P The
ERQUIMANS
l^.bWEEKLV
BREAST CANCER
AWARENESS
"JVeirs from Next Door”
OCTOBER 2, 2013 - OCTOBER 8, 2013
OCT 0^ uni
50 cents
Plans for marina, houmng are revived
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A developer is reviving
plans that could bring a 116-
unit housing complex and a
marina with 100 boat slips
and a fuel dock to propel
on South Church Street in
Hertford.
Greenville-based Bill
Bowen first proposed the
project several years ago. It
was shelved in part because
of the weakened economy
and in part because of the
regulations that were in
place at the time.
Bowen isn’t planning to
build the project, but he
wants to complete the per
mitting so he can offer the
plan to developers who are
ready to build. Town Man
ager Brandon Shoaf said the
town has yet to approve a
site plan for the project. The
property is across the street
from the Albemarle Com
mission.
“The fact is it remains
a nice, wonderful piece of
property,” Bowen said. “If
you want to go to Wal-Mart,
it’s 10 minutes away and if
you want to go downtown.
it’s just down the street.”
Bowen’s company, 'Tug
boat Properties LLC, owns
17 acres and about 11 or 12
acres are high enough to
build on. The property ad
joins South Church Street as
well as natural cove where
boats would be protected in
bad weather.
The group has applied
for a permit through the
Coastal Area Management
Act and a public comment
period runs through Oct. 16,
By state rules, CAMA has
See REVIVED PLANS, 4
Groups join fight against ALS
pushing
for more
^ computers
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
M ore than 200
people made the
two-mile walk and
at least that many went to
the softball field over the
weekend to honor Per
quimans County native
Jimmy “Catfish” Hunter
and raise money to fight
the disease that helped
bring him down.
Some donations are
trickling in, but the 14th
annual walk started
by Hunter’s wife Helen
was on track to bring
in $23,000 this year.
The 15th annuM soft-
ball tournament added
$21,000 to the more than
$300,000 raised since that
event started. The walk
has raised in excess of
$420,000.
It wasn’t just a typical
weekend for members
of the team that won the
softball tournament. Bob
Stallings, the coach of the
winning Belvidere-based "
“Scott’s Store” team
said virtually all of them
knew Hunter as children.
Stallings and two other
members all graduated
together from Perquimans
County High School in
1998. Justin Roberson,
one of the members, now
coaches baseball at PCHS
and lives across the road
from Helen Hunter. Paul
Hunter, Jimmy’s son, was
also on the roster.
It’s the fourth time
“Scott’s” has won the
tournament and this
marks the third in a row
for the team.
See ALS WALK, 4
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
A sea of walkers goes down Grubb Street Saturday en route to the S-Bridge in Hertford, as part of the annual
Jim “Catfish” Hunter ALS Walk. Paul Hunter, son of the baseball great, is pictured on the far right.
STAFF PHOTO BY
PETER WILLIAMS
Bob Stallings
watches the
ball soar after
a hit Saturday
during the
annual ALS
Softball
Tournament
in Winfall. His
team from
Perquimans
County won the
event.
Local board considers Elizabeth City STEM school
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimarts County
school officials seemed
receptive to the idea of a
regional STEM school in
Elizabeth City, but board
members had more ques
tions than answers on Fri
day.
The Perquimans County
School board was wrap
ping up a three-day retreat
with sessions at the Albe
marle Electric Membership
Corp. building outside of
Hertford.
Superintendent Dwayne
Stallings briefed the board
on the plans for the new
Elizabeth City-based school
as well as another S'TEM
school at the Vernon James
Research Facility in Plym
outh. STEM stands for sci
ence, technology, engineer
ing and mathematics.
On 'Tuesday Elizabeth
City Mayor Joe Peel and the
chairman of the Pasquo
tank Board of Commission
er asked officials in Cam
den and Currituck coimties
to join in Seating a place
middle and high school stu
dents could learn the skiUs
they need to start careers in
the aerospace industry. Un
der the plan, it would also
include Perquimans and
Chowan counties.
One of the concerns
from Perquimans is that
the pot of money Peel is
looking to tap Ls the same
pot of money that Per
quimans would need to
implement a one-to-one
computer program. Peel is
asking the five counties to
each request $200,000 fi’om
Golden LEAF to fund the
See STEM, 2
BY PETER WILLIAMS
I News Editor
Kids want them, parents
want them and educators
want them.
And last week members
of the Perquimans School
Board grappled with how to
put a tablet computer in the
hands of every child in the
school system.
The school system hopes
to kick start a one-to-one
program through a $1.5
miUion grant provided by
Golden LEAF. 'The county
commission, not the school
board will have to apply for
the grant and compete with
21 counties for the $10 mil
lion that is available.
In the end the school
board decided Friday to
seek 'funding to implement
the program in grades three
through 12. Perquimans
Central, which serves pre
kindergarten through sec
ond grade would for now
use the Kindles and other
portable computers in use
at the other three schools.
It’s also possible that Per
quimans Central could get
new technology as well. 'The
board also looked at a plan
that would implement one-
to-one only in the middle
and high schools.
Victor Eure, the director
of technology for the school
system, stressed this week
that the grant application
process is in a very early
stage. 'The county will have
to make a proposal this
month, but it may be Feb
ruary before Golden LEAF
starts looking for specific
plans.
Eure said the real goal is
to have a one-to-one com
puter to student ratio in all
grades. Ern e said that may
be possible once the num
bers come in.
“Just because we’re
saying grades three to 12
See COMPUTERS, 2
Assistant DA to
make theater debut
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Kyle Jones never saw himself as an actor. He
also didn’t realize he wanted to be a lawyer until
his senior year in college.
But later this month Jones wiQ be on the stage
before a sold-out audience acting the part of a
teenager who has his mind set on being a lawyer
early on his life and
his eyes on a pretty
young woman.
“I’m not the theater
6 89076 47144
See DEBUT, 8
Fatal Accident on Harvey Point Road
PHOTO COURTESY PAM HADDEN
A 66-year-old woman was killed
Wednesday afternoon when she apparently
blacked out and hit a utility pole going
55-miles per hour in Hertford. Barbara
Ann Weeks of Chesapeake, Va., had been
staying at a home on Harvey Point Road
and was headed north on Harvey Point
Road toward U.S. Highway 17, according
to Hertford Police Chief Douglas Freeman.
The 2001 Ford Escape veered off the
road and struck a utility pole near the
Park and Shop convenience store shortly
before 4 p.m. and ended up pointed
south. The Hertford Police Department
received assistance from N.C. Highway
Patrol Trooper T.F. Langley Jr. Weeks was
pronounced dead at Albemarle Hospital.
PERQUIMANS COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS EXPO
SNEAK PEEK (Tickets $10), THURSDAY, OaOBER 10, 2013 5:00 P.M.-8:00P.M.
o
Perquimans County Recreation Center
310 Granby St, Hertford
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2013 10:00 A.M.—3:00 P.M. ForMoreinformationwww.visitperquimans.com OR CALL 252426-5657