JAN 2 8 RECD
THE JAN 2 8 RECD
ERQUIMA^S
J WEE KLY
”Neirs from Next Door" JANUARY 28, 2015 - FEBRUARY 3, 2015
Pirates
Roundup:
Marriner
on a tear
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50 cents
Steinburg to head agriculture committee
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Rep. Bob Steinburg (R-
Edenton) has been named
chairman of the House ag
riculture committee and a
member of six others.
The appointments were
made Monday.
The last local lawmaker
to head the agriculture com ¬
mittee was
Vernon
James who
served in
Raleigh
from 1945
to 1949 and
then again
from 1973 STEINBURG
to 1995.
James started in agriculture
as young boy on his family’s
farm in Weeksville in Pas
quotank County. He died in
2002 at the age of 92.
“This is an appointment I
asked for above all others,”
Steinburg said of the agri
culture appointment. “This
wasn’t just something I got
at random.”
Steinburg said he hopes
to use the position to help
the state’s farmers, especial
ly those in the northeastern
part of the state. His district
includes Camden, Chowan,
Currituck, Pasquotank, Per
quimans, and Tyrrell corm-
ties.
“What I am focused on,
and have been even as vice
chairman, is trying to see if
we can get some process
ing facilities here for all the
things that we grow here. As
chairman I may be able to
have a little bigger say and
can help market the area.
“It (the chairmanship)
opens doors. I can talk
about all the wonderful
things about this region. We
can grow almost anything
here. If there is a demand
for a certain product, we
can grow it.”
“As chairman I can be a
voice for the fanners, for
farmers in District I and for
farmers across the state. I’d
like to meet with them at
least on a quarterly basis.”
Steinburg was already
scheduled to be in Perqui
mans County Feb. 6 to tour
area schools.
“Perquimans County has
See STEINBURG, 3
Combs
Dusting of Snow Falls
Member
named
to sports
hall
From staff reports
Freddie Combs, a stand
out athlete at Perquimans
County High School and
N.C. State University, will
be one of 10 new members
inducted to the North Caro
lina Sports Hall of Fame.
The announcement was
made Tuesday morning.
Combs joins Jim “Catfish”
Hunter, another Perquimans
native who has been named
to the hall of fame, s
Also named to the hall
Tuesday was Jerry McGee,
a standout player from
Elizabeth City who went on
to play for Duke and then
became athletic director on
the college level.
Combs starred on the
Perquimans County High
School team that captured
the 1963 Eastern Division
Championship. He excelled
in both football and baseball
at N.C. State University, be
ing named All-America in
football as a senior and lead
ing the Wolfpack to the Col
lege World Series in 1968.
The other new members
include Jeff Bostic, Joe
Bostic, John Clougherty,
Rick Hendrick, Gene Littles,
Lenox Rawlings, Charlotte
Smith, and Andrea Stinson.
They will be enshrined
during the 52nd annual in
duction banquet May 15,
at the Raleigh Convention
Center. An afternoon news
conference will be held on
May 14, at 4 p.m. at the N.C.
Museum of History, located
at 5 East Edenton Street in
Raleigh.
Ticket information for
the banquet is available at
ncsportshalloffame.org or
by calling 919-84543455.
“The achievements of
this year’s class of induct
ees enrich North Carolina’s
remarkable sports heritage,
and they certainly earned
the honor of joining the 309
men and women who have
been previously enshrined,”
said Fredrick Reese, presi
dent of the Hall. “This is
our 52nd class, and we look
forward to celebrating this
See COMBS, 2
STAFF PHOTO BY,PETER WILLIAMS
A dusting of snow covers trees and shrubs in front of Hertford Baptist Church on Tuesday morning. The
weather did not impact the opening of Perquimans County Schools.
Anonymous donor issues pledge for foundation
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The Perquimans County
Schools Foundation could
receive up to $10,000 from
an anonymous donor if oth
ers will match that amount
by April 1.
Brenda Lassiter, the
executive director of the
foundation, said the money
would not be restricted to
a specific use. Instead it
Debate rages over Chowan herring harvest
BY REGGIE PONDER
Chowan Herald
EDENTON — State fish
eries managers continue
working to help the river
herring population rebound
as frustration grows in'
some circles over the main
tenance of a moratorium on
the river herring harvest.
could be spent on adminis
trative resources and fund
ing programs for students
and staff.
“We get grants and the
money is specifically ear
marked for a project, like
Water Turtles or STEM
projects,” Lassiter said.
“Very rarely do we get any
money for administrative
costs.”
About 10 years ago,
a board member on the
Commercial fishermen as
well as people who want to
catch a few herring for their
own supper expressed dis
appointment with the mora
torium during last week’s
public hearing in Edenton
before the N.C. Wildlife Re
sources Commission.
“I was raised on dried
beans and herrings,” Lloyd
Foundation issued a chal
lenge during a golf tourna
ment that he and his wife
would match funds raised
in the golf tournament up
to $10,000. The golf tourna
ment raised $10,000 and the
board member contributed
another $10,000, making it
the largest fund-raiser for
the foundation ever.
“We are excited today
that a couple from the com
munity has issued the same
Jones of Roper in Washing
ton County said during the
meeting Jan. 20 at Swain
Auditorium.
Jones, 78, said he didn’t
believe state officials had
looked at the “whole pic
ture” on river herring.
“You took the poor man’s
steak right off the table,”
Jones said.
type of challenge,” she said.
“These dollars will be un
restricted, meaning they
can help with administra
tive costs, teacher grant re
quests, swimming lessons,
governor’s school or any
Other project.”
The foundation admin
isters about 15 scholar
ships ranging from $500
to $20,000. In 2013-14 it
also funded nine other
projects including a $2,000
Herring is being caught
in the ocean, which has con
tributed to the decline in the
river herring population, he
said.
“I think y’all can do some
thing about it if you want
to,” Jones said. “Y’all can do
this. Y’all can help us.
“There’s a whole lot of
them out there,” Jones said.
quits
workforce
board
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A Perquimans County
member of a regional work
force development board
has stepped down because
of concerns that the board
isn’t accomplishing what it
set out to do.
“The key thing that is
lacking is accountability,”
Steve Magaro said.
The workforce board
oversees a multi-million
budget and covers a 10-
county region. It is staffed
by the Albemarle Commis
sion, and run by a consor
tium made up of one coun
ty commissioner from each
of the counties served. The
consortium in turn appoints
the workforce board.
Magaro said there is a se
vere problem in the way the
board it made up and with
the attitudes of those who
run it.
See MAGARO, 2
communications station
at Perquimans County
Middle School, $750 for
math learning centers at
Hertford Grammar School
and $1,000 so Perquimans
County High School stu
dents could attend a state
vocal music competition.
Scholarships aside, one
of the largest things sup
ported by the foundation is
See DONATION, 8
It’s at that point where
fisheries managers really
start to disagree.
Chad Thomas, a fisher
ies biologist with the In
land Fisheries Division in
the Elizabeth City office of
the N.C. Wildlife Resourc
es Commission, told the
See HERRING, 8
Camp Cale conference center paid off two years later
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Two years after opening,
the 9,200 square-foot confer
ence center at Camp Cale is
now free and clear of debt.
The center opened in
January 2013. Most of the
$900,000 it took to build
it was raised before hand,
89076 47144
6
2
but the Chowan Baptist As
sociation borrowed some.
Camp director Matt Thomas
said last week the associa
tion met and decided to pay
off the remaining $40,000
balance.
“That takes a lot of pres
sure off of me,” he said.
The camp has hosted
visitors since 1963. James
Cale donated the original
50 acres. He later provided
26 more acres and today the
total is about 100 including
wetlands which can’t be
developed. It’s rim by the
Baptist Association, a group
that covers 10 counties and
68 churches.
Until construction of the
conference center, the fa
cilities at Cale could best be
considered “rustic.”
The center features full
Internet capabilities and
can accommodate about
450 people for meetings
and about 240 for sit-down
meals. It and the other facili
ties at the camp are available
to rent by churches that are
part of the Baptist associa
tion as well as organizations
See CAMP CALE, 2
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A rendering shows the Camp Cale conference center which was completed two years
ago. The mortgage on the building has been paid in full.