Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / Sept. 16, 1999, edition 1 / Page 1
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The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County and its people See our Indian Summer and Hearth and Harvest Festivals insert this week! The dR .UI AN5 COUNTY LIBRARY 1,0 V, ACADEMY ST •ERTF''’"0 NC September 16,1999 Vol. 67, No. 36 Hertford, North Carolina 27944 'mmi SEP 15 1999 Perquimans T T JUliJSJLi jl comty Hunter loses battle with ALS to buy voting machines SUSAN R. HARRIS Editor 1 Perq. was one of only six counties using paper ballots LEAH ALLEN Correspondent County Commissioners approved the purchase of at least 21 voting machines at the cost of $85,000 to $90,000 in their September meeting last Tuesday The voting machines should be available for use in time for the primaries next May. Paul Smith, chairman of the Board of Elections, cited the difficulty of keeping precinct chief judges as his argument for the replacement of the paper ballots with vot ing machines. Several chief judges have refused to take the position again because of the hassle involved with the use of the paper ballots, he said. “They (chief judges) are appointed every two years, and several people have turned the position down,” said Eula Forbes, county elections supervisor. Perquimans is one of only six counties still using the paper ballot system in North Carolina. Stiff regulations surround the counting and movement of traditional paper ballots. Larger precincts require many boxes for the paper ballots, which can be cumbersome to move. The new voting machines will each fold up to fit into a suitcase, making them easier to trans port. It has also become more dif ficult to secure volunteers to count the ballots, said Smith. After the poUs close, the bal lots have to be counted. Some precincts do not complete the counting untU 3 a.m. The new voting machines will produce a count as soon as the poUs close. “I didn't know it was such a hassle for chief judges,” said Commissioner Ben Hobbs. “For me, that was a valid rea son (for purchasing voting machines). No one had brought up that argument before.” When Pasquotank County went to voting machines, there were extensive lines on elec tion day. But local officials say Perquimans residents can expect the change from paper ballots to machines to go more smoothly. “We're going to have demon strations throughout the coun ty,” said Forbes. “Materials and pamphlets (about the use of the voting machines) will be available in the library and other public places.” . If voters learn to use the machines the voting process wUl go faster, causing less con gestion, Forbes said. '^■'The company from which the county is purchasing the machines recommended the purchase of 30 machines. The board thought that number was excessive, but will pur chase at least 21 machines and have 30 available on voting day in order to determine the exact number needed by the county. Thanks, Mr. Jimmy The three words scribbled on a baseball and left near the grave of James Augustus Hunter Sunday pretty much say it all for those in Perquimans County. A horde of former little lea guers remembered his coach ing style, the way he could make the ball hit the bat in bat ting practice so a struggling kid could get a hit, as they choked back tears behind dark glasses at his funeral. Thanks, Mr. Jimmy. There were those among the estimated 1,200-1,500 paying their last respects Sunday at the public graveside services in Cedar Wood Cemetery remembering the benefit sup per at Jimmy Hunter’s shop that helped them with medical bills or rebuilding their home after a fire. Thanks, Mr. Jimmy Eulogizing the man loved and admired from East Coast to West was a man privileged to meet Hunter, his childhood hero. That baseball fan, now an adult and minister of Hunter’s church, found out that his hero was as fine a man as he James Augustus Hunter, known in baseball circles as "Catfish" and in Perquimans County as "Jimmy," was famous in the dugout for his fastball and in his hometown for his generosity and integrity. appeared to be on the surface. Thanks, Mr. Jimmy. The last out of the 1963 state championship game no doubt replayed in the minds of some who stood in the warm September sun. With a young, skinny pitcher with a huge smile and deadly accuracy on the mound, the team brought home a state championship trophy. Thanks, Mr. Jimmy. 1*^ '' S-f " PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS Floral memorials adorn the top and foot of the momument to Jim "Catfish" Hunter on the Perquimans County courthouse green. The 53- year-old Hall of Fame pitcher lost his battle with ALS Thursday in his home in the Bear Swamp community of Perquimans County. He was buried Sunday in Cedar Wood Cemetery. (Please turn to page 7.) Festival Day ‘99 a success SUSAN R. HARRIS Editor Saturday’s weather fit the name of one of the day’s festi vals weU — Indian Summer. The 18th annual Indian Summer Festival and 3rd annual Hearth & Harvest Festival drew steady crowds throughout the day to both downtown Hertford and the Newbold-White House. The day began on a bitter sweet note as the Perquimans County High School Marching Pirates presented their 1999 show, which is titled “Play Ball! A Tribute to Catfish Hunter,” to open the Indian Summer Festival. With the flag on the courthouse lawn flying at half mast in the back ground and an arrangement of flowers on top of the monu ment to Hunter on the court house lawn, the band played. Band director Chris Whitehurst requested a moment of sUence in Hunter’s honor during the show, and ended the concert with “Amazing Grace.” “It’s been a great day but it’s also bittersweet because we have lost a friend. Catfish is Hertford,” said Mary White with the Historic Hertford Business Association. The Jim “Catfish” Hunter ALS Foundation had already rented a booth for the festival before Hunter’s death Thursday, and opted to go ahead with the sales in the hope that someone else could be spared an untimely end due to the horrible disease. Sales of the T-shirts, golf shirts, base ball shirts, hats and totes were brisk aU day. The festival featured a vari ety of outstanding entertain ment from soloists to bands to games for the young at heart. Activities ended at that venue with a street dance featuring Carolina Beach Club. Please see festival, page 9 1 M| \.ii y PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS The younger set at Indian Summer Festival Saturday enjoyed the booth that offered hair painting. Linda Mewborn creates another colorful do. •E. PHOTO BY SAM WOLFE, THE DAILY ADVANCE Helen Heriford of Edenton spins thread the old-fashioned way at Saturday's Hearth & Harvest Festival at the Newbold-White House. Heriford was one of several crafters at the festival. Hertford combines planning, zoning boards LEAH ALLEN Correspondent After three months on the agenda, the Hertford Town Council unanimously voted to combine the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Adjustment Mondfay night in regular session. The decision will become effective next month when the council meets to appoint mem bers to the combined board. Previously, each board had seven members. “We have had trouble find ing people to serve on both boards,” explained Council man Billy Winslow. The Planning Board is an advisory board that is appoint ed by the Town Council. The board is responsible for look ing into zoning ordinances and making recommendations to the Town Council. The Board of Adjustment is a quasi-judicial board respon sible for hearing variances appealed from the zoning administrator, John Christensen. A variance is a petition for a one-time modifi cation of the ordinance. The board's decisions can be appealed to a superior court. The Planning board meets about every month, and the Board of Adjustment meets only about four times a year. Members on the combined board wiU be responsible for the business of both the Planning Board and the Board of Adjustment. Members wiU be paid $10 per meeting. New E911 finish date is April LEAH ALLEN Correspondent The county’s enhanced 911 communications program is scheduled for completion by- April 2000, according to an update given to county com missioners last Tuesday. Perquimans residents have been waiting for program implementation for a long time. The project began in December 1993, with an antici pated completion date of March 1997. Perquimans County Manager Paul Gregory cites staff changes and train ing for the delay. The cost of the project has also increased. The original contract of $302,985 has been enlarged by the purchase of additional equipment, soft ware, and training to $418,643.72. Over $56,000 is stUl owed by the county for the project. The protracted project has included aerial mapping of the county. At the beginning of the project, Gregory said the county could anticipate losing acreage in some tracts whUe gaining in others because there are those tracts of land in the county that have not been surveyed in many years, or use landmarks as bound aries. The final component of the project is assigning street addresses to properties. When the project is ready for imple mentation, everyone in Perquimans County with a rural route will have a new address. This new program promises to speed emergency response time by a few seconds. “In any type of real emer gencies all seconds count,” said Pasquotank County Central Communications Director James “Pee Wee” Edwards. Edwards said Pasquotank went on E911 in 1992. The features of E911 can mean the difference between, life and death. ‘It's fantastic. There’s noth ing like it,’ said Elizabeth City Fire Chief Roy Spell. Spell said that E911 gets firefighters- to the scene faster, and in a fire situation every second counts. E911 also has other benefi cial features. When a 911 caU is made under the new system, a Please see E911, page 9 Weekend Weather Thursday High; 70s Low: 60s Mostly Cloudy Friday High: 80s Low: 70s Mostly Cloudy Saturday High: 80s Low: 70s Mostly Cloudy
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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Sept. 16, 1999, edition 1
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