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"News from Next Door" WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 50 cents
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Schools to raise lunch prices by 10 cents
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County stu
dents will see daily lunch
prices go up 10 cents next
year based on action this
week.
The increase doesn’t im
pact about two thirds of stu
dents who qualify for free
or reduced-price meals. It
would add $5 a week to the
budget for a family with two
kids.
Donna Harris, the head of
the school system’s nutrition
program, said it’s the school
system’s first increase in
two years. She said the in
crease was needed because
federal rules require schools
systems narrow the gap be
tween what they charge
paying customers and what
the USDA provides for those
who get free meals.
Based on Monday’s school
board action, the daily lunch
price at Perquimans Central
School will go from $2.25 to
$2.35. At Hertford Grammar
School, Perquimans County
Middle School and Perqui
mans County High School
the price will go up from
$2.50 to $2.60.
Breakfast prices will also
go up 10 cents, but Harris
said the state shares that
cost. A la carte prices will
also increase.
Even with the increase,
there is a gap between what
paying customers pay and
what the federal govern
ment provides. Harris said
last school year the USDA
provided about $3.06 for
each free meal served and
provided about 36 cents for
every paid meal.
Raising the price of paid
meals by 10 cents would
narrow the gap except that
the federal government rais
es the amount it provides
for free meals each year.
Harris said the situation is
like “chasing your tail.”
“We’ll never narrow the
gap if they keep increasing
their reimbursement,” Har
ris said.
See PRICES, 2
Missing
woman
found
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A 29-year-old woman
who was reported missing
from a Perquimans County
nursing home last week was
found safe in Virginia motel
.two days later, according to
Perquimans County Sheriff
Eric Tilley.
Tilley said Kelly Squires
apparently called her ex-
husband, Robert Squires,
who came to Hertford As
sisted Living on Two Mile
Desert Road sometime
about 10 p.m. June 23 and
picked her up. They were lo
cated at a motel in Staunton,
Va. on June 25.
Tilley said the ex-hus
band has a court order re
stricting him from being in
See FOUND, 2
Sheriff
says scam
continues
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A scam involving tele
phone callers claiming they
are from the IRS continues
to be a problem, according
to Perquimans County Sher
iff Eric Tilley.
“We’ve been getting tons
of them ever since April
15, tax day,” Tilley said last
week.
Vera Harrell said she
was targeted by one of the
scams.
“I got the call on
See SCAM, 8
Storms knock out power throughout
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Storms Thursday night
and Friday morning left
hundreds of Perquimans
County customers without
power and drenched the
area with about two inches
of rain and more in some
Response team trains for tornado
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Members of the the Albemarle Community
Emergency Response Team (CERT) participate in a
field exercise at Albemarle Plantation on June 18.
areas.
Tornados were reported,
but none could be con
firmed according to Per
quimans County Emergen
cy Management Director
Jonathan Nixon. One pho
to sent to the Perquimans
County Sheriffs office
showed a funnel cloud near
the Perquimans-Chowan
county line on U.S. 17.
Nixon said he knew of
no injuries, but lightning
apparently caused a house
fire at 114 Magnolia Trail.
Inter-County Fire Chief
Bobby Swain said a bolt of
lighting hit the air handler
in the attic of the home
From staff reports
The Albemarle Commu
nity Emergency Response
Team (CERT) held its fifth
annual full field exercise at
The Albemarle Plantation
on June 18.
This year’s exercise had
CERTs dealing with vic
tims arid damage from an
EF-0 tornado with winds
of 75 miles per hour.
The “mock” tornado hit
the Albemarle Plantation
Clubhouse at 8 a.m. on that
about 5:30 a.m. Friday. The
fire department was able to
limit the damage.
Another fire was re
ported on Creek Drive in
Winfall, but that happened
before the storm hit.
Hertford Town Manager
See STORMS, 8
Thursday morning and was
out of our area by 8:30 a.m.
Neighborhood representa
tives were asked to assess
the damages in and around
their houses and neighbor
hood and report by radio
to the Incident Command
Post (ICP).
Based on a phone call to
911, Albemarle CERT was
activated by Jonathan Nix
on, the Perquimans Coun
ty Emergency Services
See DRILL, 8
Events
planned
Friday
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County
residents will get in the
Fourth of July spirit a day
earlier than some people.
A parade, fireworks and
two concerts are all set
for Friday, a day before
the traditional holiday.
As of Mon.day, the com
mittee that raises money
to pay for the fireworks
was still short on cash.
They also are keeping an
eye on the weather in case
the event has to be post
poned to Sunday or Mon
day.
The fireworks are
scheduled to start once
it turns dark. Michael
Hurdle, a volunteer who
is certified to set off the
show, said weather could
play a factor.
Atlanta Pyrotechnics,
the company that provides
the fireworks, is the same
company Edenton uses to
put on its display. Hurdle
also works on the Eden
ton show.
“That’s where it gets
complicated,” Hurdle
said.
If Hertford can’t do fire
works Friday and Eden
ton can on Saturday, then
Hertford’s display will
take place Sunday. If both
Friday and Saturday get
rained out, then Edenton’s
display will be Sunday and
Hertford’s will be Monday.
Hurdle said the area
might simply be in for the
usual afternoon thunder-
storm in which case, that
shouldn’t be a problem.
“If the ground gets wet
that’s not going to bother
us, and if we get a break
in the weather we can fire
them off.”
See EVENTS, 8
Student accepted
to NCSSM
Funds donated to historic endowment
From staff reports
Perquimans County’s top
sophomore last school year
will continue his high school
career at the N.C. School of
Science and Math.
Charles Maus, 16, has
been accepted to the Dur
ham-based school and will
start in August.
“Although Charles' is
leaving Perquimans County
Schools, we are excited
89076 47144
that he has
the oppor
tunity to
attend the
NCSSM,”
said Teresa
Beardsley,
the spokes
woman for MAUS
the Perqui ¬
mans County Schools. “We
also look forward to con
tinuing to follow all of his
future accomplishments.
We know that he will repre
sent us well. He has been an
asset to our school system
and community through his
leadership, volunteer work,
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Beth Taylor and Becky Winslow present a check for $4,000
to Philip McMullan for the Perquimans County Restoration
Association (PCRA) and the Newbold White House Endowment.
Also pictured are Diane Ivey, Dee Ponte and Bobbi Stevenson.
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Funds left over from donations collected to
create four rural historic districts were donated
recently to an endowment fund to maintain the
Newbold-White House.
Becky Winslow said it cost about $40,000 in
all to pay to do the historical research needed to
gain Rural Historic District status for Old Neck,
Belvidere, Hertford and Winfall. With four rural
districts, Perquimans County has the largest
number of rural districts of any North Carolina
county, Winslow said.
There was $4,000 remaining, and Winslow
and Beth Taylor recently presented that to the
Perquimans County Restoration Association
(PCRA) for the Newbold-White House Endow
ment.
“We felt this was a good time to give this
money,” Winslow said. “They (PCRA) are try
ing to build up an endowment so they will have
See ENDOWMENT, 2
2
See NCSSM, 8