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INSIDE: Celebrating the Underground Railroad ■■■ Bertie Ledffer-Advance ^ THURSDAY • SEPTEMBER 10,2020 Page 8 980 S. Academy St. Ahoskie,NC 27910 "11 MW MASTERS Heating & Air Conditioning 252209.0223 Is eS 53! S SI 9 S O 3 IJj Ms Zi §1 Askewville • Auiander • Colerain • Kelford • Lewiston Woodviile • Merry Hill • Powellsville • Roxobei • Windsor COVID cases dramatically rise in week THADD WHITE Bertie Ledger-Advance While moving to the newly created Safer at Home Phase 2.5 may be good news for North Carolina, it may not be for residents of Bertie County. While the state’s av erages are trending in a more positive direction, Bertie County’s cases of COVlD-19 continue to soar. The number of cases - marked at 495 by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Dashboard as of Tuesday - has risen by 54 in just one week. Bertie isn’t alone as neighbors Hertford County and Halifcix County also have sig nificantly higher cases than their neighbors. Hertford County also grew significantly last week, going up 48 cas es to 597 while Halifax County, who leads Ber tie’s neighbors at 910, grew only by 26 cases. Bertie’s case num- See COVID, 3 Census date looming THADD WHITE Bertie Ledger-Advance It’s not too late. Those who still need to be counted as part of the 2020 Census - and there are quite a few according to official numbers - can still do so through the end of September. “The citizens and offi cials have done a great job, but we still have a ways to go,” Bertie County Commission Chairman Ronald D. Wesson said recently. “Our goal is to exceed the state average, and while we are making progress, we are not there yet.” Bertie County cur rently sits at a 51.5 percent response rate while North Carolina has a response rate of 61.2. Some towns in Bertie County are doing well - See CENSUS, 3 Roanoke Connect garners grant THADD WHITE ternet to Bertie County, Bertie Ledger-Advance which was one of 11 counties to benefit. The AULANDER - Roanoke others include Martin, Connect Holdings is Edgecombe, Colum- one of nine compa- bus, Duplin, Graham, nies awarded ghants Greene, Nash, Robeson, to bring high-speed in- Rockingham and Swain ternet service to rural counties, counties. “We are pleased Roa- Roanoke Connect, a noke Connect Holdings subsidiary of Roanoke (RCH) is a recipient of Electric Cooperative the N.C. Department of was awarded the grant to bring high-speed in- See GRANT, 3 In this edition Church & Faith 5 Classified 6 Opinion ; 4 Out & About 2 r-F—S FILE PHOTO Places like the Cashie Treehouse Village help bring tourists to Bertie County every year. Last year, those tourists spent over $15 million in the county. Tourism brings in $15 million in 2019 THADD WHITE Bertie Ledger-Advance Visitors to Bertie County poured $15 million into the lo cal economy in 2019, according to a new report from Visit NC. That investment - which helps alleviate tax burdens, creates jobs and raises the standard of living in Bertie County - was up almost three percent from 2018. “Despite limited retail lodg ing in Bertie County, we still grew our domestic visitor spending in 2019,” said Lewis Hoggard, Executive Director of the Windsor/Bertie Cham ber of Commerce. “We have to continue to highlight our natural resources and provide convenient access to those re sources. “Our waterways are second to none in their beauty and va riety,” Hoggard added. The report also finds there are 50 people employed in the travel and tourism industry in Bertie County. The total pay roll created by the tourism in dustry topped $1.5 million last year. In addition to the jobs cre ated, sales tax revenue gener ated in Bertie County totaled $830,000 through state sales and excise taxes and taxes on personal and corporate in- See TDURISM, 8 Untapped; Keeping crop 'legal' challenges farmers DEBDRAH GRIFFIN The Daiiy Refiector At first glance, raising hemp in eastern North Carolina seems as though it could be the saving grace for farmers seeking to replace crops like tobacco that are no longer as viable as they once were. Demand for hemp oil, (canna- bidiol, commonly abbreviated CBD), is growing by leaps and bounds annually. CBD users attest to its ability to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, insom nia, and a myriad of chronic pains, although few studies have been conducted to back up the claims. It is expected that consum er sales in the United States DEBORAH GRIFFIN / The Daily Reflector Hemp plants look like small trees growing in rows on a farm in Martin County. of cannabidiol products will reach around $1.8 billion by 2022 — an increase up from about $500 million in 2018. By 2025, it is projected to be a $26 billion business, according to market analysts. Because of this rising de mand, it seems growing hemp, a crop suited to eastern North Carolina’s climate, would be a foregone conclusion. Unfortunately, the reality is not so cut and dried. Laws, regulations Many laws and regulations surrounding the once out lawed plant are still being de bated and can be confusing. Federal and state laws don’t always agree. State farmers — who must See UNTAPPED, 3 { Good Morning, Stephen Hoggard OF Windsor Thank you for subscribing! Find us on Facebook Volume 122: No. 38 11711 .35906 6 Bertie County Non-Emergency Transports 252-794-5334.252-325-2460 Family Helpins Family
Bertie Ledger-Advance (Windsor, N.C.)
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