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May 14, 2008
,Vol. 76, No. 20 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
^^News from Next Door
Cox
Spaugh
Yates
Election
results
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Three new board of edu
cation members were elect
ed following last week’s
primary election that drew
about 39 percent of the coun
ty’s registered voters to the
poUs. Three democratic
candidates for county com
missioners were chosen to
run in November’s general
election as well.
Politi
cal new-
comers
Susan
Cox, Amy
Spaugh
and Ar
lene Yates
defeated
i n c u m -
bent Gail
Vaughn
Hill and
challeng
ers Lula
Mae Bil-
lups-E a-
son, Di
anne M.
L a y d e n
and Pam
Modlin-
Hurdle for
three seats
on the
non-parti
san school
board.
Cox was
the top
vote getter
with 881,
followed
by Spaugh
with 684 and Yates with
419.
Layden drew 366 votes,
Modlin-Hurdle gained 343,
Hill had 298 and BiUups-Ea-
son received 208 votes.
The three new board of
education members will
take office in June.
Three incumbent county
commissioners and a new
comer will run for three
commissioner seats in the
November general election
following Tuesdays wins at
the polls.
Com
mission
chair-
man Mack
Nixon and
commis
sioners
Shirley
Wiggins
and new-
comer
Tommy
Lynn Rid
dick won
on the
Democrat
ic ticket
last week,
defeating
challenger
Neil True-
blood.
Wiggins
was the
top vote
getter with
996 votes
followed
wby Nixon
with 725,
Riddick
with 696,
and True-
blood with 234.
Wiggins, Nixon and Rid
dick will face Republican
commissioner incumbent
Sue Weimar in the Novem
ber election for three seats
on the board of commis
sioners. Weimar did not ap
pear on Tuesday’s ballot.
Deborah Reed, register
of deeds, is seeking reelec
tion and automatically ad
CONTINUED on page 12
Nixon
Riddick
Wiggins
■ PHOTOS BY PHIL HARRIS
SCIENCE IN DAILY LIFE was the recurring theme at the
Science Day, as students learned about science relating
to health and animal life. First, fifth and eighth graders
and high school science students visited the event. See
page 9 for details.
Food pantry requests increase
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
The state of the economy
is sending more folks to the
local food pantry for help in
feeding their families.
Rosemary Smith, pro
gram director for Open
Door of Perquimans, said
the food pantry has seen a
12 percent increase in cus
tomers since the first of the
year.
“The high gas prices are
really hurting them,” she
said. “Many of them used to
drive to the beach to clean
houses, but can’t do it any
more because of the price of
gas.”
The increase in clients,
coupled with the normally
slack donation season of
June—August, may cause
trouble this summer for
the all-volunteer interfaith
non-profit organization
that relies on food and mon
etary donations from area
churches, schools, civic
groups, postal carriers, and
the community.
“We always struggle with
donations, but 1 am amazed
at how blessed we are by the
community’s support here,”
Smith said. “The commu
nity is so supportive, more
so than most food pantries
have.”
Open Door provides help
to an average of 110 families
a month, and that number
is expected to increase as
gas prices, and the cost of
groceries, continue to rise.
Clients are usually referred
for help from area churches.
Catholic Charities, Salva
tion Army, county fire de
partments, or the county’s
department of social ser
vices.
However, Smith says
anyone who needs help may
receive food from the food
pantry the first time with
out a referral.
“We’U talk with them
and let them know they will
need a referral to continue,
but they don’t need to be
clients of the department
of social services,” she ex
plained.
In addition to providing
food to those in need. Open
Door also provides emer
gency assistance to help
pay for utilities once a year
for clients through a FEMA
emergency food and shelter
grant.
Unfortunately donations
to Open Door drop off dur
ing the summer months
even though the need is still
prev^ent.
Seasonal fresh produce
is often donated by farmers
and locals whose bountiful
gardens produce more than
they can use.
Foods not donated to the
agency are bought in bulk
from the Albemarle Food
Bank located in Elizabeth
City.
While food and money
are usually the items donat
ed, Smith pointed out that
toiletries are needed just as
badly. Items like shampoo,
toilet paper, and laundry
detergent are not allowed
to be • purchased by food
stamps, she added.
“We buy detergent in
bulk and break it down into
zipped bags to give, along
with shampoo and toilet
paper, in goodie bags,”
Smith said. Toilet paper is
the number one requested
item.
The “freebie” smaller
County
eyes
marine
business
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
After years of cutting
bait, Perquimans County
has finally hooked a big
fish. Now they’ve just got to
get it in the boat.
County commissioners
and the North Carolina
Seafood Industrial Park
Authority want to join forc
es in developing a marine
industrial park here that
qould bring six boat build
ers to the area and create
approximately 400 jobs.
Last Thursday, county
commissioners approved
a letter of intent showing
their interest in selling
property for developing a
marine business park in the
county’s commerce centre.
While the word “seafood”
in the name conjures up
images of seafood markets,
smelly trawlers, and docks
lined with tons of fresh sea
food, the park will actually
attract boat builders, boat
repair and maintenance
businesses, marine engine
sales and service, boat sales,
upholstery businesses,
cabinet making, and other
boat-related industries.
The • Perquimans park
would partner with the
one currently operating in
Wanchese, which is filled to
capacity.
Bob Peele, director of
the state commerce depart
ment’s Wanchese Seafood
Industrial Park in Dare
County, is excited about the
project and said the coun
ty’s site is “absolutely beau
tiful.” He stressed, however,
that the letter of intent to
the authority is non-bind
ing. Several approvals must
be received before the proj
ect can go forward.
The authority, the state’s
Secretary of Commerce,
and the Council of State
must each give their stamp
of approval before a legal,
binding agreement can be
reached.
“I don’t foresee a prob
lem with those approvals,
they’re hoops we have to
go through and they can go
pretty quickly,” he added.
“We are extremely excited.
This is a great opportunity
and we look forward to put
ting some folks to work.”
Peele told commissioners
that jobs at the Wanchese
park start around $10—$12
per hour, with
CONTINUED on page 12
Perquimans Weekly photo by CATHY WILSON
BOB COTTHAUS AND BILL James, both volunteers from Albe
marle Plantation, deliver donations to the Open Door from a
local supermarket. Open Door is.approaching their lowest do
nation season, June—August. With more people seeking help
and less donations coming in, it could be a long summer for the
local non profit organization.
packs of shampoo, condi
tioner, and coffee normally
found in hotel rooms are es
pecially enjoyed by clients,
she said. Travelers who
bring those items home
may donate them to Open
DoorasweU.
Open Door, located in Ap
ple Tree Mall in Winfall, is
open Monday and Wednes
day, 10 a.m.—noon. Volun
teers are also available to
speak to groups anytime.
For more information,
call 426-7776.
yHuaimt
Thursday
High: 79 Low: 65
Few Showers
Friday
High: 75 Low: 58
Scattered Storms
Saturday
High: 75 Low: 63
Partly Cloudy
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