THE
QUIMANS
EEKLY
“News from Next Door”
SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 2023
$1.50
rn SCAN ME
INSIDE
Summer 2023
edition of Albemarle
Magazine explores
‘Yoga on the Green’
PAGE 3
PCRA’s 30th
annual Garden
Party draws 80,
raises $12K
PAGE 7
ECU Health Chow
an Hospital hosts
golf tourney
Celebrating Juneteenth
Perquimans OKs
budget with a
3-cent tax hike
REGGIE PONDER/T.HE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Leading the Juneteenth Freedom March in Hertford are (l-r) Hertford Mayor Pro Tern Ashley Hodges, Town
Councilwoman Connie Brothers, Perquimans County Commissioner Joseph Hoffler, and Hertford Mayor Earnell
Brown.
Storyteller: Juneteenth holiday for all
Akinlana performed libation
ceremony at Hertford event
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
HERTFORD — Obakun-
le Akinlana seeks to spread
the word that Juneteenth is
a holiday for all Americans
500 attend Edenton’s first celebration
Monument protesters take
part in march on Broad Street
BY VERNON FUESTON
Staff Writer
EDENTON — About 500
Edentonians and visitors
gathered at the town’s wa
terfront park Saturday to
celebrate America’s final
— a message he brought to
Hertford’s Juneteenth cele
bration on Monday.
“This needs to be known
as a holiday of celebration,
not a Black holiday,” Akinla
na, a professional storytell
er and member of the N.C.
Association of Black Story-
tellers, said in an interview
at the town’s celebration.
step in 1865 toward eradi
cating slavery.
It was the first year that
Edenton officially celebrat
ed Juneteenth, which be
came a federal holiday in
2021.
Juneteenth celebrates the
moment when 250,000 en
slaved people in Texas were
informed that the Confeder
acy had been defeated, free ¬
The celebration of June
teenth began years ago, but
“has been hidden in certain
communities,” he said. “It’s
beginning to spread, but
an effort is still needs to be
make sure younger people
find out about it.”
Akinlana said Juneteenth
does not exclude white
Americans. He noted white
ing them under Abraham
Lincoln’s Emancipation
Proclamation.
That proclamation freed
enslaved people in enemy
territory once Union troops
liberated those lands. It was
not until 1865 that Texas
was occupied, abolishing
slavery.
Erika Alexander of Eden
ton, was among those who
Union soldiers delivered
news of emancipation to
Black residents of Galves
ton, Texas, in the historical
event that Juneteenth com
memorates.
“It’s a new day and every
body needs to come togeth
er,” Akinlana said.
See HERTFORD, A6
gathered along Broad Street
for a Juneteenth parade that
kicked off Saturday’s event.
She said Juneteenth is more
than a celebration.
“It’s a recognition of his
tory,” she said. “It’s a rec
ognition of overcoming
obstacles that we face, par
ticularly those in Texas who
See EDENTON, A6
County to spend $500K more
on schools, employee COLA
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
HERTFORD — The Per
quimans County property
tax rate will increase by 3
cents to 64 cents per $100
property valuation follow
ing commissioners’ adop
tion of the county’s 2023-24
budget Monday night.
The spending plan, which
takes effect July 1, holds the
line on other fees. The coun
ty’s solid waste fee will re
main at $160 a year for each
household and business.
The county’s water rate will
also remain at $17.50 for the
minimum bill and $9 per
1,000 gallons after the first
Chowan approves
budget without
fee, tax rate hikes
County workers to get 3%
COLA, teachers to see boost
BY VERNON FUESTON
Staff Writer
EDENTON — Chowan
commissioners approved
the county’s $19.4 million
budget for 2023-24 Monday
that holds the line on taxes
and fees but awards both
county employees and local
teachers a pay boost
The approved spending
plan for the fiscal year that
starts July 1 spends $950,000
more than the current year’s
budget Its additional expens
es were ofiset by higher sales
tax revenue and interest in
come from interest-bearing
investments, said County
Manager Kevin Howard.
1,000 gallons.
Additional costs relat
ed to schools and county
personnel are among the
spending increases cited for
the proposed tax rate hike.
Also, a 5% cost-of-living ad
justment for county employ
ees will cost about $225,000.
Following a public hear
ing Monday night, Commis
sioner Kyle Jones’ motion to
adopt the budget as present
ed passed unanimously.
Local operating funds
for schools in the budget
will be $3.4 million, up
from the $3.1 million the
county provided in the
current budget year. That’s
about $400,000 less than
the $3.8 million the school
board requested in local
See PERQUIMANS, A6
The budget includes
funding to pay for a 3% cost-
of-living increase for county
workers.
Chowan County’s Depart
ment of Social Services also
received money to hire two
new employees to cover
the expected rise in partic
ipation in Medicaid follow
ing the state’s agreement in
April to expand the insur
ance program for the poor
and low-income workers.
The 911 Communica
tions Department will also
get new workers, but the
Sheriff’s Department re
ceived pay increases to
help hire new officers in
the current budget.
There were some changes
in the new budget. Teachers
See CHOWAN, A6
DAR to have key
role at Clams’ game
Tea Party Chapter to also
host Fourth of July Ceremony
From staff reports
EDENTON — The Eden
ton Tea Party Chapter of the
6 " 89076 47144
Vol. 88, No. 25
WWW.PerquimansWeekly.com
@2021 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
National Society Daughters
of the American Revolution
will again play a leading role
at the Edenton Steamers’
upcoming “Military Appreci
ation Night,” Sunday, July 2.
Not only will the chapter
be donating funds toward
the cost of the fire
works show follow
ing the Steamers’
2 home game at Histor
ic Hicks Field against
the Tarboro River
Bandits; chapter
See DAR, A6
Interpretive signs go up near monument
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
HERTFORD — More
than a year after being ap
proved by county officials,
interpretive signs were in
stalled last week near the
foot of the Confederate
Soldiers Monument on the
lawn of the Perquimans
County Courthouse.
Perquimans County
Commissioner Joseph W.
Hoffler, who originally
sought to have the Confed
erate monument removed
from the courthouse green,
said he appreciates the
historical context that the
signs provide the monu
ment.
“I never thought I would
say this, but it is better than
moving the monument,”
Hoffler said of the interpre
tive signs. “It educates peo
ple about the Civil War. I
like the educational aspect
of it. I like that better.”
The signs consist of
bronze panels inlaid on
granite markers placed at
either side of a brick walk
way around the monument.
One panel reads: “Res
idents of Perquimans
County unveiled this
See MONUMENT, A6
REGGIE PONDER/THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Perquimans County Commissioner Joseph W. Hoffler’s
shadow covers part of the interpretive sign now in
place near the Confederate Soldiers Monument on the
lawn of the Perquimans County Courthouse.