Three injured in New Hope wreck
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Local author to sign books here
Rage 4
Student honors
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001
I 110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD, RC 27944-1306
2006
Perqdimai^s
Weekly
Sheriff: New Hope death was murder
June 21, 2006
Vol, 74, No. 25 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
SUSAN HARRIS
A new Hope man found dead on the
lawn of his home on June 5 was murdered,
according to Sheriff Eric Tilley.
Tilley said Michael Archie Wilson, 50, of
2222 New Hope Road, died of repeated
blunt force trauma to his head, according
to the medical examiner.
Sheriff’s deputies and rescue squad per
sonnel responded to a call for help for a
posible homicide at the home around 2:30
a.m. on June 5. They arrived to find Wilson
lying near the driveway of the home.
EMTs determined that Wilson was dead.
Also at the scene was Gloria Jean
“Pinky” Thomas, 47, the girlfriend of
Wilson who also resides at 2222 New Hope
Road, and several of Wilson’s relatives,
Tilley said.
Thomas told investigators with the local
sheriff’s department and the state police
that she and Wilson had an altercation out
side the home around 1:30 a.m. Tilley said
Thomas told officials that at some point
during the argument, Wilson fell to the
ground face first. She tried to get him up
off the ground, she said, but couldn’t,
Tilley said. Because the phone in the resi
dence was not working, the sheriff said
Thomas drove to the home of some of
Wilson’s family members on Muddy Creek
Road and asked them to come back to the
house with her. He said when the family
members saw Wilson, they called 9-1-1 on a
cell phone.
Tilley said a cause of death was not
immediately obvious. There are wounds
on the body and evidence at the scene that
indicated there was some type of physical
confrontation, but Tilley said it could not
be immediately ruled out that Wilson died
of natural causes. Law enforcement offi
cers, however, suspected foul play from the
beginning.
Thomas initially told investigators that
only she, her teenaged grandson and
Wilson were at the residence at the time of
the incident.
Continued on page 9
County budget
hearing set
Tropical weather
SUSAN HARRIS
County residents can
review the county’s pro
posed fiscal 2007 budget in
the county manager’s office
now, and will have an
opportunity to voice their
opinions about it Monday
at 7 p.m. at the annual budg
et hearing.
Commissioners will vote
Monday on the proposed
$11.6 million budget, which
holds the tax rate at 67
cents per $100 valuation.
County Manager Bobby
Darden highlighted major
items in the budget in his
budget message at the com
missioners’ June meeting.
Bunch
new
PCHS
principal
SUSAN HARRIS
The last time James
Bunch sat in a desk at
Perquimans County High
School, being in the princi
pal’s office wasn’t necessar
ily a good thing. But when
he returns later this sum
mer, the permanent assign
ment of this member of the
PCHS class of 1982 will be
at a desk in the principal’s
office.
Bunch was hired by the
Darden said that the tax
base has grown by 5 per
cent, mostly due to residen
tial construction. The
increase will result in
about $250,000 in additional
ad valorem tax revenues.
The manager cautioned
that an increase in resi
dents also means an
increase in the demand for
county services.
Building permit, regis
ter of deeds and ambulance
fees will rise next year.
Building permits will go
from 15 cents per square
foot to 25 cents, with
increases in electrical and
mechanical permits also.
Continued on page 10
PHOTOS BY MARGARET FISHER
school board Monday night
to fill the principal vacancy
at the high school created
by the resignation of pres
ent principal Melvin
Hawkins. He signed a four-
year contract.
“I am looking forward to
being part of a team in
Perquimans County,”
Bunch told school board
members Monday night. “I
went to Perquimans
Storm
losses
minimal
MARGARET FISHER
Considering high winds
and as much as six inches
of rainfall in some areas,
Perquimans County fared
well through last
Wednesday’s first named
storm of the season.
Tropical Storm Alberto
was downgraded to a tropi
cal depression by the time
it reached North Carolina,
causing downed trees,
power outages and high
water in the area, but no
major damages.
Continued on page 10 Continued on page 9
Last week's tropical depression caused flooding in
areas throughout the county, causing some fields to
turn into lakes like this one on Center Hill Highway
west of Hertford. Soybeans and wheat were damaged,
some ruined in the north and west parts of the coun
ty, according to agricultural officials. High winds
knocked down limbs, caused power outages and blew
the tin off a vacant warehouse in Hertford. Limbs lit
tered yards and roadways.
Former textile plant manager saves a stitch in time
MARGARET FISHER
From the outside of the
building after dark, the
machinery inside 115
Academy Street looks pret
ty strange. But the multi
armed pieces of equipment
are actually silk screen
printing presses at
Albemarle Screenprinting
& Embroidery.
John Wolfe, former plant
manager of the now-closed
Apricot, bought the print
ing and embroidery busi
ness in December. The com
pany had been operating at
Apricot before increased
trade with overseas textile
industries forced the local
textile company to close.
Wolfe moved the print
ing business first to 302
Dobbs Street and then to its
PHOTO BY MARGARET FISHER
Mike McKnight (left) prints a T-shirt as John Wolfe,
owner of Albemarle Screenprinting & Embroidery,
watches him work. Wolfe recently bought the busi
ness, formerly located In the old Apricot textile plant.
present location about a
month ago. The company
celebrated its grand open
ing with a ribbon cutting
on Thursday.
Two former employees
from Apricot were
retained. Mike McKnight, a
silk screen printer for 12
years, and Tammy Moore,
an embroidery machine
operator for 10 years. Both
are artists in their trades.
A third former Apricot
employee, Josie Perry, is
contracted to do the more
detailed artwork.
Wolfe, a native of
Pennsylvania, moved to
Perquimans County to take
a job at Apricot where he
worked for 13 years. While
there, he took screenprint
ing classes and worked on
the press.
Customers can order
garments, such as shirts
and caps, through
Albemarle Screenprinting
& Embroidery or bring in
their own. They can do one
item or thousands. Usually,
orders are completed with
in seven to 10 days.
“We never miss delivery
dates,” Wolfe said. He’s
even brought an order to
an athletic field minutes
prior to a game.
The company also
makes vinyl signs and
business signs for vehicles.
They are operating at a
fraction of capacity. There
are two printers and two
embroidery machines in
the 1,700-square-foot shop.
Three more printers are in
a warehouse and another
Continued on page 9
more
abuse
charges
SUSAN HARRIS
A Hertford couple con
fined to Albemarle District
Jail since February were
each slapped with 66 more
counts of sex abuse charges
recently.
Wayne Arthur Foberg,
37, and his wife Krista
Renee Foberg, 23, of 120
New River Drive, were each
placed under a $1.2 million
secured bond after being
charged with 22,counts of
indecent liberties and 44
counts of statutory
rape/sex offense on June
12.
Sheriff Eric Tilley said
the new charges involve the
original 13-year-old victim,
a family member, and
resulted from continued
investigation after District
Attorney Frank Parrish
reviewed the report submit
ted to his office by the sher
iff’s department.
The Fobergs were first
arrested on Feb. 8 after the
parents of a 13-year-old
reported to the sheriff’s
department that she had
been sexually abused by the
couple. Initially, Wayne
Foberg was charged with
statutory rape, crimes
against nature and two
counts of indecent liber
ties. His wife was charged
with statutory sex offense,
crimes against nature and
two counts of indecent lib
erties. Bonds were set at
$72,000 secured for each of
the Fobergs by Magistrate
William Winslow and
Continued on page 9
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 92, Low: 73
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 89, Low:725
Isolated T'storms
Saturday
High: 84, Low: 69
Isolated T'storms