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Page 7
"News from Next Door”
DECEMBER 12, 2012 - DECEMBER 18, 2012
50 cents
Town backs economic development analysis
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Monday night, town of
ficials approved hiring a
consulting firm to do an
economic development
analysis for Hertford in
step with strategies al
ready put in place by the
town’s Small Town Eco
nomic Prosperity (STEP)
program.
Creative Economic De
velopment Consulting, out
of Elkin, is expected to
begin work mid January
to determine a full area
market analysis noting
which types of businesses
have the greatest potential
for success here and a list
of potential companies for
solicitation.
The project, in the form
of a business development
plan that should include
hospitals/medical clinics,
entertainment companies,
assisted living communi
ties, and lodging/hotel
facilities, should be com ¬
pleted by late March, said
Town Manager Brandon
Shoaf.
Total cost of the analy
sis is $20,000 with $16,000
funded through STEP’s
state funds and the re
maining $4,000 coming
from a Smart Community
Grant funded to the town
through ElectriCities.
“Basically, the STEP
strategy is to look at the
holes we have here in
See ANALYSIS, 7
CHRISTMAS IN WINFALL
Town’s first Yule
parade a success
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
By all accounts, the first,
hopefully annual, Christ
mas parade in Winfall was
a success.
A large crowd lined the
streets, sat on truck tail-
gates, and even played un
derneath the trees in front
of Perquimans Central
School as the hour-long
parade officially ushered
the Christmas season into
town.
“I think Winfall’s first
parade went very well,”
said Tammy Chappell,
chairman of the town’s
parade committee. “It was
amazing to see the commu
nity come out and support
the town. I am excited to
see what can happen next
year!” ,
Five bands participated
in the parade including the
Elizabeth City State Uni
versity Marching Vikings
(best band award winner),
Perquimans County High
School Marching Pirates,
Perquimans County Mid
dle School band, and two
high school bands from
neighboring Pasquotank
County-Northeastern and
Pasquotank high school
bands.
Other parade entries
included just about every
thing from dogs to color
guards, from four-wheel
ers doing wheelies to slow-
moving vintage cars, from
decorated floats to beauty
queens.
The Perquimans County
Senior Citizens Center took
first place in the best float
category while the Per
quimans County Middle
School Steppers captured
the best group trophy.
Ava Hurdle, a reporter
with Wavy News 10 in
Hampton Roads served as
grand marshall.
The parade was dedicat
ed to the memory of Dur-
wood Barber and Melvin
Jennings, two deceased
Winfall residents who al
ways dreamed of seeing a
parade in Winfall.
STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Students and staff adorn Hertford Grammar School’s float in the Winfall Christmas Parade on Saturday.
PHOTO
COURTESY
C. PAGELS
“A Christmas to
Remember”
was the theme
for Winfall’s
first Christmas
parade.
STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Santa arrives in Winfall on top of a Winfall Fire Department
fire truck.
STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
A four-wheeler travels on two wheels to delight the crowd.
More photos
Check out page 8 for more photos from the
Winfall Christmas Parade
Mother,
son face
federal
charges
Harrell transport cited
for Medicaid billing
From staff reports
A mother and son from Belvi
dere who operate a medical trans
port service in the region have
been indicted and face 68 counts
of allegedly fraudulently billing
Medicare and Medicaid.
Phyllis Stallings Harrell, owner,
and Paul Lynn Trueblood, opera
tor of Harrell Medical Transport
in Hobbsville, Gates County, alleg
edly billed Medicaid through the
business and conspired to defraud
Medicare and Medicaid with vari
ous billings for non-emergency
ambulance transportation servic
es between 2006 and 2009.
U.S. Attorney Thomas G. Walk
er of the Eastern District of North
Carolina said U.S. District Judge
Malcolm J. Howard unsealed the
indictment last Friday.
If convicted, both could face
lengthy prison terms, as well as
hefty fines and restitution, ac
cording to a press release issued
by Walker late Friday afternoon.
Included in the indictment filed
Nov. 19 in Raleigh is a notice seek
ing forfeiture of property upon
conviction including contents of
three financial accounts in the
name of Phyllis Harrell valued
at over $550,000, one financial
account in the name of Harrell
Medical Transport valued at over
$174,000, plus one 2009 Lincoln
Navigator 4x4, six ambulances,
and one cutaway van -all in the
name of Harrell Medical Trans
port, and one Ford Fusion in the
name of Phyllis Harrell.
Reached Saturday evening,
Trueblood denied the allegations
and said the transport business
will continue on.
“We are still in business,” he
said. “We are still operating. We
have not been convicted. We have
been charged. Therefore we will
get through it.”
Harrell could not be reached.
According to Walker, the in
dictment alleges that Trueblood
See 68 COUNTS, 4
Newbern: Fireman of the Year
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
A 39-year-veteran of
the Hertford Fire
1 Department is the
department’s Fireman of
the Year for 2012.
Parker Newbern, as
sistant chief, received
the award Saturday night
from Hertford Mayor-
Horace Reid during the
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department’s annual
Christmas banquet. The
surprise award is voted on
and given annually by the
department members to a
member in recognition for
their service to the depart
ment the past year.
As assistant chief, New
bern took charge of fund-
raising this past year and
headed up their first an
nual Sportsman Giveaway-
the department’s largest
fundraiser of the year.
Newbern was quick,
however, to give credit to
his fellow firefighters.
See NEWBERN, 4
Police investigate
money order fraud
Fake rental home
ad nets $1,200
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Police are investigating
a possible local connec
tion to a reported fraud
resulting from an apparent
phony Washington state
rental home ad appearing
on Craigslist.
According to police re
ports, Hertford Police were
contacted Nov. 27 by a de
tective with the Burlington
Police Department all the
way across the nation, in
Washington state regard
ing a suspected money
order fraud. Apparently
a Burlington, WA man
responded to a Craigslist
posting regarding a house
for rent in the Mount Ver
non area of Washington.
The man inquired about
renting the house and
See FRAUD, 4
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