The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County and its people
Pirate teams win
Rage?
Funerals change with times
Rage 6
PCMS poetry
Rage 8
October 5, 2000
Vol. 68, No. 40 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
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Door
faces
crisis
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
It’s still open, but the door
has shut on part of its ser
vices.
The Open Door will contin
ue to provide food to those in
need, but not money to help
with prescription medicines
and utility bills, according to a
news release.
'. The Board of Directors of
the agency heard at its last
meeting that the organization
does not have enough money
to keep giving financial assis
tance to county clients.
• * Open Door Director Shirley
Coon said a decrease in local
giving and not receiving a
$1,000 grant from FEMA com
bined to deplete the ecumeni
cal outreach center’s
resources. While food items
have continued to be donated
faithfully, donations of money
have dwindled considerably.
Coon said another factor in
the funding concerns is that
the unsually hot summer
drove up electric bills, and
therefore requests for assis
tance. Some people with limit
ed financial resources needed
help keeping their electricity
turned on, she said.
With the winter coming, the
Open Door Board knows that
money will be needed to help
with heating costs.
The Board approved a com
prehensive fund raising drive
in order to try to bring more
cash into the Open Door’s trea
sury. Letters asking for contri
butions have gone out to the
county’s 60-plus churches,
Coon said. Letters will also be
mailed to local civic groups
asking for their support.
In addition, volunteers are
selling two-year planners to
help raise funds. A table will
be set up to sell the planners at
Food Lion Saturday. They will
also be sold during the annual
Hertford United Methodist
Women’s bazaar on Nov. 1.
The Open Door has been
active in Perquimans County
since 1980. Its mission is to
bring emergency financial
assistance and food to county
residents when crisis strikes.
All those who seek assistance
from the Open Door are
screened through the
Department of Social
Services.
Those qualifying for assis
tance may get a three-day sup
ply of food per person in the
household once every three
months. Money for utility bills
or prescription medicines can
be given once per year. Coon
said the average cash assis
tance is about $40.
Generally, those who seek
help from the Open Door have
faced such emergencies as an
illness that put them out of
work, a lay-off, or the break-up
bjf a family. Coon said most
clients are trying hard to make
bnds meet, but just need help
getting through a financial cri
sis.
Donations may be mailed to
The Open Door, PO Box 721,
Hertford, NC 27944. For infor-
Imation, Call Coon at 426-7776
Mondays and Wednesdays, 10
a.m.-noon.
Congratulations, Lady Pirates!
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
The Lady Pirates 2000 State Championship Softball Team gathered at Perquimans County High School Friday night to
receive their state championship rings from Principal Dwayne Stallings. Athletic Director Bob Turner presented each
player with a rose. The girls were wearing their jersies and state championship jackets. For seniors Mindy Roberson
and Kristen Winslow, it was the second state softball championship.
Weekend spotlights
Perquimans' rich
agricultural flavor
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Folks are tidying up the
barnyards and praying for
sunshine and warm tempera
tures as a weekend celebrating
life on the farm approaches.
The first Perquimans
County farm tour will get
underway Saturday morning
at 10 a.m. Registration will
begin at 9 on Saturday and
12:30 on Sunday at the
Newbold-White House. The fee
is $20 per carload, and tickets
are good for Saturday, 10 a.m.-4
p.m. and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.
Tourists will get a first-hand
look at farms producing hors
es, cattle, hogs, chickens,
grapes, cotton and peanuts. In
addition, a cotton gin will be
open for tours, and old-time
farming methods and 4-H ani
mals will be on display.
Tour stops include B&P
Acres (quarter horses), Willoe
Creek Farm (Simmenthal
influence cattle), Williams
Farm Partnership (cotton adn
peanuts). Perry’s Pick-Your-
Own (grapes), Tri-B Farm
(show pigs). Byrum Poultry
Farms (chickens), Layden’s
Country Store (handmade
sausages, smoked meats).
Ward & Nixon Cotton Gin,
Riverside Plantation (old-time
farming), and Swampside
Plantation (4-H livestock).
Call the Extension Office at
426-5428 for information or to
have reserve tickets waiting at
the registration site.
The day will also feature the
Hertford Heritage
Antique/Craft Show and Sale.
The sale will feature fine
antiques, collectibles, heir
loom crafts and florals. The
event will be held at
Perquimans County High
School, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sponsored
by the Antique Dealers
Association of Perquimans
County, admission will be $2 at
the door.
Proceeds from the tour and
antique/craft show will benefit
the Perquimans County High
School agricultural science
program.
The third weekend event
will be the Jollification, a har
vest celebration to benefit the
Perquimans County
Restoration Association.
Featuring a pig pickin’ and live
bluegrass music, the
Jollification will get underway
at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 per
person and advance reserva
tions are required. Call 426-
7567 for information or tickets.
Operating buses
costs big bucks
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Running school buses is
no inexpensive undertaking.
Perquimans County
Schools Transportation
Director Richard O’Neal said
it costs $1.38 per mile to oper
ate a school bus. That num
ber, according to Schools
Finance Officer Frances
Hammer, is determined by
the State Department of
Public Instruction. Hammer
said the state takes district
expenditures and calculates
the cost per mile. The formu
la includes all expenses such
as fuel, tires, salaries for dri
vers and transportation
employees, parts, oil and all
other costs of the transporta
tion operation.
Last school year, daily
mileaege for the regular bus
routes to and from school
was 2,250 miles. Students are
in school 180 days. Using the
formula, that approaches
$600,000 per year in costs,
only part of which is paid by
the state.
In addition to regular bus
routes, the school system
provides transporation for
students participating in the
after-school programs at the
high and middle schools.
Four buses serve both
schools, branching out from
the middle school in four
directions. Routes serve the
Belvidere/Nicanor area; the
Meads Mobile Home Park/
Beech Springs/Hunter’s Fork
areas, the Wynn Fork
Court/Holiday Island/Snug
Harbor/Bethel areas; and the
New Hope/Woodville/
Chapanoke areas.
Last year, extended-day
buses dropped all students at
their homes. Several con
cerns, however, sent school
administrators looking for
alternatives, O’Neal said.
Among the concerns were
the cost of operating the
buses, the length of the day
for students living the
longest distances from
school, and buses operating
on the road until 7 p.m.
The new plan answered all
concerns. Students are
dropped off at set sites in
communities, a move that
has students home earlier,
gets buses off the road earli
er, and has shaved 42 miles
per day off routes. Using last
year’s 108 days of extended-
day bus runs, that is a sav
ings of $7,750. Students who
live on the route are still
dropped off at home.
O’Neal said the plan
allows more efficient opera
tion of the buses, while still
offering transportation to
students so they can take
advantage of the extended-
day opportunities.
Voter registration period will soon close
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The voter registration peri
od for the Nov. 7 general elec
tion will soon close.
Board of Elections Director
Eula Forbes said those who
wish to vote in the November
general election must register
by 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13.
Registration forms are avail
able at the Board of Elections
office, the county library, the
Department of Social Services,
Albemarle Mental Health and
driver license offices.
Absentee ballots are avail
able. Forbes said registered
voters who will be unable to get
to the polls on election day may
vote by absentee ballot. To
request a ballot, registered vot
ers should write a request stat
ing the reason why they want
an absentee ballot and the
name and address to whom the
ballot should be mailed. Mail
the request to Perquimans
County Board of Elections, P.O.
Box 336, Hertford, NC 27944.
The last date absentee ballots
will be mailed is Oct. 31. All
ballots are due back in the elec
tions office by Nov. 6 at 5 p.m.
One-stop voting runs Oct. 16-
Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. Registered vot
ers who cannot vote during
poll hours on election day may
go to the Board of Elections
office and vote.
Forbes said anyone who fills
out any type of election form
should use his or her E-911
address.
The elections office is open
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
It is located on Edenton Road
Street in the same building as
the Cooperative Extension
Service.The phone number is
426-5598.
The county commissioners
authorized (ilounty Manager
Paul Gregory to look into the
cost of having a demonstration
County
to look
into
hunting
problems
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Some county landowners
say they effectively have no
rights on their own property
during hunting season.
The Perquimans County
Commissioners revisited earli
er complaints about some
hunters’ lack of respect for
property owners’ rights and
property in regular session
Monday.
Commissioners have
received reports of hunters
using intimidation, even
threatening the lives of
landowners, over hunting
practices, in addition to
destroying property.
Commissioner Bert Hayes
recommended that the county
hold a public hearing or pri
vate talks with both parties to
try to resolve the issue. County
attorney John Matthews said
commissioners cannot hold a
private meeting with the par
ties.
But Commissioners Chair
Shirley Wiggins said talking
has not worked, and that many
people who have problems
with the hunters are afraid to
voice their opinions for fear of
retaliation.
“I think it’s getting out of
hand and it does need some
attention,” Wiggins said.
A part of the problem is
that there is no wildlife officer
assigned to Perquimans
County at present.
Commissioners said they
will put pressure on the state
to assign a wildlife officer to
the county. Commissioner Ben
Hobhs said the officer and
other law officials should
investigate incidents and
make arrests. The problem
with pressing charges, howev
er, seems to be that witnesses
and landowners are afraid to
identify perpetrators, swear
out warrants and testify in
court.
County Manager Paul
Gregory and Hayes will con
tact hunt club leaders, wildlife
officials, the district attorney
and others to discuss the issue.
Local ordinances will also be
reviewed.
Eure and several commis
sioners stressed that they are
not opposed to hunting. In fact
Eure said hunting is needed to
help keep a healthy wildlife
population.
voting machine set up at the
library. Commissioners Chair
Shirley Wiggins said new reg
istrants should be taught how
to use the machines prior to
the election. She said that
using a voting machine is
intimidating to some people
and may keep them from vot
ing on election day. If those
people have the chance to see
and use the machine in
advance, they may vote.
The May primary was the
first time voting machines
have been used in Perquimans
County. The Board of Elections
reported no problems with the
machines at that time.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 86
Low: 66
Mostly Cloudy
Friday
High: 62
Low: 59
T'storms
Saturday
High: 67
Low: 45
Scahered Showers