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“News from Next Door”
THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021
$1.00
PAGE A6
Scholarship
winner, creation
of another award
announced
PAGE Bl
Pirates cruise
past Bruins,
face Aces Friday
Anyone 16 Years, Older Eligible for Vaccine
FROM SUBMITTED REPORT
RALEIGH — Governor Roy
Cooper and North Carolina De
partment of Health and Human
Services Secretary Mandy K. Co
hen, M.D. gave an update on the
state’s current data, trends and
vaccination progress as Wednes
day also marked the opening of
vaccine eligibility for Group 5.
This means anyone 16 years and
older who wants a safe and effec
tive COVID-19 vaccination is eligi
ble to get one.
“We remain focused on getting
people vaccinated as quickly and
as equitably as possible and con
tinuing to slow the spread of the
virus,” Cooper said. “The more
people we vaccinate, the more we
can safely do.”
North Carolina continues to fo
cus on distributing vaccines quick
ly and equitably. To date, the state
has administered over 5.2 million
doses. 39 percent of those 18 and
up is at least partially vaccinated,
and 26 percent of those 18 and up
have been fully vaccinated.
“These tested, safe and effective
COVID-19 vaccines will help us get
back in control of our lives and
back to the people and places we
love - like safely hugging a grand
mother, traveling to see vaccinated
family or friends, or having a pot
luck dinner with your vaccinated
neighbors,” said Secretary Cohen.
State health officials are continuing
to monitor the presence of COVID-19
and its more contagious variants in
North Carolina, which is why it is
important to continue to follow the
stale’s mask mandate and practice
safety precautions, including the
Three Ws—wear a mask, wait 6 feet
apart, and wash hands often.
Dr. Cohen also provided an up
date on North Carolina’s data and
trends.
Trajectory in COVID-Like Ill
ness (CLI) Surveillance Over 14
Days
■ North Carolina’s syndromic
surveillance trend for COVID-like
illness is decreasing.
Trajectory of Confirmed Cases
Over 14 Days
■ North Carolina’s trajectory
of cases is level.
Trajectory in Percent of Tests
Returning Positive Over 14 Days
■ North Carolina’s trajectory in
percent of tests returning positive
is level.
Trajectory in Hospitalizations
Over 14 Days
■ North Carolina’s trajectory
of hospitalizations is level.
In addition to these metrics, the
state continues building capacity
to adequately respond to an in
crease in virus spread in testing,
tracing and prevention.
County
GOP
Picks New
Leaders
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Perquimans County Re
publican Party elected new
leadership at the county
convention March 31 at the
county courthouse.
Tim Brinn of Hertford was
selected as chairman for the
current 2021-22 election cy
cle. Brinn is active in issues
that impact Hertford and will
move the town toward a less
divisive future and his con
tacts with state legislators
can bring needed exposure
as the town progresses.
Michael Stallings is now
vice chairman. Stallings has
ably led the local party for
the past two years, but due
to his expanded business in
terests during the COVID-19
pandemic, the need to focus
on company activities must
take precedence. As vice
chair, Stallings will contin
ue to work with the party as
time allows.
Dianne Layden of Belvid
ere is the party’s new treasur
er. Layden ms been fixture in
regional and state conserva
tive politics for many years
and is a past chairwoman of
the Perquimans County Re
publican Party.
Geoff Byrd was re-elected
as secretary for another two-
year term.
Other party business in
cluded the selection of del
egates to the Congressional
3rd District (April 17) and
State (June 3-6) Conventions
and to enhance and update
the website for Party news
and events.
More than 40 people at
tended the Convention and
See GOP, A2
PHOTO BY MILES LAYTON
Flanked on both sides by the Pequimans County Commissioners, J.C. Cole (center with plaque) and
beside his wife Janice, the retired Superior Court judge thanked the county commission for naming
a courtroom after him within the county courthouse.
Retired Judge JC Cole
Thanks Commission
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Retired Superior Court Judge
J.C. Cole thanked the Perquimans
County Commission Monday for
the honor of having a courtroom
named after him
within the histor
ic county court-
house.
“The other day
when you made
that presentation,
it as now, brought
tears to my eyes
COLE that a poor ht-
tle country boy
would receive
that kind of recognition,” he said.
“I just wanted to come and say
thank you.”
Cole, who was re-elected in
2018 to an eight-year term, is re
tiring now because he’s reached
72, the mandatory retirement
See COLE, A2
Reid to Fill Court Vacancy
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Gov. Roy Cooper has
appointed District Court
Judge Eula Reid to the va
cant seat on the Superior
Court bench in the 1st Judi
cial District.
Reid, a District Court
judge since 2007, will fill
the seat created by the re
tirement of Superior Court
Judge J.C. Cole last week.
Reid couldn’t be immedi
ately reached for comment.
But in a recent interview,
she said she written a letter
to Cooper formally asking
to be considered for the
vacancy. Cole also said he
had recommended Reid for
the appointment.
REID
Before
becoming a
judge, Reid
served as
an assistant
district at
torney in
the District
Attorney’s
Office for
the 1st Pros
ecutorial District and as an
adjunct professor at Eliza
beth City State University.
Reid earned her bachelor
of arts degree at ECSU and
her law degree at North
Carolina Central University
School of Law.
The 1st Judicial District
See REID, A2
Round-up
Lt. Cmdr.
Pulliam and
Church Poised
for Rebirth
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A round-up of all things Perqui-
mans County...
XX. Per Mimi Galgano who
passed this tip to the newspaper
about Perquimans High School
Class of 2003 alumnus Lt. Cmdr.
Christopher Pulliam, the Search
and Rescue Mission Coordinator
for the US Coast Guard at Ports
mouth.
A Virginian-Pilot stoiy from
March 27 says Pulliam along with
the Elizabeth City-based USCG
crew rescued a gravely ill merchant
seaman March 19 from a tanker
several hundred miles east of Ber
muda —well beyond the farthest
point their MH-60 helicopter could
normally reach.
Pulliam told the Virginian-Pilot
they’d have to try to fly the mariner
to safety, which was not going to
be easy.
“You jut can’t get from Eliza
beth City to Bermuda on a tank
of gas, not unless conditions are
really favorable... but we had
See ROUND-UP, A3
' Oe ‘ PerformafI ce.Pr O f t . S s/o ( ^/~',,’
File photo from 2020 when Sgt.
Edwin Roman was sworn-in.
Congressman Murphy Sees Progress Against COVID
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
EDENTON — Congressman
Greg Murphy, R-N.C., said this
week that while the U.S. is
not out of the woods yet on
COVID-19, he sees light at the
6
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Vol. 87, No. 15
www.PerquimansWeekly.com
@2021 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
end of the tunnel.
Murphy, speaking at a fo
rum attended by Chowan
County and Edenton officials
in Edenton on Wednesday, lik
ened how the U.S. has been
forced to respond to the pub
lic health and economic cri
sis to “building an airplane as
we’ve been flying it.”
“I think the academics will
look back in 25, 30, 40 years
and say, ‘this is what you did
right, this is what you did
wrong’ and (point out) where
we could have done things
better,” he said. “Without a
doubt, a lot of us can look
back and say you could have
done things better here. I do
think we did some things as
a nation that were very, very
smart.”
Murphy praised Opera
tion Warp Speed, the pub
lic-private partnership ini
tiated in May 2020 under the
former Trump administra
tion to accelerate develop
ment of COVID-19 vaccines.
He praised Trump’s lead
ership helping cut through
See MURPHY, A3
NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON/CHOWAN HERALD
Edenton Chowan Partnership Board President Roland Vaughan
(left) and Congressman Greg Murphy, R-3rd District, discuss state
and federal efforts to provide broadband access to eastern North
Carolina in Edenton, March 31,2021.