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Featured church: New Bethel
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Liverman is No. 2 principal in region
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January 30,2008
Vot. 76, No. 5 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
**News from Next Door**
County
offOLF
site list
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Perquimans County is
officially off the list.
Last week, Navy officials
announced that the county
is one of five sites no lon
ger under consideration as
potential outlying landing
field sites. Other locations
not being considered any
longer are sites in Bertie,
Craven, Hyde, and Wash
ington/Beaufort counties.
Localities making the
Navy’s short list and still
being considered include
Hales Lake that straddles
Camden and Currituck
counties and Sandbanks
in Gates County as well as
Sussex, Surry and South
ampton counties, Va.
“Obviously, the informa
tion that came out is great
news for the entire county,”
said Stan Winslow, presi
dent of the Perquimans
Chapter No OLF. “It is
what the Perquimans OLF
has i)een working towards
for the past several years.
I want to thank the OLF
committee, the county com
missioned, Bobby Darden,
and especially the county
citizens who helped get the
Navy to listen to us and help
the decision made come to a
reality.
“Perquimans County
has finally gotten relief
from this situation, but our
neighbors in Camden and
Gates are now under the
gun,” he added. “We need to
support them in their battle
to keep the OLF from com
ing to their communities.”
The Navy will initiate
a new Environmental Im
pact Statement on the five
sites under consideration
to analyze the impacts of
construction and operation
of an OLF to support field
carrier landing practice
training requirements for
aU carrier air wing aircraft
based at NAS Oceana and
Naval Station Norfolk. The
Navy plans to hold public
scoping meetings on the
new EIS this spring. The
new EIS is expected to take
30 months to complete.
County Manager Bobby
Darden voiced happiness
over being left off the short
list, but vowed the county’s
support for efforts to keep
an OLF from siting in the
region.
“We’re glad we’re off the
list,” said Darden, “and the
county is going to continue
to oppose it...This is a good
thing for us, but we still
want to keep it (OLF) out of
the region.”
In response to the Na
vy’s announcement. Sen.
Richard Burr said, “It has
always been my hope that
the Navy and the State of
North Carolina could find
a location for an OLF that
was acceptable to both the
military and the local com
munity. It was clear that
some of the previously pro
posed sites were opposed
by North Carolinians and I
am pleased that those sites
are no longer under con
sideration ... It is crucial
the Navy listen to the local
community when consider
ing these sites. This lengthy
process has been difficult
on many North Carolin
ians, and I hope that the
Navy can foUow the siting
process and find a resolu
tion to this matter.”
Perquimans Weekly photo by CATHY WILSON
UNITED STATES SENATOR ELIZABETH Dole presents a ceremonial check for $242,900 to the Hertford Volunteer Fire Depart
ment for the purchase of a new heavy rescue vehicle. USDA Rural Development provided a $142,900 low interest loan and
a $100,000 grant to finance the truck which is still being built. Also on hand for the Sunday afternoon ceremony was John
Cooper (far left), state director of the USDA Rural Development.
Dole visits Hertford - with money
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
She arrived in a gas-ef
ficient compact car. She
posed for pictures with lo
cal citizens and listened as
folks talked about issues.
She asked for prayer to un
dergird her when dealing
with challenging matters
in Washington.
But, the main reason for
the United States senator’s
visit to Hertford was to
dole out the money!
U.S. Senator Elizabeth
Dole signed a ceremonial
check for $242,900 Sunday
afternoon to finance a new
heavy rescue vehicle for
the Hertford Volunteer
Fire Department.
USDA Rural Develop
ment provided a $142,900
low interest loan and a
$100,000 grant for the town
to purchase a 2007 Freight-
liner heavy rescue vehicle
which wiU replace a 1992
model that is no longer
capable of providing EMS
and rescue support in the
community.
“I applaud the Town of
Hertford for securing this
significant funding,” said
Dole. “Our firefighters are
there in times of need and
are literally on the front
lines defending our home
land. It is so important
that they have adequate
facilities and equipment
so that they can safely do
their jobs and protect the
communities they serve.”
John Cooper, USDA
Rural Development state
director, said the town re
ceived a 4.5 percent fixed
rate on their 20-year loan
to help pay for the truck
which wiU include the
Jaws of Life.
“Local firefighters are
one of the first to respond
in a time of need,” said
Cooper. “USDA Rural De
velopment is pleased to
assist with the purchase
of a new rescue vehicle
which will enable the
Hertford Volunteer Fire
Department to respond
more quickly during an
emergency. We are grate
ful to Senator Dole for her
support of Rimal Develop
ment programs... She re
ally, really does care. She
recommends the program
and continues to fight for
funding so we can help
you.”
Also attending the ser
vice held at the fire depart
ment was Betty Jo Shep-
heard, field representative
for U.S. Senator Richard
Burr.
“I know how important
the USDA is' to this part of
the state,” said Shepheard.
“We want to see you get
ting the things you need in
rural North Carolina.”
USDA Rural Develop
ment and local govern
ments in Perquimans
County have enjoyed a
long-standing relationship
that has provided funds for
riiuch needed projects over
the years ranging from fire
trucks to county-wide wa
ter service.
Hertford Fire Chief
Bob Reed pointed out that
Rural Development loans
and grants have helped
the town acquire several
trucks including an engine
in 1994, another engine in
2002, and now the heavy
rescue truck in 2008 which
is stiU being built.
Hertford Town Manager
John Christensen voiced
his support of the USDA
Rural Development Com
munity Facilities Program
and what it has meant to
the town.
“Their support of our
fire department has al
lowed us to have the equip
ment to meet the needs of
our citizens and provide
an excellent level of ser
vice,” he said. “Without
the grant and low interest
loan, we would not be able
to afford this heavy rescue
truck which is needed to
respond to the accidents
throughout our county
and help get the injured to
the hospital as quickly as
possible.”
Mayors Sid Eley of
Hertford and Fred Yates
of WinfaU both attested to
the projects gained in then-
respective towns through
funding provided by Ru
ral Development over the
years.
Mack Nixon, chairman
of the Perquimans County
Board of Commissioners,
said the citizens of the
county today have coun
ty-wide water available,
school projects buUt, and
the current regional jail
project ongoing thanks to
help from Rural Develop
ment. Rural Development
has helped other fire de
partments in thq county
gain apparatus ^siwejl.
Dole, who in various po
sitions has served under
five presidents, commend
ed Cooper and his team for
bringing in more money
than any other state di
rector in America. When
thanked by local leaders
for her stand in helping re
move Perquimans County
from the Navy’s list of po
tential sites for an outlying
landing field (OLF), Dole
reiterated her conviction
to continue working for
Camden, Currituck and
neighboring Gates coun
ties which include sites
stiU on the list.
“I have been meeting
with these counties and I
won’t support any site for
an OLF without broad lo
cal support,” she said.
Filing period for primary opens F’eb. 11
CATHY WILSON
staff Writer
Candidates seeking to
run in the May 6 primary
must file their intentions
with the local board of elec
tions next month.
Eula Mae Forbes, di
rector of the Perquimans
County Board of Elections,
said the filing period for
candidates wishing to run
is Feb. 11 at noon until Feb.
29 at noon.
Local seats up for grabs
this year include th];-ee po
sitions on the county com
missioners’ board, three
seats on the board of edu
cation, and the Register of
Deeds position.
Forbes said county com
missioner seats currently
held by Democrats Mack
Nixon and Shirley Wig
gins and Republican Sue
Weimer are up for election
this year, as are the non
partisan board of educa
tion seats currently held by
Helen Shaw, GaU Hfil and
William Byrum.
The Register of Deeds
position, currently held by
Democrat Deborah Reed, is
also up for election.
Also slated to appear on
the May 6 ballot wUl be sev
eral state contests includ
ing governor, lieutenant
governor, commissioner
of agriculture, secretary
of state, superintendent
of public instruction, and
court of appeals.
Federal offices included
in the primary are the of-
Wreck
claims
local
man
A 74-year-old Hertford
man died Monday morning
when the pick-up truck he
was driving collided with
a tanker truck traveling
northbound on Highway 17
in Perquimans County.
According to North
Carolina Highway Patrol
Trooper T.F. Langley Jr.,
DUlard Elmer Ward, of 535
Swingate Road, was killed
when the 2007 GMC pick-up
truck he was driving pulled
out of Woodland Church
Road in front of a 2006 Mack
tractor-trailer. Ward was at
tempting to cross Highway
17 to Chapanoke Road, po
lice said, when the tanker
truck struck the Ward ve
hicle in the driver’s side.
The tanker truck is reg
istered to Advantage Tank
Lines from Canton, Ohio,
and was driven by Ardell
Wayne Byrum, 62, of Eliza
beth City.
Langley said no fuel es
caped from the tanker dur
ing the collision.
No charges were filed in
connection with the wreck.
Members of Intercounty
Volunteer Fire Department
and Perquimans County
EMS responded.
Man shot
at Wynne
Fork Court
George Moore of Wynne
Fork Apartments was shot
in the leg Jan. 23 just outside
the apartments on Wynne
Fork Court. Hertford Po
lice are stiU looking for the
shooter.
Moore apparently was in
a vehicle with three other
passengers when he was
shot as he attempted to get
out of the car.
Members of Perquimans
EMS treated Moore at the
scene and transported him
to Church Street where he
was later flown to Sentara
Norfolk General Hospital
by Nightingale helicopter.
Members of the Hertford
Police Department are in
vestigating the shooting.
Police believe the shoot
ing occurred during an at
tempt to rob Moore.
The police department is
currently following several
leads and seeking several
possible suspects for ques
tioning.
flees of president, senators,
and members of congress.
At the primary election,
voters registered as Demo
crats will receive the Demo
cratic ballot. Voters regis
tered as Republicans wUl
receive the Republican bal
lot. Unaffiliated voters will
get to choose which ballot
they want to vote on. Demo
cratic or Republican.
All the county’s regis
tered voters wUl be eligible
to vote for school board
CONTINUED on page 2
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