McClung running for hunger
Rage 3
Schools notes
Rages 6,7
Pirates make gridiron playoffs
Pages
P11/C6
PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
November 10, 2004
Vol. 72, No. 45 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
PERQUlVtANS
Weekly
County
flocks
to polls
ERIN RICKERT
Although North
Carolina experienced an
increase in those making
trips to the polls this elec
tion, overall voter turnout
in Perquimans County reg
istered significantly higher
than the last Presidential
Election in 2000.
Nearly two hours after
polls closed and results
were tallied Nov. 2,
Perquimans County voter
turnout in the 2004 election
registered 63 percent. This
is a whopping eight per
centage points higher than
the 55 percent turnout
recorded in 2000.
This means that of the
8,091 registered voters,
5,093 residents exercised
their right to vote in the
election.
“I think it was a fantastic
turnout,” said Eula Forbes,
director of the Perquimans
County Board of Elections.
“I’m glad people took
advantage. I just wish
everyone would get
involved.”
Forbes said residents
who cast their votes on
Election Day experienced
little wait. At worst, lines
only reached a wait time of
about 30-minutes with the
majority of traffic concen
trated in then a.m. - 2 p.m.
time frame.
Residents voting on
Election Day used touch
screen-polling machines to
cast their vote.
Theses machines ran on
batteries rather than elec
tricity, which Fotbes said
allowed the county to pro
vide more accurate results
in case a power outage were
to occur.
And though overall voter
turnout for the county was
high, an increased number
of residents chose to beat
Election Day lines and vote
early.
Forbes said although
only 800 people were expect
ed during the early voting
period Oct. 14-30, an aston
ishing 1,574 residents came
into the Board of Elections
Office to vote early.
“I anticipated it could
reach 1,000, but never
1,500,” Forbes said.
Forbes said due to the
high volume of early voting
she is planning for close to
2,000 early voters during
the next Presidential
Election in 2008.
Much like the national
turnout of the Presidential
Election, those residents in
Perquimans County that
visited the polls voted
George W. Bush into office
for a second term — taking
2,964 residents votes to
Kerry’s 1,971.
Local election results:
Register of Deeds:
Deborah S. Reed 3,633 votes
(unopposed)
Board of County
Commissioners: Mack E.
Nixon 1,591 votes, M.
Shirley Wiggins 1,350 votes.
Sue Weimar 1,669 votes
(three elected to at-large
seats)
Soil and Water
Conservation Board:
Ginger H. O’Neal 1,482, H.
Wayne Hurdle 2,678
Vote totals unofficial
16th CENTURY SOAP OPERA
The high school Fine Arts
Department staged "A
Midsummer Night's
Dream" Thursday and
Friday. The tale of love
and woe features human
frailty, the merriment of
fairies in the wood, the
mischief of a jokester
named Puck, some spells
gone wrong and local
yokels producing a play
for the Duke's wedding. It
was quite a success.
Parton checks out area
ERIN RICKERT
G*'
Perquimans is one of
several area counties being
considered by Randy
Parton, brother of award
winning country music
star Dolly Parton, for a the
atre district.
Parton, who finished his
weeklong trip to the area
with wife Deb last week,
hopes to develop the the
atre district on more than
100 acres in the northeast
region of the stafp;
Among the s^ites under
consideration for a theatre
district backed by Parton
are Currituck,
Perquimans, Beaufort/
Chowan, Martin and
Pasquotank counties.
“I’m very impressed
with all the areas,” Parton
said. “The one thing miss
ing is the entertainment.”
Rick Watson, president
and CEO of North
Carolina’s Northeast
New shop
opens in
Hertford
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Faye Correia has been an
air brush artist for years,
traveling to such places as
shopping centers, fairs and
craft events to set up a tem
porary shop and turn out
car tags and T-shirts.
Recently, Correia decid
ed she’d rather have a shop
to call home and stop the
roaming, so she’s opened
This’ N That on Edenton
Road Street. The Chamber
of Commerce welcomed
her with a ribbon cutting
Saturday.
Correia is open Tuesday
— Saturday, 8 a.m.—5 p.m.
She officially opened her
doors on Oct. 1, and said
she is pleased with the traf
fic her store has generated
so far.
Partnership, helped bring
Parton to the area.
Watson, who not too long
ago attended one of
Parton’s shows, said after
the performance he spoke
with one of the entertain
ers that performed along
side Parton and gave them
his business card.
Parton’s fellow enter
tainer passed the card onto
Parton that night and he
called Watson the next day.
Parton said he could not
explain why he called
Watson, because he said
scenarios similar to this
one happen to him often.
“It happens everyday, 100
times a day,” Parton said.
“This had to be fate.”
- Watson said the theatre
development is definite
because Parton has signed
a letter of intent and sister
Dolly has written him a let
ter expressing her eager
ness for the project.
“I think we are on our
way now, but I just don’t
know where we are going to
land,” Watson said.
Though plans for the
future theatre district are
still in the works, the two
said they envision a hand
ful of theatres, but “The
Randy Parton Theatre”
would be the anchor where
Parton would frequently
headline.
The district is what
Parton referred ito as an
expansion of the Pines
Theatre in Pigeon Forge,
Tenn. where he performs
six months out of the year
in his sister’s theme park,
Dollywood.
After fined plans are set
near spring 2005, Watson
said it is feasible for the
theatre district to be in
place six-eight months
later.
Watson said he has
already had developers say
they would build the the
atre if Watson made sure
Parton came.
This 'N That held a grand opening Saturday. The shop,
which sits on Edenton Road Street, carries a variety of
items ranging from furniture to air brushed items.
Correia specializes in air
brushing and refurbished
furniture, creates flower
arrangements, and offers
specialty painting and gift
and home decor items.
The furniture has been
her biggest success so far.
She finds gently used furni-
ture and refurbishes it. She
said'she can hardly keep it
in stock.
There are also tools and
refurbished kerosene
heaters available.
She also rents space to
vendors offering doUs and
swords.
Edenton
man killed
in hit, run
RYAN BURR
The Daily Advance
An Edenton man was
killed early Friday when a
vehicle struck him from
behind while he was walk
ing south on U.S. Highway
17, about five miles south of
Hertford, a state Highway
Patrol sergeant said.
William Edward Bond
Jr., 33, of East Peterson
Street, was killed instantly
from injuries sustained by
the collision and was
thrown onto the median,
said Sgt. Tom Griffin.
Based on vehicle debris left
at the scene, authorities
believe it was a light color
Toyota Camry made
between 1994 and 1997
which struck Bond and left
the scene. Authorities
believe the car was also dri
ving south on the highway.
Griffin said Bond had
left a newly reopened night
club, formerly called
Hillcrest, a few miles south
of Hertford just before 2
a.m., according to witness
es there. Bond was report
edly heading back to
Edenton, as were several
other patrons that night,
but he did not have a dri
vers license or a car.
The accident occurred
about a mile and a half
south of the club at around
3 a.m., Griffin said. Bond’s
body lay in the road for
hours until a passing
motorist reported the situa
tion to the patrol just before
7 a.m. Also reponding to the
scene were the Perquimans
County ‘ Sheriff’s
Department and
Perquimans Emergency
Medical Service.
Griffin said authorities
suspect Bond had been
drinking, but they had not
seen the blood alcohol
results of an autopsy which
was performed Friday
afternoon.
Authorities could not say
for certain that the driver
did not stop after the acci
dent to check on Bond,
Griffin said. There are no
tire marks on the road
where the impact occurred,
so Griffin said it is likely
the car did not slow before
hitting Bond. Although
Bond’s body was not found
on the road, it has not been
confirmed whether the car
struck Bond on the road or
just off the road. There are
no tire marks in the grass
from the Toyota, however,
Griffin said.
A crime scene recon
structionist with the
Highway Patrol will con
duct a detailed investiga
tion of the events before,
during and after the fatal
accident, Griffin said.
The owner of the club
and security staff knew
Bond by name, Griffin said,
but they didn’t know for
certain if Bond came by
himself or with others
Thursday night.
There is no indication
that Bond was involved in
any aoltercation with peo
ple at the club, Griffin said,
adding, that the owner
“can’t figure out why
(Bond) would have been
walking” to Edenton.
“We’re still trying to get
up with some of the folks”
who may have seen Bond
on Thursday, Griffin said.
“We are scratching the sur
face to see what we can
come up with.
“Maybe their conscience
will lead them coming back
to talk to us,” he said of the
driver.
Authorities expect ■ to
have a better idea of what
color the Toyota was once
the State Bureau of
Investigation finishes its
paint transfer analysis.
The Highway Patrol asks
that anyone who has spo
ken to Bond recently or
who may have any informa
tion about the incident call
the Elizabeth City patrol
office at 331-4749.
Award-winning author,
producer coming to town
ERIN RICKERT
Perquimans residents
may want to get into the
holiday spirit a little earli
er this year with a
Christmas story written by
Gates County native Beth
Poison.
This author and produc
er is traveling from
California to sign her
newest book, “Secret
Santa” at 1 p.m. Saturday at
M. James Booksellers on
Market Street.
Poison said she agreed
to the signing' when
Melanie James, owner of
the bookstore, contacted
her a few months ago and
asked her to come.
“I try to do anything that
supports the home team,”
Poison said.
James said she was gen
uinely excited and even a
little surprised when
■ ft,. -X
Poison agreed to visit the
store.
Continued on page 8
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 70
Low: 56
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 63
Low: 37
Showers
Saturday
High: 53
Low: 35
Mostly Sunny