Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / Aug. 27, 2014, edition 1 / Page 1
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"News from Next Door" AUGUST 27, 2014 - SEPTEMBER 2, 2014 50 cents Teachers urged to look deeper BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor More than 350 Perqui mans County teachers, staff and community members were praised last week for helping raise the school sys tem’s graduation rate to an all-time high, but they were also cautioned not to judge a book by its cover during convocation ceremonies at the high school. Super intendent Dwayne Stallings praised all of the teachers for raising the four- year gradu ation rate The crowd BROWN to 92-percent. at the PCHS auditorium included about 310 teachers, staff, and members of the administra tion. Another 40 commu ¬ nity members also attended Thursday. The school system wel comed back about 1,800 students on Monday. The guest speaker, Adolph Brown, PhD, dressed up to look like a teenager with baggy pants, headphones and dreadlocks. Brown is actually a college profes sor and in his 50s, but came across as somebody much younger. He appeared out of place See CONVOCATION, 2 STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS Perquimans County High School Principal Chante Jordan (left) and assistant principals Guy Webb and Laura Moreland get buckets of ice poured over them last Wednesday to raise money for the ALS Foundation. Doing the honors were (second row, left) Assistant Superintendent James Bunch, Superintendent Dwayne Stallings and Public Information Officer Brenda Lassiter. ALS challenge takes hold BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor W hat does a gar bage truck driver from Maple, a chamber of commerce director and three high school administrators have in common with Lady Gaga, Justin Timber- lake and Jimmy Fallon? They all were doused with a bucket of ice water Wednesday to raise money and awareness for ALS — the neurodegenerative disease that impacted Jim “Catfish” Hunter and * thousands of others. It’s not just a Hertford thing. By Aug. 22, the national ALS Association and its 38 chapters had received a combined $53 million. That compares to $2.2 million during the same period last year. The money came from existing donors and 1.1 million new ones. The state ALS group had received $117,000 in that same time, compared to $18,000 in 2013. And the numbers just keep climbing. As of Mon day, the national total was up to $79.9 million. Within five hours on Wednesday, five people took the challenge in Per quimans County at loca tions that honor “Catfish” See CHALLENGE, 3 Sid Eley (left) dumps ice cold water on Bryan Houseknecht for the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ to raise awareness for ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or better known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” NAACP calls for board action BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor The local president of the NACCP is calling for the Hertford Town Board to re- , scind their decision to fill a vacancy on the board with a former mayor instead of another man who narrowly lost an election last year. Gilbert Vaughn likens the decision a throwback to the Jim Crow politics of the 1800 and 1900s that were de signed to limit minority par ticipation in government. Sid Eley, the former mayor, is white. Archie Aples, the candidate that was passed over is black as was the previous occupant of that seat — Anne White. White stepped down from the board in July to take a seat on the Perquimans County School Board. “During the town council meeting on Aug. 11 I ob served Town Council Mem bers Carlton Davenport, Lillian Holman and Ed Lane vote against the recommen dation of their colleagues, Mayor Horace Reid and (former) Council member Anne White...’* Vaughn said in a statement. “Both counseled that Mr. Aples be appointed to com plete the duration of Coun cilwoman White’s term of office. Council members Davenport, Holman, and Lane voted against that ad visement.” See NAACP, 2 Parents, teachers adjust to changes BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor Perquimans County school offi cials reported few problems Mon day as more 1,800 students report ed to school — some of them for the very first tiifie and more than 400 to a new traffic pattern. Superintendent Dwayne Stall ings and other top school officials were there early at Perquimans Central School where a new traf fic pattern was put into place. The change means buses will load and unload in front of the school, not behind it. Parents who want to drop off their child now do so behind the school. The $80,000 project was de ¬ signed to eliminate the backup of traffic onto Winfall Boulevard. It was a welcome change for Winfall Police Chief David Shaffer. “It’s been this way forever,” he said of the traffic issue. “I’ve seen it so bad traffic was backed up all the way to Larry’s Drive Inn,” a dis tance of almost a mile. Both Shaffer and Perquimans County Sheriffs Deputy David Murray were out Monday to direct traffic. They expect they’ll be back until parents get used to the new traffic pattern. Principal Melissa Fields was pleased with how the system worked for the first morning, but agreed there were some small hitches. “I’m encouraged,” Fields said. “It’s the first day of school and a lot of parents want to be there to take their child to school. We expected a backlog.” Including about 36 Pre-K students, Central has an enrollment of about 485 this year. Of that, 143 are Kindergarten students, many of which are attending Central for the very first time. Perquimans County High School had one potential problem, but Mother Nature lent a hand — at least for Monday. A large air conditioning unit that serves the cafeteria failed over the summer. A replacement See FIRST DAY, 2 STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS - Perquimans County Sheriff’s Deputy David Murray directs a car to go to the next entrance at Perquimans Central School Monday morning. The school system has changed the traffic pattern and moved bus parking to the front of the school to reduce the backup of traffic onto Winfall Boulevard. Indian Summer Festival coming September 5 From staff reports The annual Indian Sum mer Festival will kick off in just nine days. During the two-day event, the boat ramps behind Hertford Town Hall will be closed to boaters. The area will be used for a Wheeled Vehicle Show during that period. One new addition to the festival will be a booth by the Chowan-Perquimans Habitat for Humanity. Visi tors will get to learn how to use a power drill, hand saw, wood plane and other tools. Habitat will also be hold ing a raffle of dog houses that will be donated to the Tri-County Animal Shelter to help place animals in new homes. The festival runs from Sept. 5 from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. until Sept. 6 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. A special Indian Summer Festival magazine appears in this edition of the Perquimans Weekly. PCHS bus students escape injury STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS Firefighters and law enforcement meet with school officials Monday next to the bus that was involved in an accident. BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor A school bus carrying Perquimans County High School students home from the first day of school was broadsided by a car driven by another student Monday afternoon. No injuries were reported, but the 21 students on the bus were loaded onto another bus and taken back to the high school. Hertford Police Chief Doug Freeman said it would be sometime Tuesday be fore full details of the accident were available. According to information released by the police department, the driver of the 2002 Honda Civic that hit the bus was Lindsay Nicole Dalton, 16, of Center Hill Highway. Freeman said the car was headed down 3 3 rd Jl nniversary 2014 See BUS WRECK, 2 CRAFTS, FOOD, .ENTERTAINMENT, BEER GARDEN & MORE Sept. 5th, 6 to 10:00 p.m. Free Street Dance Friday Night - The Rhondels Sept. 6th, 9 a.m, to 4 p.m.
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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Aug. 27, 2014, edition 1
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