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"Neivs front Next Door”
JULY 22, 2009 - JULY 29, 2009
Cleaning up for Friday Night
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Unidentified RHEMA Academy students participating in Summerfest 2009 pick up trash on King Street Friday prior to Friday Night in the Park
activities. Local leaders shared their time, knowledge and words of encouragement with local youth and families during the event at Academy
Green Park. Participants also enjoyed free food and a movie. Friday Night in the Park is sponsored by the Perquimans County NAACP.The next one
is scheduled for Friday evening.
Friday Night in the Park a success
Programs offer area
families safe activities
By Cathy Wilson
Staff" Writer
Two programs this summer
are encouraging area youth
and families to enjoy safe ac
tivities that are fun and en
riching while helping the com
munity at the same time.
RHEMA Academy is host
ing Summerfest 2009 while the
Perquimans County NAACP is
joining forces with the church
community and others to offer
free movies and activities at
Academy Green Park. Togeth
er, the programs offer free ac
tivities for the kids, help with
academics, and offer opportu
nities for community service
with a smile.
Hattie Sharpe, chief execu
tive officer of RHEMA Acade
my, said 26 children, ages 6-16,
recently took part in a special
project as part of Summerfest
2009. Armed with safety vests
and black trash bags, the chil
dren picked up litter on King
Street. In their effort to help
clean the community, the chil
dren collected 10 bags of trash
over a period of two days.
“It was their goal to clean
up one of the portals to the
Reilly wins at Northeast Dragway 4
; iobli
Perquimans
Weekly to be
sold to Cooke
family firm
Sale also includes Chowan
Herald, The Daily Advance
From staff reports
Cox Enterprises Inc. announced Monday it
has reached an agreement to sell The Daily Ad
vance, The Daily Reflector of Greenville, The
Rocky Mount Telegram and 10 non-daily news
papers in eastern North Carolina to Cooke
Communications LLC, a privately held family
company headed by John Kent Cooke.
The transaction is expected to be completed
in upcoming weeks, officials said.
The non-daily publications include the
The Chowan Herald of Edenton, Perquimans
Weekly of Hertford, Beaufort-Hyde News of
Belhaven, Bertie-Ledger Advance of Windsor,
Duplin Times of Kenansville, The Enterprise
of Williamston, Farmville Enterprise, Stan
dard Laconic of Snow Hill, Times-Leader or
Ayden-Grifton and Weekly Herald of Rober-
sonville.
“These papers provide a valuable service to
many communities across North Carolina,”
said Doug Franklin, executive vice president
of Cox Newspapers. “Cox Enterprises began
as a family-owned newspaper, and we’re con
fident that the Cooke family will be excellent
owners of these papers and continue to foster
a strong commitment to the community and
advertisers.”
“We will continue the strong tradition of
family-owned independent newspapers serv
ing these communities of eastern North Car
olina,” John Kent Cooke said in a prepared
statement. “We look forward to working with
the talented staffs at these newspapers to con
tinue to provide timely, accurate local news
that matters to readers’ lives.”
Representatives of the two companies made
the announcement this morning in Green
ville.
“Newspapers are not dead. They’re not even
ill,” John Kent Cooke said during the announce
ment. “I’m not worried in the least about the fu
ture of this business, particularly here in North
Carolina. It’s going to be difficult at times, but
See PURCHASE on Page 4
TO
W ' - til ... i
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A sign posted on a fence at Academy Green Park during last weekend’s Friday Night in the Park event offers
words of encouragement to participants.
Town of Hertford,” explained by Mae McGee and assisted by July 24, is free for the children,
Sharpe. “They collected trash Judie King, also provides stu- she said,
early in the morning before it dents help in academics and The town provided the litter
got too hot. They did a really trips visiting areas around bags and disposed of the filled
good job.” the community. The program,
Summerfest 2009, directed which runs from June 15 until See PARK on Page 4
GREG EANS/THE DAILY REFLECTOR
Brian Cooper (left) and Neil Johnston, of Cox Enter
prises, and John Kent Cooke, John Kent Cooke Jr., and
Thomas Kent Cooke, of Cooke Communications, are
shown in the newsroom of The Daily Reflector newspa
per in Greenville, Monday.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 86 Low: 71
Thunderstorms
Friday
High: 86 Low: 73
Thunderstorms,
Saturday
High: 87 Low: 73
Thunderstorms
Residents excited about Albemarle Plantation sale
Homeowner: Deal ends
2-year limbo for residents
By DIANA MAZZELLA
Staff Writer
HERTFORD — No one is as excited
by the recent sale of Albemarle Plan
tation as the president of the hom
eowners group in the upscale water
front housing development.
Dave Goss says Albemarle Planta
tion’s sale in June to Albemarle Plan
tation Holdings, LLC for nearly $16
mUlipn win finally aUow residents to
start thinking about the future.
For the past couple of years that’s
been difficult because the Hertford
development has been in receivership
whde the previous owners dealt with
lawsuits, he said.
“For us (the sale is) a very positive
event because this has been in limbo
for a couple years, all a residt of a
court case amongst the partnerships,”
Goss said.
The investment group
Albemarle Plantation Holdings
bought Albemarle Plantation on June
30 for $15.8 million. According to Per
quimans Tax Administrator Frank
Heath, that’s $8.6 million less than the
property appraised for in 2008.
Albemarle Plantation Holdings is
buying about 145 parcels of land in
the sale. Heath said.
Perquimans County garnered
$158,583 in land transfer tax revenue
from the sale.
Albemarle Plantation features a
212-slip boat marina, a golf course
and country club, pool and tennis
courts. Home sites range in price from
$80,000 to $775,000, and existing homes
are selling for about $500,000, accord-
CATHY WILSON/THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
The entrance to Albemarle Plantation is seen in this photo taken in June.The development
See PIANTATION on Page 4 was sold in June to Albemarle Plantation Holdings, LLC for nearly $16 million.