P ! THE ERQ1 008 D0017 PERQUIMANS COUNi S CHURCH ST HERTFORD NG 27944-1225 WEEKLY Women of Excellence, 3 “News from Next Door” WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2019 75 cents Victims of fatal car accident are remembered BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor The four young men in volved in an accident June 17 were trying to make a better life for themselves and were willing to work hard to do it, say people who were close to them. Tyrell Davis, 30, Kristo pher Midgett, 29, and Mar- quarize Hunter, 23, died of their injuries in the wreck in Currituck County. A fourth "These guys got together, found a job and drove an hour and a half or two hours to work. That says something about these kids. They wanted a better life for themselves." Frank Norman Hertford town councilman man, Damon Hunter, 26, The accident happened was also transported to Sen- about 7 a.m. as Davis was tara Norfolk with non-life driving the 2001 Dodge Stra- threatening injuries, tus northbound on U.S. 158 after the four finished up working at a nightshift at a Walmart in Kitty Hawk. They were headed home. “I knew all four of them through my children,” said Frank Norman, a Hertford town councilman and a res ident of Wynne Fork Court. “Marquarize practically lived at my house. Not be cause of any problems he had at home, but just some times he and my son might be going somewhere the next day. “They were good kids,” Norman said. “Tyrell was like a big brother to them.” Funeral information, a photo and details on Tyrell Davis were not available at press time. He lived on Wyn ne Fork Court, according to the N.C. Highway Patrol. Midgett lived on Helmlock Street, Hunter West Market Street and Damon Hunter on Belvidere Road. Norman said he was in Ocracoke with a group of other elected officials when he heard the news about the accident. He said it high lights the need to create good jobs closer to home. “These guys got together, found a job and drove an hour and a half or two hours to work,” Norman said. “That says something about these kids. They wanted a better life for themselves.” See VICTIMS, A2 Yates retiring from ECSU BY REGGIE PONDER Staff Writer For the first time in more than a quarter-century, Fred Yates won’t be an Elizabeth City State University trust ee. Yates recently left the ECSU Board of Trustees after 24 years — nearly all of which he served consec utively — saying it’s time for him to focus more on his other longtime job: mayor of Winfall. Trustee appointments at ECSU are for four years and are renewable for a second four-year term. After eight years a trustee is required to leave the board but may be appointed to another term after one year. Yates has taken that re quired year off and then gone back on the ECSU board three times. But he said he’s not looking to re turn as an ECSU trustee this time. “I think somebody else needs an opportunity to serve,” he said. Yates, who is mayor of Winfall in Perquimans Coun ty, said he needs to focus his energies on being the town’s mayor on the next mayoral election in November. “Winfall is basically where my heart is now,” he said. Yates said he has enjoyed his tenure on the ECSU board. “I served with some good boards,” he said. Yates’ service as an ECSU trustee spanned the tenures of six different chancellors: See YATES, A2 FILE PHOTO/THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY A float by Bethel Baptist Church rides past the Perquimans County Courthouse during the parade in 2017. Lineup for July 6 parade grows From Staff Reports Organizers are expect ing more than 60 entries this year for the Perquim ans County fourth annual Independence Day Cele bration on July 6, Two officers join Hertford police department BY PETER WILLIAMS/NEWS EDITOR Marlos Downing (left) and Victor Sulliban have joined the Hertford Police Department. r Event is open to all and entries are still being ac cepted for the parade and all types of entertainment. The event calls for deco rating bicycles, tricycles, wagons, cars, trucks, bus es, vans, boats, trailers, lawn mowers, golf-carts, and pets in red, white and blue and waving flags. Stores asked to decorate their windows in the best patriotic way. For more information, call Vanora Brothers at BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor Hertford has two new po lice officers. Both Marlos Downing, 24, of Edenton and Victor Sulli ban, 23 of Camden recently passed the state exam and have joined the department, Chief Dennis Brown said this week. The recent graduates of the 17-week Basic Law En forcement Training (BLET) program have to complete the classes and then pass the state exam to serve 426-5956 or Sharon Smith at 426-5657. Entries so far in clude C&C Stables, the Truckers Club Inc., the Albemarle Antique See PARADE, A2 in North Carolina. Failing means they have to take the entire class again. Even with their hiring, the additions won’t bring Hertford up to full staffing levels. The department is funded for 11 officers, in cluding Brown, plus an ad ministrative assistant. Right now the department has seven officers. “This helps toward our goal of being fully staffed this year,” Brown said. In the short term to fill the gap, the town has con tracted with the Perquim ¬ Storms cause damage in area From Staff Reports A storm last week left hundreds without power and may have caused a fire that destroyed a Perquim ans County home. Three local fire depart ments responded to a fire Thursday evening that de stroyed the structure in the 400 block of Chinquapin Road. When they arrived, fire- fighters from Belvidere, Hertford and Winfall saw smoke coming from the home, but could not contain the blaze. The family was not home at the time. EMS Director Jonathan Nixon said EMS and the American Red Cross are working to provide assistance to the family. A go fund me page has been established for Rebecca Turner at See STORMS, A2 ans County Sheriffs Office to use their off-duty dep uties to cover some town shifts and the county is paid for that out of town funds. Brown said the relation ship between the two law enforcement agencies is good. “We have always had an excellent working relation ship with the sheriffs of fice.” In the long term Brown said the Hertford Town Board has also been very See OFFICERS, A2 Perquimans groups prepare for hurricane season now BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor Community groups got together recently for a sem inar on preparing for hurri cane season. It was hosted by the Albe marle Plantation Commu nity Emergency Response Team (CERT). Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30. “This was a most worth while educational experi ence,” said Roy Carpenter, the leader at the newly formed Shores at Lands End CERT. “Lois Pencinger and 6 89076 47144 2 Paul Holtz provided much needed advice and informa tion for preparing.” The Plantation group also donated an automated external defibrillator to the Shores at Lands End group. “Once again our gener ous neighbors at the Plan tation have taken steps to help their fellow Perqui mans County residents,” Carpenter said. “We would not be able to get where we (Shores at Lands End CERT) if it not for Lois and Paul and their team mem bers. We’re extremely grate ful. This is a huge step to en suring that we are proactive in taking care of ourselves in the case of emergency.” Perquimans County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Nixon said there are things people can do now to be prepared. “You can start now by gathering your checklist of items,” Nixon said. A list is on the emer gency management web- site at http://www.per- quimanscountync.gov/ departments/emergen- cy-management.html People with special needs, can also add them selves to the county’s pri vate registry. “In the event of a storm, we share the information with the appropriate fire de partments and ask them to check on the residents.” The registry form is two pages long and is kept confi dential. It includes informa tion on special needs or like the need for electricity for things like oxygen, a ventila tor or feeding pump. For more information, call 426-5646. Researchers at North Carolina State University are predicting a normal hur ricane season for this year. The 2019 season should see 13 to 16 named storms forming in the Atlantic ba sin, which includes the en tire Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbe an Sea, according to Lian Xie, professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sci ences at NC State. That is slightly higher than the long- term (1950 to 2018) average of 11 named storms, it is in line with the recent (1995 to 2018) average of 14. See HURRICANES, A2 SUBMITTED PHOTO The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) at Albemarle Plantation recently donated an automated external defibrillator to the newly formed CERT unit at Shores at Lands End. Pictured are Lois Pencinger and Paul Holtz from the Plantation and Roy Carpenter, the team leader at Shores at Lands End.

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