i
The
ERQUIMANS
Weekly
JffXV,
^'Neurs front Next Door”
Christmas in Perquimanl
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DECEMBER 14, 2011 - DECEMBER 20, 2011 50 cents
Meeting heid over future of wind farm
By REGGIE PONDER
The Daily Advance
Representatives of the
company developing a
utility-scale wind farm
in the Desert area of Per
quimans and Pasquotank
counties were in Elizabeth
City Tuesday to meet with
landowners amid concerns
about the future of the
project.
Paul Copieman, a
spokesman for Iberdrola
Renewables, said the meet
ing was only for landown
ers directly affected by the
planned Desert Wind En
ergy Project.
Copieman said he could
not talk about the infor
mation that would be pre
sented at the meeting until
after it was over.
Although company of
ficials did not disclose
the exact purpose of the
meeting, there has been a
growing concern among
local people that the proj
ect might be scaled back
— perhaps dramatically
— from the original plan.
The project as originally
conceived calls for a total
land area of up to 20,000
acres in the two counties
and up to 150 turbines for a
maximum energy genera
tion capacity of 300 mega
watts.
Area officials have esti
mated that construction of
the facilities could create
about 300 temporary jobs.
In addition, nearly $1 mil
lion is projected to be paid
to local landowners annu
ally in land leases for the
project.
In addition to the 15-
20 permanent jobs at the
wind farm itself, local of
ficials estimate the project
will create another 80 per
manent jobs in the com
munity in support of the
See WIND FARM, 2
Mayor pro-tern vote challenged
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
A nn White was
elected Mayor
L pro-temof
Hertford Council
Monday night, but
the vote giving her
the position has
been challenged by a
councilman who says
his actual vote was
not heard.
As a result, new
Mayor Horace Reid
says he will seek
clarification on the
matter, and revisit
it at the town’s next
meeting of the full
council. Until then.
White’s election
stands, he said.
As his first of
ficial action after
being sworn in as the
town’s first African-
American mayor,
Reid suggested coun
cil consider White
for the position of
Mayor pro-tem, a
position Councilman
Carlton Davenport
held this past year.
When no one nomi
nated White for the
position, she nomi
nated herself.
Reid called for the
vote. White voted for
herself (the only yes
vote), and Davenport
voted no. Saying he
heard no other votes.
STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Horace Reid (left) is sworn in as mayor of Hertford by Perquimans Superior Court Clerk Todd Tilley Monday
night. Reid made history by being the first African-American to serve as mayor of the town. Others sworn
in include council members Anne White and Carlton Davenport (not pictured).
Reid annoxmced
White won the posi
tion since he heard
no vote from Council
man Ed Lane. Not
voting equals a yes
vote, Reid said.
Councilwoman
Lillian Holman was
not present at the
meeting.
After the meeting,
however. Lane told
the mayor he voted
no, and said no in
a low voice during
the election process
which would have
made it a tie-vote.
Tuesday morn
ing, Lane told The
Perquimans Weekly
council needs to
revote.
“I made sure the
clerk heard and
recorded my vote
correctly The mayor
might not have
understood what I
See PRO-TEM, 2
Eley looks back on service to Hertford
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
The note has yellowed
a bit from being tucked
away in paperwork for 12
years, but it still displays
a neatly typed list of goals
Sid Eley created when
he first became mayor of
Hertford in 2000.
From one to 24, most of
the items on the list have
the handwritten word
DONE scribbled in the
margins beside the goal.
After 12 years as mayor,
Eley has seen all but six
of his original goals com
pleted. While not aU of
his goals were completed,
Eley’s content with the
accomplishments. Four
of the six goals not com
pleted during his years
in public office are antici
pated in the near future,
or have similar projects
already in place.
“I have enjoyed being
mayor, and would have
liked to continue, but the
people told me they want
ed a change,” said Eley
See SID ELEY, 2
STAFF PHOTO BY
CATHY WILSON
Sid Eley,
Monday
night, -
completed
20 years of
service on
the Hertford
Town Council,
including
12 years as
mayor.
Daniels hoping for heart transplant
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Brenda Daniels has al
ways been a tough woman,
a hard worker, someone
who never gave up without
a fight.
After a lifetime of cop
ing with a variety of heart
problems, undergoing two
open heart surgeries, fam
ily obstacles, and even a
tragic automobile crash in
volving a bus load of school
children, Daniels now faces
her toughest battle yet. At
the age of 61, the Perqui-
89076 4
7144
STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Brenda Daniels discusses her efforts to be placed on a heart
transplant list at Duke University Hospital.
mans County resident faces
an uphill battle of raising
enough funds to be placed
on a heart transplant list at
Duke University Hospital
in Durham.
Her fighting spirit shows
as she talks about her heart
problems, her will to live
after being told her heart
wouldn’t last another six
months, and her hope to
raise the funds needed to
pay for organ anti-rejection
drugs for the rest of her life
following the transplant.
It’s almost overwhelming
to the former pizza chef
who has not been able to
work since 1991.
“I have never begged any
one for anything in my life,”
said Daniels, her eyes tear
ing as she sat in her small
bedroom located in her old
two-story farm house on
Bear Swamp Road. “I have
always been able to get up
and do it myself. I was the
oldest of five children. I
See DANIELS, 2
Arrest made
after dog is
shot, killed
From staff reports
Terry Jackson, 61,
of Swamp Road was
charged with felony
cruelty to animals Mon
day after authorities
say he shot a neighbor’s
18 month-old Labrador
retriever with a close-
range shotgun blast to
the head over the week
end.
Perquimans County
Sheriff Eric Tfiley said
Jackson turned himself
in Monday and was re
leased under $2,500 unse
cured bond.
Tilley said a witness
at the scene said the dog
was on Jackson’s prop
erty Saturday morning
but was not a threat,
added Tfiley
“Jackson said the dog
was barking with its
hair bristling. The wit
ness said he (witness)
petted the dog and the
dog followed them. Jack-
son told the witness he
was going to kfil the dog,
went inside the house,
got a gun, and then shot
the dog,” Tfiley said.
“When Jackson went in
side the house, the threat
was gone. He shoifid
have called animal con
trol, but he took matters
into his own hands.”
The dog’s owner-was
Jarvis Miller, a neighbor
with whom Jackson has
a history, Tfiley said.
Mfiler reportedly let
the dog outside Satur
day morning and the dog
Jackson
went inside
the house,
the threat
was gone.
He should
have called
animal
control,
hut he took
matters into
his own
hands. ”
Eric Tilley
Perquimans sheriff
returned shortly after
wards bleeding. The dog
was taken to a veterinar
ian where the the dog
later died. X-rays deter
mined the dog had been
shot with shotgun pel
lets in the muzzle, face
and head. The blood trail
led to Jackson’s home
next door.
Tfiley said the coimty
does not have a leash
law but pointed out it is
the owner’s responsibil
ity to keep dogs in their
own yards. Tilley said he
was told Jackson would
throw food scraps in the
yard closest to Mfiler’s
home.
Rape trial ends
with plea deal
By CATHY WILSON
AND BILL WEST
Staff writers
A 29-year-old Perqui
mans County man was
sentenced to 35 years
in prison last week by
Judge Richard Dough-
ton after reaching a
plea agreement- with
prosecutors in which
he admitted he raped a
woman and burglarized
her New
Hope
home
in the
summer
of 2010.
I n
Perqui-
m a n s
S u p e -
Wilson
rior. Court last week,
Herbert Anthony Wil-
See WILSON, 4
Man faces sex charges
From staff reports
A 23-year-old man was
indicted by a county
grand jury last week on
two felony sex offenses
involving a young boy
According to Perqui
mans County Sheriff
Eric Tfiley, Erza Patter
son of the 100-block Red
Maple Avenue in Snug
Harbor was indicted by
a Perquimans County
Grand Jury for taking
indecent liberties and
first degree sexual of
fense that allegedly oc
curred back in October
in the Riverview area of
the Bethel community.
Police .say the alleged
victim is under the age
of 15..
The incident was re
ported to the sheriffs de
partment by the victim’s
family, Tfiley added.
Patterson was arrested
Dec. 7 without incident.
He is currently being
held in Albemarle Dis
trict Jail under $250,000
secured bond.