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December 25,1997
i I
The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 65, No. 51
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Bethlehem Church of Christ held a live nativity scene
Thursday-Saturday on the church grounds. The youngest to
participate was 4-year-old Josh Sylva, the oldest Emily Harrell,
88, who portrayed Mary. Shepherds kept watch over live sheep
(right), as Mary and Joseph welcomed the birth of Jesus
(above). The live nativity has become a church tradition.
Children share
true meaning
of Christmas
PHOTOS BY SUSAN R. HARRIS
The third grade students
'at Perquimans Central
•School are in the Christmas
spirit. They are informing
everyone at school about the
true meaning of Christmas.
Some of their thoughts on
the season follow:
To me Christmas is a time
for love, giving, being thank
ful, and Jesus’ birthday. To
love others you can give pre
sents and teU them how
much the person or the peo
ple really mean to you.
Jacob Riddick
Christmas is not the get
ting, not the giving, it’s the
loving. Loving is that feeling
inside that fades when you
do something wrong.
Judith Dasilva
Christmas means love,
care, happiness, and giving.
I like Christmas because
your family comes over to
your house for a visit. You
get a lot of toys and other
things.
Amanda Copeland
, When I think of
Christmas, I think of Jesus’
birthday. It is my favorite
holiday. Jesus was born on
December 25th. His mother
came on a donkey to
Bethlehem. He was born in a
stable.
Chris Eure
Christmas means when
Jesus Christ was bom.
Christmas is not aU about
giving gifts and putting up
decorations. It means that
Jesus was born in
Bethlehem. There was a star
that led the three kings to
the manger. The three kings
brought some presents. So
whenever you think of
Christmas, think of Jesus
being born.
Keith Vaughn
The true meaning of
Christmas is not decorating
your house and giving pre
sents, but it is aU about cele
brating the birth of Jesus
Christ. Jesus was sent on
this earth to save us from
our sins. He has done a lot
for us. So I want you to
remember that the true
meaning of Christmas is to
celebrate Jesus birth.
Rachel Strother
Perquimans County
an
All of Us
Community
December’s theme:
Celebrate
community,
family and
friends
Chambers gets tourism grant
The Perquimans County
Chamber of Commerce will
receive $7,000 from North
Carolina’s Northeast
Partnership.
The fufids are made avail
able through the Partnership’s
Regional Tourism
Development Promotional
Reimbursement Fund.
The Perquimans County
Commissioners approved the
chamber’s request to the coun
ty to designate the chamber as
the non-profit organization
within the county to receive
this funding.
The chamber will use the
bulk of the funds to match the
$4,500 already paid to Dru
Haley York for architectural
research for the Belvidere
Township. The funds will
allow research to continue to
support a nomination for the
community to the National
Register of Historic Places.
The inclusion of Belvidere into
State receives
award for
efforts to curb
drunk driving
North Carolina received a
national award today from the
National Commission Against
Drunk Driving (NCADD) for
its ongoing work to prevent
drunk driving.
“North Carolina is receiv
ing this award today because
of its great strides in saving
lives and reducing injuries
through a combination of
strong enforcement activity,
creative public awareness pro
grams and legislative action,”
said Terrance Schiavone presi
dent of NCADD. “The state’s
successes are due in large part
to the leadership of Gov. Jim
Hunt and Lt. Gov. Dennis
Wicker, extensive enforce
ment and education efforts,
and mandatory assessment
and treatment of DWI offend
ers.”
“This award is a testament
to the dedication and commit
ment of North Carolinians
who have worked so hard to
fight drunk driving through
out the years,” said Hunt, who
was hit by a drunk driver as a
young man and saved by his
seat belt. “Our greatest
achievements are what we are
accomplishing for North
Carolinians and their families
- saving lives, preventing
injuries and reducing health
care costs. While we’ve made
great progress, we must keep
up our efforts and take a stand
against impaired driving.”
During Hunt’s tenure, the
state has toughened driving
while impaired (DWI) laws,
stepped up educational efforts,
established a task force on
impaired driving improved
treatment programs and estab
lished a highly successful
crackdown on drunk drivers
called “Booze It & Lose It.”
Joe Parker, director of the
North Carolina Governor’s
Highway Safety Program,
accepted the award on behaif
of the state in Washington,
D.C., today at NCADD’s 13th
Annual Awards Ceremony.
The state’s work was one of 10
community efforts honored
from across the nation.
“North Carolina will contin
ue to lead the way when it
comes to reducing the deaths
and injuries resulting from
alcohol-reiated crashes,”
Parker said. “The new laws
that took effect Dec. 1 give law
enforcement officers addition
al tools for taking impaired
drivers off our highways. We
will continue our ’Booze It &
Lose It’ efforts and work on
new strategies to keep our
roads safe from drunk dri
vers.
“Booze It & Lose It” is the
most extensive DWI law
enforcement and education
effort in state history. Since
the Governor’s Highway
Safety Initiative began in 1993,
more than 35,000 drivers have
been arrested for DWI at 22,000
checkpoints and roving
patrols.
Prior to the 1994 “Booze It &
Lose It” campaign, about two
percent of all nighttime dri
vers passing through research
checkpoints were found to
have a blood alcohol concen
tration above North Carolina’s
legal limit of .08 percent. Three
months later, the number of
legally intoxicated drivers
seen at checkpoints had been
cut in half - to slightly less
than one percent (0.9 percent) -
the lowest such number ever
recorded in the nation.
In 1993, North Carolina
became one of the few states to
lower its legal alcohol limit to
0.08 percent. The Governor’s
Task Force on Driving While
Impaired recommended that
the state also enact a zero-tol
erance law for drivers under
the age of 21 which was passed
by the Legislature. On Dec. 1,
1997, even tougher DWI laws
took effect. Law enforcement
officers can now impound the
vehicle of drivers arrested for
DWI and driving with a
revoked license - on the spot.
Hunt issued a reminder to
motorist this holiday season:
“North Carolina will not rest
on its laurels. If you drink and
drive, you will be caught - and
you will pay the conse
quences.”
In 1995 Hunt received
NCADD’s award for govern
ment leadership in fighting
drunk driving. In 1996,
NCADD presented Wicker
with the legislative leadership
award. In addition to North
Carolina receiving the state
awcUid in 1997, North Carolina
native Elizabeth Dole, head of
the American Red Cross,
received the “Humanitarian of
the Year Award” from NCADD
for her long-time effort to the
war against drunk driving.
The National Commission
Against Drunk Driving is the
successor organization to the
Presidential Commission on
Drunk Driving appointed in
1982 to develop the first nation
al report on the issue.
NCADD’s work continues to
focus on the goal of making
impaired driving socially
unacceptable.
Outside
the National Register will
make Perquimans the first
county in the state to have two
rural districts on the register.
The Old Neck Rural Historic
District is already on the
national register. Work is also
underway on an historic dis
trict in the town of Hertford.
Funds will also be used for
the chamber’s computer
upgrade and to install signage
in Hertford’s historic down
town area.
High: Low:
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CHANCE OF RAIN
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PARTLY SUNNY
CLEAR