* P The BPS' VIANS UAveekly PCMS Homecoming, 8 "News from Next Door" WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2017 OCT 2 5 RETO 50 cents Friends remember fallen prison worker BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor Friends, coworkers and members of the prison community reached out this week to pay their respects to a 50-wom- an Belvidere woman who was killed in a failed escape attempt at a state prison in Pasquotank County. Veronica Skinner Darden, 50, worked at Pasquotank Correctional Institution and was one of two who were killed. Jackie Frierson remembered her as “funny.” They were both members Bay Branch A.M.E. Zion Church. “She loved to laugh,” said Frierson. She’d known Darden since she was a child. They are both members of the usher board at the church. “What the usher board does is we’re church of ficers and when people come into church, we give them their programs and if they need anything, like a fan, we get it for them. We DARDEN just take care of the con gregation.” Frierson said helping others is what Darden liked to do. “She was a hard worker. She got along with everybody she’d meet. She was just a good person.” Frierson said Darden didn’t talk about See DARDEN, 2 Four charged with murders at prison From Staff Reports Four prison inmates have each been charged last week with two counts of first-de gree murder in the deaths of two prison workers in a failed escape attempt from Pasquotank Correctional Institution. Wisezah Buckman, 29, Mikel Brady, 28, Seth J. Frasier, 33, and Johnathan M. Monk, 30, have all been charged in the deaths of MONK BUCKMAN BRADY FRASIER N.C. Correction Enterprises Manager Veronica Darden and Correctional Officer Justin Smith in the inmates’ failed escape from the pris- on on Oct. 12, law enforce ment officials announced today. See ARRESTS, 2 Veterans to be honored Nov. 11 ■ Observation to be held at Perquimans County Courthouse lawn at the Veterans Monument beginning at 11 a.m. From Staff Reports Hertford American Legion post 126 will hold their annual Perquimans Coun ty Veterans Day Observance on Nov. 11, on the Perquimans County Courthouse lawn at the veterans Monument. The ob ¬ servance will begin at 11 a.m. In case of inclement weather, the ob servance will be moved to the County Recreation Center off Harvey Point Road. Post Commander Ric Caporale said this year’s observance will honor Per quimans County Vietnam Veterans. It is part of the nation’s 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War, which will continue through Nov. 11,2025. OBAMA Former President Barack Obama’s Proc lamation, signed on Memorial Day, May 25, 2012, launched the na tion’s commemoration of this anniversary. “This 13-year pro gram is to honor and give thanks to a gen eration of proud Ameri ¬ cans who saw our country through one of the most challenging missions we have ever faced,” Obama said. The federal government has partnered with local governments, private organi zations and communities across Ameri ¬ PHOTO BY MATT LEICESTER Two ladder trucks, one from Hertford and the other from Edenton, participate in an fire exercise last week on Church Street. ca to participate in the commemoration. The Regional Director of Veterans, Jarvis Abott, in Elizabeth City, has partnered with Post 126 with the Commemorative Partner program. The program will recognize living U.S. veterans who served during the Vietnam War Era and provide them a memento, a Vietnam Service Lapel pin. Since last August, the Post has at tempted to identify county Vietnam War Era veterans. Perquimans County area veterans were asked to contact Post 126, at 426-1679 with their name, telephone number, and address. Those veterans are asked to attend the observance to get recognized and receive their lapel pin. “Any living veteran who served on ac tive duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time during the period of Nov. 1,1955 to May 15, 1975, regardless of location, are eligible to receive the lapel pin. You did not have to physically serve in Vietnam,” Caporale said. See VETERANS, 7 Huge fire exercise held BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor More than 100 area emergency responders converged on down- town Hertford last week to simu late what it would be like to fight a mqjor fire at the very worst time of day. The event was held Thursday evening, but in the scenario it would have taken place ab ut 3 p.m. just about the time schools were letting out and buses would be running up and down Church Street. To make matters more complicated, in the drill court would have been in session. See FIRE, 2 PHOTO BY MATT LEICESTER Jackson Woodell performs CPR on a dummy during last week’s fire exercise. Library project behind schedule BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor The new Perquimans Coun ty Library is behind schedule, but the project manager said it’s close to being finished. Originally the county had hoped to finish the project by August, but weather caused delays that were beyond the control of the builder out of Georgia, Aarene Contracting. Joe Peterson, the Aarene project manager on the Hert ford project, said this week he should have a better handle on the status of the project next week. “I have 10 projects I’m working on,” Peterson said. “I’ll know more when I get there next week.” Peterson said the windows in the library on Church Street should be installed this week. “We wanted to make sure things were perfect,” Peterson said. It’s the first library project Aarene has done as large as the 14,700 square foot one in Hertford. Perquimans County Man ager Frank Heath said he’s no longer going to try and guess when the library will be com plete. He’s offered estimates in the past, but the project still has not met deadlines. Aarene will face a $500 a day penalty for being late. Just when the damages start will be based on the talks between the county and the architect on the project. Tire contract on the project was about $2.5 million. The indoor environment has to be stabilized before indoor carpentry and cabi net work could be started. Even then, it will take more time install all the electrical and computer equipment and more time to move all the books from the old library on See LIBRARY, 7 Schools foundation receives $40,000 grant From Staff Reports The Northern Albemarle Community Foundation re cently approved a $40,000 grant to the Perquimans County Schools Foundation for a “moving” classroom through the HCWGMW Do nor Advised Fund. The grant project — Mov ing Minds Through Physical 6 11 89076 47144 2 Movement and Activity — will equip one classroom at Hertford Grammar School with the appropriate fitness equipment for students to use during the new teaching and learning process. The classroom and instruction will be designed for student engagement through move ment. That should result in improved attention, infor mation storage, information retrieval, enhanced coping and a positive affect with an end result of improved academic success, school officials say. The Perquimans County Schools Foundation will collaborate with the Albe marle YMCA to build an in novative Kinesthetic Class room. It will be housed in third grade and will serve 32 students. The classroom will be comprised of pedal desks, strider desks, col laborative standing desks workstation, swing desks and kneeling desks. The in stallation of the equipment should be complete in No vember. See FOUNDATION, 7 Belivdere Day FILE PHOTO Antique cars will be just one of the attractions at the fifth annual Belvidere Day this Saturday. The event runs from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and will feature arts, crafts, food and a dunking booth.

Page Text

This is the computer-generated OCR text representation of this newspaper page. It may be empty, if no text could be automatically recognized. This data is also available in Plain Text and XML formats.

Return to page view