THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020
COMMUNITY THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
Dockworker shares love of sound — Bl NASCAR held its first race
in 1949 —B3
Former Pirate gives back, Bl
“News from Next Door”
CHURCH
Messages for troubled times — B2
$1.00
PETS OF THE WEEK
Tri-County shelter open by appointment
only — B5
Zoning Board OKs Permit for Charter School
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A proposed charter school
moved closer to opening in the
fall when the Hertford Planning
and Zoning Board of Adjustments
approved a Conditional Use Per
mit for the Harvey Road facility.
During Monday’s 2-hour zon
ing board meeting, school lead
ers stressed the need to provide
a choice and a better education
for students living in Perquim
ans County. Supporters of the
school’s plans said the facility
meets all the required zoning re
quirements.
Opponents of the zoning per
mit questioned whether the
school will be ready in time for
students said the facility, a ware
house at 1054 Harvey Point Road,
should be used instead to attract
jobs from industrial develop
ment. Located on five acres of
land, the 22,500-square-foot fa
cility will need upgrades associ
ated with education needs, and a
certificate of occupancy so as to
accommodate a school.
Board approved the matter
4-1 Monday with Kisha Darden,
Gracie Felton, Marvin Sutton
and Martina McClenney voting
in favor of the CUP, while Skip
Matthews voted against the mea
sure that paves the way for a new
school.
“I am not against charter
schools if they offer students a
better education,” said Matthews,
zoning board chairman. “I voted
against this charter school at this
time because they are not ready.
They do not have adequate fa
cilities, faculty and support staff
in place to start school in two
months, and they are addressing
grade levels that are currently be
ing very well served by our public
schools.”
Hertford Town Council and the
State Board of Education Charter
School Advisory Committee still
must sign off on plans to open the
Elaine Riddick Charter School.
June 8, the advisory committee
told school administrators to re
turn in July to provide an update
on progress as to meeting enroll
ment goals, hiring a teaching staff
and completing other tasks relat
ed to the facility’s needs that de
mand attention before any school
bells can ring in the fall.
School needs to meet at least
75 percent - 90 students - to
ward its enrollment goal of 120
students for grades K-3 at the
new school tentatively located at
1054 Harvey Point Road, pending
state’s final blessing and a certifi-
See SCHOOL, A2
Questions
Remain
on Grant
Funding
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
An emergency meeting
planned for Hertford Town
Council last Friday was
cancelled - no quorum.
Called by Councilman
Quentin Jackson, the emer
gency meeting was sched
uled to discuss revisions
to a Waterfront grant.
Informed council view
ers knew in advance that
Councilman Jerry Mimlitch
was not going to be able to
attend the Friday’s meet
ing. Mayor Earnell Brown
nor Mayor Pro Tem Ash
ley Hodges attended the
meeting. Also, the Town
Clerk Shoniqua Powell had
a previously scheduled en
gagement.
“An emergency meeting
called over a grant appli
cation submitted months
ago and accompanied by
no read-ahead materials
or explanation is dubious
at best,” Hodges wrote
in an email to council on
Friday morning. “It’s also
hard to believe a meeting
scheduled at the last sec
ond during two members’
work day (not to mention
that of the general public)
has a legitimate purpose.
I will not be attending the
meeting because it doesn’t
meet the requirements of
the open meetings law and
I would encourage others
to do the same.”
The $50,000 USDA grant
is the foundation for the
current waterfront devel
opment and community
concept plans.
See FUNDING, A2
Seeking Change
PHOTOS BY MILES LAYTON
Before Saturday’s protest through Hertford, people seeking change bent down on their knees to pray
and pay tribute to God.
‘Movement Starts With a Spark’
Nation Founded on Rebellion
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
People gathered Saturday to
march through downtown Hert
ford for a peaceful protest aimed
at changing race relations in this
corner of the world in the wake of
George Floyd’s death, killed by a
Minneapolis police officer.
Protests from Elizabeth City to
Seattle have been taking place not
only to protest one policeman’s
brutal tactics, but to spur change
to a society that many organizers
say embraces systemic racism.
Marchers for Saturday’s pro
test carried signs that said “I can’t
breathe” as they shouted in uni-
See SPARK!A6
Hertford Police Chief Dennis Brown (left), Connie and Frank Jaklic
(center) and Tony Riddick, who spoke at the event, wait for the
march to begin that calls for systematic change in the wake of
George Floyd’s death. More than 20 people attended Saturday’s
peaceful protest through downtown Hertford.
Round-Up
Prayers
Answered
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A round-up of all things Per
quimans County...
There’s an amazing gar
den in front of a home on Market
Street behind the old library/bas-
ketball court. When I first saw the
garden, I thought that would be a
good feature - photo of the week
as to who has a great garden.
Because I got caught up with
coverage of Saturday’s peaceful
rally/protest, I forgot to go back
to the house and find out who
planted the garden.
God must have been listening
to my inner monologue about the
garden during His coffee break,
so He took it upon Himself to set
the wheels in motion to get me
the answers I needed about the
garden. All of a sudden, John
Johnson messaged me and said
the garden belongs to Thomas
Linder - always available via
Facebook.
Praise be to God. Much thanks
John and nice garden Thomas.
If you have a good looking gar
den -1 call them victory gardens
these days - send the photos to
mlayton@ncweeldies.com
Sunday is Father’s Day, so tell
dad how much you love him.
In other news, Mayor Ear-
nell Brown received a piece of
artwork wrapped only with a
note that said “Mayor” on Sunday
- anonymous artist. Mayor posted
that, “you can tell a lot of care
and thought were sewn into this
24”x 27” fabric art wall hanging.
The lion represents courage, is
strong and powerful. The gentle
butterfly represents endurance,
change, hope, and new life. There
are three embroidered butterflies.
Whoever you are, I say THANK
YOU and I hope you will allow me
to express my gratitude in person.
I will hang it in the Mayor’s office
See LAYTON, A3
Police Chiefs Visit with Floyd Family
HPD Chief Brown says family
showed forgiveness
BY CHRIS DAY AND MILES
LAYTON
Adams Publishing Group
Hertford’s police chief said if he
lost a loved one to violence he’s
not sure he could be as under
standing as George Floyd’s family.
“I don’t know if I could have
been as forgiving as they were,”
Dennis Brown says.
89076 47144' 2
Vol. 86, No. 25
@2020 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
Brown was among three area
police chiefs' who met several
members of the Floyd family
during a visit to Fayetteville, Fri
day, June 5. The other two chiefs
were Elizabeth City’s Eddie Buf
faloe and Edenton Police Chief
Henry King. The three discussed
their interaction with the family
on Thursday.
The Floyd family arrived at
the Fayetteville Regional Airport
last Friday. They were traveling
from Minneapolis, Minnesota, on
their way to the town of Raeford,
where a memorial for Floyd was
held Saturday, June 6. Raeford is
Floyd’s birth place and is located
just west of Fayetteville.
Floyd, 46, died May 25 while
in the custody of Minneapolis
See CHIEFS, A3
PHOTO COURTESY EDENTON POLICE
DEPARTMENT
Law enforcement leaders,
including Hertford Police Chief
Dennis Brown (left), assist
with handling George Floyd’s
remains, which were delivered
to family at Fayetteville
Regional Airport.
PQ Woman Warns Chowan
Board Not to Tilt at Big Wind
Badawi Laments Life near
Amazon Wind Facility
BY NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON
For the Perquimans Weekly
EDENTON — A Perquim
ans County woman advised
commissioners to be wise
with their plans to update the
county’s wind energy facility
zoning ordinance at Monday’s
Chowan County Commission
meeting.
Commissioners spent sev
eral hours hashing out the
details of a draft ordinance
amendment on wind energy
facilities. •
Before the board debated
BADAWI
lives near the
the regula
tions, sever
al members
of the public
spoke about
the facilities
including Gigi
Badawi, a
Perquimans
County res
ident, who
western side of
the Amazon Wind Facility.
Before Badawi spoke,
Commissioner Don Faircloth
attempted to have her talk
stricken from the agenda. He
noted that only one side of
the wind energy facility de ¬
See WIND, A3