On the heels of the death of Hall of Fame Coach Daryl Allen earlier this year comes the news of the death of Allen’s longtime friend and coaching colleague, Richard Murray.

Coach Murray passed away May 1 at his home. He was 76.

With the two coaching legends on the sideline, Ahoskie, and then Hertford County High School combined to win well over 300 football games, to include won two state championships and four Eastern State Championships.

Murray also served the two schools as Athletic Director and teacher for a total of 38 years. After retiring from Hertford County Public Schools, Murray served as a teacher and coach at Ridgecroft School for four years.

At his funeral on May 4 at Union Baptist, Murray’s impact on the local community was felt far beyond athletics as he was fondly remembered as a church Deacon, Sunday School Teacher, and on the Building and Grounds, and Finance committees, as well as a friend to all.

Buffaloe faces

child sex charges

A veteran law enforcement officer and noted canine handler and trainer has been charged with numerous counts for allegedly engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl.

Christopher (Chris) Turner Buffaloe, 27, of Conway, was jailed May 6 on $1,294,000 bond.

The date of offenses, according to warrants filed in the Northampton County Courthouse, and based on investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation, range from March 1 to April 14. He was charged with six counts of felony statutory rape; and one count each of indecent liberties with a child; felony second-degree exploitation of a minor; felony solicitation of a child by computer; and disseminating obscene material.

Buffaloe has worked with several law enforcement agencies in Northampton and Halifax counties throughout his career, to include the Seaboard Police Department. He was named in January of 2010 at the Captain of Conway-Severn Rescue Squad, an entity that offers a Juniors (ages 14-17) program in an effort to get young people interested in becoming the next generation of EMT’s.

Coming Home

The new Superintendent of Northampton County Public Schools will not need a roadmap of the area when she reports for duty on July 1.

Dr. Monica Smith-Woofter, a Gaston native and a 1986 graduate of Northampton County High School-West, was the unanimous choice of the Northampton Board of Education during their special called meeting on May 7.

Northampton School Board School Board Chairperson Marjorie Edwards stated the contract is good from July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2018.

Chowan River

claims two lives

Two Gates County men drowned May 10 during a fishing trip on the Chowan River.

According to Gates County Sheriff Ed Webb, the body of 67-year-old Ervin Curtis Hedgepeth of Tuggie Eure Road, Roduco, was discovered around 6 p.m. that day. As darkness fell, the search for 59-year-old Herman Wayne Greene, Jr. of Main Street, Gatesville, had to be suspended. Greene’s body was found the following morning when search crews from Gates and Hertford counties returned to the area.

Webb said their boat apparently struck something in the water. Both bodies were found roughly 60 yards from where the boat sank.

New BHS dedicated

The ribbon-cutting-dedication of the new Bertie High School was held May 18.

The $19.7 million, 140,000 square foot project was some 10 years in the making and largely funded through a government bond program.

The actual cutting of the ribbon was done by Bertie County Commissioners chairman J. Wallace Perry and county Board of Education chairperson Emma Johnson.

Following a musical salute by the Bertie High School Falcon Regiment Marching Band under the direction of Band Director Torrey Hines, those in attendance were escorted into the school’s new auditorium for the dedication ceremony.