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"News from Next Door"
SEPTEMBER 18, 2013 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2013
50 cents
Sheriff; Economy driving up burglary rate
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County saw a spike in
burglaries and an increase in cases of
aggravated assault in the latest crime
statistics released by the federal gov
ernment.
Last year the number of burglaries
increased from 66 in 2011 to 95. The
number of cases of aggravated assault
rose from two to eight. A crime moves
from a basic assault to aggravated as
sault if a we^on is used of if substan
tial harm is caused.
The Uniform Crime Statistics are
compiled across the country and mea
sure the most serious crimes.
What the numbers don’t show at first
glance is that the number of offenses
that were cleared also increased, Sher
iff Eric Tilley said last week!
The sheriff’s office cleared nine ag
gravated assault cases last year com
pared to zero the year before. 'The
number of cases rose from two to
eight in that period.
Tlie department also cleared 15
See BURGLARY, 9
“Every area has (crime) problems, but we're
no way as bad off as some. Everybody has
problems. Our economy is still not well. People
steal to survive, they don’t steal to get rich.
Eric Tilley
Perquimans sheriff
Sep 18 sBni
money
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County will
host two events this month
th8it combined have raised
about $700,000 to fight the
disease that struck baseball
legend and Perquimans na
tive Jimmy “Catfish” Hunt
er.
'The ALS Softball Tourna
ment will be held Sept. 27-29
at the Jimmy Hunter Fields
in Winfall at Perquimans
County Middle School.
'There will be an ALS Walk
that Saturday that starts at
Perquimans County High
School and travels to the
S-Bridge in downtown Hert
ford.
Helen Hunter, the wife of
Jimmy Hunter, coordinates
the walk. She estimates the
effort started in 2000 has
raised about $400,000 for ef
forts to find a cure for Amy
otrophic Lateral Sclerosis. It
is aprogressive neurodegen-
erative disease that affects
nerve cells in the brain and
the spinal cord. Walkers at
the event are asked to raise
money before hand.
“I do a letter writing cam
paign before it starts,” Hunt
er said. “I tiy and send let
ters to people who live away
from here so you won’t be
asking the same people to
do double (donations). I’ve
had good luck with it.”
She expects about 125
people will show up the
.day of the event to walk.
Most of them can make
the loop from the school to
the bridge and back to the
school in about an hour.
On the way back, the route
takes walkers past Hunt
er’s grave at Cedarwood
See ALS MONEY, 2
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STAFF PHOTOS BY
PETER WILLIAMS
Walker Rayburn
speaks to visitors
about how to grow
muscadine grapes,
at the Newbold-
White House, on
Saturday. Rayburn,
his wife Marjorie
and Erin Eure, an
Extension service
specialist, put on
the program for
about two dozen
people. An effort
started in 2007
has now produced
90 grapevines at
the historic home.
The program was
sponsored by
the Perquimans
County Restoration
Association
and the N.C.
Cooperative
Extension Service.
County
sees rise
in solar
requests
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County could
be home to five solar power
projects in the immediate
future.
'The first — Solar Green
LLC — has been in the plan
ning stages for three years.
It would generate about
17.5 megawatts from a 100-
acre site off U.S.17 near the
Chowan County line.
'Three more are being
considered tonight in a spe
cial 7 p.m. meeting of the
Perquimans County Plan
ning Board. According to
officials, construction could
start on two of those soon.
SOLON Corp. is working
to get permits from the state
for two of the three on the
agenda tonight. Of the three,
one is on TYvo Mile Desert
Road in Winfall the other
two on Belvidere Road near
Bagley Swamp Road.
SOLON Corp. is in the
process of running legal
notices for a certificate of
public necessity from the
N.C. Utilities Commission
for the Winfall project and a
97-acre on Belvidere Road.
People have imtil 10 days
after the last publication on
Oct. 2 to submit conunents
to the utilities commission.
Solar Green has com
pleted that process with the
utilities commission for the
project on U.S. 17.
'The third SOLON proj
ect involves 155-acres on
the northeast comer of
Belvidere Road and Bagley
Swamp Road. No legal ads
have been published for it.
'The fifth project would
also be developed by So
lar Green. The site was not
See SOLAR POWER, 9
Farmers may have
above average year
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County farm
ers may not see the profits
they did last year, but the
2013 harvest won’t be a
bad one overall, according
to area extension director
Lewis Smith.
“When all is said and done
when you look at the last 10
6 89076 47144
years in terms of profitabil
ity, it will be better than av
erage. It won’t be a banner
year like last year. Last year
was a perfect storm in terms
of prices and good yields.
But I do think com may be
better than most.”
Farming and forestry
are largest industries in the
county.
“I’d say its the second
most leading source of
income is probably state
employment,” Lewis said.
“You have the schools.
See FARMERS, 9
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State: Perquimans
population growing
BY PETER WILLIAMS
t News Editor
Perquimans County’s
population grew during a
period from 2010 through
2012 while surrounding
counties saw their num
bers decline.
'The N.C. Office of Man
agement and Budget esti
mates show Perquimans’
population hit 13,660 in
July of last year, an in
crease of 1.5 percent.
'The growth was spurred
by an influx of people
moving in from outside
the area 'The number of
births in that period (290)
was less than the number
of deaths (373) in the same
period.
The increase in Perqui
mans bucked a trend for
northeastern North Caroli
na. Only Currituck, Perqui
mans and Dare saw popu
lation gains. In addition to
Perquimans’ neighbors,
Camden, Hertford, Bertie,
Washington Tyrrell, Hyde
and Northampton counties
saw population declines.
See POPULATION, 9
Firefighter finds
new challenge
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Michael Cartwright didn’t set out to
be a firefighter.
But in 1980 he graduated Perquimans
County High School and joined the In
ter County Fire Department because a
fiiend from Woodville thought it would
be fun.
• In 1983, he joined the Elizabeth City
Fire Department and made it a job.
Now he’s retiring as deputy chief
in charge of operations and training for the ECFD and
starting a new career as a teacher in Perquimans Coun
ty. Cartwright will head a new program designed to give
See CARTWRIGHT, 9
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