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"News from Next Door"
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019
Vidant Chowan wins Leadership awards, 3
$1.00
Challengers
seeking
Hertford
offices
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Five candidates, includ
ing three newcomers, filed
for municipal office in Per
quimans County on Friday,
the first day of the filing pe
riod.
BROWN
Earnell
Brown, 69,
is running
to be may
or of Hert
ford. Jerry
Mimlitsch,
39 and Rob
ert Ashley
Hodges, 40,
are seeking
one of the
two Hert
ford council
seats.
Two
Winfall in
cumbents,
Mayor Fred
Yates and
Preston Ty
rone White
will run
again.
Brown
was raised
in Wash
ington D.C.
When she
retired from
a 38-year career with the
federal government, she
moved to the house in Bel
videre where her mother
was born. She later bought
See HERTFORD, A2
EMS
responds to
overdoses
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County EMS
responded to two cases of
drug overdoses over two
days at a fast food restau
rant in Hertford last week.
On July 1 at about 9 p.m.
Perquimans County 911
Communications received
a call about an unrespon
sive subject McDonalds.
The Hertford Police De
partment, and Perquimans
County EMS responded.
Narcan was given to the
person.
The next day at about at
5 p.m., first responders were
called to the same location
for an unresponsive subject.
Upon arrival, two subjects
were found. Forcible entry
was used to extricate an un
responsive patient from the
bathroom at business.
Narcan was administered
See OVERDOSES, A2
Kevin Jacot captured this picture of the fireworks and the moon over Hertford on Saturday.
Hertford native is honored on holiday
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Dr. Maria Trent credits
her successes in life for the
foundation she got as a girl
growing up in Hertford.
Trent spoke Saturday
at the Perquimans County
Library hours before the
county’s Independence
Day parade, where she was
the grand marshal.
Trent, 50, graduated
from the N.C. School for
Science and Math, earned
her bachelor’s degree
from Yale, a medical de
gree from the University of
North Carolina-Chapel Hill
medical school in 1995 and
a public health degree from
Harvard School- of Public
See TRENT, A2
Tractors and fire trucks ride down Dobbs Street
Saturday in the parade.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Submitted photo A barge carrying a crane heads
up the Perquimans River to Hertford. DOT will start
construction soon on the 'replacement for the S-Bridge.
Health.
She was named one of
the nation’s 100 most influ
ential African-Americans
for 2013. She and her fel
low honorees — including
President Barack Obama,
Kerry Washington, Magic
Johnson, Harry Belafonte,
Marian Wright Edelman
who were celebrated at
New York’s Lincoln Center.
“I was only able to do
that because I had support
from here,” Trent said. “I
am a product of my envi
ronment in Hertford.”
Today Trent is an
award-winning doctor at
Johns Hopkins Hospital
in Baltimore but decades
PHOTOS BY PETER WILLIAMS/NEWS EDITOR
Dr. Maria Trent speaks at a reception in her honor at
the Perquimans County Library on Saturday. She was
the Grand Marshal for the annual Independence Day
parade.
Perquimans County students ride a pirate ship float in
the parade.
Bridge construction to start
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Construction on a new
structure to replace the
Hertford S-Bridge is about
to start, according to the
N.C. Department of Trans
portation.
A barge with a crane has
been brought in to drive
three pilings as a test, said
Tim Hass, a spokesman for
DOT.
Hass said McLean Con
tracting, the contractor, is
beginning work by install
ing three pilings in their
permanent location. They
will be tested to determine
how long the remainder of
the pilings need to be.
“Not only does each
piling need to achieve a
certain amount of bearing
capacity, each pile also
Jackson
perjury
trial
starts
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A jury was selected Mon
day for the perjury trial
against Hertford Mayor Pro
Tern Quentin Jackson.
JACKSON
During a
court case
in Febru
ary 2018,
Jackson is
accused of
saying he
wasn’t on
probation
when in
fact he was.
He was accused of resist
ing police officers and fdr
fictitious tag when he was
pulled over on Feb. 1 2018.
He also had a handgun in
the car, which prosecution
attorneys say is a viola
tion of standard probation
terms. He was not tried on
the handgun charge.
Perjury, or lying under
oath, is a felony and if con
victed Jackson could face at
least five months in jail and
lose his ability to vote or
hold public office.
Superior Court Judge
Wayland Sermons is hear
ing the case at the Perqui
mans County Courthouse
Annex. Judge Sermons is
the chief resident Superior
Court judge for the 2nd Ju
dicial District. Perquimans
is in the 1st Judicial District.
Sermons said he was asked
come to Perquimans Coun
ty this week by N.C. Su
preme Court Chief Justice
Cheri Beasley.
Clerk of Perquimans
County Superior Court Todd
Tilley and Jack Beasley, the
assistant district attorney
who was trying the Jackson
case last year, testified Mon
day. Judge Sermons also
allowed Assistant District
Attorney Holley Metzger to
play some of the courtroom
tape of last year’s trial. Ju
rors could hear Jackson
being sworn in and saying
he would tell the truth and
See JACKSON, A2
has to have a minimum tip
elevation. In other words,
be long enough to prevent
scour or undermining.”
Once these tests are
concluded, pilings will be
ordered and cast prior to
being shipped and subse
quently installed. While
this process takes place,
McLean hopes to begin
See BRIDGE, A2
Jermaine Goodman earns promotion to rank of major
BY CHRIS DAY
Multimedia Editor
Jermaine Goodman grew
up playing piano in the
church choir. That same
church was the backdrop
where Goodman, now an of
ficer in the U.S. Army, chose
to celebrate his promotion
from captain to major.
Goodman was joined
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2
Sunday by his family and
friends in a promotion cer
emony in the sanctuary at
Greater Saunders Grove
Missionary Baptist Church.
The church is located on
Chinquapin Road a few
miles northwest of Hertford
in Perquimans County.
Before receiving his shiny
set of bronze oak leafs, the
insignia of a major, Good
man thanked his family and
members of the church.
“It feels awesome,” said
Goodman, adding that Sun
day was dedicated to the
people who supported him
while growing up.
“Sometimes we spend
a lot of our effort on peo
ple who don’t believe in
us,” when actually people
should take time to thank
those who helped them, he
said.
Goodman enlisted in the
U.S. Army Reserves in 2001
and a year later, after grad
uating from Gates County
High School, he completed
basic training.
While in the reserves he
attended Elizabeth City
State University, where he
joined the university’s Army
ROTC program. He was
commissioned on active
duty in 2006 and graduated
from ECSU with a mqjor
in sociology and a minor in
military science. He’s since
completed several Army
professional development
and career advancement
courses, earned a master’s
degree in human relations,
plus held posts in several
locations.
While assigned to a unit
in Vilseck, Germany, be
tween 2006 and 2009, he
See GOODMAN, A2
CHRIS DAY/THE DAILY ADVANCE
U.S. Army officer Jermaine Goodman celebrated his
promotion from captain to major during a ceremony at
the Greater Saunders Grove Missionary Baptist Church
on Sunday.