P The
ERQUIMANS
, WVE E K LY
"News from Next Door"
SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 - SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
SEP 1 2 2012
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Fired teacher files lawsuit against BOE
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
A former Perquimans County
teacher has filed a lawsuit in
superior court appealing her
termination this spring by the
Perquimans County Board of
Education.
A hearing has been scheduled
for Nov. 5 in Currituck County
Superior Court to hear Vanessa
B. Joyner’s appeal, which was
filed in July after members of
the board of education voted
in June to deny her tenure and
did not renew her contract for
the 2012 school year. Joyner had
taught at Perquimans Central
School since 2008. '
According to Joyner’s peti
tion filed in Perquimans County
Superior Court, the board voted
to terminate her employment
despite a recommendation by
Superintendent Dwayne Stall
ings that Joyner be given career
status (tenure). Joyner alleges
that the board based its decision
upon criteria that were not ap
plied to other similarly-situated
employees and was motivated
by personal and/or political rea
sons.
Joyner alleges in court docu
ments that her evaluations by
school principals for four years
were rated as “proficient” or
“accomplished” and never in
dicated she was not meeting le
gitimate expectations. She was
recommended for tenure by both
her school principal and by Stall
ings, Joyner claims.
In March, Joyner reported to
her principal that she had “ob
served another teacher engag
ing in illegal and/or unethical
See JOYNER, 2
Indian Summer Festival
OSES Hertford
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
W hile no of
ficial atten
dance num
bers have been given,
organizers say last
weekend’s Indian
Summer Festival
rocked downtown
historic Hertford.
See more
photos from Indian
Summer Festival,
Pages 8-9
“As chairman of
the Indian Summer
Festival, I thought
our team did a really
good job last year.
However, this past
Friday and Saturday,
we blew the lid off
of Hertford!” said
a happy Joe Easter-
wood with the spon
soring organization
Historic Hertford,
Inc. “Friday night’s
activities were noth
ing less than sensa
tional and Church
Street was rockin’! I
spoke with several of
Hertford’s long-time
residents and each of
them said that this is
certainly one of the
biggest events this
town has ever seen.”
“For me personally,
it was gratifying to
be just a small part
in making this hap
pen and I didn’t do
it alone,” he added.
“Our committee was
absolutely terrific.
Each group was ex
ceptional in covering
their areas of respon
sibility. Our Kid’s
Venue, in particular,
was superb. I took a
tour thru the venue
and seeing the smiles
PHOTO COURTESY PAMELA HADDEN
Saturday’s Indian Summer Festival in downtown historic Hertford drew a large crowd who visited vendors, enjoyed a variety of enter
tainment and ate lots of good food.
STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
There was plenty of shagging going on Friday evening, thanks to the beach music
sounds provided by the Original Rhondels. Church Street was packed with danc
ers and folks sitting on hay bales and in chairs listening to the free concert.
on the faces of the
children out there
was truly heart
warming...Thanks to
all who came and had
a great time.”
The free street
dance and concert
by the Original
Rhondels had folks
dancing in the street,
on the grass, even on
the sidewalk.
Later that evening,
about 30 paddlers
in single kayaks,
tandem kayaks, and'
canoes took to the
Perquimans River
during the Carolina
Moonlight Paddle,
STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
The children’s venue entertained and provided lots
of fun for kids of all ages.
a first for the fes
tival. In addition
to paddlers from
Perquimans and
Pasquotank counties,
many paddlers came
from the OBX Pad
dlers Group as well
as other surrounding
North Carolina and
Virginia localities.
Two Coast Guard
teams escorted the
group from the
Hertford town dock
to Winfall where they
were greeted by Win
fall Mayor Fred Yates
and his wife, Arlene.
The dancing contin
ued over in Winfall,
thanks to music,
food, and beverages
at the Winfall Town
See FESTIVAL, 8
Ex-NYPD
officer
recalls
9/11
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Henry Rogan sat down
to enjoy his morning cof
fee while listening to the
radio.
It was his usual morning
ritual after working the
evening shift as a police
officer with the New York
City Police Department.
This morning, however,
would be like no other. It
was Sept. 11,2001.
"I called work and
asked if they needed
me to come in that
day. It was all hands on
deck. I packed a bag
because I knew I'd be
there a while."
Henry Rogan
Former NYPD officer
recalling morning of 9/11
“I heard on the radio
that there was a plane
crash at the World Trade
Center tower,” remem
bered Rogan. “I cut the
television on and saw what
had happened and I re
member thinking what a
terrible accident. I didn’t
think much of it, though,
because I knew fire sup
pression efforts would
kick in. But when I saw the
second plane hit the tow
ers, I knew then it was no
accident. I knew it was an
attack. I knew it was ter
rorism.”
Rogan shared his memo
ries of being a police of
ficer in New York on 9/11
with members of the Rota
ry Club of Hertford Tues
day morning.
“I called work and asked
See ROGAN, 4
Benton nominated
for state media award
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
April Benton with the Perqui
mans County Schools is one of
four women nominated for the
North Carolina School Library
Media Association Media Coordi
nator of the Year award.
Benton is the nominee from the
eastern region of the state. The
three other finalists were nomi
nated from Wake, Forsyth, and
Henderson coun
ties.
The winner will
be announced at
the state confer
ence in Winston-
Salem slated for
Oct. 5. The state
winner will re
ceive a plaque and
Benton
a $1,000 gift from Foilett Library
Services.
Siblings share rare fatal disease
"This is just devastating
for us. We've had accep
tance for Hudson since it's
been a while, but it is so
much harder now know
ing it's two of them who
.... We never expected to
be buying cemetery plots
for our children."
Brittany Mimlitsch
Mother of Hudson and Leila
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Benton is media coordinator at
Hertford Grammar School where
she has served for 7 years. She
earned a bachelor’s of science
degree in elementary education
from Elizabeth City State Uni
versity and her master of library
science media coordinator degree
from East Carolina University.
She is National Board Certified in
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
STAFF PHOTO BY BRETT A. CLARK
2
See BENTON, 4
Hudson and Leila Mimlitsch
share a closeness that’s com
mon among brothers and sis
ters.
They were always close as
normal children, playing with
toys, running around outside.
But today, at the age of 7 and
Jerry Mimlitsch plays with Hudson, 7, and Leila, 5, who both suffer from
the rare, fatal brain disease neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses, also known
as Batten Disease.
5, both Hudson and Leila share Disease - a rare, fatal disease
one bond their parents wish of the brain.
they wouldn’t. They both have
been diagnosed with Batten' See SIBLINGS, 4