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ERQUIMANS
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’’News from Next Door" WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21,2016 50 cents
Lawyer: Commissioner has mind made up
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County Com
missioner Matt Peeler had
his mind made up against
a wind power project even
before the first hearing
started, according to a law
yer for Apex Clean Energy.
Based on a review of
county e-mails, which are
public record, Peeler can
not give an impartial deci
sion, according to Henry
Campen, the lead attorney
for Apex. The board is sup
posed to decide what to do
with Campen’s request to
day.
In one e-mail Peeler said
“I will admit now and in the
future I will oppose these
things on their health and
welfare impacts. I applaud
any action fiat puts a halt or
greatly reduces fie ability of
these wind power plants in
our state.”
Peeler has long history of
questioning fie benefits of
wind power as well as fie
impact of solar projects. He
is wrapping up his term on
the commission and is not
seeking re-election.
Peeler said Tuesday he
couldn’t comment at this
time.
When fie first hearing
started one last month each
commissioner, one by one,
was asked if they could rule
See LAWYER, 3
Board to decide ‘harmony’ issue
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Experts will testify this
week, but it will be up the
Perquimans County Com
mission fiat has the ulti
mate say on if a new $300
million wind power proj
ect fits in harmony wifi
fie county.
Chairman Janice Cole
made fiat clear last month
when the board met for
more than nine hours over
two days. Hearings re
sumed Monday and a fifth
day of testimony is sched
uled for today at 5:30 p.m.
Apex Clean Energy, a
Virginia company, is pro
posing the project but
will require a Conditional
Use Permit (CUP). Apex
has fie burden of proof
to show fiat fiat fie proj
ect meets fie county’s
standards. Lawyers Chad
See HARMONY, 3
Farmers
react
to wind
protest
BY REGGIE PONDER
Chowan Herald
Center Hill farmer William
Monds said this week that
leasing a portion of his land
for the proposed Timbermill
Wind Project provides a
little bit of stability in an up-
and-down business.
INSIDE
■ Hesring planned today on
offshore wind - 3
“Of all the things I have
read in fie paper fie thing
that has bothered me most
is people talking about, ‘the
greedy farmers,’” Monds
said Monday in an interview
at fie shop on his farm on
Center Hill Road. “I’m not
greedy. Farmers are not
greedy.”
Instead, Monds said, a
land lease such as Apex
Clean Energy has offered
through the Timbermill
Wind Project gives farm
ers a little bit of stability in
a very risky business and
helps them provide for their
families and set aside mon
ey for retirement.
See FARMERS, 2
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Morgan White (14) and her son Jayden White (6) take off Saturday during the annual Strides For
Scholars 5K at the Perquimans County Recreation Center. Morgan White finished in first place in the
female division while Jayden finished first among males. The event raised more than $2,400 for the
Junior WomenOs Club of Perquimans County. The funds will be used for scholarships.
Club raises $2,400 for scholars
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A small Perquimans County
club with members from a
four-county area drew more
than 50 runners and more money
Saturday with a “Strides For
Scholars” 5-K at fie Perquimans
County Recreation Center.
Last year fie Junior Women’s
Club of Perquimans County raised
enough money to offer a $1,000
scholarship for a Perquimans
County student.
This time, it raised $2,400 and
may be able to branch out to
include a Gates County student as
well. Gates County has no state
sanctioned Women’s Club like Per
quimans, Chowan and Pasquotank
do but Gates County women are
welcome to join fie Perquimans
Junior Women’s Club and at least
one does. Membership is open to
women age 18-45. The Perquimans
club started in 2011.
“We had over 50 runners, plus
kids,” said Erin Eure, fie treasurer
of fie club. “That’s more than
double.”
Eure credited fie timing of this
year’s event and sponsors for part
of fie increase.
At this year’s race a mother and
her son again took first place. The
same mother and the son as last
See STRIDES, 2
Funding
may be
released
soon
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
State officials are now
waiting on a federal agency
to release fie funds to build
an industrial-sized boat
ramp in Hertford.
The project has been in
the works for more than
two years and was original
ly scheduled to be complete
in 2015 at a cost of less than
$500,000. Now it appears
fiat construction may be
able to at least start by fie
end of this year at a price
tag of $822,000.
Both county and state of
ficials admit they are frus
trated it’s taken this long.
Sara Sherman, an engi
neer for fie NC Wildlife
Resources Commission,
said it appears fie end is
in sight. Wildlife is provid
ing $516,000 for fie ramp,
but fiat money is coming
from fie National Marine
Fisheries Service. Another
$306,000 is coming from a
grant from Golden LEAF.
“It’s not fiat we don’t
have fie money, but it’s fed
eral money and they have
to release it,” Sherman said.
“We got an update today
See FUNDING, 4
Walkers to again show support for ALS patients
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Hundreds of people are
expected to walk in Hert
ford Saturday to support
people who may not be able
to.
People like Jim Dixon.
The 73-year-old Kitty
Hawk resident was diag
nosed wifi Amyotrophic
Lateral Sclerosis three and a
half years ago. ALS is a pro
gressive neurodegenerative
disease that affects nerve
cells in the brain and the
spinal cord. At the time doc
tors gave Dixon between
two and five years to live. lose first. Ultimately they “I’m still able to walk, not
The ability to walk is can lose fie ability to even run, but I can walk a little
one of fie things victims breath. bit” Dixon said last week.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Jim Dixon (red and white
shirt) and his wife Barbara
pose with other members
for an ALS support group
that meets in Edenton.
“But my voice is a little
crumbly.”
Dixon shares the same
disease as Major League
Baseball legend and Per
quimans County native Jim
“Catfish” Hunter.
Hunter died in 1999 at fie
age of 53 and the 16th an
nual Jim “Catfish” Hunter
ALS Walk this Saturday is
named in his honor. The
money raised by it goes to a
foundation fiat directly sup
ports those wifi fie disease
in fie region. It also has a
support group in Edenton
and helps operate a clinic in
Greenville. For fie last few
years, fie Hertford walk has
raised about $28,000 a year.
Dixon appreciates what
the foundation has done. He
finished a career as a con
struction superintendent
and he wasn’t expecting his
life would be like this when
he moved to Kitty Hawk six
years ago. For him, fie first
See ALS WALK, 4
Rotary Club of Hertford to present ‘The Difference’ Oct. 1
From Staff Reports
The Rotary Club of Hert
ford will host its 11th annual
Scholarship Fund Raising
Concert on Oct. 1 at 7p.m.
Each year fie club pro
vides five seniors from Per
quimans County High School
scholarships of $1,000 each.
In addition it sponsors a
$1,000 scholarship through
the College of The Albemar
le Foundation for a resident
from Perquimans County.
The concert will be held in
fie auditorium at the high
school.
Leading off fie program
will be “The Center Players”
from fie Arts of Albemarle
in Elizabeth City under fie
direction of Holly Wright.
“The Center Players” is fie
award-winning integrated
performing arts program
fiat provides theatrical in
struction for rising third
through 12th graders.
Headlining fie evening
See CONCERT, 3
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The band “The Difference”
will be performing in
October at the annual
Rotary Club Scholarship
Concert.
EDENTON-CHOWAN BAND PARENTS PRESENTS
4I ST ANNUAL
PEANUT FESTIVAL &
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Sat., October I st
John A Holmes
Athletic Complex
' ARTS 8 CRAFTS, JOHN A. HOLMES HS LAWN 10:00 AM TO 2:00 PM *
* PARADE, WATER STREET TO PARK AVENUE. 11:00 AM *
• CHICKEN/BBQ PLATES 11:00 AM TO 1:00 PM & 3:00 TO 7:00 PM, $9.00 PER PLATE FROM LEON NIXON’S CATERING •
• BAND COMPETITION, ACES STADIUM, 3:00 PM, $7.00, KIDS 6 AND UNDER FREE -