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July 30, 2003
Vol, 71, No. 31 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Mi
,P14/C5
ff^QUIMANS COUNTY LIBRA^?
HERTFO^n^27944-1306
Perquimans
Weekly
Pit bulls maul Hertford woman
water
From staff reports
The badly decomposed
body of a woman was
pulled out of the
Albemarle Sound near
Harvey Point on July 24.
Sheriff’s deputy Mario
Reel said Tuesday that
officials are trying to con
firm the identity of the
body. The medical exam
iner in Greenville per
formed an autopsy this
weekend, and Reel said
the sheriff’s department
is waiting for informa
tion from the report.
Sheriff Eric Tilley told
The Daily Advance last
week that someone work
ing at the edge of the
Yeopim River off
Goosenest Lane saw the
body and notified offi
cials around 5:25 p.m. last
Thursday It had washed
ashore behind a section
of bulkheading.
The body was initially
thought to be that of a
black female at
Albemarle Hospital, but
was determined by
authorities in the med
ical examiner’s office to
be a white female,
approximately 20-40
years of age, 5’2” and 100-
110 pounds. She could
have had brown hair, but
had been in the water
long enough that there
was no body hair present.
She could have been in
the water up to two
weeks, according to the
medical examiner.
The cause of death is
still undetermined,
although Tilley said no
bullet or stab wounds
were apparent from the
initial examination.
The woman was wear
ing a gold band-t5T)e ring
with four clear stones on
the middle finger of her
right hand' and clear
stone earrings in each
year. She was wearing a
bathing suit under cut-off
blue jeans and a white T-
shirt adorned with an
American flag and the
words “God Bless
America.” There was a
tatto of a tife with two
sets of wings on the left
side of her chest near the
shoulder. The words on
the design were unread
able.
Tilley alerted all coun
ty law enforcement agen
cies within 100 miles of
Harvey Point about the
body, asking officials to
notify his department if
they had any informa
tion.
Reel said that EMS, the
water rescue unit and
Emergency Management
all arrived at the scene to
assist.
“We’re really fortunate
that all the agencies here
work so well together,”
Reel said. “You don’t have
that in every county It’s
great the way everyone
backs each other up and
works together here.”
RYAN BURR
The Daily Advance
A Hertford woman was in criti
cal condition at a GreenvUle hospi
tal Friday evening after she was
savagely mauled by four pit-bull
dogs.
Zalene Bunch, 44, was initially
treated at Chowan Hospital in
Edenton but had to be airlifted to
Pitt County Memorial Hospital
because of the severity of her
injuries, Perquimans Sheriff Eric
Tilley said. Tilley said he did not
know the extent of Bunch's
injuries, other than that they
“were bad” enough she had to be
transported to PCMH.
Roger Nelson, a nursing coordi
nator at PCMH, described Bunch's
condition as critical.
Sheriff’s deputy Mario Reel said
Tuesday that Bunch’s condition
has been upgraded to stable, and
that she should be able to be inter
viewed by Wednesday.
The attack occurred in the yard
of a mobile home on Third Avenue
shortly after 2 p.m., and was
reported by Daniel Roulhac, a
Lowes Drive resident who identi
fied himself as Bunch's bo5rfriend,
Tilley said.
When animal control personnel
and sheriff deputies arrived at the
mobUe home, they found five pit
buUs, three running loose in the
front yard and two chained to a
tree in the back yard, TiUey said.
“Two of the three dogs came
running at us,” TBley said. “You
could see blood on aU three of the
dogs, especially the white one; it
(blood) was on their face and shoul
ders.”
One of the dogs chained to the
tree also was bloody, TUley said.
“That one was apparently
involved in the attack, too, because
it could reach (Bunch) even with
his chain,”- Tilley said.
Bunch had already been trans
ported to PCMH by the time sher
iffs deputies arrived at the attack
scene,* TUley said.
The owner of the home where
the attack occurred was visiting
neighbors when deputies arrived,
TUley said. The man, identified as
Kevin Foreman, told deputies the
dogs belong to his son, who was not
home at the time.
Foreman helped animal control
officials secure aU five of the dogs
in cages for transport to the
Chowan County Animal Shelter
where they'U remain untU a court
releases them, TiUey said.
“They've been deemed vicious,”
TUley said.
Continued on page 10
Mggins earns state’s top honor
Community
activist receives
Order of the
Long Leaf Pine
JOANIE MORRIS
The Daily Advance
Known for speaking her
mind, Shirley Wiggins is
not someone who's usuaUy
at a loss for words.
But Saturday she was,
when she was awarded the
Order of the Long Leaf
Pine — the state's highest
civilian honor — during
the Perquimans County
NAACP's annual Freedom
Fund & Mother of the Year
banquet.
“I'm at a loss for words,”
a surprised Wiggins told a
crowd of about 100 at
Saturday's banquet. “I'm so
Uabbergasted. ... Everyone
is not privUeged to receive
such a high honor.”
Wiggins said receiving
the award at a banquet
sponsored by the National
Association for the
Advancement of Colored
People was an honor in
itself.
“I feel great because I am
a lifetime member of the
NAACP and I've served
with the NAACP since I
was in my teens,” she said.
Wiggins, the first
African-American woman
to ever serve on the
Perquimans County Board
of Commissioners, said it
was the NAACP that helped
mold her into a leader. She
Shirley Wiggins, known for her work in the community and local government, was
presented with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Saturday night during the NAACP's
annual Freedom Fund & Mother of the Year banquet. Charles Ward, who has served
as a county commissioner with Wiggins for several years, presented the award.
says she now tries to pass
on what she's learned to
young people.
Wiggins' niece, Loretta
Wiggins Buggs, said her
aunt was very deserving of
the Order of the Long Leaf
Pine, which is awarded by
the state governor's office
to individuals for service to
their communities.
“She works with the
young people in the schools
and in the church,” Buggs
said. “We feel that she's
very deserving” of this
honor. “She has worked
very hard.”
Melvin “Skip” Alston,
president of the North
Carolina State Conference
of NAACP branches and
the keynote speaker for
Saturday's banquet, also
praised Wiggins as” an
excellent leader.”
“She is somebody that
has paved the way for
African-American females
and the race,” Alston said.
Alston said Wiggins had
been a pioneer in her com
munity, just like civil rights
leader Martin Luther King
Jr. was a pioneer during the
1950s and ’60s.
During his remarks,
Alston told those in atten
dance not to wait to make a
difference in their commu
nities.
“Martin Luther King Jr.
wasn't 65 when he made a
difference,” Alston said.
“He was only 35 when he
won the Nobel Peace
Prize.”
Alston urged listeners
that “investing in our
youth is the most impor
tant” thing the NAACP can
do. “Our youth is our best
resource,” he said.
Debbie Jean Wrighton
was also honored during
Saturday's banquet as the
Mother of the Year for 2003.
Teachers, students head back to class
Friday
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Time is running out
for Hertford and WinfaU
residents to file. for
municipal offices.
The filing period for
filing for mayor or coun
cil in both towns closes
Friday at noon.
As of Monday, Sid Eley
had filed to retain his job
as mayor of Hertford,
and Fred Yates had also
filed to remain the mayor
of WinfaU.
Incumbent Carlton
Davenport fUed for a seat
on the Hertford Town
CouncU, as had political
newcomer Ralph Autry.
The two seats are
presently filled by
Davenport and JoAnn
Morris.
There were no candi
dates for the WinfaU
Town Council for seats
held by MitcheU Morris
and mayor pro temp Ken
Rominger.
Residents in the two
towns who are not regis
tered to vote must do so
by Oct. 10 in order to be
eligible to cast a vote in
the Nov. 4 election.
The board of elections
office is open
Monday—Friday, 8:30
a.m.— 5 p.m.
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Summer break is quick
ly coming to an end for stu
dents and teachers in
Perquimans County
Schools.
While some teachers
have already reported back
to work for optional teacher
workdays, all will be
required to report Monday,
when the annual convoca
tion is scheduled at 9 a.m.
The first day for students is
Wednesday
Work is in progress to
prepare for the return of
students across the district.
At the high school, that
includes having a contrac
tor on site to repair air con
ditioning and heating units
in the south end of the
building. Superintendent
Kenneth Wells told the
school board Monday
night.
Personnel director
Brenda DaU said aU posi
tions are fiUed.
There have been some
personnel transfers and
changes within the system.
One of those changes was
naming high school athlet
ic director Susan Cox as
athletic director for the
entire system. Cox worked
with middle school person
nel to compose participa
tion requirements that
were approved by the board
Monday night.
WeUs said the require
ments are in line with state
requirements for high
school athletes, and offer
academic assistance to
those athletes who may
need additional help in the
classroom. Athletes wiU be
required to have teachers
check a simple progress
report form every two
weeks to submit to the
coaching staff Any student
not performing at a passing
level wiU receive immedi
ate after-school assistance
while taking a one-week
break from athletic partici
pation.
Bo^ WeUs and P.C.M.S.
principal Melvin Hawkins
said the measure is not
intended as a punishment,
but rather to help student
athletes before they get too
far behind in their class-
work or lose eligibility to
play sports.
Football players at the
middle school should
report to the gym on Aug. 4
at 3 p.m. VoUeybaU and soc
cer practices will start on
Aug. 11 immediately after
school. All players must
have physical and drug
testing forms completed in
order to practice.
High school football and
volleyball practices start
this week, and soccer and
cross-country will begin
when school starts.
Open houses will be held
at each of the four schools.
Times and dates are:
Perquimans Central School
(grades preK-2, Aug. 14, 7
p.m.; Hertford Grammar
School (grades 3-5), Aug. 4,
6:30-7:30 p.m.; Perquimans
Middle School (grades 6-8),
Aug. 11, 5:30-7 p.m.; and
Perquimans High School
(grades 9-12) Aug. 5,5-7 p.m.
See page 3 for informa
tion on school take-in and
let-out times.
All students will be
handbooks.
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 84
Low: 73
SCAHERED T'StORMS
Friday
High:86
Low: 73
Scahered T'Storms
Saturday
High: 86
Low:72
Scattered T'Storms