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March 1, 2000
Vol. 68, No. 9 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
The
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PEROUIMANSi COUNTY LIBRARY
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD NC 27944
Perquimans
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Board
okays
school
calendar
anna GOODWIN MCCARTHY
Correspondent
Summer got shorter for
Perquimans County Schools
students Monday night.
The Board of Education
imanimously approved a new
calendar for the 2000-2001
school year that will have the
school year beginning on Aug.
10 and ending on June 6.
“We can't continue to do
business as usual,” said school
board member Wallace
Nelson.
Nelson and several other
members said their approval
of the calendar was prompted
by concern for state mandated
tests that students must pass
in order to be promoted.
Board member Charles
Cheezum said that the addi
tional days are important,
because they will contribute to
providing the best possible
instruction.
“We must accept the calen
dar so students wth be better
prepared not to fall short of
meeting the scores required to
be promoted,” said board
member Helen Shaw. “If it
doesn't work, we will go back
to the drawing board.”
Board member Marjorie
Rayburn said she supported
the calendar, but suggested
that the board appease critics
of the calendar by starting on
Monday, Aug. 14 instead of
Thursday, Aug. 10.
The calendar year wiU pro
vide for more days of instruc
tion before the writing test is
administered in the beginning
of March to students in fourth,
seventh and tenth grades.
The calendar was drawn up
by 27 parents, teachers, princi
pals and school administra
tors, said Brenda DaU, person
nel director of the school sys
tem.
The new calendar includes
teacher workdays on Sept. 21-
22, Jan. 11-12, February 19-20
and March 12-13.
Superintendent Gregory
Todd said he thought teacher
workdays that had been sched
uled before the school year
started and after it ended were
not as beneficial as the new
calendar's scheduling of the
work days during the school
•year.
Three parents voiced then-
opinions about the new calen
dar before the board.
A mother said that she dis
liked the shorter summer
vacation, because it would
mean less time spent with her
children. She also said that
the calendar would hinder
high school students with
summer employment.
Nelson said he recommend
ed the calendar, because he
thought people of the commu
nity had the opportunity to
have input in the calendar, and
the committee process was
fair.
Many parents in the county
said they did not like the cal
endar when it was proposed
prior to the January school
board meeting. However, only
two got on the agenda to speak
to the board in January, one
against hthe proposal and one
for it.
Bomb threat shuts down PCMS
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Perquimans Middle School
students enjoyed some time in
the sun Monday afternoon
after a bomb threat was
received.
PCMS principal Anne White
said Tuesday morning that a
teacher found a note that indi
cated there was a bomb in the
school. Faculty and staff fol
lowed emergency procedures,
immediately notifying author
ities and evacuating the build
ing.
White said that while the
note “did not look that serious
at first,” school policy is to pro
ceed as if the threat was real.
Students left the building
and gathered by class in the
baU park behind the school,
where they stayed for almost
an hour and a half.
A student confessed to hav
ing, written the note Tuesday
morning. White said. She said
the girl made a mistake and
was sorry she had written the
note. No action had been taken
by press time as WinfaU Police
Chief David Shaffer was out of
town Tuesday morning.
Sheriff Eric Tilley said he
was notified at 1:38 p.m. that
there was a bomb threat at the
school. Tilley initially took
charge of the investigation
because Shaffer was unavail
able when the call was
received.
The sheriff set up a com
mand post at the Jehovah’s
Witness Kingdom Hall adja
cent to school property. He
called for assistance from the
WinfaU Fire Department and
Hertford Police Department.
The SBl was also caUed in per
protocol.
TiUey said the SBl policy
caUs for teachers to search
their own classrooms as they
are more likely to know if
there is anything suspicious in
the room. WhUe staff searched
Please see BOMB, page 12
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Daily Advance photo
Perquimans Middle School students race back to the building Monday afternoon after it was
searched for a bomb by law enforcement and school personnel. On Tuesday, a student admit
ted to writing the bomb threat note.
Hertford family loses
everything in blaze
Hertford welcomed a new business Friday when the Ming Hing Restaurant officially opened.
Jb^hamber Of Commerce sponsored a ribbon cutting.
Chinese restaurant draws crowd
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
It doesn’t take long for the
efficient staff to whip up a
Chinese meal, but you’d better
time it just right because Ming
Hing Restaurant has been pret
ty busy since opening in
Hertford recently.
The grand open,ing ribbon
cutting was held Friday, but
those with a taste for oriental
cuisine have been lining up at
the restaurant at the
Perquimans Centre for days.
From appetizers to soups to
main courses, there is some
thing to please every taste bud
at Hing Ming. Diners can begin
with egg rolls, shrimp rolls,
spare ribs or more, then move
on to a variety of soups. Main
courses run from chow mein to
sweet and sour dishes. Entres
are served with steamed rice.
There are also 25 chef’s spe
cialties.
Hungry visitors can choose
combination plates that
include an entre with pork
fried rice and an egg roU.
In addition, there is a spe
cial menu that featured
steamed dishes served without
salt, sugar, corn stare or M.S.G.
Lunch specials are 11 a.m.-3
p.m. Rice and wonton, egg drop
soup or soda come with lunch
specials.
Hours are Monday-
Thursday, 11 a.m.-lO p.m.;
Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-ll
p.m.; and Sunday, noon-10 p.m.
Call 426-3397 for to-go orders.
JEREMY DESPOSITO
The-Baily Advance
A family here escaped safely
from their burning two-story
home late Friday night, but
lost almost everything they
owned.
Beverly Stokely was home
with her three teenage chil
dren, ages 16, 14, and 13, when
the fire started in the kitchen
about 10:50 p.m. She and her
children got out of the house
uninjured, but spent the night
in her car, she said.
“We’re okay right now, but
lost everything. We’re just try
ing to see if we can get some
help somewhere,” Stokely said,
adding that she intended to call
the American Red Cross on
Monday.
Stokely and her husband,
George Stokely, a Daily
Advance employee, were rent
ing the home on the 400 block
of Cox Avenue from Lillian
Spellman.
The Hertford Fire
Department received a call
around 10:50 p.m. Friday night.
Fire Chief Robert Reed said.
The house was almost fully
involved before fire crews were
able to salvage anything, he
said.
“The people lost everything
they had,” Reed said. “The peo
ple got out; nobody was hurt.
All the furniture, clothes and
belongings were lost.”
The structure of the two-
story, wood-frame house is still
standing, but Reed said you
can tell by standing out&ide
that there was a fire. Inside, the
first floor was completely
burned and heat damage
destroyed everything on the
second floor, he said.
“There’s a lot of heat dam
age,” he said. “It was more
than fire where TVs and other
(items) melted. Downstairs is
basically where the fire was,
but it traveled up a bit.”
SpeUman, the owner of the
house, hopes that insurance
will cover the damage.
“It’s terrible damage,” she
said. “I’m hoping it can be
repaired. It may be a total
loss.”
Anyone who would like to
donate money, furniture,
household items including
linen and kitchen needs, or
clothing, may deliver them to
The Perquimans Weekly office
at 119 W. Grubb St., or call 426-
5728. The 13-year-old boy wears
large shirts and 28-30 pants
with a 32-inch inseam. The 16-
year-old boy wears extra large
shirts and 33-34 pants with a 32-
inch inseam. The 14-year-old
daughter wears 1-2X.
The Hertford Fire
Department was able to control
the fire in about 45 minutes,
with mutual aid from the
Bethel and WinfaU fire depart
ments, and the Perquimans
EMS Rescue Squad, Reed said.
Car flips on US. 17
A Richmond man was
charged with careless and
reckless driving after a high
speed crash Saturday after
noon sent both his car and his
girlfriend’s car careening into
a ditch.
Witnesses said both cars
were traveling at speeds
between 70 and 80 mph, accord
ing to WinfaU Police Chief
David Shaffer.
Glen Shawndale Riddick, 23,
was traveling south in the
right lane of US. 17 in WinfaU,
when he struck a 1990 Geo in
the left lane driven by his girl
friend, Yolanda White, 26,
Shaffer said.
The impact caused the Geo
to turn toward the ditch, forc
ing Riddick’s 1995 Neon in the
same direction. White’s car
flipped over twice, landing
upside down on a 5-foot bank
just beyond the ditch, whUe
Riddick’s car landed in the
ditch.
After the initial impact, both
cars traveled about 340 feet
before coming to rest, Shaffer
said, adding that he was
unsure what sparked the
impact.
Neither driver was injured,
said emergency personnel on
the scene.
Riddick was released after
posting a $200 secured bond.
Total damage to both cars is at
least $2,000 Shaffer said.
Webcend
Weather
Thursday
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Saturday
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PMRIYCLOaDr
Seuss celebrations planned
Perquimans children will
join with miUions of young
sters across the country in cel
ebration of Read Across
America today.
Held on the birthday of
famed children’s author Dr.
Seuss, the observance cele
brates and encourages the
importance of reading. Read
Across America is the brain
child of a smaU reading task
force of the National
Education Association, who
came up with the idea in May
1997. The first celebration was
held on March 2, 1998, and
involved toughly 10 million
adults and chUdren across the
country. Participation doubled
with the 1999 observance.
The county library is host
ing its third Read Across
America with a one-hour pro
gram at 6 p.m. ChUdren may
dress up as a Dr. Seuss charac
ter or wear pajamas.
Library assistant Ann Carol
White said 30 people partici
pated in the activity the first
year. The number mush
roomed to 230 last year.
Perquimans Middle School
will celebrate with a
Community Celebrities Read-
In, and a Dr. Seuss costume
contest, lunch and book dis
plays, according to local NEA
president Brenda HolloweU.
Research shows the impor
tance of readir^ outside of school
to student achievement.