QU I MANS
EEKLY
“News from Next Door”
THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2020
$1.00
NEWS
State officials and regional environ
mental groups are warning residents
to keep out of local waterways as
algae has been found in Chowan River,
Albemarle Sound — A2
COMMUNITY
Hertford Rotary Club installs new officers
and raised money for efforts to eradicate
polio — Bl
Group Challenges Petition Drive
Rejects Call for Jackson,
Norman to Resign
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A new group has formed to chal
lenge a petition drive that seeks to
change Councilmen Frank Norman
and Quentin Jackson’s conduct and
asks for their resignations if civil
ity doesn’t return during Hertford
Town Council meetings.
Uptown Making A Difference
(U-MAD) was formed recently
to counter Friends of Hertford
whose door-to-door petition drive
has gathered hundreds of signa
tures from residents seeking an
end to council meetings they con
tend have been “an embarrassing
mockery to our community” be
cause of Jackson and Norman’s
“combative, disrespectful and un
productive behavior.”
U-MAD rejects the idea of Nor
man and Councilman Jackson re
signing.
“The councilmen were elected
through the democratic process,”
said Lawrence Jackson in a letter
to the editor submitted Monday
night during another marathon
length council meeting. “If they
are to be removed, it should also
be through the democratic elec
tion process. We want to make
this perfectly clear that the pe
tition being circulated does not
reflect the opinion of all Hertford
citizens. What arrogance of cer
tain citizens to suggest that all citi
zens must have the same opinion.”
See PETITION, A3
Committee
OKs Plans
for Charter
School
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
RALEIGH — NC Charter
School Advisory Committee unan
imously recommended Tuesday
to the NC Board of Education that
Elaine Riddick Charter School be
open for classes when the new
school year starts in August
Advisory committee said the
charter "school meets all the guide
lines needed for state approval to
move forward.
School’s charter has already ,
been approved by the NC Board of !
Education.
School leaders assured the ad
visory committee that they are
confident that necessary upgrades
to the the 22,500-square-foot fa
cility would be completed before
school starts.
Located at 1054 Harvey Point
Road, the school was granted a
conditional use permit in June by
the Hertford Planning and Zoning
Board.
In June, the state advisory com
mittee told the school’s organizers
that the school needs to meet at
least 75 percent of its enrollment
goal of 120 students—90 students |
— before the committee issues its
final approval.
Tuesday, school proponents
said at least 105 students plan to
attend the tuition free grades K-3
charter school this fall and recruit
ment remains active.
The school will be managed
by Torchlight Academy, a Ra- j
leigh-based charter school
There was no comment from
school leaders in time for this re
port
According to the school’s web-
site, ERCS will serve grades K-3
in its first year of operation (2020-
2021), and the school will add one
grade level per year until reaching
Grades K-8. Any student may ap- j
Ply.
The school selects students us
ing a random lottery. Once a stu
dent is accepted in the school, the
student is not required to reapply
each year.
For example, a student who is
accepted in kindergarten may re- ;
main enrolled in the school until
the completion of GradeS without
having to submit a new applica
tion each year.
The charter school is governed
by a volunteer board of directors
that meets each month.
School’s website lists the Board
of Directors as Mary Felton, who
will serve chairperson, Tony Rid
dick as secretary, Hortense Dodo
as treasurer, along with Kofi
Konan and Archie Aples as board
members.
89076 47144
Vol. 86, No. 28
@2020 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
6
2
Fun Fourth PQ Style
PHOTO BY KIM ULLOM
PHOTO BY ANNETTE PARR
Wouldn’t be the Fourth of July without some fireworks. Though the
bright lights were in short supply, Steamers’ game Friday showed
“the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof through
the night that our flag was still there.”
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Dressed in red, white and blue
on July 4, Gary Lico represents
the best that Perquimans
County has to offer in terms of
character, a friendly smile and
patriotic spirit. See more Fourth r
of July photos on page Bl.
Mike Ervin to lead
Albemarle Commission
BY NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON
AND REGGIE PONDER
Adams Publishing Group
On Thursday, July 2, Edenton
Historical Commission said fare-
well to Executive Director Mike
Ervin with a send-off at the Barker
House.
Ervin, 69, started his new job
at the Hertford-based Albemarle
Commission on Monday, July 6,
after serving four and a half years
as head of the history-focused
nonprofit.
The commission focuses on the
Area Agency on Aging, senior nu
trition, rural planning, workforce
development and economic devel
opment.
Edenton Historical Commis
sion President Joy Harvill said she
PHOTO BY ANNETTE PARR
Many decorated carts participated in the Holiday Island Yacht
Club’s Fourth of July parade.
will serve as executive director
until the group “can find the right
person for the job.”
Tom Newbern will become
commission chair while Harvill
takes a leave of absence to fulfill
the executive director abilities.
During Ervin’s time as exec
utive director, the Edenton His
torical Commission has grown
and the demands of his role have
changed. Within the past few
years, the commission completed
renovations to the Chowan Coun
ty Jail and received a donation of
the oldest house in North Caroli
na. It also took over operations of
the Edenton trolley.
Because of these changes, Har
vill said she wants to do the job
See ERVIN, A3
Uncle Sam, John Mazur,
with his mask on, leads the
Holiday Island Yacht Club’s
4th of July Golf Cart Parade.
PHOTO BY
SARA WINSLOW
American
flag hangs
high
above the
Perquimans
River.
NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON/CHOWAN HERALD
Mike Ervin stands in the Penelope Barker House on Thursday, July
2, as he works his last day as executive director of the Edenton
Historical Commission. He is now executive director of Albemarle
Commission, based in Hertford.
Round-up
Gar and
Algae
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A round-up of all things Per
quimans County-
According to court docu
ments, Councilman Quentin Jack
son celebrated a birthday July
3 - he turns 35 years old. Bless his
heart; that means Jackson is old
enough to be eligible to run for
president. Imagine a debate be
tween Jackson and Trump! That’d
be must-see TV! Happy Birthday
Councilman Jackson.
J.P. Burket of Hertford recent
ly caught a longnose gar about
45 inches long. That’s something.
These fish have long sharp teeth
and are ferocious predators in the
! shallows around our waters. On
occasion when I see a bleached
Jurassic-era skeleton washed
up on a sandy beach, I thank my
lucky stars I wasn’t swimming in
that spot by the Albemarle Sound.
Met Ellen Haring - thx for
See LAYTON, A3
PHOTO BY ANNE BURKET
J.P. Burket caught this 45 inch
gar Sunday in the Perquimans
River. His 10-year-old daughter
Anne called it a monster fish.