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'ERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
14 S CHURCH ST
IERTFORD NC 27944-1225
TlMl^O
E E KLY
Libraries to open slowly, B2
“News from Next Door”
OPINION
Local officials, residents chime in on
current events — A4-6
EDUCATION
Perquimans County High School
I scholarship winners announced— Bl
THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2020
COMMUNITY
Count on Me NC offers free training to
business owners, employees — B2
$1.00
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
U-Boats and pirates highight historical
events in state — B3
Proposed Budget Raises Tax, Utility Rates
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Hertford Town Council’s pro
posed budget for fiscal year
2020/21 calls for a 18 percent
property tax hike to balance a
budget that is smaller than fiscal
year 2019/20 fiscal year.
Also, budget proposal calls for
a 36 percent water/sewer rate in
crease.
“This fiscal year budget is the
most challenging budget process
throughout the nation, particu
larly for North Carolina’s local
government,” Town Manager Pam
Hurdle wrote in the budget pro
posal released last week. “The
uncertainties of the coronavirus,
better known as COVID-19, has
brought a tremendous hardship
to the Town of Hertford. Multiple
factors influence the annual bud
get process including the condi
tion of the national, state and local
economies and the needs identi
fied in our community by elected
officials, staff, advisory boards
and citizens. The proposed budget
represents a significant amount of
careful consideration and study in
order for the town to meet its obli
gations, fulfill its goals and aim to
be fiscally strong.”
Budget offers a conservative
approach to spending with most
of the line items are drastically
lower than last year’s budget.
Due to lengthy draw out during
Monday’s ongoing budget deliber
ations, the next budget meeting is
scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday.
Budget must be approved by June
30, although council seeks final
adoption much sooner.
As a key architect for the pro
posed budget, Mayor Pro Tern
Ashley Hodges said this lean ap
proach to budget planning is be
cause council is not using $878,000
in fund balance (effectively Town
savings) to balance the budget as
was done last year.
Hurdle said in her budget mes
sage, “The town’s fund balance is
much like a savings account, as
compared to household budget.
See RATES, A3
Agency
Reports
COVID-19
Deaths
BY STAFF REPORTS
Albemarle Regional Health
Services (ARHS) has received
notification confirming an ad
ditional death associated with
COVID-19 in a Hertford County
resident.
The individual was over the
age 65 and succumbed to com
plications from COVID-19. This
death is related to the outbreak
at Ahoskie House.
In addition, ARHS was no
tified of an additional death
associated with COVID-19 in a
Pasquotank County resident.
The individual was over the
age 65 and succumbed to com
plications from COVID-19. This
death is related to the outbreak
at Elizabeth City Health and
Rehabilitation.
To protect both families pri
vacy, no further information
about these patients will be
released.
Albemarle Regional Health
Services (ARHS) is providing
updated data of lab confirmed
positive COVID-19 cases as of
11 a.m. Tuesday. ARHS cases
include:
■ Pasquotank County -
105 lab confirmed cases — 23
active, 70 recovered, and 12
deaths
■ Perquimans County - 24
lab confirmed cases - 6 active,
16 recovered, and 2 deaths
■ Camden County - 3 lab
confirmed cases - 1 active and
2 recovered
■ Chowan County - 17 lab
confirmed cases — 3 active
and 14 recovered
■ Currituck County - 14 lab
confirmed cases — 3 active
and 11 recovered
■ Bertie County - 122 lab
confirmed cases - 11 active,
107 recovered, and 4 deaths
■ Gates County - 23 lab
confirmed cases — 10 active,
12 recovered, and 1 death
■ Hertford County -128 lab
confirmed cases — 70 active,
55 recovered, and 3 deaths
Protests Erupt Across U.S.
WOODY MARSHALL/NEWS & RECORD VIA AP
Protesters face off with law enforcement in full riot gear at the railroad tracks on South Elm Street
after someone started throwing rocks at police cars during the protest in Greensboro, on Saturday,
May 30, 2020.
Curfews Imposed After Protests
BY CHRIS DAY
For the Perquimans Weekly
ELIZABETH CITY — At least
300 residents protesting the death
of George Floyd at the hands of
Minneapolis police was a histori
cal moment, said the protest’s or
ganizer.
“We made history tonight,” said
Angela Spain, noting that Mon
day’s protest went down without
a fight or violence. “We did some
thing.”
In cities across the nation,
similar protests - one as close as
Greenville - have turned violent,
resulting in police using tear gas
against protesters and widespread
looting and property damage.
Several area law enforcement
agencies helped Elizabeth City po
lice monitor the demonstrations.
The sheriff’s offices in
Pasquotank, Camden, Currituck
and Perquimans, and N.C. High
way Patrol, plus police depart
ments in Edenton and Hertford,
sent personnel to assist Elizabeth
City police. Also lending assis
tance were N.C. Probation and
Parole, the Elizabeth City Fire De
partment and Pasquotank-Cam
den Emergency Management.
Sgt. Latoya Flanigan of the
See PROTESTS, A2
A Letter to the
Hertford Community
BY POLICE CHIEF DENNIS
BROWN
Dear Hertford Community,
We are all saddened by
the loss of Mr. George Floyd
at the hands of law enforce
ment officers. The actions
displayed on the widely
PHOTO BY MILES LAYTON
Not just a top notch law officer, but Hertford Police Captain
Gilbert Rodriguez hands out hot meals to folks as part of Town
Council and HPD's efforts to help others during the pandemic.
surfaced video were cow
ardly, shocking, and difficult
to watch. While the termina
tions were swift, I had hoped
for a more responsive arrest.
We in the police depart-
See LETTER, A3
Round-up
Zooming
into Porn
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A round-up of all things Per
quimans County-
Graphic pornography
is not something you see during
Hertford Town Council meet
ings, but these are not ordinary
times. Is heated rhetoric and
racism on display from council
members from time to time, yes,
but not pornography.
Monday, when a hacker joined
the council meeting, this anar
chist called everyone “dicks”
while he/she blocked the meeting
so that everyone watching/par-
ticipating could see a series of
pornographic clips complimented
by a hastily created Nazi swastika
and badly drawn male genitalia
And let’s just say the pom clips
shown were of the variety that no
one would want anyone to find in
their internet search history.
And that’s not even the worst
part. During the meeting, a hack
er named “Emily” sent a message
to 150 chat lines that said “George
Floyd deserved it” written many
times in sequence and mass
printed the “N” word hundreds of
times, insanity perhaps inspired
by that “All work and no play
...” scene from the movie, “The
Shining.”
Maybe it was Antifa working
in conjunction with the Swamp
and/or the Russians, but do NOT
blame the tech failure on Coun
cilman Quentin Jackson who
hosts/organizes the meetings
using Zoom, a common applica
tion that is used for meetings as a
precaution to prevent the spread
of coronavirus - remember that!?
When Zoom was first being
used for meetings by govern
ments and to connect students
to teachers during the pandemic,
tech types voiced concerns that
this format could be hacked and
privacy compromised. Today’s
technology makes it easier than
ever to spy - entire industries are
based on that invasion of privacy.
Governments gather metada
ta daily on citizens and foreign
See LAYTON, A3
Longtime barbershop owner hangs up clippers
Byrum retires, sold Shear
Pleasure Hairstyling in March
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
EDENTON — Most mornings
before the COVID-19 pandemic,
Vol. 86, No. 23
@2020 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
folks in Edenton could be seen
getting their hair cut at Shear
Pleasure Hairstyling on South
Broad Street.
When the popular haircare
shop reopened when Gov. Roy
Cooper’s stay-at-home order
was partially lifted for Phase 2,
its longtime owner and barber
wasn’t there.
Mike Byrum, a Hertford resi
dent, has retired.
“To my loyal customers,
thank you from the bottom of
my heart for supporting me all
these years,” Byrum said recent
ly in a message to customers.
“I hope to bump into you and
shake your hand and give you a
good hug in the future.”
Byrum said he had been pon
dering retirement since January.
He said he finally made the de
cision after realizing the time
was right to proceed to the next
chapter of his life.
“My major reasons for my
retiring are my wife had a ma
jor heart problem in February
(during) which I almost lost her,
but the good Lord spared her,”
he said. “I have been serving
the public for 48 years and will
turn 69 in a few months. I want
to spend more time with my
wife, sons, and see more of my
grandchildren with baseball and
dance recitals to enjoy.”
Byrum sold both his business
and building to Scott and Dee
Spruce in March.
“They are a wonderful cou
ple and good businesspeople,”
Byrum said. “They have com
pletely remodeled and updated
the shop. It looks great and will
have an upscale look.”
Shear Pleasure Hairstyling’s
longtime staff — Angie Black,
Shelia Parks and Wendy Jordan,
who combined have 82 years of
experience cutting hair — will
continue to work at the shop.
“They will roll out the red
carpet for you and do their best
to please you,” Byrum said. “To
me, they were like the sisters I
never had.”
Byrum said his long career as
one of Edenton’s premier bar
bers started in 1972, when he
got a job at 20th Century Bar
bershop with his brother, Jim
my, and Raymond Mansfield.
After eight good years work
ing there, Byrum said he want-
See BARBER, A3