,” said
pageant chairman Brenda
Dail. “Several other girls com
pleted applications or attended
a pre-pageant practice, but
these six were the ones who
stayed with it throughout the
days leading up to the pageant.
'They are all beautiful, talented
girls. We are fortunate in
Perquimans County to have
such outstanding youth.”
'The pageant opened with a
production number themed on
the Broadway hit, “Grease,”
and the introduction of contes
tants. After watching a repeat
performance of the dance per
formed by HoUoweU in her
successM bid for the Indian
Summer crown in 1996, the
audience enjoyed dancing,
singing and instrumentals
during the talent competition.
Appearance and poise and
public speaking competitions
were also a part of the pageant.
“I know I didn’t drive far
enough to get to Broadway
Saturday night, but wow, what
0 S.
-"■V
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Perquimans County High School junior Terilyn Ross was
crowned Miss Indian Summer Festival 1997 at the pageant held
Saturday night at Perquimans Middle School. For highlights of
Festival ‘97, see the insert in this week’s newspaper.
a production of Miss Indian
Summer Festival ‘97!” said
Chamber executive director
Sandra Williams Smith.
“Brenda DaU and her group
put on an outstanding evening
of entertainment at the
Perquimans Middle School.
We have some remarkable
young people in Perquimans
County.”
After a final look at the con
testants, Hollowell and James
Hm*dle, a 1996 graduate of
Perquimans High School and a
student at North Carolina
School of the Arts, performed a
special dance the pair choreo
graphed. They received a
standing ovation.
Lisa Dail, pageant youth
coordinator, sang a song of
thanks on behalf of the contes
tants to the contestants’ par
ents and those who helped
with the pageant.
Another change in this
year’s pageant was the inclu
sion of young men m the open
ing production number and as
escorts for the contestants’
final walk down the runway.
Just prior to taking her
final walk as Miss Indian
Summer Festival, Hollowell
presented the chamber with a
portrait of herself in her gown
and crown from last year’s
pageant. Smith said it will
hang in the chamber’s recep
tion area.
Anna Wrae Smith and
Douglas Umphlett returned to
the pageant as mistress and
master of ceremonies. Pageant
co-chairman was Lynwood
Winslow. Perquimans County
Schools employees and stu
dents worked at the ticket
table and behind the scenes as
stagehands and technicians.
The pageant is co-sponsored
by the Chamber of Commerce
and Perquimans County
Schools. It is the official kick
off to the festived.
A Festival program book is
inserted in this newspaper.
Harris fi^ts NationsBank sale to Centura
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
It may be a case of David vs.
Goliath, but Hertford business
man Jesse Harris said that’s
all right. In the biblical story,
the underdog won the battle.
Harris is waging a war
through the Federal Reserve
Bank of Richmond to try to
halt the sale of Hertford’s
NationsBank branch to
Centura Banks, Inc. The real
estate developer and former
town councilman said the
acquisition would leave the
county with only one full-ser
vice bank.
“I strongly object to turning
over the above (NationsBank
in Hertford) to Centura,”
Harris wrote to the Federal
Reserve on July 31. “It would
not be right/fair to return this
community to a one-bank
town. Eliminating this compe
tition now (we are growing)
would not be protecting the
consumer.”
In a later letter, Harris said
proof of the county’s growth is
evidenced by three successful
waterfront developments.
Snug Harbor, Holiday Island
and Albemarle Plantation. He
said Albemarle Plantation has
a Dan Maples golf course and
what is probably the largest
marina between Norfolk, Va.
and Florida. It is also steadily
expanding, he added.
Harris also cited the open
ing of a fourth shopping center
(Perquimans Centre), a second
retirement complex, a third
pharmacy, a new medical clin
ic with additional staff, and a
commerce center under devel
opment as evidence of growth
in the county over the last few
years.
Centura, however, contends
that the sale would not give
Perquimans County residents
fewer banking choices. The
bank submitted information
with its application for acqui
sition that shows that the
county is part of the Elizabeth
City market, which includes
Pasquotank, Perquimans and
Camden counties, according to
a letter written to the Federal
Reserve by Centura’s Chief
Financial Officer Steven
Goldstein.
“Hertford, the county seat
and dominant city in
Perquimans County, is
approximately fifteen miles
from Elizabeth City via
Highway 17,” Goldstein wrote.
“Highway 17 acts as the major
thoroughfare and is currently
begin widened to four lanes to
facilitate the exchange of com
merce between these two
cities. Our application filed
with your office provided an
Please see Harris, page 7
nel evaluations. Realizing the
need for a mechanism to deal
with teacher evaluations and
in the process make the school
system better, Hobbs was one
of the board members who
wanted Richard Schwartz to
evaluate the performance
appraisal process locally, he
said.
Hobbs said the board
received a preliminary report
in the spring of 1996. He said
the board was angry with the
results and called principals in
to discuss the issue.
Please see Board, page 3
Student
gets left
on bus
By SEAN JACKSON
Correspondent
For 4-year-old Denzell
Himter, the long bus ride to
kindergarten at Hertford
Grammar School wasn’t a
good time to sleep afterall.
Denzell curled up in his
seat near the back of bus 51
last Tuesday and drifted off
to dreamland. When he
finally woke up, Denzell
found himself in a quiet,
stiU and empty bus parked
among the fleet of other
empty buses behind the
high school.
Denzell tried to exit the
bus through the front and
rear doors, but he didn’t
have the size or strength to
pry them open. Luckily for
the child, someone was
already on his trail.
Earline Riddick,
Denzell’s kindergarten
teacher, was surprised
when fellow teacher
Thelma Finch asked about
the boy. Finch had dropped
off her son with Denzell’s
mother Sheena Hunter
early that morning. Mrs.
Hunter had asked Finch to
comb Denzell’s hair after he
arrived on the bus.
Riddick told Finch that
DenzeU was absent. She had
assumed that Denzell was
out sick. Both teachers
quickly figured out the situ
ation, correctly assuming
that Denzell must still be on
his bus.
Riddick called the
schools’ transportation
director Richard O’Neal
and asked him to check bus
51. When school personnel
arrived, Denzell was wait
ing, and more than ready to
be in school that day.
“I’m just glad that I asked
her (Finch) to check on
Denzell that morning,”
Sheena Hunter said,
expressing her relief that
Denzell was foimd so quick
ly and that he did not stay
on the bus longer than he
did. Even that early in the
morning it was hot, she said,
Please see Bus, page 7
Outside
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
High: Low:
80s 60s
CHANCE OF RAIN
High: Low:
80 60
FAIR
High: Low:
80 60
FAIR