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Pirates show potential, 7
"News from Next Door"
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2018
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Jackson barred from contact with Eley
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Quentin Jackson is ef
fectively barred from going
to Hertford Town Council
meetings so long as Sid Eley
is there.
The ban is a consequence
of Jackson’s assault charge
against the fellow council
man.
District Attorney Andrew
Womble explained it.
“One of
the condi
tions of
his pretrial
release
is that he
not be in
the pres
ence of
Mr. Eley,”
Womble
said in an e-mail.
“That is a standard con
dition applicable to every
defendant charged with an
assault-type crime. His at
tendance at town board
meetings is immaterial.”
Jackson admits punch
ing Eley in the head with a
closed fist on Oct. 1 after a
council meeting. Jackson
claims he did so out of fear
because Eley “got in my
face” and refused to back
aw r ay. Jackson said he didn’t
find out about the restrain
ing order condition until
Oct. 8 when he was told to
contact the magistrate’s of
fice.
“I got a call that Monday
at 4:50 p.m. and they said
we need to see you before
the council meeting, and I
couldn’t imagine why.”
Jackson is set to appear
before a civil district court
judge on Friday to hear his
request to have a restraining
order against Eley.
Jackson said he’s been
trying to get a magistrate to
hear his side of the case for
charging Eley with assault
as well, but none of the Per
quimans magistrates will
hear it.
“It won’t work, it will not
work. The DA claims to be
impartial but he’s not talked
to me and every magistrate
has recused themselves on
this case. I’ve tried to get
clarity, but no one has talk
ed to me.”
Jackson is set to go be
fore a judge on Oct. 24 on
the charge of assaulting a
government official.
Jackson claims he was in
fear of Eley so that’s why he
punched him. He said the
fact that he is 35-years-old
and Eley is 72-years-old isn’t
the issue.
“I don’t see him as an old
guy. He’s a firefighter and
See JACKSON, 2
Voting
starts
today
From Staff Reports
Early voting for the 2018
election starts today and
runs through Nov. 3.
Voters can go to the elec
tions office between 8 am.
and 5 p.m. and cast a ballot.
On the final Saturday, they
can vote between 8 am. and
1 p.m. There is no Sunday
voting in Perquimans Coun
ty. The elections office is at
601A S. Edenton Road St.
There is only one contest
ed local race. Sheriff Shelby
White is facing opposition
from Jim Bray. White is a
Democrat arid Bray is a Re
publican.
There are three seats
open for the Perquimans
County Commission and
three people running.
Two incumbents are run
ning, Fondella Leigh and
Wallace Nelson. Also run
ning is Alan Lennon who
is running as a Libertarian.
Leigh is a Democrat and
Nelson is a Republican.
Incumbent Todd Tilley is
running opposed for Clerk
of Superior Court.
In a race for the N.C.
House, Republican Ed
Goodwin is facing Demo
crat Ron Wesson.
In a race for N.C. Sen
ate, Democrat Cole Phelps
is facing Republican Bob
Steinburg.
Planetarium
to visit HGS
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
If third grade students
from Hertford Grammar
School can’t make the long
trip to the Morehead Plan
etarium in Chapel Hill, the
planetarium will come to
Hertford — or at least a
smaller version of it.
See VISIT, 2
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Tony Cook (left), Mason Rhodes and Makayla Williams talking during practice for the upcoming play "Our
Town” at Perquimans County High School.
PCHS to present ‘Our Town’
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
When Rachel Sanders was
thinking about the fall theater per
formance for Perquimans County
High School, “Our Town” was not
top on the list.
It wasn’t even on the list.
But when the first choice fell
through, it was students who start
ed coming to her suggesting they
do “Our Town.”
And do it they will Nov. 8-9. at 7
p.m. each night the PCHS audito
rium.
“I was stunned my high school
ers were convincing me we needed
to do this play.’”
First produced and published
in 1938, the Pulitzer Prize—win
ning drama is Thornton Wilder’s
most frequently performed play. It
looks at life in the small village of
Grover’s Comers, N.H. where peo
ple are born, grow up, get married
and die.
Sanders won’t call “Our Town”
a “dark” play but she did call it
“deep.”
“It’s going to be a stark contract
“It's going to be a stark
contract from the Wizard
of Oz where you had kids
of all ages and it had
bright colors and intricate
costumes and props. ”
Rachel Sanders
PCHS teacher
from the Wizard of Oz where you
had kids of all ages and it had bright
colors and intricate costumes and
props,” Sanders said. “We can get
sidetracked by the production val
ues and the beautiful costumes and
that can blindside us on the point
of these stories.”
One reason Sanders was hesi
tant to do “Our Town” was she has
28 kids in her technical theater
class. They are the ones that build
the sets and does a lot of the back
stage work.
She said “Our Town” has very
minimalist sets. That will give the
technical theater class a running
start for the spring program.
“Thornton Wilder wrote it to
have minimalists sets and to focus
on the lives of people. He didn’t
want to have any props, but we
have used some, like umbrellas.
The whole point of the production
is to value every day life. The sto
ries are timeless,” she said.
In her time as drama teacher
at PCHS Sanders said she always
tries to find a play that fits her stu
dents and not force students to fit
in the mold of a play.
“That is the case for every pro
duction. The number one priority
is to showcase the talents of my
students.”
Tickets are $5 for a students and
$10 for adults.
The “Our Town” cast in order
of appearance is: Stage Manager
— Mason Rhodes; Dr. Gibbs —
Ethan Davis; Joe Crowell — DJ
Levesque; Howie Newsome —
Elias Holley; Mrs. Gibbs — Marlie
Wright; Mrs. Webb — Tina Cour
tright; George Gibbs — Tony
See TOWN, 2
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A woman wears a Project
Lifesaver tracking band on
her wrist.
Tracking
bands can
save lives
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Families of someone
who may have Dementia or
I something else that cause
them to wander off, have
I away to bring them back
home safe quickly.
Beverly Gregory, the di
rector of the Perquimans
County Seniors Center,
asked Sheriff Shelby White
to come and speak to a
group about the program.
“We are going to be host
ing the Dementia Friends
program in October, but this
applies to the community at
large, including people with
children with Autism,” she
said.
Gregory said the talk
about the program is a big
ger effort to reach out to
people, not just seniors.
The sheriff said the prod
uct is not new. Project Life-
saver is a nonprofit orga
nization that provides law
enforcement, fire/rescue,
and caregivers with a pro
gram designed to protect,
J and when necessary, quick
ly locate individuals with
cognitive disorders. It was
founded in 1999 in Chesa-
I peake, Va.
White said the sheriff’s
office has offered the pro-
| gram for a long time, but no
one using the program right
See BANDS, 5
Rouse to retire from banking
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The bank name has
changed five times. Banking
itself has changed.
But for 42-years, Anita
Rouse, 62, has been a con
stant at what is now PNC
Bank on Church Street.
At the end of this month,
that era ends when she re
tires.
After she graduated from
Perquimans County High
School in 1974 when went
to Washington D.C. and
worked for the FBI. With
her ex-husband’s job with
the Air Force they moved to
Michigan. She still remem
bers the bitter winters.
After moving back to
Hertford, she got the bank
ing job. For a time she
thinks 12 people worked in
the building including three
loan officers.
It’s been Hertford Bank
ing Company, then Peoples
Bank, the Centura, the RBC-
Centura, then RBC and now
PNC.
“We found a bunch of an
cient stuff from the Hertford
Banking days. R.L. Steven
son was the one who hired
me.
The drive-through teller
wasn’t always there. There
was a building there once,
but it was torn down and a
closet was converted into a
space for the drive-through
teller.
Before the Internet, if
people wanted to bank, they
had to drive to one.
“I never thought I’d see
the day, but on a Friday we
might have two people come
in over a two hour time.”
Rouse remembers the
times if a customer couldn’t
get to the bank, the bank
would come to them.
“It was called Personal
Banking.” She said if a cus
tomer called and needed
money, someone from the
bank would go to their
house, have them sign a slip
and then take the money
See ROUSE, 2
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Anita Rouse (far left) is pictured with the staff of what is now PNC Bank in the
1980s. Seated are Ben Berry and Roy Chappell.