QUIMANS
EEKLY
‘‘News from Next Door"
THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021
$1.00
@ SCAN ME
PAGE A5
Foundation gives
schools $3,000 for
internet hotspots
PAGE A2
ARHS: COVID
cases jumped by
nearly 200 last
week
PAGE A5
Spiritual disci
pline important
for Christians
Board: Masks not mandatory in Perquimans classrooms
District voted for optional plan after
deadlocking on requiring masks
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
The Perquimans County Board
of Education voted 4-2 last week to
adopt COVID-19 protocols that rec
ommend masks but do not mandate
them except on buses.
Chairwoman Anne White and
board members Arlene Yates cast
the dissenting votes, preferring a
plan that would mandate masks in
TURNER
school buildings.
Voting for the plan
that was adopted
were board mem
bers Russell Las
siter, Amy Spaugh,
Leary Winslow and
Matt Peeler.
Spaugh, who
is the board’s
vice-chairwoman,
explained last week that she sup
ports a mask mandate but voted for
the school district’s plan because it
was the only possibility at that time.
Perquimans County Schools
Superintendent Tanya Tinner ex
plained in an interview last week that
she presented Gov. Roy Cooper’s
recommendations to the board at a
meeting during the last week of July
and the board’s vote was split 3-3.
Because the board deadlocked,
the default policy was what Cooper
recommended, which was a strong
recommendation for masks but not
a mandate.
Turner said that in the wake of the
split vote the school district devel
oped a mitigation plan based on the
state’s Strong Schools Toolkit. That
is the plan that the board voted 4-2
to adopt
Spaugh noted she was among
those who voted for a mask mandate
at the July meeting. She said her sup
port for mandatory masks is driven
by a concern to keep schools open
for in-person instruction and not
have COVID-19 cases force a move
to remote learning.
Tumor noted that federal regu
lations require masking on school
buses.
A link to the operating procedures
that will be in place when students
return Aug. 23 is attached to the
school district’s website, www.pq-
schools.org.
Although masks are not required
except on school transportation,
“they are strongly recommended by
health agencies and students and
staff are recommended to wear them
while indoors at school,” Tuner said
in an email message last week.
“Wearing a mask serves as an
added layer of protection for stu
dents and staff,” Timer said in the
message. “If at any point the school
system meets certain thresholds as
recommended by health officials,
See MASKS, A3
Broadband boost
Chowan-Perquimans Broadband Project
1.2K sign petition
to keep monument
on courthouse green
^ATML
Legend
■I pi«tx»wd Gimm Aiwa
MAP COURTESY ATMC
This map provided by Atlantic Telecommunications Membership Corporation shows in blue the areas of
Perquimans and Chowan counties that would gain access to high-speed internet service if ATMC is awarded a
federal grant it’s seeking.
Commissioners to consider
monument’s future Aug. 16
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
Opponents of removing
the Confederate monument
from the courthouse green
in Hertford presented a pe
tition with more than 1,200
signatures to county offi
cials Aug. 2.
Marta Colson quoted the
petition’s wording during
the public comment por
tion of the Aug. 2 regular
meeting of the Perquimans
Board of Commissioners.
“The Monument com
memorates those who died
in the War Between the
States, 1861-1865,” the peti
tion reads. “Those brothers,
sons, fathers, grandfathers,
husbands and loved ones
who never came back, who
were buried in mass graves.
(The monument) has hon
ored the dead for well over
100 years without objec
tion from over 150 previous
county commissioners. This
THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Opponents of removing
the Confederate
monument from the
courthouse green in
Hertford presented a
petition with more than
1,200 signatures to
county officials Aug. 2.
monument serves as a grave
marker also symbolizing the
war is over.”
Colson said that as a child
See MONUMENT, A6
Co-op seeks $26M grant to bring
high-speed internet in 2 counties
Rural parts of Perquimans,
Chowan would benefit
bership Corporation made
presentations at the Aug.
2 regular meetings of the
boards of commissioners
Brothers’ residency
complaint dismissed
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
A nonprofit telecommu
nications cooperative based
in Brunswick County , is ap
plying for a federal grant to
bring high-speed internet to
rural sections of Chowan
in Chowan and Perquimans
counties. Both boards ap
proved drafting and sending
letters in support of ATMC’s
grant application.
Jody Huestess, ATMC’s
vice president for market
ing and customer care, ex
plained that if the grant is
HUESTESS
$2.9 million if i
cost is $28.8
million and
the grant
application
is for 90
percent of
that.
Huestess
said ATMC
would pitch
in around
receives the
and Perquimans counties. awarded the nonprofit plans
Representatives from to install377miles of fiber-op-
Atlantic Telephone Mem- tic cable. The total project
grant.
The agency making the
grants available for rural
broadband projects is the
National Telecommunica
tions and Information Ad
ministration.
Huestess said there is no
financial obligation for the
counties. The counties’ ex
pression of support is simply
an endorsement of ATMC’s
application for the grant
funds.
If approved, the grant
would enable ATMC to serve
about 5,500 customers in
the two counties — roughly
See BROADBAND, A3
Board: Brothers can run
for Hertford council seat
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
Perquimans elections offi
cials have dismissed a com
plaint against a town council
candidate that alleged she’s
not eligible to run because
she’s not atown resident.
The Perquimans Coun
ty Board of Elections ruled
Thursday that Connie Broth
ers is a Hertford resident and
BROTHERS
therefore
eligible
to run in
the town’s
November
election.
Broth
ers’ res
idency
had been
challenged
on July 16 by Councilman
Quentin Jackson, one of two
council incumbents seeking
election in the November
See BROTHERS, A6
Jackson arrested on citizen’s threats complaint
6 1 89076 47144
2
Vol. 87, No. 32
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@2021 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
judge has denied
his request for a
no-contact order
against a local busi
nessman who filed
a criminal com
plaint against him
following the two
men’s heated ex
change at a town
council meeting.
Councilor Quentin Jackson
Councilor’s request for no
contact with Morrissey denied
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
A Hertford town councilor says a
Jackson sought the no-contact
order against Morrissey after Mor
rissey filed a criminal complaint
against the councilor charging him
with communicating threats. Jack-
son said he was arrested on Aug. 4
based on Morrissey’s complaint.
Morrissey said he received notice
that a hearing on Jackson’s petition
will be held Aug. 25. He said he’s
working on his response to submit
to the court but basically plans to
said Friday that Chief District- state Jackson’s allegations are un
Court Judge Edgar Barnes denied true and the petition should be re-
his request for a no-contact order jected.
against Patrick Morrissey, calling Morrissey took out the criminal
his request a retaliatory action. complaint against Jackson July 12
in the wake of an incident at the
July 6 meeting of the Hertford Town
Council. Morrissey approached the
council dais during a verbal con
frontation with Jackson. Jackson
threatened to knock Morrissey out
or “put him to sleep,” according to
Morrissey’s complaint.
Jackson, who denies any wrong-
doing in the incident, was released
on a $500 unsecured bond following
hisarrest.
Jackson said he stood up as Mor
rissey approached the council dais
because he anticipated a confronta
tion with the businessman.
“I can’t stand in a corner to let
him get to me,” he said.
In seeking the no-contact order
against Morrissey, Jackson said
Friday that the businessman’s com
plaint against him “was the final
straw for me.”
Jackson said he would not
have sought the no-contact order
against Morrissey had Morrissey
not pressed the criminal complaint
againsthim.
Jackson said he is now seeking a
hearing in District Court on Barnes’
ruling. He said the judge made his
ruling on the no-contact request ex
parte, without any of the parties af
fected present in court.