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The
QUIMANS
EEKLY
“News from Next Door”
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020
$1.00
PAGE A6
Tri-County Animal
Shelter's Pets of the
Week
PAGE Bl
Pirates keep hold
of their top ranking
in conference
PAGE B2
Interact Club sends
Christmas greetings
to eldery
Hertford Creating Phone Alert System
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Starting in about two weeks,
Town of Hertford will start no
tifying citizens of emergencies
and events through a phone call
system.
The Town will have the ca
pability to send mass messag
es, group calls or just call an
individual citizen with Town
business. New system will alert
HURDLE
citizens to emer
gencies and un
planned events.
“We ask all
citizens to call
or stop by the
office to update
your contact
information,”
Town Manag
er Pam Hurdle
said. “This is an effort to have
our citizens informed about the
Town and surrounding events
and news as soon as they hap
pen.”
Hurdle said the system, which
will take about two weeks to
build, gets its call information
from the Town’s utility custom
ers. She advises people to up
date the system with their most
recent phone numbers because
there may be many accounts
with old phone numbers that
have been changed.
Folks can call 252-426-5311 or
come by town hall to update in
formation.
Town Hall’s move to a phone
alert system comes on the heels
of series of recent unplanned
events that occurred within a
few days of each other includ
ing a shooting, boil advisories
and a gas line rupture.
Perquimans County has a sim
ilar alert system in place that is
known as Code Red.
To register for that system,
citizens need to go to the coun
ty’s web page - click under de
partments on the website, then
click Emergency Services and
then the Code Red sign up link
will be on that page. See: https://
www.perquimanscountync.gov/
departments/emergency-ser-
vices
Miles Layton can be reached at
mlayton@ncweeldies.com
Former
HPD
Officer
Convicted
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Dallas Dewayne Hale, for
merly a sergeant for the Hert
ford Police Department, was
convicted recently of misde
meanor assault and battery in
Perquimans County Court.
When HPD responded to a
report of a domestic dispute
around 1:20 a.m. Feb. 29, Lo
renzo Blount allegedly refused
to obey police instructions,
became verbally hostile, resist
ed arrest, threatened Hale and
spat on him, according to court
documents. Hale used force to
subdue Blount.
According to court docu
ments, Hale punched Lorenzo
Blount in the head while Blount
was in handcuffs.
The incident was recorded
by both body-worn and dash
board vehicle cameras.
Hired Jan. 7, HPD terminated
Hale March 5 alleging “exces
sive use of force.”
NC State Bureau of Investiga
tion initiated an investigation to
determine whether to suspend
or revoke Hale’s certification as
a law enforcement officer.
Hale was arrested Sept. 3 by
the Surry County Sheriff’s De
partment and charged with mis
demeanor assault and battery.
Hale plead not guilty, but was
convicted Wednesday (Dec. 9)
in Perquimans County Court.
He was sentenced to unsuper
vised probation and to pay as
sociated court costs and fees.
According to court docu
ments, Blount plans to appeal
his case to Perquimans County
Superior Court.
.SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Because Piedmont Natural Gas crews had been working around the clock to repair a gas line that
ruptured last week by Wynne Fork Road, crews were able to complete repairs Tuesday - 24 hours
ahead of schedule.
Piedmont Repairs Gas Leak
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Piedmont Natural Gas finished
repairing the ruptured gas line on
Tuesday, according to Perquim
ans County Emergency Services.
Gas line was damaged Dec. 8
by a state Department of Trans
portation bridge construction
crew during the erection of a new
bridge on Wynne Fork Road.
Monday morning, crews suc
cessfully installed the newly built
bypass line.
Work on Tuesday connected
the new line to the existing nat
ural gas transmission infrastruc
ture and tested the system.
Monday’s inclement weath
er did not delay construction as
expected, and PNG was able to
complete the work a full 24 hours
ahead of schedule, according to
Julie M. Solesbee, Public Infor
mation Office for Perquimans
County Emergency Services.
During the repair work, cus-
For about a week, motorists were advised to avoid traveling near
where the gas line was being repaired at Wynne Fork Road.
tomers in northeastern North
Carolina continued to receive re-
liable natural gas service to heat
r homes and fuel businesses.
Displaced families were able
return to their homes Tuesday
evening.
Solesbee said of the more than
20 households that had to evacu
ate after the gas line ruptured, six
households were still evacuated
as of Monday evening. PNG pro
vided various lodging for those
that have been impacted.
The new bypass line is fully
operational and natural gas is no
longer being released into the air.
During the past week, residents
See GAS, A3
Round-up
Thanks Santa,
Brothers and
Planter’s Ridge
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A round-up of all things Perqui
mans County...
First, letters to Santa will be
published in the Dec. 24 edition -
lot of good letters.
Moreover, see what Santa had
to say about these letters - it’s a
surprise. Also, a story about Santa
will appear in next week’s Perquim
ans Weekly.
A taste of what’s to come,
here’s a couple of letters to Santa
from Tammy Murray’s second
grade class at Perquimans Central
School:
Dear Santa, Hello! My name is
Ashlyn. I am 7 years old. This year
I have been an absolute angel! The
nicest things I did this year are I
helped other people, fed a home
less lady, and helped my mom do
things. I hope you, Mrs. Claus and
the reindeer have been well! A few
gifts I’m wishing for this Christmas
are a Baby Alive baby doll and new
bike. Have a safe trip on Christmas
Eve! Love, Ashlyn
Dear Santa, Hello! My name is
Brycen. I am 7 years old. This year
I have been pretty good. The nicest
things I did this year are I helped
See ROUND-UP, A3
State Funds Available for Home Repairs
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Local home owners needing re
pairs should consider applying for
a state grant to perhaps fix those
wobbly back porch steps or that
hole in the roof.
North Carolina’s Housing Fi
nance Agency’s Essential Sin
gle-Family Rehabilitation (ESFR)
program finances major repairs
for homeowners who are elderly
or have disabilities and whose in
Vol. 86, No. 51
@2020 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
comes are 80 percent or below of
the median for their area.
Perquimans County residents
are eligible to apply for consid
eration on a rotating, three-year
basis, and there is $160,000 in
funds remaining in the balance for
2020. The next opportunity in PQ
should be 2023. There are several
qualifying factors to the program.
Assistance is provided through
local governments or nonprof
it agencies that partner with the
state. These local organizations
determine if you are eligible and if
so, contract for and supervise the
work.
If you are approved, you could
receive assistance in the form of a
secured but interest-free, deferred
loan, forgiven at $5,000 a year, to
pay for necessary repairs.
“The ESFRLP is a wonderful
program - not only does it offer
residents the opportunity to repair
and stay in their homes, it contrib
utes to local preservation efforts
and improves property values
in the community,” said Sharon
Smith, Special Projects Adminis
trator Albemarle Commission.
Homeowners who wish to be
considered should contact Mike
Barnette, program manager with
McDavid Associates as soon as
possible. Apply before midnight
Dec. 31 so as to get the process
started at https://www.ncltfa.com/
curfent-homeowners/repair-your-
home/single-family-rehabilita-
tion-program
Albemarle Commission ES
FRLP Eligibility Criteria
Households are eligible if:
■ Homes must be owner-occu
pied; the homeowner must have
been living in the home for at least
6 months from the date of applica
tion.
■ Households must meet the
low-income eligibility require
ments - no more than 80% of the
county’s median family income
(the program uses the U.S. De
partment of H.U.D.’s adjusted in
come limits by household size).
Perquimans County - $40,000
■ Homeowners must be cur
rent on property taxes or on a pay
ment plan for delinquent property
taxes. If on a payment plan, its
terms must be current and will re
quire official, written verification
(on department letterhead) from
the Tax Department.
■ The total after-rehab value
of the intended property must be
less than 95% of thearea median
purchase price (HUD) to qualify
as affordable housing.
■ Applicants must have home-
owner’s insurance and provide a
copy of the policy as a part of their
application packet.
■ Applicants must be current
on their mortgage payments or
show documentation of satisfac
tion of Deed of Trust.
■ Homes may not have a pend
ing foreclosure.
' ■ Properties are eligible if they
meet all of the following require
ments:
■ The property must require at
least $5,000 of improvements.
■ The property must not cur-
See REPAIRS, A3