P The ERQUIMANS . M^We E Of "News from Next Door" WEDNESDAY, AUGU "0« fOB or« AUG 16 STD * Steinburg may run for Senate c ^“’..Mh"'' ^^ A 306 50 cents County Grouping for 2017 Senate Plan BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor If a set of proposed re- districting maps become law, Rep. Bob Steinburg (R-Chowan) says he’ll likely run for the First District Senate seat next time. Steinburg now represents Perquimans and five other counties in the N.C. House of Representatives. He’s on his third term in the House. would include 11 counties. It currently has eight, in cluding Perquimans. It’s the lure of represent ing 11 counties that has Steinburg thinking about running for the Senate. Currently the Senate district includes Beaufort, Camden, Chowan, Cur rituck, Dare, Gates, Hyde, Pasquotank and Perqui mans comities. The new district would gain Chowan, The new Senate district,. Hertford, Tyrrell and Wash- as drawn in the initial map, ington, but lose Beaufort. Steinburg, stressed that his intent is not to challenge Sen. Bill Cook (R-Beaufort), who holds the District 1 Senate seat now. Steinburg notes that the new Senate District 1 map doesn’t in clude Beaufort, where Cook lives. Cook’s legislative aide Jordan Hennessy said Cook is not on the Senate Redis tricting Committee and isn’t yet taking a position on what See STEINBURG, 2 SUBMITTED PHOTO One map of proposes new N.C. Senate districts shows District 1 (in blue) includes all of northeastern North Carolina. PERQUIMANS hosts AG Expo BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor Some area farmers are adding a new crop to the ro tation — grain sorghum. Some have been growing it all along. Both Laurence Chappell and Gretchen Ownley won awards last year in a national contest. At first sorghum resem bles corn, but the plants don’t grow nearly as high. Sorghum is primarily used as livestock feed and for ethanol. Sorghum produces the same amount of ethanol per bushel as comparable feedstocks and uses one third less water. As a rota tional crop ahead of corn, sorghum can help control some corn diseases. But don’t expect to see a huge increase in sorghum production, said Dylan Lil ley, the Hertford-Based ag riculture extension agent for field crops, “It’s been around but it’s not a widely grown crop.” Sorghum was just one of the things that were dis cussed when the Northeast Ag Expo was held recently in Belvidere. Ricky Stallings, the own er of R & R Farms, hosted the event and more than 300 people attended. Tlie educational field day is an annual event that held by NC Cooperative Exten sion agents from Camden, See EXPO, 2 SUBMITTED PHOTO Grain sorghum (left) is much smaller than the corn in the background. Top, Chris Eure captured farmers harvesting wheat just ahead of a heavy thunderstorm in June. Senior Center workers retiring at end of year BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor SUBMITTED PHOTO Chuck Hartman, the pastor of Up River Friends Meeting, authored and illustrated a children’s book called “It must be a weed.” Delphine Madre, the director of the Perquimans County Senior Center will be stepping and the end of the year. Also retiring will be Faye Myers, the secretary at the center. Madre and Myers ' are the only full-time employees at the cen ter. The county also employs one part- time worker and the Albemarle Commis sion has a part-time nutrition coordinator at the site on Harvey Point Road. “It’s kind of bitter- sweet,” Madre said last week. “I’ve really loved my job. I don’t love the paperwork, but I’ve loved my job. It’s had many won derful blessings. I’ve had a lot of people pass through my life.” “I enjoyed it,” she said of her 24-year career. “It wouldn’t be so difficult to retire if you hated your job, but I love mine.” Madre is 69 years old and doesn’t mind saying it. “I don’t mind you telling you my age, just don’t ask me my weight,” she joked. She started working for the county recreation department as a secretary/ senior coordinator in July 1993. . Madre praised the Perquimans See RETIRING, 2 Minister writes children’s book BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor Just because something may appear different, doesn’t make it wrong. That is the premise of a new children’s book authored by Chuck Hartman, the 43-year-old pastor of Up River Friends Meeting. The book is called “It Must Be A Weed.” Hartman said he got the idea years ago when he worked in an HARTMAN adult day care. “One of the things I did was real the news to the participants. One feature was called ‘News of the Weird.’ “There was one thing in about 2001 where it said caterpillars only eat at night. I knew that may not actu ally be true, but it would make a neat idea for a children’s book.” The book will be available on Amazon starting in September. The cost will be $8.99. Hartman grew up in Caswell County- He and his wife Sonya now live with their dog Sarah in Perquimans County. He did his own illustrations for the book. He dedicates it to his grandmother, Etheleen Walker, thanking her for teaching him See BOOK, 2 End of life program planned BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor Vidant Chowan Hospital will hold a session on end of life issues on Sept. 5 at the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. “Bringing up end-of-life issues with your family can be challenging,” said Kelly First Responders honored by NAACP Herr, community relations director for the hospital. “Making your preferences known , in legal documents can be even tougher. Having conversations now, while you’re well and not in a cri sis, will help ensure that the care you receive matches what’s most important to you.” Herr said trained experts will lead the free education al session and help people complete health care power of attorney and living will forms including the witness See LIFE, 2 More than 60 Perquimans County first responders were honored recently at an event hosted by Perquimans County NAACP at the Perquimans County Recreation Center. Next year there is a black tie event planned for them. Left, Perquimans County Sheriff’s deputies dine at a event to honor all first responders. It was sponsored by the Perquimans County branch of the NAACP. SUBMITTED PHOTOS

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