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''News from Next Door"
JULY 13, 2011 - JULY 19, 2011
Fried, Suced or Diced?
WALTONS GROW 18-INCH TOMATO! R 2
RECEIYEEfco cents
Schools to use state funds to rehire 7
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
The state giveth, and the
state taketh away.
No one understands that
better than members of the
Perquimans County Board
of Education.
After waiting months
to find out just how much
state funds the schools will
receive during the 2011-2012
school year, Superintendent
Dwayne StaUings says that
while the initial state allot-'
ments may appear to fund
more in certain categories,
they must also revert more
funds back to the state this
year.
Bottom
line is, certain
programs/areas win re
ceive less state funds than
last year, but more funds
are avaUable for school per
sonnel.
The result: the schools
win be able to hire or re
employ seven people after
implementing a reduction
in force (RIF) that elimi
nated 19 certified/classified
positions last month.
Board of Education
members voted Monday
night to hire someone at
the high school to help with
curriculum and instruc
tion with special emphasis
on administering the Sci
ence, . Technology, Engi
neering and Mathematics
(STEM) grant. The position
may also supervise the AIG
program as weU as other
initiatives assigned by the
principal.
Also, a media coordinator
will be hired at Perquimans
County Middle School, and
four teacher assistants who
were affected by the RIF
will be offered one year
contracts to return this
Churches glean spuds to help others
2,600 pounds of
potatoes pulled
L ocal churches banned
together recently
to help feed the less
fortunate.
Members from New
Hope, Hertford, and
Edenton United Method
ist churches, Immanuel
Baptist, and the Open
Door of Perquimans
recently helped glean 2,600
pounds of potatoes from
a local farmer’s field in
northwestern Pasquotank
county.
Church members
gathered leftover crops
from the farmer’s fields
after the farmer com
pleted harvesting his crop.
After gleaning, the fresh
produce was distributed
to families served by the
Food Bank of the Albe
marle.
The volunteers were
organized by Walker
Rayburn a volunteer
gleaning coordinator from
the Society of St. Andrew.
The Society of St. Andrew
is a Christian ministry
which feeds the hungry in
21 states year-round. They
coordinate thousands of
volunteers to glean eight
to 10 million pounds of a
wide variety of produce
each year in North Caro
lina alone.
In addition to helping
the local food banks, some
chimches also use the
fresh produce to distrib
ute through their food
pantries.
Bob Murphy, gleaning
coordinator from NHUMC,
said his church will dis
tribute over 250 pounds of
potatoes gleaned through
that church’s food pantry.
The potatoes will also
be distributed by the
Open Door of Perqui
mans, Edenton Chowan
Food Pantry, and various
chmrches located in north
ern Pasquotank County,
he added.
SUBMIhED PHOTOS
Residents from New Hope, Hertford and Edenton United Methodist churches, Immanuel Baptist, and the Open Door of Perqui
mans gathered at a farmer’s field in Pasquotank County to glean potatoes for those less fortunate.
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Local church members gather potatoes to be donated, along with other fresh, nutritious food, to those in need.
Four face felony
charges in probe
From staff reports
Four Perquimans Coun
ty men face felony charges
following an undercover
drug investigation by the
Hertford Police Depart
ment.
Hertford Police Chief
Joe Amos said four people
were arrested and one
vehicle seized following
the undercover drug buys
that occurred June 8-16.
The four men were arrest
ed Friday and Saturday
including two taken into
custody while attending a
Dobbs Street party.
The drug sweep began
Friday night around 10
89076
47144
Traffic stop
yields dope
Police find 18 bags
of pot on New Jersey
woman during U.S. 17
stop — page 2
p.m. when officers ar
rested Isaiah Kenneth
Brunson, 900-block Cha-
panoke Road, on three
felony warrants charging
possession with intent to
manufacture, sell or dis
tribute marijuana, sale
of marijuana, delivery of
marijuana, and maintain
ing a vehicle for the sale of
marijuana, police reports
state. He was placed un
der a $7,000 secured bond.
The 18-year-old man, who
See FOUR, 7
SUBMIhED PHOTO
Albemarle Electric Membership Corporation opened for business at its new building lo
cated at 125 Cooperative Way in Winfall, Monday.
AEMC moves to new home
From staff reports
Albemarle Electric
Membership Corpora
tion opened for busi
ness at its new building
on July 11 located at 125
Cooperative Way, Win-
fall, which is at the cor
ner of Creek Drive and
Highway 17, in Perqui
mans County. Albemarle
EMC’s new office replac
es the old office building
which was built in 1968.
The new office has been
built to Energy Star
standards and is eligible
to become certified after
a year of energy use has
been documented.
“This new building
will be a valuable asset
to Albemarle EMC as
well as the community,”
said Gary Ray, general
manager of Albemarle
EMC.
The building features
two drive-through lanes
so members can more
easily pay their bills
from the comfort of their
Vehicle. The building’s
warehouse is designed to
store much of the co-op’s
equipment indoors. Also,
the warehouse has a bay
where utility vehicles
can be pressure-washed.
The building and its pole
yard have been designed
to accommodate large
amounts of line crews,
equipment and materi
als that would be needed
in the event of a natural
disaster. Perquimans
County will purchase
the former Albemarle
EMC building to house
emergency management
and emergency medical
services.
school year only Stallings
pointed out that the divi
sion is working on securing
additional grant funds in
hopes of being able to hire
back additional teacher as
sistants in the future.
One additional excep
tional children’s teacher
See SCHOOLS, 7
Police
guilty of
assault
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Hertford’s police chief
and sergeant -were foimd
guilty of misdemeanor
assault inflicting serious
injury last Wednesday in
Perquimans District Court
in connection with an alter
cation over a year ago.
After nearly six hours of
testimony. Chief Joe Amos
and Sergeant Shawn Swin
dell were found guilty of
assaulting Kenneth Fere-
bee back in May 2010. Fe-
rebee received a cut on the
head that required staples
and scratches to the face
when he was apparently
struck in the head with a
fire helmet and pushed to
the ground.
Chief District Court
Judge Michael Paul of
the 2nd Judicial District
sentenced both men to 45
days in jail, suspended that
sentence, and placed the of
ficers on unsupervised pro
bation for 12 months. They
each must pay a $250 fine.
Attorneys for both po
lice officers said they will
appeal the district court’s
decision.
“While there are serious
questions about what hap
pened that night, it’s clear
two officers here made
some serious mistakes,”
said Judge Paul who was
brought in from out of the
judicial district to try the
case.
Ferebee, who was also
charged in connection with
the incident, was found not
guilty of breaking and en
tering, resisting arrest, and
See ASSAULT, 7
Stroll:
Beach is
theme
Friday
From staff reports
Grab your shades, your
sun hat, and put on that
Hawaiian shirt! A beach
theme highlights this
month’s Friday Night
StroU.
Sponsored by the Per
quimans Chamber of Com
merce, folks will stroll in
downtown Hertford Friday
from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Entertainment, games',
vendors, pony rides, and
good food will be available.
Patsy Cline (thanks to
the Perquimans Senior
Citizen Center) highlights
this month’s stroll. Other
groups performing include
the Perquimans County
Fellowship Praise Group,
Ed Nixon and his singing
group, and a musical duet.