Estate planning
Page 4
Schools gets health grant
Rage?
Pirates kick off with loss
Rage?
^ P11/C5
PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
August 25, 2004
Vol. 72, No. 34 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
373 8/24^2004.
Perquimans
Weekly
Schools in line for $11 million loan
PCHS will get
new gym if
funded
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Perquimans County
High School may get the
facelift school board mem
bers have been planning for
over the past several years.
Superintendent Kenneth
Wells told school board
members Monday night
that the county is in line to
get up to $12.5 million in
loan funds from USDA
Rural Development, which
will fund a new gymnasi
um, renovate the exciting
gymnasium into a media
center, renovate the exist
ing media center into office
and counselor suites and
add new classrooms.
Assistant County
Manager Bobby Darden
confirmed Monday that the
county is preparing docu
mentation to submit an $11
million loan application in
September.
Darden said that the
commissioners and school
officials have been dis
cussing the facilities needs
at the high school for sever
al years, and have looked at
specific immediate needs
even more closely over the
past few months.
Rural Development offi
cials in the Wiliiamston
office knew of the needs
and ongoing discussions,
and told local officials that
the time to submit an appli
cation is now, according to
Darden. Darden said the
county’s contact is Susan
Christensen.
“Rural Development
kind of told us that if we
didn’t do it this year, we
probably wouldn’t be able
to get the money to do it
after this, even in phases,’’
Darden said.
Darden said the applica
tion must be in
Washington, D.C. for
review and approval by
Sept. 30. A comment period
on the funding is presently
open, and will end on Sept.
21. The county commis
sioners have planned a spe
cial meeting for Sept. 22 to
make an official decision
on the loan application.
Darden said because the
school system has in hand
solid long-range plans corn-
posed with the assistance
of an architect, the applica
tion process will be
smoother.
“Had that not been done
I don’t think we would
probably get that funded
this year,” Darden said.
The county will apply for
a 30-year loan at 4.75 per
cent interest.
“I’d have to go back and
look, but I’m almost certain
it’s the biggest loan we’ve
ever done,” Darden said.
Darden said working
through Rural
Development has the
advantage of a long-term
pay-back, full funding and
low interest rate.
Students
study Lost
Colony
first-hand
What became of those
referred to as “The Lost
Colony?”
The image is one of the
most haunting in
American legends: Eleanor
Dare cradling her infant
daughter as they struggle
through a vast wilderness
fending for themselves.
Eighth graders at
Perquimans Middle School,
after having studied the
details of the legend, trav
eled to Manteo to hear the
facts first-hand.
“In the four centuries
since their disappearance,
Eleanor and Virginia Dare
have become true
American heroines in an
unsolved mystery that still
challenges historians,”
said one of the tour guides.
“In 1587, over 100 men,
women and children jour
neyed from Britain to
Roanoke Island on North
Carolina’s coast and estab
lished the first English set
tlement in America. Within
three years, they had van
ished with barely a trace.”
“Learning came alive
today for our students as
they visited Roanoke
Festival Park and The Lost
Colony,” said Principal
Melvin Hawkins. “Field
Perquimans County Middle School students got a first-hand look at the history of
the Lost Colony they studied with a trip to Manteo's Roanoke Festival Park and The
Lost Colony.
trips for students are
aligned with the curricu
lum and provide hands-on
experience, focusing on
activities that cannot be
conducted in the class
room.
Hawkins said he believes
field trips provide an
important contribution to
the learning process.
Researchers have docu
mented the cognitive and
affective benefits of field
trips, including increased
motivation for learning,
the acquisition of knowl
edge and skills, and maxi
mized learning to ensure
that cognitive and affective
benefits are gained.
Annual festivals set in county Sept. 11
Come to Hertford on
Saturday, Sept. 11 and join
in the fun of two festivals,
the annual Hearth &
Harvest Festival at the
Newbold-White House
Historic Site and Indian
Summer Festival in down
town Hertford and Winfall
Landing Park. »
A highlight of the day
win be the grand arrival of
the periauger, the 18th cen
tury replica sailing vessel,
into Hertford Municipal
Docks.
At the Hearth & Harvest
Festival,try your hand at
traditional 18th century
activities that could have
taken place at this Colonial
Quaker homestead. Create
a cornhusk doll, dip some
candles, make some butter
and play 18th entury
games. Join in a musical
performance. Watch arti
sans at work on traditional
crafts. This family event
has something for every
one.
Music, storytelling and
heritage craft demonstra-
Visitors to Hertford's Indian Summer Festival have
enjoyed the U.S. Atlantic Fleet Concert Band over the
past two years. This year's festival will feature the
Atlantic Fleet Jazz Band.
tions wiU enhance the festi
val.
Hertford will celebrate
with its annual Indian
Summer Festival, from 9
a.m. — 5 p.m. The popular
street fair features cr^ts, a
food court, daylong enter
tainment, a children’s
pavilion, and a Perquimans
County Schools art contest.
The Perquimans River
wiU be a special focus of
the day with the grand
arrival of the periauger set
for 10 a.m. at the Hertford
Municipal dock. River
events and activities
include recreational pad
dles for kayaks and canoes
leaving from Missing MiU
Park. Wild River Outfitters
of Virginia Beach wiU rent
kayaks and will lead shore
line paddles for a fee at the
town docks.
Other special events dur
ing the day includes a chil
dren’s story time at 11:30
and a book signing with
Lillie Gilbert and Vicki
Shuler for “Wild River
Guide tp Dismal Swamp
Trails,” at 2 p.m. at M.
James Bookseller.
Arts and crafts of all
kinds wiU be available for
sale and the food court
boasts something for every
taste.
A variety of entertain
ment is scheduled on the
courthou^ lawn. A high
light of the day will be a
performance by the United
States Atlantic Fleet Jazz
Band scheduled for 4 p.m.
Winfall’s events will fea
ture a patriotic theme.
Onfall man held
in stabbing death
From Daily Advance reports
by Julian Eure and
Bob Montgomery
Just hours after he
admitted to a judge that he
violated a court order to
stay away from her, Winfall
resident William Joseph
Moore was charged with
the stabbing death of his
former girlfriend, Pamela
Joye Virzi of Edenton.
District Court Judge J.C.
Cole said Moore, 46, of 205
W. Main Street, pleaded
guHty on Aug. 17 to violat
ing an earlier order to stay
away from Virzi in Chowan
County District Court. Cole
said that Moore also admit
ted making several threat
ening phone calls to Virzi
in violation of the court
order.
Cole said Virzi was pre
sent at the hearing and
asked the judge to order
Moore to undergo treat
ment and domestic abuse
counseling, a request Cole
said he granted.
The judge also said he
reminded Moore of the
domestic protective order
issued by Judge
Christopher Bean requir
ing Moore to stay away
from Virzi and her daugh
ter, sisters and mother for
one year. He sentenced
Moore to supervised proba
tion for violating that order,
and ordered him to see his
probation officer immedi
ately.
But according to an
Edenton police report,
around 7 p.m. Virzi was
mowing her front lawn on
Twiddy Avenue when a
man approached her.
Witnesses identified the
man as Moore.
The two talked briefly,
according to witnesses, and
then the man began hitting
and then stabbing Virzi
repeatedly while she tried
to flee, according to police
reports and eyewitness
accounts. She fell on a
ramp to her next-door
neighbor’s porch and was
pronounced dead at the
scene.
Virzi’s neighbor, WP.
“Bill” Goodwin, who is par
tially blind, said Virzi was
mowing her lawn when her
riding mower stopped. He
said he saw Moore
approach her and the two
sat briefly on the curb in
front of the house.
“He asked her a ques
tion, she said ‘No,’ and he
came back and helped her
stand up,” Twiddy said. “I
thought they were
friends.”
Carroll Bonner of
Florence, S.C. was working
on a truck in the driveway
while visiting his sister,
Carolyn Walker of 104
Twiddy Avenue. He said he
heard the mower stop, but
thought nothing of it until
he heard screams.
“She was screaming help
and yelled ‘Stop, stop stab
bing me,”’ Bonner said. “I
thought he was hitting her.
He stabbed her one more
time, looked at us, then
went to the back. It hap
pened quick.”
A knife thought to havq
been used to kiU Virzi was
found at the scene.
Moore was. apprehended
later without incident and
charged in connection with
her murder. He is being
held in Central Prison in
Raleigh.
Bean had issued the pro
tective order against Moore
in July. In her complaint,
Virzi stated that Moore had
beat her in April, repeated
ly harassed her and made
threatening phone calls,
including one in which he
told her, “You’re dead.”
Virzi wrote that she feared
for her life, as well as that
of her daughter, her family
and her neighbors.
On July 13, Bean issued a
warrant for Moore’s arrest
for violating a protection
order. Moore was charged
formally on July 20, when
Bean ordered him to stay
away from the victim and
her family for one year.
Bonner said that a proba
ble cause hearing in con
nection with Virzi’s death
may be held this week, and
that the grand jury would
determine any charges to
be brought against Moore.
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 83
Low: 70
Parry Cloudy
Friday
High: 92
Low: 70
Scahered T'Storms
Saturday
High: 82
Low: 70
Scahered T'Storms