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''News from Next Door"
MAY 4, 2011 - MAY 10, 2011
Perquimans students have fun
at recent Special Olympics, 5A
50 cents
Utilities commission OK’s wind project
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
The North Carolina
Utilities Commission has
approved Atlantic Wind’s
(AW) application to build
a commercial-scale wind
farm in Perquimans and
Pasquotank counties.
In an order signed Tues
day morning, the state util
ities commission granted
the company a certificate
of public convenience
and necessity, with condi
tions, for the construction
of a 300-MW wind facil
ity consisting of up to 150
wind turbines in the area
commonly known as the
Desert. In addition, the
commission accepted the
company’s registration as
a new renewable energy
facility.
The certificate is condi
tioned upon the company
not at
tempting'
to exercise
any power
of eminent
domain to
construct
the facil
ity and the
construct- Darden
ing and op
erating the project in strict
accordance to applicable
laws and regulations in
cluding any environmental
permitting requirements.
According to the order
issued Tuesday morning,
AW also filed an applica
tion with the state utilities
commission seeking a cer
tificate of environmental
compatibility and public
convenience and necessity
to construct an intercon
nection line of less than
one mile in length to in
terconnect the proposed
facility with the existing
VEPCO transmission sys
tem. That application wUl
be considered separately
from the one that received
approval Tuesday.
County Manager Bobby
Darden said AW filed an
application with the coun
ty April 27 seeking a condi
tional use permit to build
up to 68 wind turbines in
Perquimans County as
weU as aU supporting com
ponents like access roads,
substations, collector lines,
meteorological tower, and
operations/maintenance
facility.
“It (application) shows
the proposed locations for
aU of these facilities and
includes supporting stud
ies required by the coun
ty’s ordinance,” Darden
noted. “The approval from
See WIND, 7
Want Rues Wuh That Rather?
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SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Members of the Australian Cycle team watch Perquimans County resident Skip Matthews filet a rattlesnake that Matthews found at his
home. Matthews is seen holding the snake (below) soon after killing it with a boat paddle.
Fried rattlesnake for dinner
Perquimans resident finds
5-foot snake on his property
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
F ried rattlesnake with a side of fries,
please.
That may have been Skip Mat
thews’s request last week after discov
ering a nearly five-foot-long rattler on
his wife’s property out in the county.
Matthews killed the rattlesnake with his
trusty boat paddle, then cut off the head
with a pocketknife, and deep fried it for
dinner. Matthews said he has always
wanted to taste rattlesnake, so he brought
the dead snake to his Hertford home and
fiUeted the snake on the fish table located
behind his waterfront house.
Watching Matthews were members of
the Australian Cycle Team who competed
in the World Cycling Championships
last week. Team members rented a Front
Street home during their time in North
Carolina.
“They were amazed,” grinned Mat
thews. “It is lean white meat. It was
good... a little like chicken with a slight
seafood flavor. Eating rattlesnake is some
thing I’ve always wanted to try, so I can
cross that one off my bucket list!”
His wife, Kay, who watched the proceed
ings from a safe distance, did not try the
rattlesnake entree, but opted for leftover
pork loin instead.
“You just never know what each day
might bring!,” she added. “Skip will eat
snake again given the opportunity — I
just hope the opportunity doesn’t avail
itself!”
Fire ruins
New Hope
home, car
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
The Perquimans County Sheriffs De
partment has asked the Pasquotank Fire
Marshall to look into the cause of a fire
that destroyed a New Hope home early
Monday morning.
No one was home when the one and a
half-story A-frame chalet, located at 123
Long Beach Drive, was destroyed by fire.
“Fire was coming out of the roof when
we arrived on the scene,” said Durants
Neck Fire Chief Jimmy Spivey “It was
fully involved.”
A vehicle parked next to the house
burned as well.
Spivey said the fire was called in by
neighbors who were awakened by the
sound of gun shells exploding inside the
burning home. Neighbors called in the fire
at 12:27 p.m. and firefighters first arrived
on the scene just 9 minutes later.
Within one hour, forty firefighters from
four departments brought the fire under
control and protected the surrounding
houses in the Long Beach Estates subdivi
sion. Spivey said firefighters remained on
See FIRE, 7
-^rr-
STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
A one-story A-frame house located at 123 Long
Beach Drive in New Hope burned early Monday
morning despite the efforts of four fire depart
ments. A vehicle located next to the house
burned as well.
Services to honor
Day of Prayer
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Local residents will
observe National Day of
Prayer Thursday during
two special programs.
The Ministers’ Council
for Education in Perqui
mans County will sponsor
a prayerful program at
noon on the historic coun
ty courthouse green. A
host of local ministers and
leaders will participate in
the program. In the event
of inclement weather, the
program will be continued
inside the courthouse.
That evening, the Holi
day Island Property Own-
89076
47144
NATKmi
ers Association will ob
serve the special day with
a program at the clubhouse
beginning at 7 p.m.
Various community rep
resentatives, ministers,
and church leaders will
participate in the program
designed to offer prayers
for varying needs in the
community, state, and na
tion. This marks the third
year HIPOA has sponsored
the event.
Highlighting the pro
gram will be Representa
tive Annie Mobley. Other
elected officials expected
to participate include Todd
Tilley-clerk of court, Eric
See PRAYER, 7
Kairos takes ministry to prison
By KRISTIN PITTS
AND CATHY WILSON
Staff Writers
Local church members go inside
prison walls twice a year to help in
mates find freedom.
Freedom in and through God’s
love, that is.
The 60 people who filled Evan
gelical Methodist Church last week
were members of the Albemarle
Kairos Community, a Christian or
ganization that draws volunteers
from 16 churches in the surround
ing counties-including Perquimans-
that ministers to incarcerated indi
viduals.
Their arrival at Pasquotank Cor
rectional Institute would mark the
beginning of their annual 3.5 day
spring outreach that begins with
a short course in Christianity and
continues with prayer and share
groups among the residents. The
group also organizes a winter out
reach event each year.
These events serve as a chance
for the organization to minister to
incarcerated individuals, as well as
STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Judy Atwell of Oak Grove United Methodist in Perquimans County helps pack almost 2,000
dozen cookies distributed during Kairos weekend at Pasquotank Correctional Center.
let them know that they have people
who care about them.
Perquimans County native Jeff
Haskett has gone on the outreach
weekends several times. Last
Thursday, he was enthusiastic on
the morning of the retreat. With a
smile, he now admits that when he
See VOLUNTEERS, 7