P The
ERQUIMANS
Weekly
"News from Next Door"
lOU Girls Are
State Champs!
TRUEBLOOD
tM’,
V
A
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Celebrating a state championship! The lOU Perquimans Girls Softball All-Stars celebrate after winning the Tarheel League
state championship over the weekend in Morganton.
Game-5 rally keeps them alive
By CATHY WILSON
Sta/jf Writer
U nbelievable!
The lOU Perqui
mans Girls Softball
All Stars heard that
word said so many times
during tournament play
over the weekend, they
adopted it as their motto.
Unbelievable... that a
team from a small county
that selects all-stars from
a pool of about 40 players
could travel nearly 350
miles one way to play
against teams that select
all-stars from rosters
holding as many as 200
players.
Unbelievable... that
the Perquimans team
that lost one of its lead
ing hitters to a broken
leg ended up having to
play in a state tourna
ment without her.
Unbelievable... that
the local ladies who were
down 5-0 in game 5, in
the final inning, in their
last bat and waiting for
the last out to send them
The lOU Perquimans All-Stars began every game with prayer.
home, would make a
come-from-behind rally,
scoring 6 runs to win that
game.
Unbelievable... that
the Perquimans team
lost only one game out of
seven, and went on to win
the state championship
in the Tarheel League.
“They were throw
ing their gloves in the
air, jumping for joy and
crying at the same time,”
said Beth Chappell, a
parent who made the trip
with the team. “It really
was unbelievable how the
team worked together.”
Head coach Ricky
Trueblood said the girls
started tournament ball
See CHAMPS, 2
Fire destroys home on Chapanoke
Red Cross puts 12
in hotel for 4 nights
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Officials say nine chil
dren and a mother were
at home Thursday after
noon when fire destroyed
their home on Chapanoke
Road.
Perquimans County
Sheriff Eric Tilley said
everyone managed to get
out of the house located at
820 Chapanoke Road.
Firefighters from three
89076 A
7144
Perquimans County de
partments responded
around 3:30 p.m. and
fought the hot afternoon
blaze that destroyed the
single-story frame house
that featured a storage
area above the living
space, officials said.
Firefighters responded
immediately when the
first alarm sounded after
reports first indicated two
children were trapped in
side the burning home.
Firefighters arrived on
the scene within minutes
and reported everyone
was outside of the house.
Tilley, who went to the
BRETT A. CURK/THE DAILY ADVANCE
A home on Chapanoke Road
was destroyed by fire Thurs
day afternoon. Nine children
and a mother were at home
when the fire started, the
sheriff said.
scene, said a child smelled
something burning, then
went outside the home
and saw fire coming from
the top of the house. The
child returned inside and
alerted the rest of the fam
ily to get out, Tilley said.
Tilley said he believes
the fire started in a stor
age area upstairs.
According to county
records, the home located
at 820 Chapanoke Road
See FIRE, 2
KECEW
Residents have fun
at Friday Night Stroii, 7
-
JULY 20, 2011 - JULY 26, 2011
JUL 2 0 LiiVi
50 cents
STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Holiday Island property owners .line up to enter a meeting at the
subdivision’s clubhouse, Saturday. Owners voted Saturday to re
ject two proposals that would have paid for closing the wastewa
ter treatment plant that serves the subdivision’s camping areas.
Residents say
they won’t pay
to close plant
Holiday Island association votes
not to use $25K in reserve funds
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Members of the Holiday
Island Property Owners
Association voted Satur
day not to seek voluntary
contributions or use up to
$25,000 from the group’s
capital reserve fund to
close the subdivision’s ag
ing wastewater treatment
plant.
While both votes failed
to pass during the stand
ing-room-only meeting, it
does not mean the sewer
plant won’t close. Leaders
of the property owners
group say if they don’t
fund the closure, the state
may take over, close the
plant, and send the owners
group the bUl.
Barbara Bostwick, secre
tary of the property own
ers association, said the
no vote means residents of
Holiday Island’s residen
tial and camping sections
do not wish to give volun
tary contributions.
“We have to notify the
state now, and they will
teU us what to do,” she
said. “We’U have to go from
there.”
Association leaders say
the state indicates the
plant is “unsafe” and that
the subdivision may be
fined $25,000 a day if some
thing is not done to correct
it now.
Affected residents say
‘the vote didn’t include an
option to keep the plant
open.
The vote ballot given to
lot-owning members in
cluded two questions for
approval:
• seek voluntary contri
butions from residents to
abandon service and close
the plant;
• borrow up to $25,000
from the association’s re
serve fund to help pay for
it if enough voluntary con
tributions aren’t received.
“If you vote yes, you are
voting to close the plant,”
said Clay Helms, plant op
erator who also owns prop
erty in the camping areas
See RESIDENTS, 2
BRETT A. ClARK/THE DAILY ADVANCE
Firefighters from three departments work to save a large metal
garage adjacent to a vacant house on Old U.S. Highway 17 that
was destroyed by fire Saturday evening.
Vacant house on
Old US 17 burns
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
A small abandoned
house located adjacent
to a large metal building
with garage entrances
burned to the ground Sat-'
urday evening on Old U.S.
Highway 17.
Three fire departments
responded to the scene and
discovered the building
totally engulfed in flames.
Firefighters froip Inter
county, Durants Neck and
Winfall fire departments
managed to save the metal
building and prevent the
fire from spreading.
Eric Boyce, captain
with Intercounty Fire De
partment, said the prop
erty owner was burning
trash when flames got
away from him. No one
had lived in the house for
years, he said. The roof
had fallen in prior to be
ing destroyed by flames.
See VACANT, 2