QUIMANS
EEKLY
"News from Next Door”
THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020
$1.00
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THIS WEEK IN NC HISTORY
On July 25,1960, Greensboro lunch count
ers opened to sitting customers of all races
for the first time. — B3
COMMUNITY
Hertford Grammar School’s Ross
connects with students — Bl
Confederate Monument’s Future Discussed
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Perquimans County Commis
sion began a discussion about the
future of the Confederate monu
ment located by the county court-
house.
Monday’s work session did not
decide the fate of the monument,
but revealed what commissioners
are thinking as other monuments
are moved or dismantled across
the nation.
A few key takeaways - the
county has not spent any money
for maintenance of the Confeder ¬
ate monument that was dedicated
106 years ago in 1913 by Hertford’s
chapter of the United Daughters
of the Confederacy on the court-
house green. County has mowed
the grass and paid $1,500 for a
brick walkway by the monument
that connects it with the other
monuments in front of the court-
house.
Though the 110-year old mon
ument dedicated in 1910 to Afri
can-American Union troops is on
private property located at the
corner of Hyde and King streets,
the county is pursuing a $60,000
grant to pay for necessary repairs
among other things associated
with Hertford’s Civil War heritage.
More about this monument to
African-American troops appears
in a column written by Joseph
Hoffler within the Perquimans
Weekly’s opinion page on A4.
A 2015 law passed by state law
makers prohibited the removal
of “objects of remembrance” like
Confederate monuments from
public property without state ap
proval. The law, however, includ
ed several exceptions, one allow
ing removal if the monument has
become a “threat to public safety
because of an unsafe or danger ¬
ous condition.”
Recently, Hertford Town Coun
cil requested the Town Manager
to draft a letter to the County re
questing removal of the Confed
erate monument from the Court
house grounds by a vote of 4-1.
Council will probably vote on the
actual letter content during its for
mal session in August.
Pasquotank County is making
plans to Confederate monument
from the courthouse square, using
the “public safety” exception in
state law allowing its removal.
Recently, Pasquotank’s Board
of Commissioners voted 4-3 to
move the monument and have
the board’s Special Projects Com
mittee determine where it will go.
That board is expected to meet
next month.
Hoffer said the Confederate
monument symbolizes slavery
and should be moved off public
property. He spoke of the evils of
slavery and how the monument
represents repression to Black
people.
Commissioner Charles Wood
ard made an impassioned speech
about history and suggested that
See MONUMENT, A3
Steinburg
meets
President
Trump
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Editor’s Note: This is the
first of a two-parPstory about
NC Senator Bob Steinburg’s
visit last week with President
Donald Trump.
A once in a lifetime ex ¬
perience, NC Senator Bob
Steinburg, R-Chowan, talked
STEINBURG
to President
Trump in
person last
Thursday in
the Oval Of
fice.
Steinburg
and six other
leading mem
bers of the
A crane prepares to drive a test piling at the future site of the new Hertford S-Bridge.
GOP delega ¬
tion from the
General Assembly, including
Senate President Pro Tern Phil
Berger were in Washington,
DC, to attend a speech about
the high costs of government
red tape given by Trump.
Earlier in the day, Sen. Berg
er participated in a roundtable
discussion on deregulation
with leaders from other states
and senior White House offi
cials, including EPA Admin
istrator Andrew Wheeler and
Director of the National Eco
nomic Council Larry Kudlow.
Trump’s Rose Garden
speech addressed the need
to lift the regulatory burdens
holding back job and income
growth. That speech was giv
en during a day that was ex
ceedingly hot with tempera
tures soaring into the 90s.
Steinburg recalled a bit of
humor when Trump joked
about his hair.
“’You know how important
water is,’ the President said.
‘You know water is very im
portant to me. It’s very import
ant for people to go to clean
up. He said you got to wash
your hair and you know how
important that is with me in
particular and how I am about
my hair.’ And of course that
got a big laugh.”
Steinburg said after the
See STEINBURG, A2
89076 47144
Vol. 86, No. 30
@2020 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
S-Bridge Closes for Repairs
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
The NC Department of
Transportation closed the
S-Bridge causeway Monday
to all traffic, but it may re
open later this week.
Tim Hass, DOT commu
nications officer Division
1, said the closure was un
planned. He said the deci
sion to close the causeway
to traffic was made Monday
based upon the discovery of
two holes in the asphalt. In
spection revealed a void un
der the asphalt.
Hass said DOT crews per
formed excavation along the
causeway Tuesday morning
in an effort to determine the
exact scope of work.
“They plan to under-
See S-BRIDGE, A3
PHOTO BY
SARA WINSLOW
A recent
photo shows
the ongoing
work to
replace the
S-Bridge.
Round-up
Dogs
and Eggs
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A round-up of all things Perquim-
ansCounty...
Elora and Brett Hutchins
of Hertford are raising Boykin Spaniels
-11 puppies - who will start going to
their future home Aug. 1. Nicknamed
“swamp poodles,” these dogs are bred
for hunting wild turkeys and ducks.
According to wikipedia, this spaniel
is a friendly, social dog that is con
sidered a good family pet It is easily
trained and eager to work. It is good
with, and extremely stable around chil
dren and other dogs. They can some
times be described as energetic with
great endurance. They are extremely
adaptable to different environments as
long as they are given ample opportu
nity for social interaction and plenty of
time to bum off excess energy reserves.
They are not easily angered and tend to
be eager to please and friendly, but they
love attention.
Noted author Patricia Throckmor
ton found abig snake trying to beat
the heat last week in her bam. Who
can blame the critter that looked to be
about five feet long, maybe a couple of
inches or so wide.
Civil Rights Leader John Lewis died
July 17. See page Bl to learn more
about Lewis’ life. During one of Coun
cilman Quentin Jackson's taxpayer
funded trips, costing thousands of
dollars, to attend various conferences
across the country last year, he had a
brush with greatness when he took
a selfie that featured him alongside
Lewis, who served in the United States
House of Representatives for Georgia’s
5th congressional district from 1987
until Iris death.
Worth noting, Jackson represents
North Carolina as a Regional Director
(Region 18) of the National Black Cau
cus of Local Elected Officials.
The NBC-LEO is a network and
caucus within tire National League of
Cities that represents the interests of
African American local elected officials,
Only two other North Carolinians, past
See LAYTON,A3
Out-Of-State Donors Pump Funds into NC House Race
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Campaign finance reports for
the second quarter reveal that
mostly out of state donors have
contributed to Democrat Emily
Nicholson’s campaign to unseat
NC House District 1 Ed Good-
win, R-Chowan.
2 In Nicholson’s first bid for
elective office, she raised
$128,695 between February and
June with the vast bulk of those
funds coming
from donors
living in places
between Cali
fornia to Virgin
ia, according to
her latest cam
paign finance
report filed July
10 with the NC
GOODWIN
NICHOLSON
ter. Overall,
Nicholson has
raised $136,149.
Donors con
tributed $8,600
to Goodwin’s
re-election the
second quar
ter with most
of those funds
Board of Elec
tions.
Nicholson reported $7,454
donations during the first quar-
coming from
local contributors. Goodwin
raised $14,622 during the first
quarter an overall, has raised
$22,822.
A former educator and mother
of three young daughters, Nich
olson, 32, works for NC Com
merce Department Workforce
Development office for north-
eastern NC. She is the daughter
of Richard and Jean Bunch of
Tyner. Listed as the campaign’s
treasurer, Richard Bunch for
merly worked as executive di
rector of the Edenton-Chowan
See HOUSE, A3