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P The
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Ashley Bonner Jackson-Heard Cohen
Schools name top teachers Page 8
"Nefvs from Next Door”
AUGUST 19, 2009 - AUGUST 25, 2009
Prosecutors drop murder charges
School
bells to Witness testimony in 2006 slaying questioned
ring on
Ihesday
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
School bells will start ring
ing on Tuesday when Perqui
mans County schools open
their doors for the 2009-10
school year.
School officials say no ma
jor changes are in store for
students this year, however
there are a few things parents
might need to be aware of.
All kindergarten students
at Perquimans Central School
(PCS) will receive free break
fasts daily this year under a
new initiative from state leg
islators.
While kindergartners will
get to enjoy a free breakfast,
there may not be as many
kindergartners this year as
in the past.
A new state law specifies
that only'children who turn
five years old on or by Aug.
31 are able to register for kin
dergarten in public schools
this year. Legislators voted to
move the legal school entry
age up from the former cut
off date of Oct. 16 in an effort
to reduce dropout rates in
later grades and help ensure
students are ready for formal
school when they begin kin
dergarten.
The change makes about
13,000 students ineligible to
register this year across the
state.
In Perquimans County,
however, the number is less
than 10 so far. School officials
say 125 kindergarten students
enrolled in PCS last year. This
year, 119 had registered as of
Aug. 14.
Students arriving at Hert
ford Grammar School will see
that construction of the new
outdoor classroom needed to
enhance the science curricu
lum is under way.
Sixth-graders entering Per
quimans Middle School must
have received a booster dose
of Tdap vaccine if five years
or more have passed since the
last dose of tetanus-contain
ing vaccine. Public Informa
tion Officer Brenda Lassiter
See SCHOOL on Page 10
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 90 Low: 75
Isolated
Thunderstorms
Friday
High: 89 Low: 74
Scattered
Thunderstorms
Saturday
High: 87 Low: 72
Scattered
Thunderstorms
*89076
47143 5
By DIANA MAZZELLA
Staff Writer
Prosecutors dismissed
charges in a three-year-old
murder case last week after
questions arose over whether
the right suspect was facing
trial.
The District Attorney’s Of
fice dropped first-degree mur
der charges against Darryl
Torrey EUiott before the Hert
ford man was scheduled to go
on trial for the 2006 shooting
death of Thurston “Silk” Pit
tman.
Pittman was found shot
to death in a car outside the
Brothers and Sisters Club on
West Cypress St., Elizabeth
City, July 10,2006.
Elliott, 32, of the 100 block
of Lowe Drive, Hertford, was
charged with Pittman’s mur
der nearly two years later
— in June 2008 — based on the
testimony of a witness who al
legedly had information about
the shooting.
But according to a docu
ment she filed dismissing the
charges last week. Assistant
District Attorney Nancy Lamb
said she recently obtained evi
dence that called into question
that testimony.
Lamb said she “received
credible information first
hand that calls into question
the identity of the shooter in
this case.”
What’s more, “problems
have arisen during trial prep
aration with a witness who
claims that this defendant (El
liott) was the shooter,” Lamb
said. As a result, “his cred-
Groundbreaking
Ground
BRETT A. ClARK/THE DAILY ADVANCE
Mack Nixon (left), chairman of the Perquimans County Board of Commissioners, listens as Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., (right) addresses
the crowd on Aug. 12 during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Fed Ex Ground distribution center located in the Perquimans
County Commerce Centre in Hertford.
Officials cut the ribbon for FedEx Ground
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
The new and enlarged FedEx
Ground facility that is scheduled to
open Friday features a power con
veyor system to unload trucks, better
security and is located closer to U.S.
Highway 17, decrease traffic conges
tion in Hertford.
Local and state officials cut the rib
bon on the $3.9 million facility last
week including U.S. Sen. Richard
Burr, D-N.C., who praised the partner
ship between FedEx and North Caro
lina that is resulting in expansions in
Hertford and Greensboro as well.
“I believe North Carolina will one
day serve as the international hub of
FedEx Air,” said Burr. “I believe this
region will receive products even fast
er because of it.”
Burr said that while the economy
isn’t good now, investments by compa
nies such as FedEx Ground wUl help
turn the economy around quicker. He
said the state’s willingness to transi
tion from the decreasing furniture
and textile industries to a 21st centu
ry economy is one reason companies
choose this state in which to locate or
expand.
“There is no company that’s not
looking at North Carolina as a poten
tial home,” he added.
State Sen. Ed Jones also spoke dur
ing the ribbon cutting, saying he was
pleased FedEx Ground stayed in Per
quimans County and expanded in an
area that needs jobs.
Steve Johnson, managing direc
tor of the Carolina region for FedEx
Ground, described the new 29,000
square-foot facility as a Cadillac com
pared with the 1,368-square-foot build
ing used before on Don Juan Road.
“We want to be part of this commu
nity forever,” he said. “This is a great
day for us. Thank you for helping us
grow the business.”
Gavin Melina, project manager for
Hertford Baseline Development LLC;
said his company develops new sites
for FedEx Ground which he described
as “a clean run facility and a good
See FEDEX on Page 10
Group: Does Perquimans need farmer’s market?
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
Perquimans Coimty Res
toration Association (PCRA)
wants to hear from you on
whether or not a farmer’s
market should be created lo
cally A coalition of interested
citizens is discussing the pos
sibility of applying for a fed
eral grant to get one started.
Glenda Maynard, site man
ager of the Newbold-'White
House which is operated by
PCRA, said the group is ac
tively seeking feedback from
area residents on whether or
not a farmer’s market is need
ed and/or wanted in Perqui
mans County.
“For many years, several
corners of our county have
discussed the desire for a farm
er’s market in Perquimans,”
Maynard wrote in a press re
lease. “Several months ago,
the United States Department
of Agriculture Marketing
Service announced the avail
ability of competitive grant
funds to be awarded through
the Farmers Market Promo
tion Program. The minimum
award per grant is $2,500
and the maximum award is
$100,000. A coalition of in
terested parties has begun to
meet to discuss the possibil
ity of collectively applying for
this grant. The group consists
of local growers, county rep
resentatives, non-profit orga
nizations, and businesses.”
One of those groups is His
toric Hertford, Inc. (HHI).
“I am very envious of fam
ily members who live in areas
that have large farmer’s mar
kets available to them one or
two days a week,” says Connie
Jaklic of HHI. ‘The variety of
produce and other farm prod
ucts is outstanding. My son
and daughter live in very dif
ferent regions of the country,
but both buy aU of their pro
duce locally at their farmer’s
markets. They have available
to them organic produce or
not, pesticide-free meat prod
ucts, plants, local crafts, etc.
Having a local farmer’s mar-
Elliott
ibility (the
witness’s) has
been called
into ques
tion.”
The docu
ment doesn’t
state who
the witness
is, what evi
dence Lamb
ket is a way to reduce our car
bon footprint by buying prod
ucts from within a 100-mile
radius, rather than products
that spend days on trucks.”
Maynard said the committee
is currently in the fact-finding
and research stage. They will
distribute and collect sur
vey information asking your
opinion on where you think it
should be. They will also seek
potential vendors, consider
booth prices, and potential
staffmg/labor needs.
The committee usually
meets the first Monday of
each month at 2 p.m. at the
NWH. Past meetings have
•See MARKET on Page 8
obtained or how the witness’s
testimony was compromised.
Lamb couldn’t be reached
See ELLIOTT on Page 10
Causeway
may open
next week
Ordinance will restrict.
large trucks on section
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
Construction that has
closed the S-bridge and
Causeway between Hertford
and Winfall since July 6 is ex
pected to be completed ahead
of schedule.
North Carolina Depart
ment of Transportation (NC-
DOT) officials indicated Tues
day that construction crews
hope to have the Causeway
back open by the time school
buses start rolling Tuesday.
The road was scheduled to
remain closed until Sept. 18.
When the Causeway does
open, highway officials are
aiso anticipating a new ordi
nance to be in effect that will
restrict vehicles with more
than two axles crossing the
bridge and Causeway.
Division Engineer Jerry
Jennings said an ordinance
has been written prohibiting
vehicles with three or more
axles from traveling over the
historic S-bridge and Cause
way and is now awaiting a
signature by the state traffic
See CAUSEWAY on Page 8
Committee
to talk
about town
utility costs
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
Hertford Mayor Sid Eley
says he is in the process of
forming a committee to dis
cuss citizens’ concerns about
the town’s utility costs.
“I’m asking people from dif
ferent areas of town, includ
ing the mobile home parks, to
serve on the committee,” said
Eley. “I want to try to keep
the committee small enough
to be informational yet large
enough to be productive.”
The formation of the com
mittee is in response to com
plaints and protests from
about 70 citizens who attend
ed last week’s town council
meeting complaining about
the town’s high utility costs.
In addition, several citizens
protested earlier by picketing
in front of the town haU.
See ELECTRIC on Page 10
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