Teacher Appreciation Week, Bl
“News from Next Door”
NEWS
Hertford K9 Diesel to get vest — A5
COMMUNITY
Perquimans Extension provides an
update on their programs — B2
THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020
HISTORY
Learned what happened this week in
North Carolina history — B3
$1.00
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY
Perquimans Weekly hopes you enjoy
I your special day on Sunday, May 9.
Town Hall Releases Draft Budget for FY 20-21
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Hertford Town Council released
its proposed budget Monday for fis
cal year 2020/21 that mentions the
need for a possible tax increase.
When compared to fiscal year
2019/20 budget of more than $7
million, the draft budget proposal
of more than $9.6 million increases
spending by at least $2.6 million - if
there are no modifications.
“The budget you are reviewing
has been through zero cut drills,
so please do not panic over how
high the numbers are. You can and
should expect them to be drastical
ly reduced over the next week or
two,” Mayor Pro Tern Ashley Hodg
es said in a statement issued Tues
day morning.
In order to fund the draft budget at
the current level - no modifications
- Town Hall would need to raise the
funds necessary to generate $2.6 mil
lion more in revenue, according to
the budget proposal.
Moreover, Town Manager Pam
Hurdle is projecting a 94 percent col
lection rate on property taxes, which
would generate $506,565 in revenue
- down from last year’s 96 percent
collection rate. Budget forecast said
COVID-19 will have a larger impact
on sales and use taxes - down be
tween 20 percent and 30 percent
from the previous year. Utility Fran
chise Tax revenue is expected to be
down 1.5 percent
Hodges said as the budget pro
cess develops, council will have in
telligent conversations over tax and
utility rate changes and/or fund bal
ance usages to increase revenue.
Hodges said that consistent with
council’s efforts to forge a multi-year
strategic plan, council asked Hurdle
to send tire entirety of the depart
ment heads’ “wish lists” so that coun
cil will be fully aware of what’s not
being accomplished each year due
to budget limitations.
Hodges compared the wish lists
to how federal budget proposals in
cludes items known as “unfundeds”
or “unfunded operational require
ments.”
Hodges said normally, the town
manager would work with a depart
ment head to cut their budget before
it gets to council By providing Town
Hall’s wish lists from departments
See BUDGET, A3
a
DR. MARIA TRENT
PQ Native
Picked
for Top
Post
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Dr. Maria Dent, formeriy of
Hertford, was recently appointed
as the inaugural Division of Ado
lescent Medicine Chief in the De
partment of Pediatrics at the John
Hopkins School of Medicine.
“I am excited about this new
position and look forward to be
ing able to contribute to the health
and well-being of young people in
Baltimore and beyond,” she said
When Dent was just 3 years
old, her family moved from Col
lege Park, MD, back to Hertford,
according to a long ago article that
appeared in the Baltimore Sun.
She was educated in Perquimans
See NATIVE, A2
ARHS: County
has Second
Virus Death
BY STAFF REPORTS
Albemarle Regional Health
Services said Monday it’s been
notified of a second COVID-re-
lated death in Perquimans
County.
The regional health depart
ment said in a press release the
person was over 65 and died
from complications associat
ed with the virus. ARHS said it
would not release further de
tails about the person.
“We are extremely saddened
to share this announcement
and we extend our condolenc
es to the individual’s loved
ones,” ARHS Director R. Bat
tle Betts Jr. said in the release.
“Our thoughts are with those
See DEATH, A2
89076 47144 " 2
Vol. 86, No. 19
@2020 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
6
Pirates’ Story to Tell
Student of the Month for May
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Sunrise on the Perquimans River
by the Albemarle Sound, folks may
see a small white boat checking
crab pots. That’s where we begin
this stoiy about Lizzy Story, Student
of the Month for May for the Perqui
mans Weekly.
For early morning mariners, it is
a sight to behold when Story’s fam
ily boat makes stops at the plastic/
foam buoys marking the best spots,
whether they be near the trunk of a
long extinct cedar tree a hundred
yards or so from shore or in open
waters.
This close-knit crew will pull up
the crab pot to see if the creatures
have taken the bait Then, either
strong backs return the pot into the
water with fresh bait or harvest the
alien crustaceans. The work can be
hard, but rewarding to this Pirates’
senior.
“Crabbing season begins for us
whenever we can get our pots out
in the water,” Lizzy Story said “We
are working on the pots right now
and will hopefully have them in the
water by the mid or end of May.”
Most mornings, Story and her
brothers go crabbing in quiet, still
waters. Small wisps of fog hover in
spots above the Sound. Nothing is
out there, not even any seabirds -
Landings at Albemarle Poised for Grand Opening
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Nearing completion, Landings of
Albemarle is poised to add more qual
ity housing for senior citizens in Per
quimans County and northeast NC.
Located on Church Street, con
struction that started in May 2019 to
build the 26,784 square foot assisted
living facility along with the 17,797
square foot twostoiy independent
living building has been completed.
Facility is now awaiting final ship
ments of furnishings, linens and de
cor.
The Landings of Albemarle has
See OPENING, A3
An expert fisher(woman), Lizzy Story knows how to bait a hook,
clean a fish.
peace if ever there is such a thing as
innerpeace. .
Except for a wayward kayaker
or fisherman searching for God and
a good spot to drop a line, there is
not a living soul on these hallowed
waters.
Life lessons are learned on the
water.
“We go crabbing in the Albemarle
Sound and get on the water at first
light,” she said “It may be small, but
something I have learned over time
Lizzy Story
(center)
works
alongside
her brothers
to empty
crab pots
while
harvesting
the
crustaceans
from the
Albemarle
Sound.
from crabbing is how to think more
of others and not myself. Getting up
early in the morning has never been
something I have loved, but not ev
erything is about me.”
A carpenter, Christ embraced
fishermen because they are the salt
of the earth Smug secularist city
folk may forget how fish comes
to the dinner table, but the rest of
the world knows the value of hard
See STORY, A2
Round-up
Shop Local
and Zoom
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A round-up of all things
Perquimans County-
Shop local - support
our local businesses be it
restaurants, gas stations, pharma
cies or whatever.
Traveled to Story’s Seafood
for the first time. Been meaning to
go for awhile. Lizzy Story’s story
inspired me to try out her family’s
business. Good fish and shrimp.
Won’t have to travel to Columbia
anymore to get fresh fish.
Like Captain Bob’s, Story’s
Seafood is known far and wide
across Perquimans County and
northeast NC. Same is true with
Layden’s Country Store out in
Belvidere.
Per restaurants, there are many
places that deserve a look in our
area no matter when King Cooper
lifts his unpopular job killing edict.
Thank God most places are still
doing carryout.
Hertford’s new utility bill gives
the citizens more information
about their utilities and the usage.
“We have gotten many compli
ments on the information that the
new bill gives the citizens.” Town
Manager Pam Hurdle said. “We
also had many calls of clarity on
how to read the bill and all callers
have clear understanding of the
new layout of the bill and the infor
mation it contains.”
Speaking of Town Council,
nope, Councilman Frank
Norman did not apologize dining
Monday’s meeting to Mayor
Earnell Brown about his recent
remarks where he referred to her
as Hitler. Monday, Brown and
Norman sparred over a few items,
such as revisions of the agenda
and the K9 policy, but there was no
name calling. Still, it’s certain that
their exchanges were eye-rolling
for many viewers.
To learn about another matter
arising from town council, see this
week’s Opinion page A4 where
Joseph Hoffler talks about Coun
cilman Quentin Jackson’s recent
See LAYTON, A3
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Construction
is complete
for Landings
of Albemarle
senior living
center.
The facility
features 74
apartments
- 50 of those
apartments
are in assisted
living, and 24
will be in the
independent
living building.