“News from Next Door WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19,2020 $1.00
Town Council OKs Travel Policy, Lifts Spending Freeze
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Hertford Town Council
approved a litany of items
intended to improve local
government that includes re
visions to the town hall’s trav
el policy, adopting an ethics
policy and lifting the spending
moratorium.
Town’s travel policy has
been under fire in recent
months after council mem
bers traveled to conferences
at various locales last year.
Perquimans Weekly filed a
public records request that
showed how thousands of
taxpayers dollars were spent
on a trip to a conference in
San Antonio.
During November’s munic
ipal election, citizens sought
reform from the newly elect
ed Town Council that cam
paigned on integrity, transpar ¬
ency and truth.
Approved at Thursday’s
council meeting, the travel
policy provides more clarity
and accountability.
“The updated policy aims
to improve the transparency
and consistency with which
Council travel is requested,
estimated, approved, per
formed and expensed,” said
Mayor Pro Tbm Ashley Hodg
es, who drafted the revised
policy. “The previous policy
was adequate for region
al trips to perhaps Raleigh
See COUNCIL, A2
BROWN HODGES
PQ Couple
Stranded in
Cambodia
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A Perquimans County cou
ple are passengers aboard the
Westerdam, a Pacific cruise
ship that is in limbo because
one its passengers has been
confirmed as having the coro
navirus.
So as to preserve the Hert
ford couple’s privacy, the Per
quimans Weekly has chosen
not to print their names at this
time. To date, these folks have
tested negative nor exhibited
any symptoms of coronavirus
while their ship is quarantined
in Cambodia, according to a
prominent source.
Source said the couple’s
cruise ship had been escorted
by war ships from Vietnam and
Thailand for fear it was been
contaminated by the coronavi
rus. Cambodia allowed the ship
to dock, but one passenger,
who had recently visited Malay
sia, has been confirmed as sick.
When the Westerdam set sail
from Hong Kong on Feb. 1 for
a 14-day cruise, the Holland
America Line cruise ship was
carrying 1,455 passengers and
802 crew members.
According to the New York
Times, the cruise ship docked
in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Feb.
4, but then soon ran into trou
ble.
With the eyes of the world
on Yokohama, Japan, where
the virus was spreading among
passengers and crew members
trapped on another cruise ship,
the Diamond Princess, ports on
the Westerdam’s itinerary be
gan denying it entry.
Taipei, Taiwan, said no. So
did ports in Japan, the Philip
pines, Thailand and the United
States territory of Guam, ac
cording to local news reports
and passengers onboard.
New York Times reports that
as of Sunday, 233 passengers
and 747 crew members were
still on the ship docked at Siha-
noukville, Cambodia, Holland
America said.
After Malaysia’s announce
ment that a passenger was
infected, the remaining pas
sengers and crew members
were restricted to the ship, and
buses that had been scheduled
to transport them remained
parked nearby.
Malaysia said it would not al
low any more passengers from
another cruise ship to transit
the country after an 83-year-
old American woman from the
MS Westerdam tested positive
for the virus. She was among
145 passengers who flew from
Cambodia to Malaysia on Fri
day. Her husband also had
symptoms but tested negative.
The Westerdam was turned
away from four ports around
Asia before Cambodia allowed
it to dock in Sihanoukville late
last week.
Malaysian Deputy Prime
Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
said that her country would bar
cruise ships that came from or
transit any Chinese ports from
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Tariq Small, a Hertford native and U.S. Army Reservist, is making the world a better place starting with
his hometown. He’s formed 2-5 Youth, a non-profit organization that’s “giving the youth something to do”
in Hertford. Photo shows Small handing out chips and sandwiches to families during a recent Saturday
morning.
Hertford native^
Doming back home and seeing things get worse has
inspired me to form this group. I feel like our youth
need serious help, not only financially but morally and
emotionally."
Tariq Small
Founder of 2-5 Youth
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
T ariq Small is mak
ing the world a
better place, start
ing with his hometown.
Small has formed 2-5
Youth, a non-profit or
ganization that’s “giving
the youth something to
do” in Hertford.
“Coming back home
and seeing things get
worse has inspired me
to form this group,”
he said. “I feel like our
youth need serious
help, not only financial
ly, but morally and emo
tionally. I feel like our
kids are losing respect
for not only themselves
but also for the com
munity. And having to
deal with some of the
same issues growing
up, I plan on making a
difference starting with
the community.”
Perquimans born and
raised, Small, 21, grew
up on King Street in
Section 8 housing.
“I faced a lot of
adversity trying to be a
good and focused young
black male,” he said.
“But with strict patents
and a bunch helpful
support from my family,
I was able to rise above
some of the problems
living in Section 8
brings.”
Small said because
streets fights and shoot
ings occur regularly in
his hometown, these
factors that influenced
him to make more of
himself as did joining
the Army and his Chris
tian faith.
“Yes, you could say
that I was influenced by
the Army and going to
church, but mainly my
influence was seeing
day to day violence and
trouble in our teens,”
he said. “I had a chance
to see places at a young
age due to working and
making my own money.
I knew it was a better
Make
Voices
Heard
BY STAFF REPORTS
As of Tuesday morning, 94
voters in Perquimans County
cast their ballots during early
voting for the primary election.
Early voting started Thurs
day, Feb. 13.
The presidential prima
ry election is on Tuesday,
March 3.
Absentee voting by mail is
available. Requests for an ab
sentee ballot must be mail be
5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the
Perquimans County Board of
Elections.
One-stop early voting will
be held until Saturday, Feb. 29
at the BOE office. Ilie hours
of operation are 8a.m. to
7:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, and
8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb.
29.
The county’s BOE will con
duct the canvass at 11a.m.
Friday, March 13.
Back in the day, a dapper Tariq Small was striking
a pose before attending his senior prom at
Perquimans High School.
route than that life back
home; that I can do
more and provide more
for myself and others.”
Back in the day, Small
was a talented Pirates’
athlete who played
basketball, football and
track. After graduating
from Perquimans High
School in 2016, Small
joined the U.S. Army
where he continues to
serve in reserves. Even
tually, Small landed a
good job at Thermo
Fisher Scientific, a
biotechnology product
development company
that has a manufactur
ing plant in Greenville.
Future is bright for
this young man.
“Ten years from now,
I see myself owning
this 2-5 Youth as an
alternate after-school
program, which will
teach kids the will and
drive to make some
thing of themselves all
while making an impact
in their community,”
he said. “Also, I plan
on staying military also
along with attainable
further education and
degrees.”
Small said a strong
determination to im
prove his life is what
inspired the creation
of 2-5 Youth - a call to
help others.
“Well, actually my
life was never trouble
some. I just decided at a
young age that I wanted
more,” he said. “In order
to do that, you’d have
to find a route and get a
away. I was very strong
minded and hardwork
ing due to seeing that .
staying in the neigh
borhood only will turn
out bad due to the lack
of entertainment and
such. Hence the group’s
slogan 2-5 Youth ‘Giving
the youth something to
do.’ I just want younger
ones to get the same
message I received. I
will have something for
them every month.”
Settling into success,
Small said, he wanted to
do something for young
people in Perquimans
County - maybe show
them it’s possible to
make a difference if you
believe.
“My group’s mission
is to show that our
youth can do better
as individuals, but we
also need help,” he
said. “Youth need more
things to do, more
entertainment for our
children.”
Group seeks three
key favors from folks.
“First, we’re asking
for parents to take a
stand in their child’s fu
ture and enroll/get them
involved today,” Small
said. “Secondly, we’re
asking for junior men
tors - kids who still are
in high school - to lead
this journey, as they’re
some of the biggest
role models amongst
the community. And
lastly, we’re asking for
sponsors and donors, to
continue these rewards
and prizes we have in
store for our youth.”
Small is looking for
financial support to
defray costs to host a
room where he simply
“wants to teach kids
respect and real life
lessons that they’ll need
See DIFFERENCE, A3
Round-up
Friend
of the
County
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A round-up of all things
Perquimans County...
XJl Prayers should be
offered for the Albemarle
Plantation couple who are
aboard the Westerdam, a cruise
ship in the Pacific that is under
quarantine. Good luck and
well wishes for your safe travel
home.
In other matters, Melissa
Principe-Decker of Hertford
put on a dinner free of charge,
to all first responders on Satur
day. She opened her home for
all EMS, health care workers,
firefighters, law enforcement
agents and dispatchers to eqjoy
a dinner and to tell them all
thank you.
“I did this because in our
fields, we rarely get a thank you
for our sacrifices, so this was
my personal thank you to all,”
said Principe-Decker, a longtime
Registered Nurse at Vidant
Roanoke-Chowan Hospital.
Some good news: Albemar
le Railroad Club may be pull
ing into station in Hertford. See
Town Council article that starts
on page Al. Model railroads are
awesome, particularly Ho or N
gauge train sets.
Benjamin Franklin said,
“that guests, like fish, begin to
smell after three days."
AirBnB and Short-term/
whole house rentals... Heard
rumblings in Hertford - resi
dents not thrilled with these ar
rangements that bring “guests”
See LAYTON, A2