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P I : I A4 I MARCH 25,2020 BERTIE LEDGER-ADVANCE Opinion The fabric of Bertie County since 1832 "It's chow time. ff ■ ■ Each generation will face their fair share of challenges and heartbreak. As my generation evolved, we couldn’t even fathom what the year 2020 would be like. We are a generation who wrote re ports for class using encyclopedias, not Wikipedia. We have seen technological ad vances which we only dreamed of as we watched Star Trek. We saw this technology push the econ omy to unforeseen summits where goods were abundant, and the thought of empty shelves and shuttered businesses never entered our minds. Along the way, we have had our fair share of heartbreak. The Space Shuttle Challenger explosion and September 11 just to name a couple, but we pressed on and over came. We survived these tragedies like every genera tion before us. We worked hard, we worked as one, a country united, with one sole purpose, to help our fel low man. Today we face a new chal lenge. A challenge from an Todd Lane Common Sense Comer enemy we were not prepared to fight, an enemy we can’t even see. An enemy that has brought our government, schools and businesses to a halt and is shattering our economy. This enemy is a virus, yes, a simple vi rus. A virus capable of taking the lives of our loved ones, overwhelming our medi cal facilities and causing an unforeseen panic. That’s the bad news. The good news, we live in the greatest country in the world and we will not be defeated. We will come together, putting our differences aside and we will come out of this stronger and better than any time in history. All it requires is we just do our part. It is no secret 1 was a transplant to Bertie County and Windsor. Heck, 1 grew up in the city with no idea what terms like “pig pick in’’ and “fixin to” even meant. 1 thought ev eryone had Farm Fresh grocery stores and McDonalds. 1 was in my twenties before 1 learned what a country store was and how these family-owned stores are a staple of rural life. Who would have ever thought you could buy everything needed for a Thanks giving dinner out of a small white wood sided store? In the mist of this pandemic, with quar antines and limits on gatherings, it’s these small businesses owners, the mom and pop owned groceries, hardware stores, diners, and restaurants who need us to step up. These are the very businesses we call on routinely to sponsor civic activities from little league teams to fire department fundraisers to Christmas parades. These owners are always there for the commu nity, now it’s time for the community to be there for them. These are the people who are too often overlooked when the government rolls out a stimulus package to bail out the banks or airlines after events resulting in economic chaos. These are the same people who stayed in the community and rebuilt after so many floods 1 have lost count. They are you neighbors, they are you friends, they are what makes Windsor a great place to live. So, step up to the plate - a plate of fried chicken, BBQ, pizza or some of the best chicken wings you have ever eaten and show your support for these small busi nesses. Oh yea, 1 almost forgot, wash your hands!!!!!! Todd Lane is a retired Windsor Police Chief and First Sgt. of the N.C. Highway Pa trol who resides in Johnston County with his wife, Pam. He has served in law enforce ment for more than 30 years. Letters to the Editor The Bertie Ledger-Advance encourages Let ters to the Editor. Email Letters To: twhite@ncweeklies.com Bertie Ledger-Advance The fabric of Bertie County since 1832 I’t’aiiliTyilff.. We're all doing the best we can We are in unchartered waters. Our schools are closed. Our res taurants are serv ing take-out only. We can’t go get our hair cut at the local salon. Some people can’t even go to work. The COVlD-19 vi rus has disrupted the lives of every American, and most people worldwide. And, as we have Thadd White Out Here in Left Field found out, we weren’t prepared for this. In fact, our lack of prepa ration should be one of the things we work to fix once this situation is behind us. Yet, here we are. And while we try to navigate our way through these unchar tered waters, so too are our lead ers. They never imagined being in this situation either I’d be willing to wager. At the beginning, 1 think Presi dent Donald J. Trump had the same reaction most of us did - basically, “yea, right.” He didn’t believe the virus was going to dis rupt our lives any more than the rest of us did. But, when the smartest people in the world told him it would - he began to act. He made decisions and he offered us a plan forward. The President of the United States even went so far as to rec ommend people not gather in groups of more than 10 - an un precedented (forgive the figure of speech) move. And while POTUS is navigating the country through this pandem ic, Gov. Roy Cooper is doing the same in North Carolina. He has been thoughtful and deliberate, and has done everything he can to protect our state. In both cases. I’m sure they have made mistakes. They prob ably could have reacted sooner among other things. But, in this case. I’m willing to give them a break. They’re doing quite simply the best they can with the information they have in front of them. 1 hope you’ll give them the benefit of the doubt as well. On that same subject. I’m ex tremely proud of Bertie County officials, and those in our munici palities throughout Bertie County. They have reacted but not over reacted. Emergency Services Director Mitch Cooper has done a good job of informing the public, and keep ing the county’s citizens aware of how things are progressing, and what steps should be taken if they feel sick. 1 can’t say enough about the intelligent and thoughtful way things have been handled locally. While we’re on the subject of COVlD-19, 1 strongly urge you to support your local businesses as much as you can. Most of the res taurants are still open and provid ing take-out service. Our local restaurants provide an unbelievable service to our community. They are our back bone in many ways. 1 hope you’ll do all you can to support them. If you don’t feel safe going out to eat, go online and buy gift cer tificates or ask someone to pick one up for you. Any way we can help our local businesses, 1 pray we will. 1 look forward to next week when we make the shift to Thurs day, and we hope you’ll enjoy the new day and the more timely news coverage. Be safe - and, as Todd Lane re minds you in his column - wash your hands! Thadd White is Editor of the Bertie Ledger-Advance. He can be reached via email at twhite® ncweeklies.com. The message remains. One of the great joys of my life has been being a part of “The Message of Easter” at Piney Grove Baptist Church in Farm Life. “The Message of Easter” is a 90-min- ute outdoor drama which depicts the last days of Christ as told in the Bible. Compiled strictly from scripture, the production was the vision of my friend, extra father and un official mentor, E.T. Taylor. Sarah H. Stalls Wandering But Not Lost 1 have been a part of this pro duction a majority of the 40 years it has been in existence. One of my toughest responsi bilities ever came this year when 1 had to be a part of deciding to cancel the 41st season of “The Message of Easter.” As the governor’s guidance re garding COVlD-19 slowly turned to executive orders and numbers began to climb, the drama team - which is a small group from with in our church family - knew what had to be done. It was not going to be about making sure we were following the rules; it was about looking af ter one another and looking out for our fellow man. The performances would have run for eight nights, ending on Easter Sunday. Included in those nights would have been a per formance in Spanish and a night where there was American Sign Language interpretation for deaf attendees. My role in the drama has evolved over the years. As a child and teen, 1 was in the cast. After being gone for a few years, 1 came back and landed in the tower as a technical director running lights or sound. A few years ago, 1 found myself directing the performanc es. And like so many involved, 1 absolutely love being involved. Every single role is important in this production, no one more so than the other. Whether it is the men parking cars or the ladies ironing costumes, it takes every one. Everyone is working for the same goal - to use this unique opportunity to share the Gospel with as many people as possible. As a child, 1 have the best memo ries of sitting on the church steps, at the original building across the road from the drama set, watch ing the buses roll in on perfor mance nights. It was a regular thing to hear the adult ladies yell, “Bus, bus, there’s another one.” As adults, their excitement was so contagious and so obvious. 1 still carry that excitement, which made canceling this year’s season of eight performances so hard. Many in our church family have been called home over the years since “The Message of Easter” began, including my buddy, E.T. Taylor. We know they would tell us we made the right decision by can celing the season this year in this unprecedented time. And with the same faith E.T. and others had in those early days, we’ll simply keep the faith and be confident we will be back next year. So, from everyone at “The Mes sage of Easter,” we pray you stay safe and find your way celebrate the story behind the message. Easter may need to be modi fied this year, but it has not been canceled - unless we chose not to observe it. Sarah Hodges Stalls is a Staff Writer for the Martin County En terprise & Weekly Herald. She can be reached via email at shstalls® ncweeklies.com. The Bertie LeoaeR-ADVANCE was established in 1928 through the HERITAGg OF ThE WINDSOR LeDQER AND ThE AuLANDER ADVANCE. The NEWSPAPER traces its history to 1832 when it was first published AS the Windsor Herald and Bertie County Register Kyle Stephens Thadd White Publisher Editor The Bertie Ledger-Aovanoe kstephens@ncweeWies.com twhite@noweekHes.ooiTi (ISSN 051-700) is published EACH Wednesday for $37.00 Michelle Leicester Jessica Mobley (plus tax) per year (in Bertie Creative Services Director Advertising Manager County) sy Adams Pubushinq mleicester@ncweeklie8.oom jmobiey@ncweeklies.oom Group 109 S. Kino St., Windsor, NC 27983. Periodicals J.W. “Russ” Russell postage paid at Windsor, NC Sports Editor Emeritus AND ENTERED AT ADDITIONAL MAILING bertienews@ncweeklies.0OfTi OFFICES. Postmaster: address changes to the Bertie Ledger-Advance, P.O. Box 69, Windsor, NC 27983. Contact Us; Bertie Leoqer-Advance P.O, Box 69, Windsor, NC 27983. Phone: (252) 794-3185 Fax: (252) 794-2835
Bertie Ledger-Advance (Windsor, N.C.)
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March 25, 2020, edition 1
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