DEC 1 9 2012
P , THE OEC 1 9 2012
ERQUIMANS
X WEE K LY
Students’ Christmas Card art, pages 10-11;
"News from Next Door"
DECEMBER 19, 2012 - DECEMBER 25, 2012
50 cents
Board appeals judge’s ruling on Joyner
From staff reports
The Perquimans County
Board of Education has
filed an appeal against a
judge’s earlier ruling re
versing the board’s deci
sion to fire former teacher
Vanessa Joyner after deny ¬
ing her tenure.
According to court re
cords, the appeal was filed
Dec. 12 and sent to the
North Carolina Court of
Appeals in Raleigh.
Members of the BOE
conferred with attorney
John Leidy in closed ses ¬
sion Monday night. After
wards, no vote was taken
in open session.
Superintendent Dwayne
Stallings said Tuesday
morning that the BOE nev
er voted in open session to
file the appeal.
“According to what our
attorney told us, the board
does not have to vote,”
Stallings explained. “They
only have to authorize the
attorney to move forward,
which they did.”
When asked how the
board gave that autho
rization (verbally, show
of hands, etc.) Stallings
would only say it was the
consensus of the board to
move forward.
According to the North
Carolina Open Meetings
law, state statue allows
public bodies to consider
and give instructions to
an attorney concerning
the handling or settlement
of a claim, judicial action,
mediation, arbitration, or
administrative procedure
in closed session.
However, the state press
See RULING, 8
See SOLDIER MOM, 9
to hear a familiar voice
repeating everything she
was telling her friends.
Caffey looked up and to
her surprise, saw her
arms of her mother, Shanita Bailey, a soldier stationed at Ft. Bliss in Texas.
They had not seen each other since May. Bailey is home for a few days before
being deployed to Afghanistan in Januaiy.
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
STAFF PHOTOS BY CATHY WILSON
A surprised seven-year-old Jakayla Caffey runs from her seat into the waiting
T I eacher Assistant Ki-
onna Griffin nervously
tapped her finger on the
library desk while glancing
first at the students sitting
around small library tables
and then through the large
glass windows into the
school lobby
She hummed Christmas
songs and called children
up to her desk to check
out books one by one - all
while keeping an eye on the
library door...waiting for
someone to enter the doors
at Perquimans Central
School.
The anticipation in her
eyes almost mimicked
expressions seen on Christ
mas Eve waiting for Santa to
arrive.
“Is she here yet?” Griffin
asked time after time as she
tried to keep busy “I’m so
excited. It’s like waiting to
unwrap presents on Christ
mas morning!”
Griffin wasn’t the only
excited grownup at PCS last
Thursday morning. A host
of school administrators
and helpers excitedly paced
the lobby floor waiting for a
very special arrival.
After what seemed like an
eternity, their special guest
finally arrived and they ex
citedly hustled her through
the school’s hallway to the
side door of the library.
Inside the library, seven-
year-old Jakayla Caffey
and her classmates worked
around one of the small
tables. With her head down,
she intently drew pictures,
and began telling her class-
mates what she had drawn.
As she talked, she began
“You are the best Christmas
present ever!” Words spoken by
jakayla Caffey to her mother Sha
nita Bailey after being surprised
at school by Bailey’s homecom
ing from the Army last Thursday.
Elderly woman injured during home invasion
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
An elderly Hertford
woman was injured early
Sunday morning when
three men broke into her
Sunset Drive home, threw
her out of her bed, tied her
up, and demanded money.
Police reports state that
the 84-year-old victim re
siding in the 200-block of
Sunset Drive was sleeping
when the assailants awoke
her by throwing her off
the bed and holding her
down. They reportedly tied
sheets around her hands,
choked her, and assaulted
her while demanding mon
ey, police reports state.
Hertford Police Chief
Doug Freeman said the
suspects ransacked the
entire house around 1:15
a.m. and left with a small
amount of property.
The victim managed to
free herself, run to a neigh
bor’s house, and called 9-1-
1.
Members of the Hert
ford Police Department
and Perquimans County
Sheriffs Department re
sponded and did not find
any suspects in the house.
The victim reportedly
suffered a severe lacera
tion to the top of a hand,
bruises on her arms and
face, and a swollen lip. She
was transported by Perqui
mans EMS to Chowan Hos
pital, police said.
Chief Freeman said
the three suspects are de
scribed as black males
wearing ball caps and dark
pants. Two of the suspects
wore dark-colored tee-
shirts while the third wore
a polo-type shirt, police
say One was described as
having a beard with grey
hair around the mouth and
another was described as
wearing dreadlocks.
Freeman said HPD is of
fering a reward up to $1,000
for information leading to
an arrest or apprehension
of the suspects involved.
Anyone with information
is asked to contact Hert
ford Investigator Alan Pe
terson at 426-5587 or email
police@townofhertfordnc.
com
Callers do not have to re
veal their identities.
County planning/zoning office to move
Sen. Jones dies at 62
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
County officials will move its
planning and zoning office from
upstairs in the county courthouse
to the building inspector’s office
on Dobb’s Street.
The move is expected to be com
pleted around the first few weeks
of the new year. Until the new
location opens, county Planner
Donna Godfrey will continue tp
serve customers in the current of
fice located on the second floor of
the county courthouse.
“Moving the zoning and plan
ning office into the building at 104
Dobbs Street will hopefully im
prove the customer experience,”
said County Manager Frank
Heath. “People have to get a zon
ing permit before they get a build
ing permit so this way they can
get both permits from the same
place. This will also give Donna a
whole lot more room. Right now,
she operates out of what used to
be a small storage space so this
move will really give her more
space.”
The zoning office will move
into space formerly occupied by
the county’s emergency manage
ment office which moved earlier
this year into the new emergency
services building on Creek Drive
in Winfall.
The county-owned Dobbs
See OFFICE MOVE 8
From staff reports
State Sen. Ed Jones, D-Hali-
fax, died Friday following a
battle with pancreatic cancer.
He was 62.
Jones represented Perqui
mans, Chowan, and Gates
counties as part of what was
the 4th Senate District prior
to redistricting last year. The
new district Jones won re-
election in last month no lon
ger includes those counties.
Jones’ daughter, Alesha
Garrett, said Friday her fa
ther died at
2:20 p.m. at
his Halifax
County home.
Jones was
remembered
as a dedicated
public ser
vant and tire
less advocate
Jones ;
for rural communities.
“Senator Jones was a gen
tle soul devoted to his family
church, and community,” U.S.'
2
See JONES, 8
Listed at $75,000
View of Albemarle Sound & Canal
3 Bedrooms 2 Baths
Water Access
u . Forbes
Country Realty
*•—■»»-■ *' , & Auctions,
Private Woode
Large Master Bath w/Walk-in Closet
Featured
Property
of the Week
www.forbesuc.com
252-426-1380
A LLC
252-426-1380 • www.forbesuc.com 244Tranquility Lane, Hertford