Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / July 18, 2012, edition 1 / Page 1
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P , THE JUL 1 8 20,2 ERQUIMANS 2012 . I WEEKLY 10© DGtay fe ^©n© Io© to fe tt Mme’S §©© pOostos - 8 "News from Next Door” JULY 18, 2012 - JULY 24, 2012 50 cents Firefighter recovering after April accident STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON Darwin Saunders (left) talks with his buddy Steven Benge who has helped him recuper ate following a devastating April car crash that broke his back and left him in a wheelchair. Saunders keeps a positive attitude and believes he will walk again one day. Saunders works to regain use of his legs By CATHY WILSON Staff Writer B y all accounts, Darwin Saunders should be a bitter and depressed young man. At the age of 25, he finally got a good-paying job at the Newport News shipyard, had joined the Hertford Fire Department to help his community, and was looking forward to becoming a new father. Life was looking pretty good. Then in the early morning hours of April 30, his fifth day on his new job, Saunders fell asleep while driving to work at 4 a.m., wrecked his truck, and broke his back. He suffered a number of additional serious injuries, spent six weeks in a hospital, and now sits in a wheelchair, unable to use his legs. But the young man with a contagious grin is not bitter, not depressed, not asking “Why me?” Instead, he’s work ing hard in physical therapy to regain the use of his legs, keeps a positive attitude, and is extremely thankful for the love and support he’s received from friends, the community, and his family. “I’m starting to get sensation back in my feet now, so that’s a good sign that things are starting to regener ate. I don’t plan to stay in this thing for long,” said Saunders, fingering his manual wheelchair. “I will walk again.” He doesn’t remember much about “I remember the initial roll, then the next thing I remember is waking up laying in a yard. I was in a lot of pain, but I couldn ’tfeel my legs. ” Darwin Saunders Recalling his automobile accident the accident, he says. He had gotten a job to be an outside machinist in order to work on subma rines at a shipyard in Hampton Roads. But, he wanted to save gas money so he signed up to ride a commuter van that travels from Gates County to Newport News. He was traveling to meet that carpool van when the truck he was driving ran off Highway 37 in Chowan County and overturned several times. He was ejected from the truck. “I remember the initial roll, then the next thing I remember is waking up laying in a yard,” he said. “I was in a lot of pain, but I couldn’t feel my legs.” His best friend Steven Benge re ceived a phone call from friends in whose yard Saunders had wrecked. “All I knew is that Darwin had wrecked and I had to get there,” said See SAUNDERS, 4 Dalton pledges support for rural areas Candidate for gov was here Thursday By CATHY WILSON Staff Writer If elected, Democratic gu bernatorial candidate Wal ter Dalton says he will work for all citizens in the state — including those from ru ral areas — despite facing what at least one state sena tor terms “an urban legisla ture” in January. Dalton, along with his wife Lucille, made a cam paign stop at the county courthouse Thursday and pledged his support of ru ral areas like Perquimans County Moments before Dalton ar rived, N.C. Sen. Stan White, D-Dare, also spoke briefly to the crowd and painted a bleak picture for any po litical pull for rural areas when the state legislature convenes in January with newly-redistricted elected legislators. Sen. White will represent Perquimans County in the state senate come January 1 due to that redistricting. “The main issue we will be facing is an urban legis lature come January,” said White. “Rural areas will have an uphill battle to get anything done...they (leg islature) just don’t under stand rural issues.” But Dalton, who is cur rently the state’s lieutenant governor, says he supports STAFF PHOTOS BY CATHY WILSON Commissioner Janice Cole, chairman of the Perquimans County Democratic Party, welcomed Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton during a meet and greet Thursday afternoon in the Perquimans County Courthouse. Dalton is the Democratic candidate for governor. rural areas - and programs that would help local citi zens like Rural Center’s New Generation youth lead ership program, Early Col lege educational programs, and opposing any scaling back of the state’s commu nity college system. Fifteen-year-old Dasheika Spence, a sophomore at Perquimans County High School and a member of the Perquimans County Men toring Focus Group, told Dalton more students would See DALTON, 4 Sen. Stan White, D-Dare, told a gathering at the county courthouse Thursday that the state will see an “urban legislature” when the General Assembly convenes in January. White will represent Perquimans County Jan. 1, as a result of statewide redistricting. Waste disposal drops; recycling by residents up By CATHY WILSON Staff Writer Waste disposal tonnage decreased in the coun ty this past year, mirroring trends seen both in the state and nationwide. Brad Gardner, manager of the Perquimans Chowan Gates Landfill, told county and town leaders recently that Perquimans County pro duced about 7,455 tons or 372 tractor-trailer loads of waste in 2011. “Overall waste is down both locally, statewide, and nationally by about 15 percent,” said Gard ner. “This is often attributed to slower economy, reduced construction, better recycling, and more responsible manufacturing and produc tion, etc.” Locally, the waste is trucked from the county’s transfer station in Belvidere to the regional Re public Services Landfill in Bertie County for dis posal which costs the county $66 per ton. The county has five convenience centers where citizens deposit trash including sites in New Hope, Hertford, Belvidere and on US High way 17 north and south of Hertford. The site on 17-South is the county’s busiest site using a sec ond waste compactor while the Belvidere site is the least busy with the lowest volume of waste handled. Swap shops have opened at the 17-South and New Hope sites while electronics waste is col lected at the 17-North site. All used fryer oils (peanut, vegetable oils) are now collected at every site and asphalt shingles can be dumped and recycled free with Barnhill Paving in Elizabeth City, Garner noted. Each site also collects used oil filters and have had new used motor oil drums installed in 2011. Gardner says no drop-off sites in the county See DISPOSAL, 4 Bathroom fires smoke up cafe By CATHY WILSON Staff Writer Two small fires were found burning Thursday afternoon in bathroom trash cans in side the Dockside Cafe locat ed in Albemarle Plantation. The small blazes were quickly extinguished by firefighters at the scene. The small restaurant located near the marina has been closed for almost a year. Sheriff Eric Tilley said arson is the cause of both small fires and investigation is continuing. Tom Ponte, assistant chief of the Bethel Volunteer Fire Department, said smoke was the main damage result ing from the fire reported around 4 p.m. “We didn’t know what we were facing when we first arrived because there was so much smoke,” he added. “We pulled a line and went in but very little water was drawn-two or three gallons at most. We ventilated and cleared the scene in just over an hour.” Ponte said that while the cafe is closed, the bathrooms were open for use by visi tors at the marina. The cafe is owned by the Albemarle Plantation Property Owners Association, he added. Bethel and Hertford fire departments and Perqui mans EMS responded to the fire. Get ready to stroll Friday From staff reports Grab a friend and bring a chair. This week’s Friday Night Stroll is bigger and better. Sponsored by the Perquimans Chamber of Commerce, Friday night’s stroll will close a portion of Church Street from Woodard’s Phar macy to Grubb Street from 5-8 p.m. More vendors offering food, good, and services will fill the street includ ing Vidant Chowan Hospital which will offer free health screenings. The popular Sojourner Band play ing pops and jazz will keep the crowd jumping from 5-5:45 p.m. and again from 6-6:45 p.m. Taking the stage at 7:15 p.m. will be the Lighthouse Tabernacle Youth Group singing Christian music. The variety of foods available Fri day night includes funnel cakes, bar becue sliders, hot dogs, and drinks. In addition, look for deserts, crafts, jewelry, etc. from local vendors. When the downtown events are fin ished, stroll over to Hertford Baptist Church where the free movie “Soul Surfer” will be shown outside on the church lawn immediately after the Friday Night Stroll. Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy lemonade and popcorn. 6 89076 47144 2 1
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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July 18, 2012, edition 1
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