P The
ERQUCMANS
Weekly
Bark For Life event, page 8
"News from Next Door”
NOVEMBER 13, 2013 - NOVEMBER 19, 2013
NO/
ts
Grant
request
moves
forward
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County has
advanced to the second
round of a $10 million
grant program funded by
Golden LEAF.
In all 21 counties ap
plied for up to $1.5 mil
lion each,
Just 12 counties were
asked to move to the
next round. Aside from
Perquimans the others
were Camden, Nash, Pitt,
Wilson, Martin, Warren,
Northampton, Halifax,
Edgecombe, Hyde and
Tyrrell.
Dan Gerlach, the presi
dent of the Rocky Mount-
based group, said Friday
the applications for the
next round are due Dec.
2. Each county was eligi
ble to submit up to three
projects, but the cap for
each county was $1.5 mil
lion.
County Manager Frank
Heath was encouraged by
the news.
“It not a guarantee of
funding, but the fact we
made it through the first
round is a promising
sign.”
He said he’d submit
a second application to
y Golden LEAF, but said
many of the questions it
asked were covered in
the initial submission.
“We submitted a pretty
complete application,” he
said.
The biggest chunk —
more than $800,000 —of
the Perquimans applica
tion covered tablet com
puters for every child in
grades three to 12.
Gerlach said he’s been
impressed with how the
school has handled grants
in the past and how the
school system has made
strides to improve tech
nology.
The Perquimans ap
plication also included
a commercial-size boat
ramp on county-owned
See REQUEST, 4
Local veterans honored
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
A crowd salutes the flag during a Veterans Day ceremony in Hertford, Monday. The event was put on by
American Legion Posts 126 and 362. See more photos from Veteran’s Day on page 7.
250 attend service, say thank you
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A n U.S. Air Force chap-
/\ lain urged about 2^
X L guests Monday to
honor veterans, old and
young and to appreci
ate the sacrifices they’ve
made.
Lt. Col. Carol Yeager
spent 10 years in the active,
duly and is in the Air Force
Rei^rves now.
“As the daughter of a
World War n Army veteran,
married to a Marine vet
eran and also serving in the
Air Force, Veteran’s Day
has always been special to
me,” Yeager said.
Yeager spoke of service,
sacrifice and struggles.
She also talked about her
father—Ed Szekely. He
fought in the Battle of the
Bulge and helped liberate
a Nazi concentration camp
and then went on with his
life as a civilian.
“He didn’t talk about
what he did,” Yeager said.
“It was simply his duty.
When when he passed, he
still carried in his wal
let his draft card and his
discharge. For 50 years
he carried these p^eis
around with him. It was
who he was.”
Yeager said her father
did open up some when
she was commissioned as
a officer in the Air Force.
“This was a special
bond between father and
daughter, but also between
fellow servants of this na
tion and I will be eternally
grateful for the gift of my
father’s service.”
Not everybody takes up
the cause of defending the
United States, she said.
Over the country’s history,
military service has mostiy
been a volrmtary decision.
As a chaplain, she said
she’s asked other members
from aU branches the ques
tion what called them to
service.
“Over and over again,
I hear the same reason:
I want my loved ones to
have the same fi'eedom I
Lt. Col. Carol Yeager
speaks Monday during
a Veterans Day service
on the courthouse green
in Hertford. She’s a
member of the U.S. Air
Force Reserves and co
pastor of Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church in
Elizabeth City.
had growing up and I want
other peojfte in die v.wid
to have the liberty and op-
portunites we ei\joy in the
United States.
“Yes, it may mean
missing important events
in the lives of children or
fiiends or family members,
but they serve their nation
for the people they miss.
'This is the backbone of
why they serve. It is why I
continue to serve today.”
The event was being
presented by American
Legion Posts 126 and 362.
It included participation
by Boy Scout TVoop 150
and Cub Scout Pack 150.
Archie Aples, Post 362
Adjutant presented the
annual program to honor
prisoners of war and those
missing in action. Carroll
Bundy, Bill Manke, William
T\imer and Wpam Modlin
also provided portions of
the program. •
Brian
Center
.director
arrested
From staff reports
Tlie newly hired direc
tor of the Brian Center
was arrested Saturday and
charged with assaulting his
wife, infant child and an un
born child.
Jamian Morgan, 36, was
jailed on the charge by the
Perquimans County Sher
iffs Department.
Sheriff Eric TlUey said
deputies got the call about 5
p.m. fi"om Morgan’s wife at
their home in the 100 block
of Landen Drive.
“She said she was being
assaulted and backed into a
closet,” Tilley said.
The woman stayed on the
line with a 911 dispatcher
throughout the incident
while she was being beaten.
“The 911 operator could
hear when our officers
arrived and breeched the
home identifying them
selves,” Tilley said. The
sheriff said when Morgan
See ARRESTED, 4
Area
voters
decide
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A newcomer finished just
shy of winning a seat on the
Hertford Town Board Tues
day while across the river a
political veteran found liim-
self drafted to return to of
fice in Winfall.
Ken Rominger’s name
wasn’t even on the ballot in
Winfall, but voters gave him
26 write-in votes. That was
more than enough to qualify
him for one of two four-year
seats on the board.
Debbie Jean Whedbee,
whose name was on the bal
lot won the other one with
See VOTERS, 4
Husband-wife med team find a match with Hertford
STAFF PHOTO
BY PETER WILLIAMS
Dr. Matt and and
his wife Beth
Woleslagle pose in
an examining room
at Coastal Carolina
Family Practice in
Hertford. Beth is a
physician’s assistant
and both started
work at the practice
last week.
Il
Tf
”1 BY PETER WILLIAMS
I News Editor
I
I It was one of those
matches made in medi
cal heaven.
j Hertford’s Coastal
I Carolina Family Prac-
! tice was looking for
i a doctor and a physi
cian’s assistant.
Matt and Beth
Woleslagle were in
Pennsylvania looking
for jobs in a rural area
of North Carolina.
The hitch was they
wanted to work to
gether. Beth, 29, just
graduated with a de
gree as a physician’s
assistant. Matt, 31, re
cently graduated as a
doctor specializing in
family medicine.
TYirns out working
together wasn’t a prob
lem at all for Dr. Rob
ert Lane, the doctor
who runs the Hertford
practice. Lane and his
wife Chris work to
gether.
“It was almost like
something that was
too good to be true,”
Beth Woleslagle said
last week.
Their friends and
family members
weren’t so sure when
the couple announced
they were moving
south. Beth said her
family all lives in the
Pittsburgh area and
she and Matt had spent
their lives there with
the exception of col
lege.
See MEDICAL TEAM, 4
Liquor-by-the-drink vote benefits may take awhile
BY PETER WILLIAMS
The Perquimans Weekly
HERTFORD — In the
wake of voters’ overwhelm-
89076
7144
ing approval of a liquor-by-
the-drink referendum last
week, town officials moved
to calm expectations, say
ing it could be awhile before
Hertford sees any benefits
from the measure.
Prior to TYiesday’s refer
endum, which passed with
69 percent of the vote, sup
porters of liquor by the drink
described it as an economic
development tool. 'They
said it would help Hertford
attract new businesses as
well as add a new revenue
stream for restaurants al
ready in operation.
But before a restaurant
opens the first hquor bottle,
town officials say there is
some work to do.
One issue that will have
to be determined early is
the ratio of food to alcohol
sales a restaurant must have
to sell mixed drinks. State
law only requires a ratio of
30 percent food sales.
Dan Westra, of the Citi
zens for Economic Prog-
re^, the group that pushed
for the referendum’s pas
sage, said he wants to see
Hertford set the food sales
ratio at 50 percent.
“The whole intent was to
tie it to food,” Westra said,
referring to mixed drink
sales.
Another issue that vrill
have to be decided is zon
ing. Town officials will have
to set a minimum distance
between businesses that sell
mixed drinks and churches
and residential areas.
Hertford is about 2.7
square miles and is home to
more than a dozen churches
and two schools. The town
currently requires setbacks
for businesses selling beer
See LBD BENEFITS, 4
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