QIIMANS
EEKLY
‘'News from Next Door”
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021
$1.00
PAGE A6
Tri-County Animal
Shelter Pets of the Week
PAGE Bl
2020 in review, part 2
PAGE B3
Flush 2020: Reader say farewell
to the year
Town Council Discusses Staff Salary Increases
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Monday’s multi-hour Hert
ford Town Council work session
touched on a number of topics.
First, Hertford Police Captain
Gilbert Rodriguez has resigned.
Perquimans Weekly has reached
out to HPD Chief Dennis Brown
for comment about Rodriguez
and the reasons for staff turnover
within the department that has
seen many changes to the duty
roster within the past year or so.
Newspaper has also reached
out to Rodriguez for official com
ment.
Neither Brown nor Rodriguez
offered comment before press
time.
In other news, Harry Sanchez
has been hired as interim public
works director.
Sanchez takes the reigns from
Dwan Bell, whose last official
day was Tuesday, Jan. 5. Bell was
hired as public works director for
See COUNCIL, A2
PHOTO BY
MILES LAYTON
Hertford Police
Captain Gilbert
Rodriguez
assists with
handing out
meals in March
to help the
needy.
Murphy
Objects to
Certifying
EC Vote
Rowell’s Words
Winslow Oil Fire Remembered
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Congressman Greg Murphy,
R-3rd District, voted to object
to certifying the Electoral Col
lege vote.
Speaking to Henry Hinton
MURPHY
on Talk of the
Town on Tues
day, Murphy
said he made
the right de
cision after a
careful review
of the evidence
that questions
the integrity of
the presidential
election, par ¬
ticularly in Pennsylvania among I
other battleground states, and
by listening to his constituents,
a majority of whom said he
should object.
Murphy said he made the de
cision based on facts, not emo
tions.
“I swore an oath to the Con
stitution of the United States
when I came into office and I
take that with his grave of seri
ousness as I do anything in my
life,” he said. “I did not swear an
oath to a party. I did not swear
an oath to a person I swore an
oath to the United States Con
stitution.”
Murphy said it was not an
easy decision to make, but that
it was the right thing to do.
“I want to make sure that
there is airtight evidence that
my decision can actually be
backed up, in fact, and backed
up constitutionally and cannot
be refuted to be very very hon
est with you,” Murphy said. “I
have gone back and forth on
this decision. I will tell you it’s
not an easy decision because
I’m not basing it on emotions.
I’m trying to base this upon rea
son.”
However, Murphy contend
ed that while he and other
members of Republican con
gress planned to object when
the Electoral College vote that
took place Wednesday, he knew
these actions would not over
turn the reported results of the
election because Democrats
control the House of Represen
tatives.
Shortly after the interview,
Murphy posted this statement
to social media:
Americans deserve a free,
fair, and accurate election.
Worst Fire in Town History
BY WILLIAM ROWELL
F orty-three years ago
this week Hertford’s
normalcy and calm
ness were suddenly inter
rupted at 7:55 AM on Tues
day, January 10, 1978, with
an explosion at Winslow Oil
Company.
Two tanker trucks were
unloading fuel when a spark
ignited flames, engulfing the
trucks and quickly spread
ing to nearby ground-level
tanks.
The initial explosion and
chain reaction ones that
followed occurred from the
early morning into the after
noon and rocked the town.
Black smoke from the
resulting fire could be seen
20 miles away. In addition
to the seven of the 11 large
tanks exploding, several
55 gallons drums exploded
and were “launched” across
the river to be found later
near the railroad tracks in
Winfall.
Nearby businesses and
residences were threat
ened and some families
were evacuated. Hertford
Fire Department respond-
See FIRE, A3
WRAL/SCREEN SHOTS
The most historic fire in Hertford’s history started 43 years ago
at 7:55 AM on Tuesday, January 10,1978, with an explosion at
Winslow Oil Company.
Winslow Oil
Company
losses
included nine
of the 11 oil
tanks were
lost while
some product
is still in the
remaining two.
transports and
three service
trucks.
EDITOR’S NOTE
To read stories about the big fire written 1978, see PerquimansWeekly.com
Also, see the digital archive from January 1978 at https://www.digitalnc.
org/newspapers/the-perquimans-weekly-hertford-n-c/
See OBJECTS, A3
6 “ 89076 47144
2
Vol. 87, No. 1
PerquimansWeekly.com
@2021 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
Nelson
Receives
Vaccine
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Wallace Nelson, Chairman
of the Perquimans County
Board of Commissioners and
a member of the Albemar
le Regional Health Services
Board of Directors, received
the Covid-19 vaccine from
the Vidant Bertie Hospital
Occupational Health Nurse,
Debbie Bragg, on December
29.
Nelson, a pharmacist,
works part-time at both
Vidant Bertie and Vidant
Chowan Hospitals.
“Getting the vaccine is the
responsible thing to do. It
has nothing to do with pol
itics - it is about trying to
help our community stay safe
and healthy,” Nelson said.
“That’s also why I follow the
protocols advised by Vidant
Health and Albemarle Re
gional Health Services: Wear
a mask; Wait 6 ft. apart; and
Wash your hands frequently.”
Battle Betts, the director
of Albemarle Regional Health
See VACCINE, A6
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Perquimans County Commission
Chairman Wallace Nelson
recently received Covid-19
vaccination shot.
PAGE A6
ARHS hosting COVID-19 vaccine clinic
today (Jan. 7)
Vidant Chowan Hospital Welcomes 1st Baby of 2021
BY NICOLE BOWMAN-
LAYTON
Chowan Herald
EDENTON — Vidant
Chowan Hospital wel
comed its first baby of
2021, Ezekiel Lowell Dun
bar, on Jan. 2.
The boy is the latest
addition to the family of
Alicia and Kelvin Dunbar,
of Columbia, in Tyrrell
County. Ezekiel was born
at 4:19 p.m., weighing in at
7 pounds, 12 ounces and
20.5 inches long. He is the
younger brother of Kelcie,
who is 13 years old.
The Dunbars said that
when they told Kelcie she
would soon be a big sister,
she was happy.
Ezekiel was due on Jan.
10, but decided to make
an early arrival. While
his birth was a surprise,
grandmother predicted
that he’d be done on Jan.
2, Alicia said.
See BABY, A3
PHOTO COURTESY
VIDANT CHOWAN
HOSPITAL
Kelvin (left) and
Alicia Dunbar are
shown with their
newborn son,
Ezekiel Lowell
Dunbar, at Vidant
Chowan Hospital in
Edenton, Sunday,
Jan. 3. Ezekiel was
Vidant Chowan’s
first baby born in
the new year.
9