FSA seeks nominess
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4-Hers solve murder mystery
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Harrell honored by NCHSAA
Page 6
The
P14/C5
PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
IANS
August 6, 2003
Vol. 7t, No. 32 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
EEKLY
received
AUG 0 6 2m
35 cents
No one
arrested
for dog
attack
SUSAN R. HARRIS
A Hertford woman
remains in Pitt County
Memorial Hospital recover
ing from injuries apparent
ly inflicted by several pit
bulls in her neighborhood.
Zalene Bunch, 44, was
transported from Chowan
Hospital to Pitt on July 25
after being severely bitten
by the dogs. Her condition
was at first critical, but was
soon upgraded to stable.
Sheriff Eric Tilley said
Tuesday that Deputy
Shelby White drove to
Greenville last week to
interview Bunch, but was
unable to get clear answers
to questions about the
attack. The deputy felt that
the medication given to
Bunch may have made it
difficult for her to provide
details of the incident.
Tilley said he and White
hope to return to Greenville
this week to speak with
Bunch again.
‘ Meanwhile, the dogs
remain ih the animal shel
ter, where employees are
documenting each injury to
the dogs for possible
charges against the owner.
Officials suspect the dogs
were used for fighting,
which could result in cruel
ty to animal charges
against the dogs' owner.
The dogs had puncture
wounds, bite marks and
scratches on their legs,
ears, chest and heads.
“At this point I feel pretty
confident that if we go in
front of a judge, the dogs
will not be returned to the
owner at aE,’’ Tilley said.
Charges involving the
attack on Bunch cannot be
determined until she can
teU officers what happened
on the day of the incident.
The attack occurred in
the yard of a mobde home
on Third Avenue shortly
after 2 p.m, on July 25. It
was reported by Daniel
Roulhac, a Lowes Drive res
ident who identified him
self as Bunch’s boyfriend.
When animal control
personnel and sheriff’s
deputies arrived at the
mobile home, they found
live pit bulls, three running
loose in the front yard and
two chained to a tree in the
backyard. ,
Two of the three loose
animals ran towards
deputies when they arrived
on the scene. Tilley said
there was blood on all three
dogs, as well as on one of
ttie chained dogs.
The owner of the home
where the attack occurred
was visiting neighbors
when deputies arrived,
Tilley said. The man, iden
tified as Kevin Foreman,
told deputies the dogs
belong to his son, who was
not home at the time.
Foreman helped animal
control officials secure all
five of the dogs in cages for
transport to the animal
shelter in Chowan County,
which also serves
Perquimans.
Body found in river identified
Friend of
deceased
disappears
SUSAN R. HARRIS
The body found between
the Yeopim and
Perquimans rivers on July
24 has been identified as
that of a Chowan County
woman.
Sheriff Eric Tilley said
the dead woman is
Larraine Parker, 48, of 221
Evans Bass Road in the
Rocky Hock community
An acquaintance of
Parker’s who lives in the
Hertford area told investi
gators that he hadn’t seen
Parker in two weeks, but
did not report her as miss
ing.
After being questioned
in connection with the case
by Deputy Mario Reel and
SBI Agent David Nance last
Thursday, the man “is not
to be found,” according to
Tilley.
Tilley said when the man
was first questioned, there
were inconsistencies in his
story. Those inconsisten
cies are what caused Tilley
to call in the SBI.
The man was under elec
tronic house arrest for-
other charges, but has
apparently disappeared.
The badly decomposed
body was found by a man
working at the edge of the
Perquimans River off
Goose Nest Lane. The state
medical examiner’s office
in GreenvUle said Parker
could have been in the
water up to two weeks.
The cause of death is
stiU unknown, Tilley said,
due to the condition of the
body after having spent so
much time in the water.
When her body was
found, Parker was wearing
cut-off blue jeans and a
white T-shirt imprinted
with the words ”God Bless
America” and a picture of
an American flag over a
bathing suit.
Anyone with informa
tion about what may have
happened should call the
Sheriff’s Office at 426-5615.
BeMdere
Packing the bags
man
charged
with arson
SUSAN R. HARRIS
A Belvidere man was
charged with attempted
first degree arson Monday
night after allegedly setting
his bed on fire.
David Owens, 22, of 1824
Belvidere Road, was placed
in Albemarle District JaU
under a $25,000 secured
bond. His first appearance
in court is scheduled for
Aug. 6.
Sheriff Eric Tilley said
Belvidere-Chappell Hill
Fire Chief Jimmy Chappell
called the sheriff’s depart
ment to the scene after fire
fighters learned that the
blaze to which they had
been called at 1824
Belvidere Road may have
been intentionally set.
Tilley said the boy’s
grandmother, Lucy
Jennings, with whom
Owens lives, told law offi
cers that Owens got mad
around midnight when she
refused to take him to Wal-
Mart. He then allegedly set
the bed on fire.
Tilley said it appeared
that most of the damage to
the house came from
smoke.
r# ■
A
Volunteers met at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church recently to pack bookbags for
some Perquimans County Schools students. A school supply drive was spearhead
ed by Communities in Schools and the Perquimans County Department of Social
Services, with cooperation and donations from severjil area businesses, individu
als and civic groups. The drive kicked off late last spring, and resulted in the dona
tion of school supplies and cash. Volunteers turned out to pack the bags for dis
tribution to students whose families applied for assistance through Social
Services. The rising cost of school supplies and the number of families with limit
ed incomes in the county caused organizers to implement the program. Hundreds
of students were expected to be served.
School system holds annual convocation
Employees
celebrate
success, gear
up for good
year
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Perquimans County
Schools personnel celebrat
ed last year’s successes and
geared up for an even better
2003-2004 during Monday’s
annual convocation.
Superintendent Kenneth
Wells tagged Assistant
Superintendent for
Curriculum and
Administration Dwayne
Stallings “Mr. No Child Left
Behind” in his remarks to
educators gathered at the
high school. Wells said
Stallings will play a key
role in guiding the system
as it implements plans to
meet the guidelines of the
comprehensive federal leg
islation.
All four local schools
earned recognition for stu-
dent performance last
school year under the
state’s ABCs program. Both
elementary schools and the
middle school exceeded
expected growth on end-of-
grade tests, while the high
school met its expected
growth.
The improvement in test
scores marks the fifth con
secutive year of overall
improvement in the school
system. The elementary
schools increased from 79.3
percent proficient in 2001-
02 to 87.8 percent last year.
The middle school climbed
from 83.7 percent to 85.4
percent, while the high
school moved from 69.6 per
cent to 71.7 percent.
The schools posted
record high reading scores
for grades 3—8, and showed
strong growth in geometry
and math in grades 3 and 4.
For the second year in a
row, eighth grade algebra I
students tested at 100 per
cent proficient.
While the schools
showed outstanding
progress measured by
ABCs accountability
model, they did not meet
the standards for Adequate
Yearly Progress under No
Child Left Behind stan
dards.
NCLB measures growth
based on 10 subgroups, and
if one of the 10 subgroups
in one subject scores below
the expected percentage
proficient, the school does
not meet NCLB standards.
Subgroups include schools
as a whole, white, black,
Hispanic, native American,
Asian/Pacific Islander,
multiracial, economically
disadvantaged, limited
English proficient and stu
dents with disabilities. In
order to qualify as a sub
group, there must be 40 or
more students who have
been in membership the
full academic year.
In addition to test scores,
schools must improve
attendance rates and high
schools must advance their
graduation rates in order to
be successful under the fed
eral accountability model.
For the past school year,
the middle school met the
standard in 20 of 21 goals,
while Hertford Grammar
met 19 of 21 and the high
school, 14 of 17.
Local administrators are
confident that with the pos
itive scores from last year,
the system can realize the
growth necessary to meet
NCLB standards.
Wells said that testing
information available
allows the system to pin
point which students are
having problems testing
proficient, and will allow
faculty to work with stu
dents to improve academic
progress.
“Perquimans County
Schools is capable of meet
ing AYP,” Wells said. “I real
ly believe that.”
A highlight of the convo
cation was a performance
by the Panther Percussion
group from Hertford
Grammar School under the
direction of music teacher
Heather Webb. The stu
dents enjoyed a two-week
percussion camp this sum
mer, and showed what they
learned as they played per
cussion instruments and
recorders, and danced.
School begins today
(Wednesday).
Six file
for two
HTC
seats
SUSAN R. HARRIS
The end of the filing
period brought races to the
Hertford Town Council.
Enumbent JoAnn
Morris, former councilman
Dan Daneker and politiccd
newcomers Anne F. White
and Drew Woodard all' filed
for council seats last week.
They join enumbent
Carlton Davenport and
Ralph Autry in a bid for two
available council seats.
Sid Eley is the lone can
didate for mayor.
Hertford councilpersons
are chosen at-large. Each
voter may choose one may-
oral candidate and two
council candidates at the
poUs. The mayoral candi
date with the top number of
votes and the two council
candidates with the most
votes wni be elected on Nov.
4. There is no primary elec
tion in the municipal races.
While Hertford voters
will see choices on the bal
lot, Winfall voters will not.
Present mayor Fred Yates
and incumbent councilper
sons Kenneth L. Rominger
and Bertha Dixon were the
only three to file for seats in
WinfaU.
Rominger is mayor pro
tempore in Winfall, while
Dixon was tapped to fill the
unexpired term of Morris
Mitchell.
Residents in the two *
municipalities must regis
ter to vote by Oct. 10. Board
of Election hours are
Monday—Friday, 8:30
a.m.— 5 p.m.
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 85
Low: 72
Scattered T'Storms
Friday
High:85
Low: 72
ScAHERED T'Storms
Saturday
High: 85
Low:72
Scattered T'Storms