The
ERQUIMANS
WEEKLY
"News front Next Door"
NOVEMBER 20, 2013 - NOVEMBER 26, 2013
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Police avert possible courthouse shooting
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Two men were arrested
Monday in Hertford for pos
sessing concealed weapons
in what police say was a
plan to shoot another man
as he left the Perquimans
County Courthouse.
Travoris Ronate Jordan,
30, of WmfaU, and Cedric
Shaquille Cunningham Jr.
19, of Hertford, both face
the weapons charge. Cim-
ningham was also charged
with possession of drug
paraphernalia and resisting
arrest by running away.
According to the ar
rest report. Police Chief
Douglas Freeman got a call
about noon about a possible
shooting that was getting
ready to happen. Freeman
said that Lany Hunter and
Quevon Hunter were rid
ing aroimd the courthouse
and they were waiting for
Davon Thatch to get out of
court. Thatch was in court
on charges of being a ha
bitual felon.
A grey Mercury Marquis
matching the description
of the vehicle was seen on
King Street and the license
plate came back to a car
owned by Cunningham.
Minutes later Freeman
saw the vehicle in front of
the courthouse with several
people inside. While police
were patting one of the men
down to check for weapons.
the car i^ed off and was
stopped by police in the
paring lot of the One Stop
store on Grubb and Church
streets.
After searching the ve
hicle, Freeman told the
See COURTHOUSE, 4
Back At Work
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Linda White (ieft) and Tim Aydiett iisten to a speaker iast week during a going away party for White at Hertford Grammar Schooi. Aydiett is
returning to the school as the interim principal.
i^dlett returns as school principal
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
T im Aydiett can’t
seem to retire.
He thought he’d fi
nally done it in 2006. That’s
when he stepped down as
principal at Hertford Gram
mar School.
He’s tried three times,
but this month Aydiett
foimd himself back at the
very same school. Except
this time he’s got the word
“interim” in front of his
title. He’s filling in be
cause of the departure of
Linda White for a job in the
Chowan County schools.
“I’m here for as long as
they need me, two months,
three months, whatever,”
Aydiett said last week. “It’s
important that they get the
ri^t person for the job.”
jVdlett is something of
an “accidential educator.”
He enrolled at Mars Hill
College with the idea that
he’d eventually transfer
to N.C. State University
to pursue a degree as a
vetemarian.
But not all of his credits
from his bachelor’s degree
in biology would transfer
so he was facing a lot more
schooling.
That’s when the school
superintendent in Camden
County asked him what he
was doing. At that point
i^dlctt figured he’d have
to work a few years to earn
money before going back
to school, so he took a
teaching job.
There was something
else — the Vietnam War.
Biology and science teach
ers were except from the
military draft at the time,
and ji^dlett figured he was
more valuable in the class
room than he would be
carrying a rifle in the field.
“I felt I could change
more lives in the pubhc
schools in a classroom,
and I still feel that way,” he
said.
And teaching is what
SeeAYDLETT,6
interest
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
At least one Hertford
restaurant plans to ptrrsue
offering liquor by the drink
now that the town has
passed a referendum mak
ing it legal.
Torrrmy Barrett, who op
erates Tommy’s Pizza, is in
the process of filling out an
application to get a license.
He said customers shouldn’t
notice the change.
“We’re a family restau
rant,” he said. “We’re not
looldng for anything like
a club atmosphere. We’re
looking at offering it (liquor
by the drink) as part of a
meal. I’m just looking at it as
another product we offer.”
Ruth Berqaminson, the
owner of Carriage House,
said she wouldn’t be seek
ing the license. Other restau
rants, Chiurch Street GriU
and Captain Bobs could not
be reached after repeated
attempts.
BoA Tommy’s Pizza and
Carriage House cirrrently
offer beer and wine. Ben-
jaminson said she offers
beer and wine in case cus
tomers want them, but she
said few do.
“Honestly having a ABC
license for wine and beer
has cost me money. I don’t
sell that much. If I was a
sports bar, it’d be great, but
I’m a tea house. For me, it
(liquor by the drink) doesn’t
make sense.”
Berqaminson admits if
her restaurant were open at
night, she probably would
sell more beer and wine
and would consider add
ing liquor. But she tired it
and there weren’t enough
customers to make it
See LIQUOR, 6
Schools do well in science,
trail in other subjects
PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Three of the four Perqui
mans County Schools met
expected growth last year
but a new system of testing
shows that there are areas
where the school system
needs to make improve
ments.
The new READY exam is
tougher than previous tests,
according to Perquimans
County Superintendent
Dwayne Stallings. It’s de
signed to track students to
make sure that when they
graduate they are ready for
either a career or coUege.
89076 A
7144
Previous tests measured
more if a child was ready for
the next grade.
‘"rhe biggest thing to re
member is these (results)
are from the 2012-13 school
year and are as a result of
the implementation of the
new common core,” Stall
ings said.
“This is the beginning of
a new proficiency standard
and students are being on
things thing they’ve never
been tested on before at that
grade. Anytime you come up
with a higher standard there
is an expectation that test
scores wiU be lower.”
As a school district, Per
quimans County excels at
science but is lacking in the
areas of reading, math, biol
ogy and English according
to test results released ear
lier this month.
Only the high school
I
didn’t meet growth projec
tions. It did meet 18 or 20
federal standards and 43 of
the 49 of the state bench
marks.
Both Hertford Grammar
School and Perquimans
County Middle School met
expepted growth under the
new state standards. Per
quimans Central, which
serves students from pre
kindergarten through sec
ond grade was not included
in the report because the
testing. Central is however
considered a feeder school
for Hertford Grammar so
it shares any score that the
grammar school gets. The
Grammar was classified as
meeting expected growth.
Perquimans County
shined when it came to
fifth and eighth grade
See SCHOOLS, 6
■V.
Let fjiERE Be Light
^ 97
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Hap Ambrose, a lineman for the Town of Hertford, works on one of the street lights
Monday on Market Street. Ail of downtown Hertford will be lit Dec. 6 as part of Grand
Illumination. The annual event will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the courthouse lawn.
There will be holiday music and entertainment and a visit by Santa. Children get a free
gift. White’s Dress Shop, The Perquimans Arts League, Brew-2-Rescue, the Silver Fox,
Church Street Grill and Hertford General Store will be open before and after the event.