The
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"News from Next Door DECEMBER 26, 2012 -JANUARY 1, 2012 50 cents
DEC 2 7 2012
Video-conferences with inmates saves money
STAFF PHOTO
BY CATHY WILSON
Perquimans
Superior Court
Clerk Todd Tilley
prepares to hold
a bond hearing
with an inmate at
Albemarle District
Jail via video-
conference in the
clerk’s office.
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
A new program that is
now in effect in both the
Perquimans Superior
Court Clerk and county
magistrate offices should
save time and money for
local governments.
State-of-the-art video
conferencing is now be
ing used to offer bond
hearings to some inmates
without actually trans ¬
porting those inmates to
local courtrooms. Instead,
inmates incarcerated in
Albemarle District Jail
located in Pasquotank
County can now partici
pate in bond hearings
over a voice-over-inter
net program that allows
the inmate to be seen and
heard over a telephone
system located in the
Hertford-based clerk and
magistrate offices with
out leaving the jail.
For the technology-sav
vy, it’s kinda like Skyp
ing, but using the phone
system rather than com
puter.
Before the program be
gan locally, county depu
ties would drive the 20
miles from Hertford to
Elizabeth City to pick up
the inmate and transport
the inmate back to Hert
ford for a 10-minute bond
hearing. Once the hear
ing was over, the deputy
would transport the in
mate back to Elizabeth
City and then return to
Hertford to continue with
his law enforcement du
ties. The two round trips
needed to conduct that
face-to-face bond hearing
totaled about 80 miles.
This new program re
quires little, if any, mile
age at all.
“The big thing is the
See VIDEO, 2
BREWIN STILL HAS PRECIOUS memories
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
M argaret Brewin
smiles as she
playfully fingers
her collection of colorful
Christmas Santas and
unfilled holiday stockings
hung by her chimney
with care.
When asked, she tells
you stories on each minia
ture Santa, on Christmas
cards dating back to 1914,
and on each doll that
stands among her cher
ished prized collection.
She smiles because of the
memories she still shares
- memories that have not
escaped her despite her
ongoing battle with brain
cancer since this past
summer.
The popular downtown
merchant who owns Greg
ory’s on Church Street
was often seen decorat
ing her shop windows
with lots of memorable
items stored both in the
store and in her home. In
fact, she routinely wins
the Curb Appeal window
decorating contest each
season, or at least places
in that competition.
It was outside those at
tractive windows one day
last August that she stood
talking with friends on
the downtown sidewalk.
They noticed she was not
talking quite right.
SECU honors Copeland
From staff reports
Elwood Copeland recent
ly retired from the North
Carolina Department of
Transportation, Winfall
equipment office, after 30
years of service. He was
also honored by the State
Employees’ Credit Union
for contributions as a long-
term volunteer-member.
He served as an advisory
board member of SECU
for the past 17 years and,
as a loyal advocate, has
played an instrumental
role in helping the credit
union stay connected to its
membership through the
distribution of informa
tion to member-groups in
the Hertford, Edenton and
Elizabeth City areas.
“The advisory board is
really a vital link between
members and the credit
union,” said Copeland.
“Letting people be advised
about what the credit
union is doing is very im
portant. It provides a bet
ter understanding of how
6 11 89076 47144
2
STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Margaret Brewin is all smiles in front of her antique Santa collection in her home.The Hertford merchant was diagnosed with a
brain tumor this past summer and is still undergoing treatment.
She had felt overly tired
the week before, so her
friend called the doctor.
From that call, she even
tually had an MRI that
showed a small malignant
tumor just behind her left
eye.
She underwent brain
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Elwood Copeland recently
retired from the North Caro
lina Department of Transpor
tation, Winfall office, after
30 years of service. He was
also honored by the State
Employees Credit Union for
contributions as a long-term
member-volunteer.
the cooperative operates
on behalf of its mem
bers.”
Copeland was one of
two men honored during
the SECU annual meet
ing in Greensboro.
surgery the next day
in a Norfolk hospital to
remove the tumor.
“I had no headaches, no
symptoms whatsoever,”
she remembers. “It just
came up so quickly. When
I came to after the surgery
I overheard people say ¬
Mentoring group gives awards
By CATHY WILSON
/Staff Writer
Da’Quan Armstrong,
a junior at Perquimans
County High School, re
ceived the Ralph Robinson
Youth Award presented by
the Perquimans County
Mentoring Focus Group.
The award was pre ¬
ing I wouldn’t be able to
talk, or I wouldn’t be able
to remember anything.
When the doctor came in
a couple of days later and
asked how I was doing,
I spoke and told him I
remember people saying I
wouldn’t remember!”
Breakfast With Santa
sented Dec. 18 during the
group’s annual Christmas
banquet held at Louise
Events’ Center in Hert
ford.
Armstrong, 16, was hon
ored for making tremen
dous progress not only in
school but in his volun
teer work for the commu
nity as well, said Director
That fighting, positive
spirit has helped Brewin
through her brain sur
gery and ongoing treat
ments for cancer.
She stays positive, tries
to eat healthy to keep up
See BREWIN, 2
PHOTO COURTESY
PAMELA HADDEN
Adilyn Morris
reaches for her
gift from Santa
during the recent
Breakfast with
Santa in Holiday
Island. She is the
granddaughter of
residents Sherry
and Normal Mor
ris. Children were
not the only ones
asking Santa for
gifts that day. One
woman asked
Santa to deliver a
Cadillac.
Clayton Griffin.
“He never misses a
mentoring session and
he speaks out for others
who can’t speak for them
selves,” Griffin added.
The award is named
after former county sher
iff Ralph Robinson who
See AWARDS, 5
Williams
named
PW news
editor
From staff reports
Peter Williams, who be
gan his newspaper career
in Elizabeth City almost 40
years ago, has been named
news editor at the Perqui
mans Weekly, effective Jan.
1.
He will fill the position
being vacated by Cathy Wil
son, who has taken another
job.
Williams, 55, began his
career in journalism at
The Daily
Advance
in 1975,
the year
he gradu
ated from
Northeast
ern High
School. He
left The
Daily Advance in 1980 and
has since worked for sev
eral newspapers in North
Carolina, Florida and Mis
sissippi. He served stints as
editor at the New Bern Sun
Journal, the Mount Airy
News, the Washington Dai
ly News and the Richmond
County Daily Journal.
In 2011, he returned to
The Daily Advance, where
he has been responsible for
education coverage.
“Peter is a seasoned jour
nalist with roots in the area.
He will make a good fit for
the Hertford, Perquimans
County community,” said
Ann Hoffman, publisher of
The Perquimans Weekly.
Williams takes over
from Wilson who has been
reporting for The Perqui
mans Weekly since 2007.
Last month, she accepted
a position with Womack
Publishing Company as re
gional manager for several
community newspapers in
Virginia and North Caro
lina. She begins her new
duties in January
Hoffman praised Wil
son for her hard work and
for the dedication she has
shown at The Perquimans
Weekly
“Cathy demonstrated an
unwavering commitment to
providing comprehensive,
fair and balanced coverage
of Hertford and Perqui
mans County for readers.
She was passionate about
her community and her
work and it showed.
“She will be missed. I
wish her much success in
the future,” Hoffman said.
The Perquimans Weekly
is owned by Cooke Com
munications North Caro
lina, LLC., of Greenville,
which also owns The Daily
Advance.
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