QUIMANS
EEKLY
‘'News from Next Door”
SATURDAY, APRIL 15, 2023
$1.50
m SCAN ME
PAGE 3
Williamson
awarded first Key
Scholarship
PAGE 4
Newman:
Closing one
chapter in my
life, opening
another
PAGE 5
Hartman:
Jesus’ post-
resurrection visit
reminder of his
sacrifice
Odyssey of the Mind
Most of HI sewer
plant’s unpaid fines
go back 30 years
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A team of D.F. Walker Elementary Schoo! students who placed second at the Odyssey of the Mind State Finals
in Raleigh last month is shown with coach Christy Stevens. The team of Adeline Bunch, Brystal Stevens, Ayden
McPherson, Luke Sasscer, Molly Sasscer, Nolan McArthur and Owen Alfred has been invited to compete in the
Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in May. To make the trip, the team needs to raise $6,000 by May 19.
Walker team hopes to compete in finals
To compete in Michigan in
May, team needs to raise $6K
BY TYLER NEWMAN
Staff Writer
EDENTON — A team of
students from D.F. Walk
er Elementary School has
qualified to compete in the
Raymond, Cox HHI’s Volunteers of Year
Both help plan, coordinate
events like Grand Illumination
Historic Hertford, Inc.
HERTFORD — If you
have ever attended an event
in downtown Hertford, it’s
very likely Lynne Raymond
and Susan Cox had a hand
in planning it.
Raymond and Cox have
been named Historic Hert
ford’s Volunteers of the Year
for 2022, and both were hon
ored at an Awards Brunch at
the Historic Hertford build
ing on Wednesday, April 5.
Odyssey of the Mind World
Finals at Michigan State
University next month, but
will need a $6,000 funding
boost to get there.
The team of Adeline
Bunch, Brystal Stevens,
Ayden McPherson, Luke
Sasscer, Molly Sasscer, No
lan McArthur and Owen
Alfred were recently invited
Besides community mem
bers, attendees included
Raymond’s and Cox’s many
friends, family, and those
who have worked alongside
them over the years.
Raymond is chairperson
for The Carolina Moon The
ater. She is instrumental in
the group’s theater perfor
mances and coordinates re
hearsals, scheduling, ticket
sales, and marketing. She
is also current chairperson
of Historic Hertford Inc.’s
Board of Directors.
Cox is the owner and
See VOLUNTEERS, A6 '
to travel to East Lansing,
Michigan, to pit their think
ing skills against those of
thousands of other students
from across the U.S. and
around the world.
The team received the
honor following its recent
success at both the region
al Odyssey of the Mind
competition in Swansboro
PHOTO COURTESY DINA HURDLE
Hertford Town Manager Janice Cole (left) presents
Historic Hertford Inc.’s Volunteer of the Year Awards for
2022 to Susan Cox, HHI’s vice chairperson (center), and
Lynne Raymond, HHI’s chairperson.
and state competition in
Raleigh. The team finished
in second place in the state
event.
At Odyssey of the Mind
competitions, teams of stu
dents choose a problem
to solve. Team members
then use a combination of
See ODYSSEY, A2
Facility not propeily disposing
of treated wastewater
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
HERTFORD — A non-
profit sewer district in Per
quimans County has been
assessed civil penalties
for ongoing problems at
its wastewater treatment
plant for more than three
decades, but most of the
fines have gone unpaid, a
state official said.
The wastewater sys
tem, operated by a non-
profit entity known as the
Minzies Creek Sanitary
Sewer District, has been
assessed civil penalties
“dating back to 1992,” a
spokeswoman for the
state’s Division of Envi
ronmental Quality con
firmed this week.
“Most of the fines re
main unpaid,” the spokes
woman said.
The problems at the
Coleman will not
seek second term
on Edenton council
Councilman announcing now
to let others mount bids
BY TYLER NEWMAN
Staff Writer
EDENTON — Roger
Coleman, one of Eden
ton’s two at-large town
councilors, says he won’t
seek re-election to a sec
ond term in November.
Coleman, who was first
elected in 2019, noted that
when he and his wife Liz
first discussed him run
ning for office four years
ago, the couple agreed
that he should serve only
one term.
“The opportunity to
serve on this town coun
cil with the mayor and my
fellow council members,
plus two town managers,
Anne-Marie Knighton and
Corey Gooden, is one of
the great honors of my
life,” he said.
Coleman said he’s an
nouncing his intentions
now because he wants
plant continue, according
to a report issued by DEQ
on March 1.
“The facility has failed
to treat the wastewater
to the permitted effluent
limits,” the report states.
“The wastewater could
cause depletion of oxygen
in surface waters and add
nitrogen to the water body
which could cause algae
blooms and fish kills.”
In addition, “evapo
transpiration ponds” —
ponds that allow water to
move from the earth’s sur
face into the atmosphere
— “have failed and are
discharging to a swamp
which flows to Minzies
Creek. The creek is used
for recreation purposes,”
the report states.
The report states “the
facility can’t properly
dispose of their treated
wastewater” and notes
“the failure to treat the
wastewater to the limits in
See SEWER, A6
those in
terested
in suc
ceeding
him to
have plen
ty of time
to make
their own
COLEMAN decision
about
running.
“Several people have
recently spoken to me
about their interest in
seeking the Edenton Town
Council at-large position,
should I choose not to run
for re-election,” Coleman
said. ‘To encourage this
interest and to allow am
ple time for campaigning,
I am announcing early my
decision not to seek a sec
ond term.”
Coleman is the third
Edenton elected official
to announce their plans
for the fall election. May
or Jimmy Stallings has
said he’s not seeking
See COLEMAN, A6
Chowan-Perquimans Habitat completing home for family
Construction began on Riddicks’
home in Hertford in September
From staff reports
HERTFORD — Work is nearing
completion on the Chowan-Per
quimans Habitat for Humanity’s
22nd home project — an all-new
house at 313 Artie Street in Hert-
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2
Vol. 88, No. 15
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ford.
The local Habitat chapter’s con
struction team broke ground on
the 1,260-square-foot, three-bed-
room, two-bath home on Sept. 26,
according to a Habitat press re
lease. The panelized house was or
dered from Landmark Home and
Land Company, and was delivered
by truck to the construction site.
On Nov. 11, Habitat volunteers
gathered at the homesite and
worked through the day to unload
the exterior walls and fit them
to the concrete slab foundation,
the nonprofit said. Construction
continued through the winter, as
weather permitted, aided by lo
cal volunteers and professional
crews.
“Normally, we’d have up to
80 volunteers involved,” said
John Sams, construction lead for
Chowan-Perquimans Habitat for
Humanity. “However, our volun
teer pool was seriously affected
by COVID since 2020 and we were
forced to build our last house with
fewer than 10 regular volunteers.”
Thanks to the “generosity” of
local residents and businesses and
churches that sent groups to work
on specific tasks, Habitat’s volun
teer workforce is returning to its
“previous levels,” Sams said.
United Rentals of Elizabeth
City, for example, sent a group
of volunteers to help paint and
See HOUSE, A6
PHOTO COURTESY CHOWAN-PERQUIMANS HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Chowan-Perquimans Habitat for Humanity volunteer Bob Fatscher
is shown at the construction site of the new home the local Habitat
chapter is building for Ke’ena Riddick and her three children at 313
Artie St., Hertford. Habitat plans to complete the home and turn
over the keys to Riddick this spring.