P , THE
ERQUIMANS
, W E E K LY
"News from Next Door" MARCH 11, 2015 - MARCH 17, 2015
Seniors honored on Senior Night, 8
50 cents
Winter weather takes its toll on roads
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The ice and cold weather
may be gone, but the pot-
holes they created may be
sticking around for a while.
Roads damaged by the
freeze-thaw cycle of winter
will be addressed, but for
now the N.C. Department of
Transportation won’t have a
schedule until after winter
is over.
Most permanent pothole
repair is done with hot as
phalt, but the plants that
produce it don’t operate
in the winter. In the mean
while, DOT uses a cold-mix
mixture designed to work
until a permanent fix can be
made.
“There isn’t a schedule in
place for what areas we will
start patching and when for
northeastern N.C.,” said Jen-»
nifer Heiss, a DOT spokes
woman in Raleigh. “Once
the winter weather ends for
the season, we will begin
addressing potholes with
cold patch.”
For some potholes, cold
patch is enough to fix the
problem, but it’s not a one-
size-fits-all cure.
Gretchen Byrum, a DOT
engineer in the Edenton
office, said even the cold
patch won’t work if the pot-
hole is wet.
“There is no point of put
ting in a wet hole, if you do,
it will pop right back out.”
For now, DOT is advising
motorists to report any pot-
holes they see. If they see
a pothole on a state-main
tained road, people should
report it to NCDOT at 1-877-
368-4968, or online at www.
ncdot.gov/contact. Motor
ists should click on “Comity
Contacts” on the left of the
screen and then choose the
county. The email form will
be sent to the local NCDOT
office.
To help our crews locate
the pothole, DOT asks driv
ers to be sure to provide as
much information as pos
sible about the location, in
cluding the city or county,
road name, nearest intersec
tion, which lane the pothole
is in, and the size and depth
of the pothole. If a pot-
hole is in a work zone, the
See ROADS, 2
No
change
for COA
board
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The Board of Trustees of
College of The Albemarle
has rejected a call to reduce
the size of the board at the
expense of counties like
Perquimans.
The trustee board recent
ly voted unanimously to
keep the board at 19 mem
bers, including one member
from Perquimans.
Outgoing Pasquotank
Commissioner Gary White
called for reducing the size
of the COA board in Novem
ber. He claimed some coun
ties aren’t paying enough to
support the college and the
board is too large to provide
effective oversight.
The trustees discussed
the issue last month.
“The board basically de
termined that having 19
members is appropriate,”
said Charles Lacefield, Per
quimans County’s member
on the board.
Lacefield has served on
the board since Decem
ber, and replaced the late
Charles Ward, a former Per
quimans County Commis
sioner.
For his part, Lacefield
See COA, 2
Singing, Dancing on the Stage
STAFF PHOTOS BY PETER WILLIAMS
Perquimans County Middle School students dance to the song ‘Have You Seen Her’ by the Chi -Lites Friday
night on stage at Perquimans County High School. Pictured are Mashanti White, Eyanna Johnson, Makayla
Williams, Alyssa Gutierrez and Atavia Mallory.
Nayanna Parker and Atavia
Mallory use umbrellas
during a performance of
“Singing In The Rain” Friday
night. Perquimans County
Middle School finished in
second place in the William
Peace University N.C. Show
Choir regional competition.
Edenton
plant to
expand,
add 78 jobs
BU REGGIE PONDER
Chowan Herald
Gov. Pat McCrory an
nounced Monday morning
at the Jimbo’s Jumbos pea
nut processing facility, that
the company is creating 78
new jobs in Edenton.
McCrory said the expan
sion is driven by worldwide
demand for
Virginia-type peanuts,
which he said he prefers to
call “North
Carolina peanuts” since
many are grown here in
northeastern North Caro
lina.
The governor also cel
ebrated the role of the One
North Carolina Fund in
helping ensure the expan
sion took place in Edenton.
The One North Carolina
Fund is providing a perfor
mance-based grant of up to
$156,000, according to state
officials.
In addition, the Town
of Edenton has received a
Community Development
Block Grant loan of more
than $560,000 to upgrade
infrastructure in support of
the expansion.
“Good, old-fashioned
jobs with a stable company
are the pathway to growth,”
See EXPANSION, 2
Local wildlife officer Stoop honored by association
• SUBMITTED PHOTO
N.C. Wildlife
Commission Sgt.
Brad Stoop poses
with his award
and son Carter
last month in
Raleigh.
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Sgt. Brad Stoop has been
named the top law enforce
ment officer in the state by
N.C. Bowhunter’s Associa
tion.
Stoop, a Perquimans Coun
ty resident, has worked for
the N.C. Wildlife Resources
Commission for 15 years.
His district includes Chowan,
Perquimans, Pasquotank and
Gates counties.
The awards ceremony was
held Feb. 28 in Raleigh. Stoop
estimates about 100 to 125
people attended.
The association was found
ed in 1975 and started honor
ing law enforcement officers
in 1992. Stoop was selected
by the wildlife commission
to represent District 1, a 13-
county area that makes up
the northeast part of the state
as far west as Martin County
and as far south as Hyde.
Each of the state’s nine wild
life districts submit an officer
for the award.
Stoop admits he’s a bit sur
prised a bowhunting group
would select him. The season
for hunting deer with a bow
is far shorter in the eastern
part of the state, about three
or four weeks. In the western
part of the state the season
lasts 12 weeks.
The group selected Stoop
in part for his outreach efforts
involving kids and women.
Stoop works with the
hunter education classes as
well as with a grown known
as BOW — Becoming an
Outdoors Woman. It’s open
to any woman interested in
learning more.
BOW is a non-profit, edu
cational program offering
hands-on workshops to adult
women. We encourage a sup
portive environment con
ducive to learning, making
friends, and having fun. No
experience is necessary and
BOW is for women of all ages
and fitness levels.
Angel White, an agriculture
teacher at Perquimans Coun
ty High School, said she has
enjoyed working with Stoop.
She was interested enough
that she earned her certifi
cation as a hunter education
instructor.
“He’s great to work with, all
the instructors are,” she said.
“They’re not trying to make
you feel inferior because
you’re a woman, although
See STOOP, 2 .
Layden, Hobbs to serve on boards
Bald Eagle sighted
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Two Perquimans Coun
ty women are serving on
boards that regulate either
massage therapy or chiro
practic services.
Dianne Layden serves on
the N.C. Board of Massage
and Bodywork Therapy and
was also recently named to
Federation of State Massage
Therapy. Boards.
Gov. Pat McCrory recent
ly reappointed Jacqueline
Hobbs to a full three-year
term on the N.C. Board of
Chiropractic Examiners.
Hobbs had served on the
board for the past year, fill
ing out the unexpired term
of another member.
Both say they eryoy play
ing a part in the system.
Layden said being named to
a national growth is specifi
cally rewarding.
“Last fall I attended the
FSMTB annual meeting in
Tucson and had a chance to
meet people from all over
the U.S.,” Layden said. “I
really appreciate the federa
tion’s activity in supporting
the massage therapy boards
and the transitional idea
that massage therapy can
be considered a health care
related profession.
“This appointment is very
significant since I am a pub
lic member of the NC Board
of Massage and Bodywork
Therapy. The FSMTB is not
mandated to appoint a pub
lic member to any of their
committees. I was chosen
based on my work with the
N.C. board. I am so honored
to have been chosen and
See BOARDS, 2
SUBMITTED PHOTO
George
Rountree, a
resident of
the Saunders
Grove
community,
captured this
photograph of
a bald eagle
atop a tree in
the 300 block
of Chinquapin
Road recently.
Rountree, 79,
said it’s only
the third bald
eagle he’s
seen in his
life.