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The
P-fcRQUiMANS CnUNTV i **^001
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HEhTFORD NC 27944
Perquimans
March 15, 2001
Vol. 69, No. 11 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
MAR 14
KLY
35 cents
Gun reported on PCHS bus Thursday
No gun found, but
student arrested on
weapons charges
SUSAN R. HARRIS
A Perquimans County
High School student was
arrested on weapons
charges Sunday after sever
al students reported that he
had a gun on a school hus
Thursday morning.
Emanuel Coston, 16, of
480 Pender Road, Hertford,
was arrested at his home
Sunday by Hertford Police
and charged with possess
ing a gun on educational
property. He was granted a
pretrial release by magis
trate Todd Tilley, which
according to police offi
cials, means there are strict
guidelines he must follow.
His first appearance in
court is set for April 4.
The charge is a Class I
felony and carries a sen
tence of up to 15 months.
depending on prior arrest
record. Coston’s record
includes a minor charge of
property damage, accord
ing to Hertford Police Chief
Dale Vanscoy.
Coston had already been
suspended by the school for
10 days pending investiga
tion, per school board poli
cy. The policy calls for a 365-
day suspension for taking
firearms to school. The
school could not release his
name per state law, but law
enforcement officials
released his name because
arrests of those 16 and over
are subject to state open
records laws and are con
sidered publiq information.
Although no weapon was
recovered, Vanscoy said the
arrest was made based on
the strength and detail of
the witness statements.
Reportedly, when the bus
arrived at the high school,
Coston walked off the bus,
entered the school, walked
down a hallway, then left
the school. Police believe
he then disposed of the
weapon.
“One of the students
claimed they saw the end of
a rifle barrel and the front
sight,” Vanscoy told The
DaUy Advance. “... He was
walking stiff-legged, like
something was stuck down
in his pants leg, when he
walked through the
school.”
Assistant District
Attorney Mike Johnson
said a case can be built
against Coston based
entirely on witnesses.
“They can prove it other
ways,” Johnson said. “They
can make out a case — even
if they don’t find the gun —
if they have witnesses.”
PCHS principal Dwayne
Stallings issued a news
release early Thursday
afternoon stating that sev
eral students had reported
seeing a male student with
a gun on the school bus that
morning. Students said
that a gun of an undeter
mined classification was
seen below the bottom of
his pants leg.
The incident was not
reported to the driver, but
witnesses did report the
incident to school office
personnel upon arrival at
school.
“Immediate steps were
taken to search the student,
his belongings, his locker,
and the school bus on
which he was riding,”
Stallings stated in the
release. “No weapon was
found.”
Continued on page 10
State basketball runners-up
North Carolina Main Street Program Director Rodney
Swink facilitated the "Picture Downtown" forum last
Tuesday evening.
Hertford residents
‘picture downtown’
Ip...
MARIEL BETANCORT
The Daily Advance
Just as town and county
officials did Monday night,
citizens gathered Tuesday
at Hertford Baptist Church
tci talk about a shared
vision.
But this time, the group
of almost 60 residents and
elected officials alike gath
ered to discuss Hertford’s
downtown area.
Hertford’s Main Street
Program Manager Belinda
Washlesky organized the
Downtown Vision Forum,
which was facilitated by
the state’s Main Street
Program Director, Rodney
L. Swink. Swink asked par
ticipants to first discuss the
strengths and weaknesses
of the downtown area, then
craft a vision for downtown
in 2006.
In small groups, the par
ticipants took turns shar
ing personal visions:
“I travel into Hertford
from Highway 17 South and
as I approach the bridge, I
see beautiful flowers on
each side,” began one.
“We stop by the 1950s gas
station for a fill-up and then
drop off the young’uns at a
theater,” continued anoth
er.
“It’s nice to be able to
spend time in your own
hometown and have some
thing for everyone.”
“How enjoyable to walk
from my house to down
town Hertford,” added
another. “Where the clean
and beautiful streets and
buildings are aesthetically
pleasing.”
Swink encouraged the
groups to talk about any
ideas that might revitalize
downtown, no matter how
sUly or unlikely.
♦
“If there are dreams you
have, this is the time to
reveal them,” Swink said.
By the end of the meet
ing, participants created
eight group vision state
ments, which described a
downtown with a rooftop
restaurant, a movie theater,
art galleries and a “Turtle
Walk” with embedded tur
tle markers, among other
things.
The Hertford Main
Street Program Board of
Directors wiU meet today to
create one vision statement
and compile results from
the Tuesday meeting.
As Swink pointed out
during the meeting, resi
dents must then work
together to decide what to
do next.
“It’s your community, it’s
your work to be done,” said
Swink. “And your successes
will be your successes.”
Although Hertford
joined only last year, the
Main Street Program is not
new to the state.
Established by the non
profit National Trust for
Historic Preservation, the
program currently
includes 48 communities in
North Carolina and as
many as 1,500 throughout
the United States.
The Main Street
Program does not award
grants or outline strict
requirements for members.
As Swink said, it simply
helps communities revital
ize a downtown area.
At the forum, residents
also had a chance to exam
ine the photographic exhib
it “Picture Downtown.”
During the week of Feb.
19, 36 persons walked
through the downtown
area, snapping pictures of
both likes and dislikes.
Daily Advance photo
A storybook season came to an end for the Lady Holiday Basketball Classic, regular season, conference
Pirates Saturday, as they fell to East Surry, 69-65 in tournament, sectional and regional competitions,
the hard-fought state 1-A title came. The team made Perquimans was represented well all season by the
history with its 30-1 record, and championships in the squad. For game highlights, please turn to page 7.
County groups eye long-range plan
MARIEL BETANCORT
The Daily Advance
More jobs. More down
town parking. New or
improved school facilities.
Affordable housing. More
youth programs.
In the next 10 years,
Perquimans County will
need all these and more,
according to the 65 county
officials who met Monday
night to discuss the area’s
future.
Representatives of the
county commissioners, the
school board, the planning
board, the town council and
almost every county office
met at the Albemarle
Commission auditorium
for the first in a series of
meetings dubbed
“Planning for Tomorrow in
Perquimans County”
Charles H. Ward, chair
man of the Board of
Commissioners, and Pat
Harrell, interim superin
tendent for Perquimans
County Schools, organized
the meeting to initiate dis
cussion about the area’s
common vision.
“Perquimans County
needs to develop some kind
of long-range plan,” said
Ward, as he welcomed
those in attendance. “We
want to see if we can’t
reach some kind of consen
sus.”
In small groups, the par
ticipants - including may
ors Fred Yates and Sid Eley,
Hertford manager John
Christensen and Board of
Education chairman
Walter Leigh - brain
stormed about recent coun
ty successes, existing con
cerns and problems the
area may face in coming
years.
“Think about what the
county looked like when
you were in high school,
and think about what the
county looks like now,”
Ward said, starting the dis
cussion. “Think about 50
years into the future,” he
added.
After discussion in small
groups, the participants
reconvened to share ideas.
Several issues concerned
many: lack of jobs, enter
tainment and shopping
options, responsible
growth, the hiring and
retaining of quality educa
tors and the medical needs
of a growing population of
retirees.
Specific needs for the
county, participants said,
include everything from
more swimming lessons, to
a hotel and large restau
rant, to better access to the
river, to more cemeteries.
Town approves fines for civil ordinances
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Breaking the rules in
Hertford got more expen
sive Monday night when
the town board voted to
impose a civil fine of $25
per offense for violating its
ordinances.
The measure was dis
cussed at the town’s last
meeting, but was tabled
untU Monday night when
town attorney Walter
Edwards had reviewed the
measure and said it met
state guidelines.
Town ordinances cover
issues such as parking in
designated areas.
Council also approved
the alarm system ordi
nance discussed at the
February meeting. The
town will impose a fine of
$50 for the second and $100
for the third false alarm
answered by fire or police
within a c^endar month,
and is effective June 1.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 67
Low: 52
Rain
Friday
High: 68
Low: 47
Rain
Saturday
High: 63
Low: 42
Partly Cloudy