The QU IMANS EEKLY “News from Next Door” SATURDAY, JULY 22, 2023 $1.50 2* C3 a O u. 3 O' S rvi ^ SCAN ME INSIDE Our annual section paying tribute to the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard PAGE 3 ECU Health pro vides $335K grant to Perquimans EMS Winfall, Edenton voters to decide contested races As of Tuesday, only 3 had filed for open seats in Hertford BY REGGIE PONDER AND VERNON FUESTON Staff Writers Voters in Winfall and Edenton will have contest ed races to decide in this November’s municipal elec tion. But as of the presstime for this story on Tuesday, only three candidates had filed to run for the three open local government seats in Hertford. Filing ended Friday at noon for municipal offices in all three towns. In Winfall, voters will have a contested race for mayor, as both Preston T. White and Delane Ritter Jr. have filed to run for the town’s top elective post. But it appeared the race would be the first in more than three decades in which Fred Yates’ name wouldn’t be on the ballot. Yates, who has served as Winfall mayor since t>'e early 1990s, had not filed for re-election as of Tuesday, and he previously said he didn’t plan to seek another four-year term this year. Cynthia Gale White Cun ¬ ningham has filed for one of two open town commis sioner seats in Winfall. White has served nearly 11 years on Winfall’s Board of Commissioners and cur rently serves as the board’s mayor pro tern. He mounted an unsuccessful campaign for mayor against Yates in 2019. “I would like to see the town continue to move for ward and prepare for the future,’’ White said. White, who is 57 and lived in Winfall all his life, said he believes that with the right See FILING, A2 Christmas in July Edenton considers alcohol ‘social district’ downtown PHOTO COURTESY GARY LICO Santa Claus, also known as Gary Lico, bursts into laughter during Story Hour at the Perquimans County Library, Thursday, July 13, as part of last week’s Christmas in July events in Hertford. The Jolly Old Elf treated a group of young readers to four books, including an updated version of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas." Afterward, the kids “ambushed” him with hugs. See story, page A3. Biz can opt out, not allow alcohol beverages on premises BY VERNON FUESTON Staff Writer EDENTON — Edenton town officials last week further discussed a pro posed new downtown “social district” where out door alcohol consumption would be allowed but took no action on the concept. Assistant Town Manager Dewayne Whealton, who is also the town planner, reviewed the ordinance and answered questions from both the public and Town Council during the July 11 meeting. Whealton said approv ing a social district ordi nance would allow people to carry single servings of alcohol sold at businesses within a confined area of the downtown. The idea WHEALTON of a social district is designed, he said, to attract more people to local busi nesses. The social dis trict being considered in Edenton would cover two blocks of Broad Street from the waterfront up to Queen Street, including the Herringbone Restau rant and East King Street beside Surf, Wind, and Fire. The district would not include either of Eden ton’s waterfront parks. Wealton said he and a steering committee are still collecting feedback from other communities that have adopted similar ordinances. See DISTRICT, A6 Group offers ‘safe place’ for discussion Edenton Racial Reconciliation Group meets each Thursday BY VERNON FUESTON Staff Writer EDENTON — “Find me another group that has been together for this many years, who have nothing Jordan promoted to Perquimans DSS head Former social work supervisor took reins at agency June 1 BY REGGIE PONDER Staff Writer HERTFORD — Longtime social worker Angela Jordan became social services direc tor for Perquimans County last month. 6 " 89076 47144 Vol. 88, No. 29 WWW.PerquimansWeekly.com @2021 Perquimans Weekly All Rights Reserved in common, and still come together every Thursday at 7 p.m.,” the woman said. The woman was a mem ber of the Edenton Recon cihation Group, an informal discussion panel that’s been meeting weekly for years, though there is some dis agreement over just how long. Some say the group JORDAN As direc tor, Jordan supervises the work of the 31-per- son staff at the Per quimans County De partment of Social Services. 2 One of the main challenges she’s feeing, she said, is hiring staff, especially because the agency has compete with DSS agencies in neighboring counties with the salaries it can pay. started in 2014; others say it started a year or two later. The group has been re markably resilient, surviv ing not only disagreements but the COVID-19 pandem ic. On this particular night, July 13, eight members were present in person at Edenton Methodist Church on Virginia Road, and anoth ¬ “Staffing is always a chal lenge,” Jordan said. Still, she has filled seven positions and has had only one employee resignation since becoming DSS director on June 1. Jordan credits the working conditions at the agency for helping to attract employees. “I think we have a very good working relationship here,” she said. Jordan said she works to boost morale for employees of Perquimans DSS, and she knows that employees re spect each other and eqjoy working together. Another challenge is find ing and maintaining enough er four joined the meeting virtually, an innovation the group adopted during the COVID epidemic. Members physically attending the meeting in cluded Emma Bonner, Dr. Benjamin Speller, Jessie Rivers, Deborah Davis, See EDENTON, A6 foster care homes and re spite homes for children. But Jordan said that Per quimans is fortunate right now to have all its foster chil dren placed in homes either in Perquimans or in neighboring Chowan or Gates counties. Jordan started at Per quimans DSS in October 2007 as a social worker in Investigative Assessments and Treatment within Child Protective Services. Begin ning in July 2012 she was promoted to social work supervisor, a position she remained in until being promoted to director of the See JORDAN, A2 Warrants: Former Hertford employee embezzled gasoline Sheriff Downing misused caid 31 times, stole $1.6K in gas BY JULIAN EURE Managing Editor HERTFORD — A for mer Hertford public works employee is accused of misusing a town gasoline credit card more than 30 times to steal more than $1,600 in gasoline, the Per quimans County sheriff said. Keenan Ny’rek Kei’shaun Downing, 21, of the 200 block of King St., Hertford, is charged with 14 counts of felony embez zlement by a public official or trustee, according to arrest warrants. He’s be ing confined at Albemarle District Jail in lieu of a $280,000 secured bond. According to warrants, Downing was employed as a Hertford public works employee when he “did e m b e z - zle and corruptly use and misapply” a town gas card on May 6 “in the DOWNING amount of $80.” He would go on to misuse the gas card 13 more times over the next month and a half, allegedly stealing an other $867.43 in gas from the town. His last illegal use of the gas card was for $55 on June 27, according to warrants. Perquimans Sheriff Shel by White said Monday that Downing also misused the town gas card for his own personal use an additional 17 times during roughly the same time period in neighboring counties. He said that brought the total See EMBEZZLE, A6

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