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Spring Weekend set
Page 2
Rogers wins athletic award
Page 4
Pirates: Kings of come-back
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May 52006
Vol, 74, No. 18 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Perolimans
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Weekly
MAY 0 3
Sunday fire destroys home
PHOTO BY MARGARET FISHER
A fire destroyed a residence on White Hat Road and
sent two family members to the hospital. The fire
started in a utility room off the garage when possibly
lint under the dryer heated up and caught fire.
On-site utilities
OK’d by town
MARGARET FISHER
A fire, believed to have
been started by lint that
overheated under a dryer,
destroyed a home causing
the roof to collapse and two
members of the household
to be treated for burns.
On Sunday afternoon,
Douglas and Brenda
Sawyer, their daughter Kim
Cartwright and two grand
children were at their
home at 479 White Hat Road
preparing for the week
ahead. All five were in
either the kitchen or living
room and some were peri
odically attending to the
laundry in a u Uity room
located off the garage.
It might have been a typ
ical Sunday evening, until
Kim Cartwright’s daughter,
Keely Cartwright, went to
check on the clothes and
spotted flames coming up
from underneath the dryer.
She called for help while
trying to pull away a load of
sheets that were lying on
the floor in front of the
dryer. In the process, she
suffered second-degree
burns, she said. Her moth
er arrived and tried to pull
the load away, as well, but
bigger flames came out
from under the dryer.
Kim Cartwright called 9-
1-1 at about 4:35 p.m. Her
father tried to grab the
laundry to get it outside.
The flames had grown larg
er and extended up the wall
behind the dryer.
A neighbor came with a
water hose and 61-year-old
Doug Sawyer continued to
battle the fire. But eventu
ally, the smoke overtook
him and he had to retreat
outside. He and Keely
Cartwright were taken to
Albemarle Hospital. Later,
Doug Sawyer was flown to
Sentara Norfolk General
where he is being treated
Me and my dad
MARGARET FISHER
The town of Hertford
approved an amendment to
its subdivision regulations
at a public hearing held on
Monday night. The amend
ment allows new residen
tial developments in the
extraterritorial jurisdic
tion - certain areas outside
the corporate town limits -
to install on-site water and
wastewater treatment sys
tems.
In addition, the town
also approved a prelimi
nary plat for Jakob’s
Landing to develop in the
ETJ with its own wells and
septic systems.
Perquimans County
Planning Board member
Ed Nixon voiced concerns
about on-site utility sys
tems having the potential
to cause problems such as
where backwash water
ends up and reduced life
span of pumps and house
hold appliances. No other
concerns were raised by
the public.
Jakob’s Landing was the
only subdivision that had
been approved by the plan
ning board to develop in the
ETJ prior to the town dis
covering a conflict in its
ordinance that prohibited
it to develop.
On the surface, the ordi
nance seemed to allow on
site water and sewer sys
tems in the ETJ, but also
stated that developments
must be hooked up to the
town’s systems. The
stricter of the two conflicts
would apply, meaning that
developments have to hook
up to the town’s utilities,
said town attorney, Ike
McRee.
The town had tabled
Jakob’s Landing’s request
until Monday’s amendment
resolved the conflict. Then
councilors approved the
preliminary plans for
Phase 1 of the development.
An extension and modifi
cation to the town’s waste-
water moratorium last
month now restricts any
new residential develop
ments, including those in
the ETJ.
Tanner Thach enjoys fishing with his dad, Richard, at
this weekend's Northeastern N.C. boat show.
Boat show
cJraws big
crowd
Sunny • skies and the
opportunity to browse
through a sea of nautical
equipment, related items
and information brought
hundreds to what is hoped
to have been the first
Northeastern North
Carolina Boat Show this
weekend.
Held at the county recre
ation facility off Harvey
Point Road, the show was
sponsored by Sea Tow of
the Albemarle to benefit
Perquimans County
Communities in Schools.
Sea Tow owners John
and Lenore Mohr spear
headed the regional event
because of their commit
ment to the community, and
to highlight the county’s
miles of shoreline, pristine
trails and woods, dozens of
peaceful creeks and rivers,
and wide-open spaces —
perfect for those who enjoy
spending time on .water
ways.
for burns and smoke
inhalation, Kim
Cartwright said. His grand
daughter was treated and
released.
Fire Chief Jimmy
Spivey of Durants Neck
Fire Department said fire
fighters just happened to be
at the station when the call
came in. It took them a
minute to head out and
within six minutes, they
were at the scene.
“(The fire) was fully
involved coming out of the
gable end of the house,’’
Spivey said. The roof above
the garage caved in and
Continued on page 10
Election
results
7 of 7 precincts reporting
Clerk of Court
Sheila Onley 1087
Todd Tilley 1132
Sheriff
David Layne 730
Eric Tilley 1492
School board
Walter Leigh 487
Gloria Mason 356
Wallace Nelson 1126
Gary Saul 166
Vivian Winslow 353
These were the totals
available at press
time. Vote totals do
not include provisional
votes. Numbers are
incomplete and will
not be certified until all
votes are tallied and the
county canvass is held
later this week.
Billy’s Auto opens
MARGARET FISHER
Ever since Billy Boblit
started pre-school, he was
interested in mechanics.
He spent hours at his
granddad’s service station
in Grandy until he was
about 10 years old. Now he
owns his own full service
repair shop.
Boblit opened Billy’s
Auto on the corner of
Church and Dobbs streets
on March 20 and celebrated
his grand opening with a
ribbon cutting last
Thursday.
“I just always loved to
work on anything mechani
cal,” he said. His friends
would bring him their
bikes, go-carts or anything
else mechanical to fix, he
added.
Continued on page 10
Legion won’t sponsor
4th of July fireworks
PHOTO BY MARGARET FISHER
East Carolina Bank celebrates its grand opening at its
new location in the Commerce Centre on April 20. The
bank now offers drive-up services and night deposit
at its 3,600 square-foot building. As part of the cere
mony, ECB donated $500 to the Perquimans County
Recreation Center.
ECB relocates office
PHOTO BY MARGARET FISHER
Employees, family and friends celebrate the grand
opening of Billy's Auto on Church and Dobbs streets
on Thursday. The full service auto repair shop, owned
by Billy Boblit, offers new and used tires, computer
diagnostics and minor and major repairs at affordable
prices.
MARGARET FISHER
After five years in the old
Be-Lo shopping center, the
East Carolina Bank moved
to its new building in the
Commerce Centre and cele
brated its grand opening on
April 20.
“We are absolutely
delighted to have a branch
at this location,” said
Arthur Keeney III, presi
dent and chief executive
officer of ECB Bancorp
headquarters in Englehard.
The 3,600-square-foot
colonial style building
offers full service banking
and mortgaging with new
Continued on page 10
SUSAN HARRIS
There may not be any
rockets red glare over the
Perquimans River this 4th
of July.
American Legion Post
126, sponsors of the fire
works show for the past few
years, announced Monday
that the group will no
longer sponsor the event.
Post Commander Ken
Rominger said that sharp
dips in bingo revenues
have forced the organiza
tion to adjust operations.
“This cancellation has
been a great disappoint
ment for the Post, but the
decision was necessary to
the survival of the Post,”
Romginer said.
According to Rominger
revenues from bingo began
dropping drastically last
fall. Beginning in
November, Rominger said
the Post suffered through
about six weeks of nega
tive balances from bingo
games. Even adjusting win
ner payouts at the first of
this year has only resulted
in revenues of about one-
third what the Post used to
generate from its opera
tion.
Continued on page 10
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 84, Low: 62
Sunny
Friday
High: 79, Low: 62
Scattered T'storms
Saturday
High: 78, Low: 59
Thunder Showers
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