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ERQUIMANS
Weekly
The photography of John Matthews, P. 2
"News front Next Door"
NOVEMBER 30, 2011 - DECEMBER 6, 2011
50 cents
BOE dismisses Jackson’s election protest
By CATHY WILSON
Staff' Writer
The Perquimans County
Board of Elections has dis
missed an election protest
filed by Quentin Jackson,
one of three men who lost
a bid for Hertford Town
Council during the Nov. 8
election.
Jackson filed an election
protest earlier this month
and asked
that a new
election be
held.
Jackson
claims he
was tar
geted by
“commu
nity offi- Jackson
cials that
pass the opinion that 1,
Quentin Jackson, was not
suitable to be a candidate
for the position, severely
tainting the views and ac
tions of various govern
mental agencies includ
ing the employees of the
elections board”, his typed
request to the BOE states.
Jackson also alleged that
the actions of those com
munity officials “allows
the main stream media a
front page story to distort
views of entire voter popu
lation on the way to the
poUs.”
Jackson alleged that a
“top city official was fired
for their participation” in
his protest. He was refer
ring to Joe Amos, former
Hertford Police chief who
was fired after posting a
link to a news story about
Jackson on the police de
partment’s Facebook page
on Election Day.
Jackson was arrested
by sheriff deputies for
delinquent child support
payments just before the
election and spent part of
Election Day in Albemarle
District Jail before famUy
members paid $1,000 for
his release.
The three-member BOE
voted unanimously to dis
miss Jackson’s protest
Ghristnias painde is Satoida^
Illumination set
Thursday night
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
T he Grand Illumina
tion and annual
Christmas Parade
help kick off the holi
day season this week in
Perquimans.
Hertford’s Grand Il
lumination will be held
Thursday night at 6 p.m.
on the lawn of the his
toric county courthouse.
Seasonal music provided
by the Perquimans Coun
ty High School band and
the annual lighting of
the town’s Christmas
trees and downtown
business district will of
ficially open the holiday
season.
Glowing luminaries
lining the sidewalks
and an illuminated 16 ft.
Christmas tree help set
the tone to ring in the
Christmas season. Most
merchants downtown
will remain open late
to kick'off the holiday
sales.
In addition to the
illuminated business
district and glowing
courthouse square, 26
seven-foot handcrafted
wooded River Trees will
glow on the waterfront
gracing Front, Church
and Grubb streets.
Then on Saturday,
Hertford’s annual Christ
mas Parade gets under
way at 2 p.m. Volunteer
Steve Burkett will serve
as Grand Marshall.
The parade’s 55-60 en
tries will be decorated to
the theme “Count Your
Blessings.” At least two
bands are expected to
march with a third band
riding on a float. Santa
will, and Santa wiU
make his appearance
See PARADE, 4
'i&i
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FILE PHOTOS
There will be plenty of floats, like this one (above) from 2010, during Saturday’s Christmas Parade in Hertford^
Children
anticipating
Santa’s
arrival
during a
previous
Hertford
Christmas
Parade.
This year’s
parade
starts
at 2 p.m. on
Saturday.
If
.
you go
• What:
Grand
Illumina
tion, Town
Christmas*
Parade
• When:
Grand
Illumina
tion,
6 p.m.,
Thursday,
historic
courthouse;
Parade,
2 p.m.,
downtown
during a preliminary hear
ing Tuesday morning.
Jackson failed to attend
the hearing, however, be
cause he was back in jail
- again - for failure to pay
child support.
According to Perqui
mans Sheriff Eric Til
ley, Jackson was arrested
Friday on one count of
See JACKSON, 2
More info
needed
on sewer
district
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
County commission
ers will ask customers of
the Holiday Island sewer
plant, which is in jeopardy
of closing, to tell them how
they plan to finance nec
essary repairs and future
operations of the facility
if the group buys the prob
lem-plagued plant.
Monday night during a
work session, commission
ers directed Interim Coun
ty Manager Frank Heath
to ask the group to attend
their January work ses
sion to provide more finan
cial information. Utility
customers in the campin"
sections of Holiday Island
have asked commissioners
to consider creating a sew
er district for the camping
areas which would allow
the group to seek grants
to fund the needed repairs
and continued operations
of the plant. The customers
have formed an unincorpo
rated nonprofit group called
Minzies Creek Village.
Commissioners have in
structed the county attor
ney to look into any coimty
liability involved in creat
ing the district. They also
voiced concerns over the
ambitious financial plans
involving so few people.
While the plant has about
100 customers, only 25-30
are actually fuU-time cus
tomers.
“Based on their history
of getting the customers
to pay assessments (which
fimds sewer service), I
think they are facing an up-
hfil battle to be self-sustain
ing and maintain a viable
See DISTRICT, 4
Perquimans poised to
continue swim iessons
Kindergartners
learn water safety
By PETER WILLIAMS
The Daily Advance
Operation Water Turtle
is two-thirds of the way
toward funding a program
that would teach all of this
year’s Perquimans County
kindergarten students the
basics of water safety.
The Albemarle "YMCA
and the Albemarle Hos
pital Foundation under
wrote the bulk of the cost
to put the entire class of
Perquimans kindergarten
students through the pro-
89076 47144
gram late last school year.
The school district wants
to make the effort ongoing
every year and expand it
to eight days vs. the four
they did last year.
“This program really
has the potential to save
lives,” said Melissa Fields,
the principal at Perqui
mans Central School.
It costs almost $15,000 to
do the four-day program in
late May and early June.
Water Turtle comes from
the mascot for Perqui
mans Central School, the
only kindergarten school
in the county. The YMCA
donated the $8,840 it cost
to provide the students
with the training and one
free CPR class to school
staff. The hospital founda
tion provided $5,000 and
See LESSONS, 4
Businesses help others this season
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Helping to feed others this holi
day season will get you discounts on
merchandise in selected Hertford
businesses.
The Hertford Business Associa
tion is sponsoring a food drive this
Christmas season that not only ben
efits the needy, but those donating
the food as weU.
From now until Christmas Eve,
donate non-perishable foods at one
of the participating merchants in
town and receive a discount on your
purchase. All of the food collected
wfil be delivered to the Open Door
food pantry just in time to help feed
county residents who need a help
ing hand this holiday season.
Local businesses taking part in
the HBA campaign include: Caro
lina Trophy, White’s Dress Shoppe,
The Twysted Turtle, Hertfordshire
Antiques, The Silver Fox, The Car
riage House, Perquimans County
Chamber of Commerce, Gregory’s
5 & 10/Custom Framing, and The
Perquimans Arts League.
SUBMIHED PHOTO
American Legion Auxiliaiy Unit 126 of Hertford presents its annual donation to the
Open Door of Perquimans County. This year’s donation of $500 comes from the
proceeds of the Auxiliary’s annual spaghetti dinner. Open Door Director Rosemary
Smith (left) accepts the check from Auxiliaiy Treasure Barbara Spear (right), with
other Open Door volunteers watching.
The downtown merchants aren’t
the only businesses helping area
citizens this holiday season.
Coastal Carolina Family Prac
tice is also collecting food for Open
Door. Office employees usually
adopt a family with gifts or provide
presents for needy children each
See HELP OTHERS, 4