QUIMANS
§
EEKLY
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“News from Next Door THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020 $1.00
Happy New Year!
PAGE A6
Tri-County Animal
Shelter's Pets of the
Week
Tanya Turner named 2020 Person of the Year
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Perquimans Weekly’s 2020 Person
of the Year is Perquimans Schools
Superintendent Tanya Turner.
Tinner’s leadership paved the
way toward dealing head-on with a
COVID-19 pandemic that changed
education in many ways.
A meal distribution system had to
be organized and great strides were
made to connect students to the
classrooms via the internet, particu
larly in places where web access is
limited or nonexistent
When school doors were closed
in March, a plan was needed to feed
a county full of school aged children
- a daunting task that required God’s
attention, maybe a miracle. Perqui
mans Schools’ administration had
to do what had never been done be
fore, so plans were set in motion that
included drop-off sites and bus runs.
More than 30 transportation and
school nutrition employees heeded
the call to make sure that each child
had a warm meal, whether they live
in Bethel or Belvidere. Plans directed
school buses to deliver meals in the
community and to local churches for
pick-up. Meals were at no cost to the
students
“I believe when you are in the
hands and feet of Jesus, He bless
es you in those efforts,” Turner
said. “He’s blessing our community
through unsung heroes. It’s beautiful
to see.
Since internet access is not avail
able to many places in the county,
Intelliport has been donating its time
and the means to set up different lo
cations to provide internet access to
students.
“During a very difficult and stress
ful time, Intelliport’s Steve Lane is
trying eliminate that digital divide for
our students that he didn’t have to
See TURNER, A2
SUPERINTENDENT TANYA TURNER
Basnight’
Legacy Echoes
an Eternity for
Eastern NC
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Marc Basnight, a former state
senator who was a strong advo
cate for northeastern North Caro
lina, died Monday at his home in
BASNIGHT
Manteo.
Basnight, 73,
was first elect
ed to the North
Carolina State
Senate in 1984
and represented
the First District
until he stepped
down due to
health issues in
2011 that was
later diagnosed as a form of ALS,
Lou Gherig’s Disease.
A Democrat who served 26
years in the Senate, Basnight’s
nine two-year terms as Senate
president pro tempore made him
the longest-serving head of a leg
islative body in North Carolina
history.
Bom in Manteo and graduate
of Manteo High School in 1966,
Basnight served as chairman of
the Dare County Tourism Bureau
fixrm 1974 to 1976, before being
named to the North Carolina
Board of Transportation in 1977
by then-Gov. Jim Hunt
Basnight was a humble guy
whose legacy will echo an eter
nity, particularly for folks who’ve
seen the many changes that have
taken place between Ahoskie and
Manteo.
“It is likely that the breadth and
extent of Mark’s legislative career
will never be matched,” said Bill
Culpepper, a former NC House
Representative who represented
2nd House district, including con
stituents in Chowan, Dare, Gates,
Perquimans and Tyrrell counties.
“It is for sure that what he accom
plished during Iris tenure in office
will continue to benefit northeast
ern North Carolina generations to
come.”
State Senator Bob Steinburg
(R-Chowan), who currently rep
resents the First District, called
Basnight a “legend” for his public
service to region and state.
‘Tt is likely no one individual
will ever hold the reigns of abso
lute power in this state like he did,”
he said. “He utilized his position
for much good and Eastern North
Carolina, an area often neglected
in budgets in the years preceding
Basnight, was now securely a big
part of the bierririal budget discus
sions and ultimate appropriations.
See BASNIGHT, A6
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89076 47144
Vol. 86, No. 53
PerquimansWeekly.com
@ 2020 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
PHOTO BY SARA WINSLOW
At the end of the May day in Perquimans County, paradise was measured moment to moment,
perhaps becoming memories that are forever etched in the mind’s eye.
Council Battles, Hurricane Isaias,
Racial Unrest, Gas Line Rupture
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Editor’s Note: Here is an an
notated list of the Perquimans
Weekly’s most newsworthy sto
ries of the 2020 through May. A
I story with the other part of2020
will appear in the Jan. 6 edition.
2
January
Public records request re
veals mayor’s purchases
Perquimans Weekly filed a
public records request Jan. 16 to
learn more about the purchase of
$1,399 worth of furniture and re
lated office accessories.
Town Hall responded by pro
viding a list of the items pur
chased, photos and a memo from
Mayor Earnell Brown explaining
the reasons why the expenditures
were made.
“Improved communication
was one of my top priority cam
paign objectives,” Brown writes
in the memo dated Jan. 6. “Hence,
one of my first accomplishments
after election, with then Mayor
(Horace) Reid’s approval, was to
set up my office to receive citi
zens, potential new residents and
businesses, as to conduct effec
tive meetings in a professional in
spiring environment that encour
ages positive dialogue with all and
to aspire our youth, through ex
ample, that they too can achieve
their highest potential.”
List provided by Town Hall in
cludes purchases of a desk, con
ference table, computer monitor,
TV mount, file cabinet, bookcase,
pencil drawer, carpet floor mat,
dry erase board, printer, paper
shredder, etc. Biggest purchases
were the Bowery Hill Executive
desk for $456 (price includes
tax and shipping) and a 42-inch
wooden conference table for
$227. Prior to the purchases, the
mayor’s office was a very simple,
Spartan place filled with the bare
essentials - a desk, a trio of 70s’
era chairs, a bookshelf - space
reminiscent of a junior grade
army officer’s staff office when
3
PHOTO BY
MILES LAYTON
In March,
Hertford Mayor
Earnell Brown
and Councilman
Jerry Mimlitsch
gave out hot
meals by First
Baptist Church.
The meals were
prepared by
Captain Bob’s
and McDonalds
and served by
Hertford Town
Council among
other dedicated
public servants.
the Board of Education an update as to plans to provide learning
access and distribute meals to students while schools are closed.
serving in a far flung theater of
operations.
Brown’s memo that echoes
what she said to council during a
back and forth dialogue she was
having with Councilmen Frank
Norman and Quentin Jackson,
who first brought the matter to
the public’s attention during the
Jan. 6 work session. Brown de
feated Jackson’s bid for mayor in
the Nov. 5 municipal election in
2019.
Subsequently, there had been
some question as to whether
Brown would be able to take the
oath as mayor and Jerry Mim
litsch along with Ashley Hodges
would be able to take their oaths
as new council members.
Soon after the election, Jack-
son sought an injunction to halt
the new council from being
sworn-in so as to have more time
to address his issues from Novem
ber’s municipal election when he
lost his bid for mayor. However,
a Wake County Court dismissed
Jackson’s attempts to overturn
the election, so the mayor and
new councilmen were sworn-in
Dec. 6.
During this contentious time
period, Brown submitted a list
of items on Nov. 14 for purchase
to Town Manager Pam Hurdle,
according to the mayor’s memo.
Jackson, who was then serving as
mayor pro-tern, tried to block the
purchase. Mayor Reid intervened
and approved the requisition of
the furniture and office accesso
ries.
February
Town Council OKs Travel
Policy, Lifts Spending Freeze
See 2020, A3
4
Round-up
Happy
New Year
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A round-upofafithingsPerquim-
ans County...
Al. First, we’d like to thank
Santa Claus for his assistance in
providing the newspaper a website:
PerquimansWeekly.com
Next, a nod of praise goes to
Janice Butts, a longtime employee
I for the Perquimans
■ School system.
She works in
the cafeteria as a
cashier at Perqui
mans County High
School and drives
a bus for Hertford
Grammar and
JANICE thehighschool
riittS Because of their
(PCHS) COVID
schedule, Butts
works at Perquimans Central School
cafeteria on Thursdays.
“Ms. Janice is one of the sweetest,
most humble people you will ever
meet She will encourage you when
you are down, give you “the word”
and keep you lifted in prayer-all the
while, you will hardly ever know
when she herself is going through
something or down herself,” said
Kimberly Cullipher, PQ Schools’
i Nutrition Director. “She always lias
1 asmile for you! We joke that she
keeps everybody in line and makes
sure they are following the rules. The
funny tiling is; everyone listens. The
students love her just as much as we
do. She has touched so many lives in
her years with PQ Schools. We(the
School Nutrition Department) are
so blessed to have Ms. Butts on our
team! She is truly irreplaceable. I am
so excited to hear about this surprise!
What an amazing way to honor
someone so incredibly special.”
PQ Schools’ Transportation
Director Jeff Miller added, “Ms. Butts
is everything abus driver is supposed
to be. Her attendance and dedication
the last 27 years, only missing 7 days
I ofwork and completing her 12th
year of perfect attendance this year
speaks for itself. However, her job
performance is much more than her
attendance record She is a mentor,
role model and sets the standard for
: her students and fellow employees.
She is a hard worker, but an even
i better person to work with. Her
service and dedication to the safe
and efficient transportation for our
students does not go unnoticed. She’s
a tremendous asset to our team!”
In sports news, stories have been
hard to come by because of the
holidays, but here’s this nugget.
The Perquimans County High
J • School volleyball team defeated Man
teo 25-14, 25-14,25-17 TUesday night
at Perquimans County High School
Perquimans (126,66 Albemarle
Athletic Conference) bested Manteo
! (0-9, (ISAAC) in the league match.
Perquimans returns to action Jan.
See ROUNDUP, A3
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