H Winslow earns national note
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1 Jennings: 80 years of giving
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i Sports 1 f Subscriber of the Week: L
S Page 8 | | Walter Benton ^
February 27, 2008
Vol. 76, No. 9 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
**News from Next Door**
^ECEIVIP,
35 cents
SUSAN HARRIS
Editor & Publisher
Sitting and watching net
ted an arrest for the Sher
iffs Department earlier
this month.
Investigator Shelby
White said he had kept an
eye out on what he tagged
“a known drug area” in the
county, an area he didn’t
identify.
While he was watching,
he noted suspicious activ
ity on Feb. 15, and subse
quently stopped a vehicle
operated by Christopher
Darnell, 47, of 250 Deep
Creek Road- Darnell got out
of the vehicle at White’s re
quest and consented to have
the car searched.
A canine was brought
in and indicated there was
something near the console.
White said a bag containing
14 grams of marijuana was
found. Further searching
revealed another bag with
1.2 grams of marijuana, a
bowl for smoking marijua
na, and a box on the floor
of the back seat containing
electronic scales, sandwich
bags, drug paraphernalia
and a sandwich bag con
taining 71.5 grams of mari
juana seeds. White said
marijuana seed are very
small, about the size of cel
ery seed, so the amount of
seed could have resulted in
a very large marijuana crop
had the bag not been confis
cated.
Darnell was charged
with possession of drug
paraphernalia; maintain
ing a vehicle for the pur
pose of manufacturing,
selling, and/or delivering
a controlled substance; and
possession with intent to
manufacture, seU, and/or
deliver a Schedule VI con
trolled substance. Bond was
set at $2,500 secured.
Rain doesn't
end severe
drought
While we are stUl listed
as suffering from a severe
droughtlocaUy, Perquimans
County is up slightly in
rainfall so far this year.
According to Tommy and
Sherry Harrell’s unofficial
rain collection data, which
is used by local agricultural
officials, the county has re
ceived 4.92 inches of rain
so far in 2008. Last year, the
county received 4.84 inches
of rain in January and Feb
ruary.
Most of this year’s rain
fall has come in February
with 4.06 inches falling.
Less than an inch of rain
fell in January.
One year ago, 3.05 inches
of rain fell in January while
1.78 fell in February.
According to the North
Carolina Drought Manage
ment Council, Perquimans
is one of 13 counties suf
fering from severe drought.
Statewide, 22 counties are
suffering from extreme
drought, and 64 counties
suffer from exceptional
drought conditions.
A Time to Teach
FEB 2 7 20118
n-
m
Photo courtesy PERQUIMANS COUNTY SCHOOLS
EFFLEY D. HOWELL SR. brought his Thankful Heritage African American History Museum to Perquimans County recently.
Presentations were made at both the middle and high schools.
You’ve heard it said many times
during your life....there is a season
and a time for everything.
Effiey D. HoweU Sr. believes it is
his time to teach. Howell founded
the Thankful Heritage mobile Afri
can American history museum in
1993 and since then has been pro
viding an aid for teachers to better
understand the Black History that is
within American History.
The indelible and important dis
play is full of history and heritage
from ancient Africa through today.
[s history to Hertford
Education and awareness are ex
perienced through collectibles and
memorabilia. The extensive collec
tion depicts every aspect of African
American life experiences, positive
as well as negative imagery.
Displays include historical arti
facts on black history, civil rights
and genealogy. The oral presenta
tion focuses on information and in
teractive discussions to enhance the
understanding of the importance of
Black History Month.
The mobile museum was made
available to the community, mid
dle and high school students in
Perquimans County Schools and
was sponsored by Perquimans
High School and Communities In
Schools.
“The ultimate purpose of the dif
ferent seasons in one’s life is growth.
Growth in terms of knowledge,
experience and ability, both physi
cally and spiritually,” said Principal
James Bunch. “I trust the Thankful
Heritage Museum provided growth
in knowledge for our students.”
S bridge, causeway future considered
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
State transportation of
ficials are trying to decide
what to do with the historic
S-bridge and the causeway
leading to it.
Areas in the causeway
are sinking from settling
and have been for years,
causing North Carolina
Department of Transporta
tion officials to repair and
rebuild the road over and
over again.
According to minutes
of a meeting held between
DOT officials, local public
officials, and a consulting
firm in September, the mov
able-span S bridge, built in
1929, has a low sufficiency
rating, and now many parts
that might need replacing
are no longer readily avail
able. They must be special
ordered and custom made
instead. In addition, the ex
isting bridge does not meet
current codes including the
radius of the curves, the
width of the bridge, and the
width of the causeway. The
bridge costs approximately
$100,000—$125,000 to oper
ate and maintain annually.
DOT Transportation Im
provement Program project
R-4467 proposes to correct
differential settling issues
from the S-bridge to state
Route 37 (the causeway),
and to replace the S-bridge.
Sterling Baker, division
maintenance engineer for
DOT, said the project is stiU
in the planning stages and
has been included in the
draft 2008-2015 TIP. Right of
way issues are tentatively
scheduled to be addressed
in 2014 with $5 million bud
geted towards the project
in 2015. The remaining $10
million needed for the proj
ect remains unfunded in
the 2008-2015 plan.
A study to determine op
tions for the half-mile proj
ect is currently being con
ducted by Kimley-Horn and
Associates, Inc. The first
step in the process was con
ducting the meeting with
local officials last faU.
DOT and Kimley-Hom
representatives met with
members of Hertford Town
Council, town employees,
Hertford police, WinfaU
Town Council, Albemarle
RPO, county commission
ers and county employees,
school leaders, and emer
gency management offi
cials to give background
information on the project
and gather input on poten
tial issues and alternatives
for the complex project.
The causeway provides
exclusive access to Hertford
on the north end of town.
When the road is closed, as
it has been several times
when DOT repaired set
tling issues in the past,
the detour takes traffic 4.1
miles along Church Street
to US 17 BjTpass. When traf
fic is detoured, business in
both WinfaU and downtown
Hertford declines, school
buses travel longer distanc
es to deliver students and
travel more often over the
high rise bridge on US 17
Bypass, and EMS respond
ers have time added to their
response times to emer
gency medical caUs in the
northern end of the county
as they leave from the sta
tion in Hertford.
Some of the suggestions
that came out of the meeting
with local officials included
replacing the bridge with
a moveable-span bridge
that looks as simUar to the
existing one as possible,
and replace the causeway
with a low bridge; replace
the bridge with a non
movable span bridge that
moves the channel slightly
to the north, and replace
the causeway with a low
bridge; replace the bridge
and causeway with a bridge
that is low over the current
bridge location and cuts a
new channel for boats at the
point in the existing cause
way where the width of the
peninsula is narrowest.
If the causeway is recon
structed, and the S-bridge re
mains the same, the height
of the causeway roadway
might not tie in with the
height of the road over the
S-bridge. If the bridge is re
placed with a non-moveable
bridge, it would need to be
high enough for boat traffic
yet low enough not to im
pact the Historic Hertford
district.
Officials at the meeting
indicated that the cause
way can not be maintained
in its present condition
because it wiU continue to
sink. It might be possible
to replace the causeway on
piers in the same location,
but it would need to be high
enough not to flood, but low
enough to look more like a
road than a bridge.
While all local officials
are concerned about the
safety of the causeway,
some also voiced concern
over the possibility of los
ing such sentimental and
historic elements surround
ing the project area includ
ing the view, the turtle log,
the Cyprus trees, and the
historic S bridge which is
considered eligible for list
ing on the National Reg
ister and pictured on the
Hertford town seal.
Several officials also
■voiced concerns that the
causeway would have fewer
problems if truck traffic
was restricted. The current
weight limit on the bridge
(19 tons for single vehicles
and 24 tons for trucks) is
correct according to the
DOT formula based on the
2007 bridge inspection.
The next step in the
study will be to collect data,
develop several conceptual
alternatives and perform
analysis. Once that is com
pleted, NCDOT officials wiU
meet with local officials and
communities again some
time this year to present
the alternatives.
Returns must
be filed to get
funds
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
So, what are you going to
do with your check?
The country’s Economic
Stimulus Act of 2008 was
passed recently, putting
more than $152 billion
back in the hands of 128
million American house
holds including those in
Perquimans County. The
tax rebates and temporary
tax incentives for business
es are designed to stimulate
the sluggish economy and
to help local businesses
grow by creating jobs this
year.
Individuals are eligible
to receive up to $600, $1,200
for couples. A minimum of
$300 per person and $600 per
couple would be available
to taxpayers with at least
$3,000 of earned income.
The rebates are available
for individuals making less
than $75,000 and married
couples that make less than
$150,000 filing jointly. The
rebate wiU be phased out
for taxpayers making more
than those limits.
In addition, everyone is
eligible for an additional
$300 per chUd. For example,
a married couple with two
chUdren could receive a tax
rebate of up to $1,800.
Those who receive Social
Security benefits are also
eligible for the tax rebate
as well as those who receive
certain veterans’ benefits.
Payments are slated to
go out through late spring
and summer, but you must
file your 2007 taxes first.
Terry Chappell, with
ChappeU Accounting in
WinfaU, said he expects
more people to file this year,
especiaUy those who have
not had to file in the past
due to lower incomes.
“We’ve already been re
ceiving caUs, and have had
people coming by asking
questions,” ChappeU said.
“They’re lining up.”
Tax incentives for busi
nesses include a temporary
change to the tax code that
aUows American business
es that buy new equipment
this year to deduct an ad
ditional 50 percent of that
cost in 2008. SmaU business
es placing less than $800,000
of equipment into service
would be able to immedi
ately deduct up to $250,000,
nearly doubling the previ
ous deductible amount.
Wa/amt
Thursday
High: 49 Low: 35
Sunny
Friday
High: 61 Low: 47
Partly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 54 Low: 34
Mosily Sunny