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$1.00 © SCAN ME PAGE A4 Letters to the editor discuss civility and vaccine clinics “News from Next Door” THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021 co S PAGE Bl Perquimans boys' soccer team splits games against Holmes, Hertford County PAGE B4 This week in history includes Cupola House and Babe Ruth Resolution Seeks to Eliminate Hertford PD BY MILES LAYTON Editor A resolution will be introduced during Monday’s Hertford Town Council meeting that seeks to poten tially eliminate the town’s police de partment, citing the town’s financial difficulties. Resolution appears at the end of this story as well as being posted to the web at perquimansweekly.com If the resolution is approved, Hertford Town Hall would develop a transitional plan to have the Per quimans Sheriffs Office provide law enforcement for the town. Resolution authorizes Mayor Ear- nell Brown and Mayor Pro Tern Ash ley Hodges to meet with Perquimans County elected officials and other personnel to develop a notional tran sition plan with an effective date of July, 12021 to be presented to coun cil at a future meeting for consider ation. “The resolution is very thorough and transparent in terms of why consolidating law enforcement ac tivities is being considered as a wise strategy for the Town of Hertford,” Brown said. “The resolution merely seeks Governing Board approval to proceed with discussions with all stakeholders and data gathering, regarding the feasibility and what is required to execute the strategy.” Brown said she wants citizens to know that their level of law enforce ment service will not decrease under any proposal “My mqjor hopes for with this strategy is that the level and quality of law enforcement is maintained or exceeded; that our current law offi cers have continued opportunity for employment; that resulting revenue is applied to the ongoing needs of the community - infrastructure im provement, youth and family social needs, town administration, hous ing, competitive salaries for our em ployees; and, that this will inhibit the property taxes and utility rates from increasing,” she said. Resolution directs the Town Manager, Police Chief, and their designees to provide responses to any data gathering requests made by Brown and Hodges in pursuit of this effort within three business days of a request Resolution authorizes Brown and Hodges to communicate with the Town Attorney as neces sary in furtherance of this effort Last year, there were several events including shootings and a gas line rupture that necessitated a law See RESOLUTION, A3 Newspapers Win Awards Layton Earns Freedom of Information Award FROM STAFF REPORTS The Perquimans Weekly, the Chowan Herald and the Daily Advance received a combined 17 awards dining the 2020 North Carolina Press Associa tion contest, including a special award for exceptional work upholding the public’s right to get information from its gov ernment. The awards were announced Friday evening during the N.C. Press Association’s annual con ference, held virtually this year because of the COVID-19 pan demic. The Perquimans Weekly won three awards in the A division, the Chowan Herald won eight awards, also in the A division, and The Daily Advance won six awards in the contest’s D divi sion. Perquimans Weekly Editor Miles Layton won the Henry Lee Weathers Freedom of Infor mation award in the contest’s community division, a special award sponsored by The Asso ciated Press and presented to journalists or newspapers for exceptional work advancing or upholding the cause of freedom of information. The contest’s judges present ed Layton the Weathers award for his news coverage and edito rials about taxpayer-funded trips by Hertford Town Council mem bers and his calls for reforming the town's travel policy. The series of stories centered on two Hertford Town Coun cilors, including one who lost her bid for a new term, trip to attend a National League of Cit ies Conference in San Antonio in November 2019, incurring thousands of dollars in taxpay er funded expenses. In a video, awards emcee Shannon Vickery of PBS NC noted that Layton’s ’’public re cord requests led to the uncov ering of cost associated with travel and led to a halt of any new council travel, as well as a review of the town’s finances and a revision of the (town’s) travel policy.” Vickery said the contest’s judges considered Layton’s coverage of town government in Hertford “a great example of using the press to protect read ers' and taxpayers' interest and holding public officials' feet to See AWARDS, A2 89076 47144 " 2 Vol. 87, No. 10 PerquiiriansWeekly.com @2021 Perquimans Weekly All Rights Reserved Foundation Receives Funds for Food for Quarantined Students FROM STAFF REPORTS Perquimans County Schools Foundation’s Executive Direc tor Brenda Lassiter recently announced the receipt of a $3,000 grant from Albemarle Community Trust to fill book bags with food for disadvan taged students, who are being quarantined due to the pan demic. Breakfast bars, pop tarts, ap plesauce, puddings, oatmeal, Sons of Confederate Veterans Defend Monuments Editor’s Note: First of a two-part series, the Col. William F. Martin Camp NC Sons of Con federate Veterans reached out to the Chowath Herald to talk about the Civil War monuments’future in Elizabeth City among other places across the state. We are withholding the names of the top officers from the group who spoke to the newspaper so as to protect their identity. Officers sought to setffe record straight by clearing up any misinformation not only about Pasquotank’s Confeder ate monument, but about what group believes and the ideals they share that run counter to what they consider as a misleading portrayal by the mainstream media. BY MILES LAYTON Editor ELIZABETH CITY - NC Sons of Confederate Veterans has filed a lawsuit that seeks to determine if relocating Civil War monuments is a violation of state law. Lawsuit’s fate affects monuments statewide. Commander of the Col. William F. Martin Camp NC Sons of Con federate Veterans said memorials like the one in Elizabeth City are spaghetti, soups and more were purchased with the grant funds. Since students are unable to eat at school or pick up food being offered to remote learn ers because they are quaran tined by the health department, it is becoming increasingly ap parent that some students do not have adequate food. “School officials are work ing collaboratively to ensure disadvantaged students have PERQUIMANS MONUMENT Regarding the Confederate monument by the courthouse, a committee will be formed to study the issue and pro vide a recommendation of action to the Perquimans County Commission. a tribute to those who fought and died for the South. “There are plenty of publishings from the day that that memorial was erected,” he said. “It clearly explains why it was put there. And there’s not a stitch of content that says it had anything to do with white supremacy or intimidation of minorities. That narrative is not to be found anywhere. If you go back to that day in time, the nar rative was that these people were still mourning the loss of their fa thers and sons.” Commander said the group is not opposed to moving the monu ment in Elizabeth City, but that the decision to relocate the 110-year- old memorial complies with state law. “There is a law for North Caroli na that says historic objects of re membrance have to to go through SUBMITTED PHOTO Perquimans County Schools Foundation’s Executive Director Brenda Lassiter recently announced a grant from Albemarle Community Trust to fill book bags with food for disadvantaged students, who are being quarantined due to the pandemic. access to the book bags during their quarantined period,” said Lassiter. “It’s a great effort and resource for our students.” Albemarle Community Trust (ACT) funds are generated through the co-op’s Operation RoundUp program, which was established in 2002 and allows members to round their power bill up to the nearest dollar, with the difference going to ACT. The Trust is overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors. SUBMITTED PHOTO William F, Martin Camp NC Sons of Confederate Veteran’s seeks to preserve Civil War monuments such as the one in Elizabeth City. Group has a pending injunction against Pasquotank County based on the lawsuit that the NC Sons of Confederate Veterans has filed. the North Carolina Historical Com mission,” he said. “And yes, you can relocate them. You can move them, but there’s a certain proce dure and it has to go through this. And we’re not opposed to relo- See MONUMENTS, A3 Legacy of MB Taylor Lives on BY MILES LAYTON Editor Today is MB Taylor Day, March 4. Dr. Minnie Bess Edwards Taylor served over 30 years as a Home Eco nomics Extension agent for Perqui mans County; the first African-Amer ican to serve in that role. The March 4 cel ebration will kick- off at 1p.m. with 200 hot meals, sponsored by her family, being de livered to senior citizens who are homebound. TAYLOR Then at 2:30p.m., there will be a short pro gram and balloons will be released in front of her home on 303 Dobbs Street. March 4, 1984, then Mayor Bill Cox declared a proclamation in Hert ford as the “MB Taylor Day.” Before Taylor passed away in De cember of 2017, she had a love for the culinary arts and enjoyed prepar ing meals for the community. Fast forward to 2021, March 4 will again be celebrated as MB Taylor Day! “I stand on the shoulders Dr. M B Taylor who was a motivator, a lead er, an organizer and an encourager of keeping hope alive,” said Connie Brothers, who brought in MB Tay lor Day to the present “She was my See TAYLOR, A5 Round-up Birthdays & Introductions BY MILES LAYTON Editor A round-up of all things Perqui mans County... ' . Mayor Earnell Brown had a birthday last week. I think she turned 25 years old or so. People held a drive-by birthday party for her Friday at Missing Mill Park Happy Birthday! Missy Mimlitsch had a birthday on Monday. Timed 20something too. Happy Birthday! I remember back in the day when Mimlitsch used to do the Facebook live broad cast for those multi-hour council meetings. Other people have assist- ed with that noble endeavor too. Those broadcasts via social media opened people’s eyes as to the circus talcing place during contentious council meetings, some that have been accentuated See ROUND-UP, A5
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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March 4, 2021, edition 1
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