P The
ERQUIMANS
X WIIK 1¥
"News from Next Door"
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015
DEC 02 BEE)
Newbold-
White House
gift shop open
on Saturdays,
4
50 cents
Schools to sue over court surcharge fees
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County Schools of
ficials are taking a $5,000 chance
they can get $173,000 back from
the state.
The school board agreed last
week to join nearly three dozen
other school districts in suing the
state for a pot of money they say
is being improperly transferred
to the prison system, not the
schools.
“It’s pretty much a no-brainer,”
said Susan Cox, the chairman of
the school board. “When we asked
how much it should cost and the
answer was less than $5,000, it
was an easy choice.”
The N.C. Constitution says fines
and forfeitures paid to the courts
must go to local school systems.
But in 2011 the General Assem-
bly passed a law that created a $50 proper equipment violations.
surcharge on motorists who plead
guilty to having improper equip
ment on their vehicle.
The surcharge in the Justice Re
investment Act was treated sepa
rately from fines and forfeitures
and went to house misdemeanor
inmates, not the schools.
Perquimans County Sheriff Eric
Tilley said his deputies typically
don’t write minor citations for im-
The sheriff said his deputies
may pull someone over for an
equipment violation, but typically
say “get this fixed.”
Tilley said someone caught
speeding might plead guilty to the
lesser charge of improper equip
ment in order to get the speeding
ticket dropped. Improper equip
ment isn’t considered a moving
violation, and pleading guilty to
it won’t raise car insurance rates.
Being found guilty of speeding can
raise rates.
Tilley said District Attorney
Andrew Womble has a policy not
to accept an improper equipment
plea if the person was speeding at
70 miles per hour or more.
Tilley said he has no idea how
much money is involved locally,
See LAWSUIT, 3
Jones
to seek
office
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Kyle Jones made it offi
cial Monday — he will seek
a second four-year term
on the Perquimans Comity
Commission.
He’d previously said he
JONES
was leaning
toward an
other term,
but hadn’t
made the
final deci
sion.
On Mon
day he
cleared
that up.
“I am running for re-elec
tion because at this junc
ture our county desperately
needs continuity of leader
ship.”
Normally county com
mission candidates have un
til February to file for office,
but the General Assembly
moved up the 2016 election
and the filing period started
on Tuesday. It runs
noon of Dec. 21.
Two other sitting
missioners— Janice
and Matt Peeler —
until
com-
Cole
who
are up for election this year
See JONES, 2
PHOTO BY CHUCK PAGELS,
Santa and one of his elves made an early visit to Hertford last week in a boat.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Jessicah Brown, a
10th grade student at
Perquimans County
High School, drew
this Christmas scene
of cows grazing
while Santa goes
about his deliveries.
More artwork from
students and letters
to Santa will be
published in the
Dec. 23 issue of The
Perquimans Weekly.
The deadline to
submit a letter is Dec.
9.
Holiday
events
coming
From Staff Reports
Organizers are keeping
their fingers crossed for
good weather this year as
preparations continue for
Grand Illumination Friday
night and Saturday’s Perqui
mans County Christmas Pa
rade in Hertford and Winfall
Parade in Winfall.
Grand Illumination takes
place on the courthouse
green at 6 p.m. The Winfall
Parade starts at 10 a.m. Sat
urday and the one in Hert
ford is at 2 p.m.
The Perquimans County
Chamber, the sponsors of
the Hertford event, is ex
pecting six marching bands,
nine decorated floats and
more than a half dozen
marching/walking units in
cluding the Lil Divas from
Elizabeth City.
The theme is “A Candy
Land Christmas.”
Represented in this year’s
parade will be four out of
five U.S. military branches
in addition to two Ameri
can Legion posts. Tire U.S.
Navy will be represented
by a replica battleship and
commander of the Norfolk
See PARADES, 2
Area high school conferences under review
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County ath
letes may soon find them
selves in a new conference
— one that doesn’t include
Camden, but could include
John A. Holmes in Edenton.
The N.C. High School
Athletic Association is in the
process at looking at confer
ence alignments.
Perquimans is presently
in the Coastal 10, a confer
ence with 10 schools includ
ing some very small ones.
Ocracoke, the smallest,
has just 53 students in high
school compared Camden
with 571. The enrollment at
Perquimans County High is
531.
Pairing similar-sized
schools is one of the goals
of the NCHSAA, but so is
geography.
Susan Cox, the chairman
of the Perquimans County
School Board, is also secre
tary of the Coastal 10. She
admits whatever happens it
won’t be greeted warmly by
everybody.
“Realignment is compli
cated,” she said. “It’s a pain
and when you get through it,
most people are not happy.”
The NCHSAA looks at re
alignment every four years
now.
Back in 1969-70, Perqui
mans was classified as a
2-A school and was in the
Albemarle Conference with
Ahoskie, Edenton, Gates,
Northampton, Plymouth,
Scotland Neck and Wil
liamston.
Twenty years later, the
Albemarle Confederate was
made up of Perquimans,
Camden, Currituck, Gates,
Manteo, Northampton
County-West and Weldon.
Carolina Preps, an on
line resource for coaches,
developed one view of how
realignment will look. It put
Perquimans in the same
conference with North
Edgecome, South Creek,
Northampton County, Riv
erside, Tarboro, Plymouth
and Edenton.
Under the Carolina Preps
scenario, Camden, the larg
est member of the Coastal
10, would be in a conference
with Mattamuskeet, Man
teo, Columbia, Creswell,
Cape Hatteras and Gates
County.
Cox said she can’t speak
for others, but Gates County
may not like it.
“From Gates to Columbia
is a pretty long haul,” she
said. “The general mood is
the smaller schools want to
play smaller schools.
Cox is opposed to having
See CONFERENCES, 3
Town of Hertford looking to curb electrical demand
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A typical Hertford power
customers is paying $11 a
month less for electricity
and customers have ways
6 ' 89076 47144 2
to knock it down another
$20 to $24 if they join the ef
fort to voluntarily limit their
peak demand.
The $11 average savings
was the result of a- deal
with Duke Power whereby
Hertford and other munici
pal utilities sold back then-
financial interest in Duke’s
nuclear plants.
Town Manager Brandon
Shoaf said he’s heard from
some customers who say
that’s been a welcome relief
for them.
But in speaking with to
a Chamber Conversations
Over Coffee meeting last
month, Shoaf said bigger
savings lie in efforts to re
duce the town’s peak de
mand.
“Load management will
be a big opportunity for the
town and for our custom
ers,” Shoaf said.
The town doesn’t generate
any electricity, but it buys it
wholesale and turns around
and sells it to customers.
When the Town of Hertford
gets a bill from Duke Power,
it lists the number of kilo
watt-hours used that month,
but it also contains a peak
demand charge. The annual
peaks typically come on the
hottest day of summer and
the coldest day of winter.
See ELECTRICITY, 2
STAFF PHOTO BY
PETER WILLIAMS
Hertford Town
Manager Brandon
Shoaf talks about
utility rates last
month at a “Chamber
Conversations Over
Coffee” event.
Albemarle
Available now at many locations
across Northeastern North Carolina
and Southeastern Virginia
or call 252.335.0841
Albemarle Magazine is the leading lifestyle
magazine covering the Albemarle area.
This award winning magazine is located in over
190+ locations so you are sure to fird a copy.
Encompassing our history and tradition to the
growing arts community, discover the people, places,
and personality of this special region we call home.
* -  URnamex
4'\