INSIDE: Vidant Bertie Hospital receives recognition...
Bertie
Ledffer-Advance
^ THURSDAY • DECEMBER 10,2020
Page A6
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Askewville • Aufonder • CoSerain • (Celford • Lewiston Woodvilie • Merry Hi • PoweHsvie • Roxobel • Windsor
Governor issues stay-at-home order
Bertie Co. COVID-19 cases soar, near 1,000
THADD WHITE
Bertie Ledger-Advance
RALEIGH - As the COVID-19
worldwide pandemic con
tinues to ravage North Caro
lina, Gov. Roy Cooper has
acted to place the state in
a modified Stay-At-Home or
der.
Gov. Cooper reported the
state had seen new cases
reach over 6,000 per day on
both Saturday and Sunday.
In addition, there are now
48 counties - including Ber
tie County - designated as
red, meaning there is critical
community spread.
“We already have strong
safety protocols and capac
ity limitations in place - in
cluding a statewide mask
requirement. With this ad
ditional action beginning
Friday, we hope to get these
numbers down,” Gov. Coo
per said. “Our new modified
Stay at Home order aims
to limit gatherings and get
people home where they are
safer, especially during the
holidays.
“It’s also a reminder that
we must be vigilant the rest
of the day - wearing a face
marks when we are with
people we don’t live with,
keeping a safe distance from
others and washing our
hands a lot.”
The order will require
restaurants, bars, entertain
ment venues, personal care
See COVID-19, A5
f.
I — .
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Bertie County Commissioners John Trent (ieft) and Ron Wes
son were sworn in to their third terms on the board Monday
night. Both Trent and Wesson were re-elected in unopposed
bids for office in November.
Board disagrees over top post
THADD WHITE
Bertie Ledger-Advance
WINDSOR - The Bertie County
Commissioners once again
struggled to elect a chairman
Monday night.
During the annual organiza
tional meeting, the board split
3-2 on the election of a chair
person and 4-1 on the election
of a vice chairperson. It was the
second time in three years the
board has had difficulty choos
ing a leader.
Bertie County Manager Juan
Vaughan II, led the meeting
while the board considered its
choice for chair and vice chair.
Upon opening the floor for
nominations. Commissioner
John Trent made a motion to
nominate Tammy Lee for the
position of board chair. Com
missioner Greg Atkins second
ed the motion.
Commissioner Ernestine Byrd
Bazemore then nominated Ron
Wesson to serve another year
as chairman. Wesson seconded
the motion.
Bazemore said she believed
it was “in order” for Wesson to
serve a second term as others
have in the past.
Vaughan then called for a
vote on Lee’s nomination since
it was the first one made. It
passed by a 3-2 vote with Trent,
Atkins and Lee voting in the af
firmative and Wesson and Baze
more casting dissenting votes.
Vaughan then called for nomi-
See PDST, A5
Wesson decries 'lies' on his stance
THADD WHITE
Bertie Ledger-Advance
WINDSDR - One Bertie Coun
ty Commissioner took aim at
what he said were lies being
spread about him at a county
business.
Commissioner Ron Wesson
declined to reveal the name of
the business, but indicated it
was in the Colerain area and
said he had received multiple
calls about what was being
said.
Wesson said it was important
that he clarify his true stance in
response to the worldwide pan
demic of COVID-19, and that he
wanted everyone to know ex
actly where he stands.
“I do not support the clos
ing of any business in Bertie
County,” Wesson said. “There is
a business in the Colerain area
saying 1 do.”
Wesson said he supported
taking proper precautions to
prevent the spread of COV
ID-19, but did not support clos
ing businesses.
See WESSDN, A6
In this edition
Christmas
music event
set Dec. 19
THADD WHITE
Bertie Ledger-Advance
WINDSDR - The holiday
season will be different
in 2020.
And, while that is
true, some people in
Windsor decided to
put together an oppor
tunity for everyone to
come together and en
joy Christmas music.
Thus, the Cashie
Christmas Music Festi
val was born.
The free event, which
will begin at noon on
Saturday, Dec. 19, will
be held at Powell &
Stokes.
“We wanted to give
something back to the
community,” said Pow
ell & Stokes executive
Jon Powell. “It has been
a tough year, and many
folks feel beaten down
with the constant bar
rage of bad news in the
media. So, we figured
that a free, outdoor
Christmas music con
cert might help lift up
spirits. Christmas mu
sic always seems to do
that!”
Powell said there was
plenty of room at the
business, which is lo
cated on U.S. 13 in the
northern part of Wind
sor.
“’’We’ve been having
See CHRISTMAS, A5
Santa letters
deadline looms
BY THADD WHITE
Bertie Ledger-Advance
WINDSDR - Boys and
girls, get out your pen
cils and paper.
No, we’re not giving a
test.
Instead, its time for
each youngster to take
time to write his or her
annual letter to Santa
Claus.
Bertie Ledger-Ad
vance Creative Ser
vice Director Michelle
Leicester received a
telephone call Mon
day morning from the
North Pole. The call
was from the Jolly Old
Elf himself, seeking this
newspaper’s help with
information from all
Bertie County boys and
girls.
Santa said he wanted
us to collect letters for
him and forward them
to the North Pole for
his elves to prepare the
best possible holiday
list.
So, that’s exactly
what is happening at
the Bertie Ledger-Ad
vance.
Beginning today, we
See LETTERS, A5
Church & Faith
B3
Classified
B4
Obituaries
A2
Opinion
A4
Sports
B1
( Good Morning,
Lawrence Smith
OF Colerain
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Volume 122: No. 51
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