P The
ERQUIMANS
Weekly
Cherry honored at All-Star game
"News from Next Door"
JULY 17, 2013 - JULY 23, 2013
HONJjJ^DAl
yi&d
50 cents
State to hold hearing soon on BRrooE
MAP COURTESY NC
DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION
The state
plans to
hold a
public
hearing in
late August
or early
September to
gauge public
opinion on
options to
repiace the
historic S-
Bridge.
4-
f/
4
I Nryitmw Coyw^i
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The state plans to hold
a public hearing in late Au
gust or early September to
gauge public opinion on
options to replace the his
toric S-Bridge in Hertford.
“This is the last chance
they get, and we’re hoping
for a good turnout” said
Teresa Graham, a consul
tant with Kimley-Home &
Associates who has been
working on the project for
years.
In the past 75 to 100
people have attended pub
lic hearings. Graham con
sidered that a good turn
out. The three alternatives
“This is the iast chance they get, and we’re
hoping for a good turnout. ”
Teresa Graham
Consultant, Kimly-Horne & Associates,
on the public’s last chance to discuss with
officials the S-Bridge replacement
include one that extends
off Edenton-Road Street
across the river, one that
extends straight off Church
Street and a third that goes
off Church Street to the
west and more or less par
allels the existing bridge.
“Right now there is no
preferred alternative,”
Gresham said. “We’re anx
ious for people to give their
thoughts. 'This is the time
for people to speak up.”
At one point, seven op
tions were being consid
ered. Many people said they
simply wanted the state to
fix Ae bridge as it is.
Just keeping the exist
ing bridge is no longer an
option.
“When we looked at that
it we found it was it was go
ing to be more (expensive)
and it wouldn’t last as long.
Instead we’re looking at re
placing it.”
'Two of the three options
remaining involve building
a fixed bridge with a clear
ance of 33 feet — the same
as the high-rise bridge for
U.S. 17. The third option
is a swing span just to the
west of the current bridge.
As the fist has grown
smaller, Graham believes
people are getting a better
rmdemtanding of what’s in
volved.
“People are becoming
better educated about it.
They’re seeing more of
See S-BRIDGE, 6
Schools to
no longer
share buses
I
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Hertford Grammar
School and Central Elemen-
taiy School will once again
have their own set of buses
to transport students next
year.
The Perquimans Cotmty
School Board made the de
cision last week.
The same buses served
both schools for the past
four or five years. The move
was made to reduce expens
es.
But in the process, stu
dents at Central were losing
about 20 minutes of instruc
tional time each day. The
buses were going first to
the grammar school first to
let off students there in the
morning. In the afternoon,
10 minutes was lost because
Central let out early and the
buses went to HGS.
Under the new plan. Cen
tral gets that time back.
Melissa Fields, the princi
pal at Central, welcomes the
change.
“Twenty minutes a day
might not seem like a lot
of time, but it can make a
world of difference for an
elementary school,” Fields
said Friday. “This time
gives us an opportunity to
provide more interventions
based on student needs, dig
deeper into word work, or
practice reading compre
hension. 'Twenty minutes
could mean one more small
group guided reading les
son or one more rotation in
math centers.
“Twenty minutes could
equate to a hands-on science
experiment that we might
not have had time for with
our previous schedule. lam
excited about the positive
impact that this can make
See SCHOOL BUSES, 6
A.
I ?« ■.
B, Study to
look at
hurricane
attitudes
S.':
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Hayley Noble, 6, sends a spray of water straight up while helping her father, Dave, get the baseball field ready
for a game on Thursday. Hayley had help from her twin sister Krystin. Hayley was Wetting down the infield.
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
To flee or not to flee,
that is the question state
researchers be asking
coastal residents over the
next four weeks.
Local and state emergen
cy managers are examining
behaviors and attitudes-re
garding evacuations during
hurricanes by conducting a
survey.
Julia Jarama is a commu
nications officer with the
N.C. Department of Public
Safety and deals with emer
gency management. She
said the survey is designed
to help state disaster of
ficials get an idea of what
residents will and won’t do
in an emergency.
‘“There are a lot of things
we don’t know, that’s why
we’re doing the survey,” Jar-
ema said. “We know some
areas of the coast have lim
ited options for evacuation.
'There are limited roadways
and a lots and lots of wa
ter.”
Jarvis Wmslow, the
See HURRICANE, 7
Former teachers charged with assault
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
'Two former Perquimans Coun
ty Schools employees have been
charged with assault after officials
say they struck a special needs stu
dent on a school bus last month.
Cynthia Jones, 51, of Hertford,
and Kecia Phelps, 48, of Edenton,
were both charged Tuesday, July
9, with assault on a handicapped
person, a Class 1 misdemeanor, of
ficials said.
Both women turned themselves
in at the Perquimans Sheriffs Of
fice. A magistrate released them
under $1,000 unsecured bonds.
According to law enforcement
officials, Jones, formerly an ex
ceptional children’s teacher for the
Perquimans Coimty Schools, and
Phelps, a former teacher’s assis
tant, struck the IS-year-bld student
June 16 while they were aboard a
bus transporting the student home
from a summer school program.
'The student, who was improperly
restrained at the time, didn’t suffer
any physical iryuiies in the inci
dent, officials said.
Onboard video cameras on the
bus captured the alleged incident
and the footage was reviewed by
school officials, who then turned
the materials over to the Perqui
mans Sheriff’s Department.
Sheriff Eric 'TUley said the charg
es were filed after the sheriffs de
partment spoke with officials from
the District Attorney’s Office.
“We wanted to see if felony
charges could be brought, but be
cause there were no physical ir\ju-
ries, we couldn’t,” 'Mey said.
According to school officials,
Jones resigned from her job with
the Perquimans school district on
June 24. Phelps was fired June 20.
'The driver and another teacher’s
See TEACHERS, 2
Simpson, commission heiped shape county 3 killed in traffic wreck
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
'The availability of
clean, safe drinking wa
ter in Perquimans Coun
ty is something a lot of
89076 47144
people ntight 7
take for granted.
Having a safe
way to dispose ^
of trash was also
not an option
a few- decades
ago.
Lester Simp
son helped
change that.
Simpson, who
July 4, served
SIMPSON
1969 to 1996 on
the Perquimans
County Com
mission. A me
morial service
for Simpson will
be held in Au
gust at Hertford
United Method
ist Church.
During his 24 years,
died the county adopted a
from countywide water sys
tem, set up a system for
trash disposal and took
over the recreation de
partment.
“Those were probably
the three biggest things
they did,” said Charlie
Ward, a former commis
sioner who served with
Simpson.
Ward served on the
See SIMPSON, 7
From staff reports
'Three people died as the result of a head-on accident Friday morn
ing on Harvey Point Road.
Ruby Williams, 71 and her passenger Nina Perry, 82, were killed
Friday when the 2011 Chevrolet they were riding in was struck by a
second vehicle. Both Williams Perry lived in Hohday Island.
The driver of the other car, George Templeton, 86, died last week
end at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville.
Templeton, of Albemarle Plantation, was driving a 2003 Chrysler
south on Harvey Point when he fell asleep and went across the center
line, the Highway Patrol said. 'The patrol charged Templeton with mis
demeanor death by vehicle.
. Forbes
jCoiintry Realty
— ^ s' & Auctions.
& Auctions,
LLC
NCRL#22873 NCAL#9180
252-426-1380 • www.forbesuc.com
Snug Harbor
3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
Screened Porch
156 Shoshone Trail, Hertford
Oversized Master Bedroom
Featured
Property
of the Week
www.forbesuc.com
252-426-1380