County commissioner candidate profiles
Page 3A
Subscriber of the Week
^STFORD, 4flf J g
April 30, 2008
Vol. 76, No. 18 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
News from Next Door*^
Photos courtesy PERQUIMANS COUNTY
SCHOOLS
SCHOOL SYSTEMS FROM
ACROSS the region joined
for Special Olympics Friday
at Northeastern High School.
Tarik Hurdle (above) went
way back for the big softball
throw, while Nicole chooses
an underhand method when
her turn comes. Hundreds of
athletes, buggers, teachers
and helpers enjoyed a beau
tiful day of athletic competi
tion.
Courthouse, annex
beef up security
PQ CELEBRATION
CATHY WILSON •
Staff Writer
Beginning May 1, you
will have to use the front
doors to enter the county
courthouse and the court
house annex.
The measure is an effort
to make the court buildings
more secure.
Customers may continue
to access the county’s tax
and water departments
through the Front Street
entrance.
The back door to the
courthouse .annex, how
ever, wUl be locked during
the day.
Todd TUley, clerk of Su
perior Court, said the deci
sion to restrict access to the
buddings to the front only is
an effort by the Perquimans
County Court Security
Committee to enhance the
security of the courthouse
facilities, its employees and
the public.
“There have been no spe
cific security incidents that
have happened, but we have
had minor security con
cerns,” Tilley said. “Unfor
tunately. we hate to admit
it, but in today’s world, se
curity is an issue.”
The committee, he said,
is made up of representa
tives of several different
groups including judges,
employees,lawenforcement
and citizens. It is chaired by
Judge J. Carlton Cole.
Appropriate signs will
be in place to assist with
handicapped accessibility.
Two weeks ago, Hertford
Town Council voted to lock
the front doors of town hall
during council meetings.
Fire marshal warns of burning rules
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Before burning that out
side trash pUe, trash barrel,
or stack of debris, check
the open burning laws and
regulations first.
While there is no open
burning ban in effect, there
are still regulations restrict
ing what can be burned out
side.
Basically, if it doesn’t
grow, don’t burn it.
Two weeks ago, a resi
dent burned an abandoned
mobile home to’ the ground
on Second Avenue causing
firefighters from Hertford
and Bethel to respond. The
firefighters put out what
was left of the intentional
structure fire which is not
allowed under statewide
outdoor burning regula
tions.
Perquimans County Fire
Marshall Mark Rogerson
said the fire was first re
ported by a North Carolina
Department of Forestry
spotter airplane flying over
head investigating smoke.
While the homeowner had
obtained a burning permit,
the permit clearly states
what is permissible resi
dential burning. The per
mit also states in bold print,
“Under no circumstances
shall anything other than
plant growth be burned.”
“By signing the burn per
mit, you are saying that you
have read and understand
what is permissible to be
burned and the require
ments for you to burn,”
said Rogerson. “This is a
legal document. Basically
only naturally grown veg
etation and debris that is
grown on the lot or land is
to be burned and nothing
over six inches in diameter.
Nothing can be brought
from another parcel of land
onto the property where the
burning is being conduct
ed. No man-made materials
may be burned.”
Code violations could re
sult in fines being imposed
up to $25,000 for each of
fense or separate offenses.
Tuesday is
election day
PIRATES ROBERT JACOT AND Alex Weaver celebrate a seventh
inning, come-from-behind win over WilMamstom last Thursday
in Hertford as teammate Josh Phthisic looks on. Story on
Rogerson said. The inci
dent on Second Avenue is
currently being reviewed
by the North Carolina De
partment of Environment
and Natural Resources for
enforcement actions, he
added.
“My advice to aU county
residents is to know the
laws and regulations con
cerning open burning,” he
said.
Information can be ob
tained by contacting the
county fire marshal’s office
at 312-3616, the North Caro
lina Department of For
estry, or the North Carolina
Department of Environ
ment and Natural Resourc
es at 252-948-3830.
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Voters will go to the polls
Tuesday to elect their par-'
ty’s candidates for national,
state and local offices. Three
seats on the Perquimans
County Board of Education
will be filled as well.
Polls will be open from
6:30 a.m.—7:30 p.m.
Eula Mae Forbes, di
rector of the Perquimans
County Board of Elections,
is expecting a large voter
turnout on May 6 and en
courages county residents
to take advantage of short
er lines and less confusion
by voting now at the county
elections office during one
stop absentee early vot
ing. Located at 601A South
Edenton Road Street (the
Extension building), the
one-stop absentee early
voting site will be open
Wednesday—Friday, April
30—May 2, 8 a.m.—5 p.m.
and on Saturday, May 3, 8
a.m.—1 p.m.
As of Monday afternoon
317 voters had already cast
their votes in the primary
election.
“It’s been steady,” she
said of the early voting.
“Votebs with questions
should call now rather than
waiting until Tuesday,”
Locally, four Democrats
and one Republican candi
dates are vying to run on
their party’s ticket seeking
three seats on the county’s
board of commissioners.
Republican Sue Weimar
is seeking re-election and
is unopposed on her party’s
ballot. Her name will auto
matically be placed on the
ballot for the November
geheral election.
Democratic incumbents
Mack Nixon and Shirley
Wiggins are being chal
lenged by newcomers Tom
my Riddick and Neil True-
blood on the Democratic
ballot. Voters will get to
vote for one candidate, and
the top three vote takers
will run in the general elec
tion in November.
Voters who have regis
tered as Democrats will re
ceive a democratic ballot to
vote on in the primary and
registered Republicans will
receive the republican bal
lot. Those registered as un-
affiliated may choose to vote
on either the democratic or
republican ballot.
There are also seven peo
ple vying for three school
board seats in the May 6
primary. The school board
election is nonpartisan and
each voter may vote for one
candidate.. The top three
vote takers will be elected
and take office in June.
Seeking to be seated on
the board of education is
incumbent Gail Vaughn
Hill and newcomers Lula
Mae Billups^Eason, Susan
B. Cox, Dianne M. Layden,
Pam Modlin-Hurdle, Amy
Spaugh, and Arlene Yates.
Also listed on the Demo
cratic primary ballot are
the following candidates for
state positions:
Governor-Richard H.
Moore, Dennis Nielsen, •
Bev Perdue.
Lieutenant governor-
Walter'H. Dalton, Hampton
Dellinger, Pat Smathbrs,
Dan Besse.
Auditor: Beth A. Wood,
Fred Aikens.
Commissioner of Insur-
Polls open Tuesday,
May 6,6:30 a.m.—
7:30 p.m.
Vote early at the
Board of Elections
office, April 30—
May 2,8 a.m.—5
p.m.. May 3, 8
a.m.—1 p.m.
ance: Wayne Goodwin, Da
vid C. Smith.
Commissioner of La
bor: Mary Fant Donnan, Ty
Richardson, Robin Ander
son, John C. Brooks.
Superintendent of Pub
lic Instruction: Eddie Davis,
June St. Clair Atkinson.
Treasurer: Janet Cow
ell, Michael Weisel, David
Young,
North Carolina State
House District 005: Annie
Ward Mobley, Robert Rich
ardson.
Candidates seeking elec
tion to national offices on
the Democratic ballot in
clude:
President: Hillary Clin
ton, Mike Gravel, Barack
Obama.
United States Senate: Kay
Hagan, Duskin C. Lassiter,
Jim Neal, Howard Staley,
Marcus W. Williams.
On the Republican pri
mary ballot are the follow
ing candidates seeking
state offices:
Governor: Bill Graham,
Pat McCrory, Robert F.
(Bob) Orr, E. Powers, Fred
Smith.
Lieutenant Governor:
Timothy Cook, Greg Dority,
Robert Pittenger, Jim Sny
der,
Superintendent of Pub
lic Instruction: Joe John
son, Richard Morgan, Eric
H. Smith.
In addition to the local
board of election, candi
dates seeking the following
nonpartisan offices will ap
pear on both the democrat
ic and republican ballots as
well as the official nonparti
san primary ballot:
Court of Appeals Judge:
Jewel Ann Farlow, Dean
R. Poirier, James A. (Jim)
Wynn.
Court of Appeals Judge:
Sam J. Ervin IV, Janet Pu-
eschel, Kristin Ruth, John
M. Tyson.
yHuatmt
Thursday
High: 79 Low: 61
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 83 Low: 63
Partly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 81 Low: 63
SCAHERED TsTORMS
6”"89076''47143
'^1
ft