THE
QUIMANS
EEKLY
"News from Next Door^
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 $1.00
NEWS
Tri-County Animal
Shelter Pets of the Week
— A6
COMMUNITY
Ministry helps victims of
tornado in Bertie — Bl
HISTORY
Loco-Motion debuts — B4
State BOE Delays Charter School Opening
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
The State Board of Edu
cation approved on Friday
a one-year delay in opening
the Elaine Riddick Charter
School in Hertford.
The state board said it de
layed the school’s planned
Aug. 17 opening because the
school’s building was not
ready, enrollment require
ments had not been met, and
there are unresolved matters
regarding insurance.
The board received a letter
Friday from the Elaine Rid
dick Charter School Board of
Directors requesting a one-
year delay.
Despite the rain on Sat
urday, the charter school’s
principal, Mary Felton, went
door-to-door in Hertford,
reassuring parents that the
board had to request the de
lay because of complications
arising from the COVID-19
pandemic.
Last week, the school sent
a letter to parents explain
ing the board ran into delays
completing the renovations
needed to open the school in
a 22,500-square-foot facility
at 1054 Harvey Point Road by
Monday.
“On behalf of the board
and school, we apologize and
sincerely thank you for your
support of the school,” wrote
Tony Riddick, a member of
the school’s board of direc
tors.
In July, school leaders
sought approval from the N.C.
Charter Advisory Committee
See CHARTER, A2
Election
Less Than
3 Months
Away
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Perquimans County Board
of Elections is in search of
poll workers to help operate
its three early voting sites and
several sites on Election Day,
Nov. 3.
As always, early voting was
held at the Board of Elections
office located at 601 S Eden
ton Rd St, Hertford, NC 27944.
Due to the coronavirus pan
demic, early voting will also
be held at two locations to al
low for safe social-distancing
practices that are the Durants
Neck Ruritan building located
at 2151 New Hope Rd, Herford
and the Bethel Ruritan build
ing located at 392 Snug Harbor
Rd, Hertford.
All sites will operate on the
same schedule:
• 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mon
day-Friday, Oct. 15-Oct. 30
• 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays,
Oct. 17, 24, 31
• 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Sundays,
Oct. 18, 25
Also, the Board of Election
is seeking a part-time assistant
for help in processing registra
tions, office work.
To become a poll worker
or for information on the No
vember election, contact the
Board of Elections at (252)
426-5598.
In other election related
news, only about 5 percent
of North Carolina voters cast
absentee ballots in the 2016
presidential election but state
election officials expect that
number to jump to around 40
percent this November be
cause of the COVID-19 pan
demic.
Patrick Gannon, spokes
man for the North Carolina
State Board of Elections, said
that as of Monday more than
183,000 voters had requested
to vote absentee by mail. At
the same time in 2016 — 83
days before the election —
just over 23,000 voters had re
quested an absentee ballot.
Local elections officials are
seeing a similar uptick.
Two counties — Pasquotank
and Chowan — have already
received more requests for ab
sentee ballots than voters who
cast absentee ballots in 2016.
Pasquotank has received
over 500 requests for absentee
ballots. That’s compared to
Students Return to PQ Schools
70% Opt for In-Person Learning;
30% Choose Remote Education
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Perquimans Corrnty school
doors opened for the first time
since March as students started
classes this week for the 2020-21
academic year.
Students entering the
See STUDENTS, A3
Hospital Foundation Awards $105K
Round-Up
Schools
Open and
Murder
Hornets
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A round-up of all things
Perquimans County...
Perquimans County
High School has a new princi
pal, Mickey Drew.
Previously,
DREW
Drew worked
as principal at
Central Ele
mentary within
Elizabeth-City/
Pasquotank
Public Schools
before return
ing to Pirates’
country.
Drew began
his career in
teaching in 1996 where he
spent 18 years teaching all
areas of science including AP
Biology, Physics, Chemistry,
Biology, Physical Science
and Earth Science as well as
serving as a coach in Camden
County and Martin County.
Drew served two years
as assistant principal at
Perquimans County High
School from 2012-2014 and
then moved on to serve as a
principal with Elizabeth City-
See ROUND-UP, A3
See ELECTION, A3
6 1 89076 47144
2
Vol. 86, No. 34
@2020 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
BY STAFF REPORTS
Vidant Chowan Hospital
presented Community Benefit
Grants checks to grantees on
Wednesday, August 12th. Twen
ty-four (24) grant applications
submitted by local organizations
representing Chowan, Perqui
mans, Tyrrell and Washington
Counties were approved for fund
ing.
The organizations all provide
programs and offer services that
See HOSPITAL, A2
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Chowan
Hospital
Foundation
Executive
Director
Ginny Waff
(left) awards
Jonathan
Nixon,
Perquimans
County
Emergency
Management
director, a
grant.
Council
Reappoints
Hoffler to
ABC Board
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
When Hertford Town Coun
cil resumed its multi-hour
Monday meeting on Tuesday
evening (Aug. 11), there was
discussion about proposals
to initiate planning efforts to
develop a Community Plan
and a more detailed plan for
public improvements on the
northern riverfront.
In June, Town of Hertford
was awarded a $145,200
grant from the US Depart
ment of Agriculture to for
mulate a plan to develop the
waterfront.
Council approved plans for
Town Hall to pursue request
for quotations from vendors
See COUNCIL, A2