Recreation update
F^ge 6
School tech team visits Raleigh
F^ge 6
Author visits Central School
Rage 7
February 28, 2007
Vol. 75, No. 95 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
The
Perquimans
Weekiy
Hertford man charged with wife's death
SUSAN HARRIS
A Hertford man has been
charged for the death of his
wife in an automobile acci
dent last March.
Edward Lee Sheetz, 49, of
149 Willow Street turned
himself in to the sheriff’s
MARGARET FISHER
Police seized 40 grams of
marijuana during a routine
traffic stop on Feb. 20.
At about midnight, offi
cer Jeff Thomas pulled
over a 1994 Buick at Harris
SHdppmg Center after the
driver allegedly ran a stop
sign, said Hertford Police
Chief Dale Vanscoy.
When Thomas smelled
what he thought was mari
juana coming from the
inside of the car, he asked
to search the vehicle.
The driver, Steven
Andrew Elliott, 23, of 304 S.
Church St., and a passenger
exited the car during the
search. Thomas found 31
grams of marijuana in a
bag and 8 additional bags
totaling 9 grams, all on
Elliott’s person, Vanscoy
said. No drugs were found
in the car or on the passen
ger.
Elliott was charged with
possession with intent to
sell or deliver marijuana
and he was issued a town
citation for a stop sign vio
lation. He was placed on a
$1,000 secured bond and
taken to Albemarle District
JaU.
NAACP
I
Black
History
honors
MARGARET FISHER
“Surprised” was the
reaction from a couple of
the recipients of a black
history award from the
Perquimans County
NAACP branch.
Six African Americans
were given awards for their
accomplishments and
achievements of leadership
and volunteer work in the
community during a Black
History program held at
Bagley Chapel Missionary
Baptist Church on Sunday
Continued on page 9
department on Feb. 20 after
learning that he faced
charges of felony death by
motor vehicle. Sheetz was
released on a $25,000 unse
cured bond.
The charges were
brought by the District
Attorney’s office as the
result of an investigation
by George Ryan. The DA’s
office began its own investi
gation into the case with
information from the acci
dent reports filed by the
N.C. Highway Patrol.
Sheetz was driving on
Poor Hill Road about 10:30
p.m. when the 2005 Dodge
Magnum he was driving
ran off the right shoulder
in a sharp curve, collided
with a ditch bank and over
turned in a ditch.
Sheetz reported the
wreck from a residence
over a mile away at about
3:20 the next morning,
more than five hours after
the accident. He told offi
cers his injuries and the
position of the car made it
difficult for him to seek
help.
Sheriff’s deputies
arrived to find Sheetz’s
Trash to treasure
Recycling
gives trash a
new purpose
MARGARET FISHER
Almost daily, residents
of Perquimans County
bring loads of trash and
recyclables to one of five
convenience sites. Not
including recyclables or
yard waste, about 115 tons
of trash is generated in
Perquimans County a
week.
Some may wonder
where aU the garbage goes
and what happens to those
cans, plastics, newspapers
and glass that get tossed
together into a big contain
er.
From the convenience
sites, the trash is hauled
by Waste Industries to the
East Carolina
Environmental LandfUl in
Bertie County.
But the recyclables take
a different route. The cans,
plastics and newspapers
are trucked to TFC
Recycling, a recycling com
pany in Chesapeake, Va.,
that handles a large por
tion of northeastern
North Carolina and south
eastern Virginia.
When the trucks pull'\
into the family-owned
material recovery facility,
their loads are weighed.
Then they dump the recy
clable materials into a
shoot which sends them
flying through a single
stream collection and pro
cessing system inside a
warehouse.
Workers are stationed at
various places along the
PHOTO BY MARGARET FISHER
One man's junk rushes through a single-stream recy
cling process in Chesapeake, Va., where it is eventu
ally sold and turned into another man's treasure.
Much of Perquimans County's recyclables end up as
products made overseas.
path that winds back and
forth through the the
building. As the materials
race by, each is trained to
spot certain items and
remove them. The materi
als may pass through the
system several times until
all of it is sorted.
Along the way, an opti
cal sorter “sees” the differ
ence between paper and
plastic and tosses the
paper along a different
route.
Older methods of recy
cling took longer and pro
duced fewer usable recy
clables. Today, the process
has been streamlined so
that 40 tons can be
processed in an hour, said
Michael Benedetto, vice
president. He owns the
business with his father
Continued on page 7
Quaker home opening
MARGARET FISHER
The historic 1730 Newbold-White
House will open its doors for the 2007
season tomorrow.
The Colonial Quaker Homestead has
undergone some renovations during
the winter to make it as authentic as
possible.
Some of the shingles have been
replaced, authentic beams have been
added for support and period plastering
was done throughout the home, said
Matthew Krogh, site manager. Also, the
bridge on the driveway was replaced
and the trail to the water was complet
ed.
Still to come is covering the roof
with tar and paint, finishing the shin
gling, sealing of the exterior brick, and
painting the smokehouse and adding a
brick pit, Krogh said.
Period furniture is being built by vol
unteers in the community headed by
furniture maker and teacher, Ben
Hobbs.
New additions are a leather chest
and various decor, Krogh said. A vine
yard is to be planted in the spring once
a weU is installed on the grounds.
The home, built by Abraham and
Judith Sanders and listed in the
National Register of Historic Places,
features a kitchen garden, walking
trail, 1600s Quaker cemetery, picnic
area and gift shop. It also offers period
furnishings, fireplaces and corner
staircase.
The Newbold-White House Museum
Gift Shop contains unique pottery,
glassware, jewelry, bayberry soap, hand
dipped candles, pine needle baskets,
handcrafted cards, tin ware and local
and regional books.
The Newbold-White House offers vol
unteer opportunities and guided and
group tours.
“We welcome any groups or folks
that have particular needs or requests,”
Krogh said.
Hours are Tuesday through Saturday
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The site will be
open through Thanksgiving and an
admission fee is charged. For more
information, call 426-7567, email
nbwh@inteliport.com or visit
www.newboldwhitehouse. com
State checks
out junk cars
MARGARET FISHER
Dan Wendell, the notorious
fighter against junked-up
yards, made headway when
his relentless phone calls
brought in two state represen
tatives in water quality.
Rose Ballance and Sylvia
Hunneke, both hydrogeolo
gists with the state Division
of Waste Management,
accompanied Wendell
through three counties to get
a view of the less-than-scenic
sites of junk cars.
In Perquimans, Ballance
said she observed as many as
five sites. The concern, she
said, is in sites with car fluids
that could impact ground
water.
“There are a few that we
will more than likely check
out in more detail,” she said.
Ballance estimates that
Continued on page 9
wife, Kimberly Ann Sheetz,
44, dead from her injuries.
She was not wearing a seat
belt. The officers called
highway patrol.
Initi^ reports indicated
that speed and alcohol were
possible factors in the acci
dent.
OLF
study
ready
MARGARET FISHER
The U.S. Navy released
its Supplemental
Environmental Impact
Statement on Friday and
continues to view Site C (in
Washington and Beaufort
counties) as their preferred
choice for an Outlying
Landing Field.
Four other sites, includ
ing Perquimans County,
were included in the study,
which was required after
the courts found the Final
EIS in 2003 deficient.
A public hearing will be
held on March 21 at the
Perquimans County High
School auditorium. An
informational session wiU
be held from 4:30 to 6:30 and
the public hearing will con
clude by 10 p.m.
“My gut feeling, and
everyone else’s,” said
Perquimans County
Manager Bobby Darden, “is
that we’re close to (NAS)
Oceana and that just puts
the spotlight on us.”
However, Darden said
that Perquimans’ popula
tion — higher than most of
the other sites —- and devel
opment from Virginia that
could eventually encroach
on this area may be enough
to keep the Navy out of the
county.
But North Carolinians
Opposed to the Outlying
Landing Field’s leader Stan
Winslow said that
Perquimans residents have
plenty of work to do before
the hearing date.
“Washington County has
got a really good chance of
stopping (the OLF) from an
environmental aspect,”
Winslow said. “...We don’t
need to assume the Navy is
done with us.”
Continued on page 9
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 65, Low: 59
Few Showers
Friday
High: 69, Low: 45
SOVTTEREDrSHOWERS
Saturday
High: 63, Low: 42
Mostly Cloudy