North Carolina Newspapers

SMALLTOWNGIRL Leslie Beachboard says its too cold, feady for warmer weather. A4 MEDITATING Sylvia Hughes encourages believers to vow to obey God. A3 FOURTH&LONG David Friedman remembers the great Sam Jones. A6 SCAN ME Volume 124: No. 1 erne Ledger-Advance ^ Thursday • January 6,2022 980 S. Academy St. Ahoskie,NC 27910 Heating & Air Conditioning 252209.0223 S op s s a 11^ = **- a *1^ wmm I—• ASKEWVILLE ♦ AULANDER ♦ COLERAIN ^ KELFORD ^ LEWISTON WOODVILLE'> MERRY HILL 4- POWELLSVILLE. 4- ROXOBEL ♦ WINDSOR. Vidant Health introduces new protocols Cloth masks no longer permitted TYLER NEWMAN Staff Writer Vidant Health has introduced new hospital visitation protocols and updates that recently went into effect at 8 a.m. on Dec. 30 The changes, replacing the pre vious guidance from Dec. 10, no longer permit cloth masks in hos pital facilities. This update includes both local hospitals: Vidant Bertie Hospital and Vidant Chowan Hospital. In addition to no longer al lowing cloth masks on hospital premises, the number of screened healthy adult visitors to inpatient departments has dropped from two to one. All visitors must stay in patients’ rooms unless visiting the hospital cafe, which is the same as past guidance. However, visitors may no longer swatch out with other visitors as of the Dec. 30 guidance. Current visitation policy re mains the same for the children’s hospital and women’s center (in cluding labor, delivery and mater nity). At individual medical practices and outpatient clinics, Vidant now asks that patients not bring visi tors unless absolutely necessary. For surgical outpatient proce dures, visitors may no longer visit the recovery area In the emergency department, visitors are not allowed in the lob by, waiting areas, hallways or cur tain-only rooms. All of these changes come as the highly transmissible Omicron variant sweeps through communi ties across the state, pushing pos itive case counts to record levels. “As Vidant Health continues to respond to the evolving COVlD-19 pandemic and the increasing spread of the Omicron variant, we are taking steps to ensure the safe ty of aU,” Vidant’s press release read. “In consultation with infec^ tious disease experts and based on current trends, Vidant is proac tively updating visitor guidelines for the health system and acljust- ing the reopening of the Wellness Center - Greenville.” In addition to visitation updates, Vidant is now pushing visitors to check in online before arriving at See PROTOCOLS, A5 Inmate dies from apparent suicide Offender was incarcerated for robbery LESLIE BEACHBOARD Managing Editor WINDSOR - A Bertie Cor rectional Institute inmate is dead after an apparent sui cide over the weekend. Dontavian Bartee was found unresponsive in his cell around 6:49 am on Sat urday, Jan. 1. The prison’s first responders performed lifesaving measures until paramedics from Bertie Coimty Emergency Ser vices arrived. The paramedics also worked to resuscitate Mm, and Bartee was pronounced deceased at 7:14 am. Law enforcement was notified of the death, and is stiU investigating. The De partment of Public Safety is cooperating fully in the in vestigation, and is also con ducting their own investiga tion, according to the N.C. Department of Corrections in a press release. Bartee, 24, was serving a seven-year, five-month sentence for robbery with a dangerous weapon after being convicted in Wake County. Bartee began his sen tence on Sept. 1, 2017 and was projected to be re leased on Feb. 26,2025. Leslie Beachboard can be reached via email at lbeachboard@ncweeklies. com. Workers at Perry-Wynn’s Fish Company “back in the day.” Eastern NC Living features Perry-Wynn’s Fish Company THADD WHITE Group Editor The latest edition of Eastern North Carolina Living is available tluoughout the 14-county coverage region, and features stories from Bertie, Hertford, Martin and Chow an counties among others. One of the features in the maga zine is a look back at Perry-Wynn’s Fish Company, wMch was formed in 1952 and became one of the main economic drivers for Colerain and the surrounding area in Bertie and Hertford counties. The company had 200 seasonal workers before a comh’aation of the lessening of available herring in the Chowan River and Hurricane Isabel created destruction from wMch the company could not re cover. “It’s a way of life and culture that Cf is gone. It’s a tremendous loss,” said historian Frank Stephenson, who penned the book “Herring Fisher man: Images of an eastern North Carolina tradition.” In addition to a story from Bertie County, the magazine’s Biography features retired Windsor Mayor Jim Hoggard. After serving as a tovm commissioner, Hoggard spent a dozr;a years as mayor before retir ing m November. A couple of the standard col umns in the magazine are authored by Bertie County folks. Grandma’s Ktchen, written by Windsor’s Syl via Hughes, features recipes for vegetable beef soup, beef stew and a cooked bluebeny snack. In addition, Grace & Truth - a de votional - is written by AskewviLle Assembly of God Connections Pas tor Amanda Hoggard. The story from neighboring Mar tin County features a remembrance of Mike Canada, who v^as recent ly honored by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Canada, knovm as a. dedicated fireman and commuraty member, died after suffering a cardiac arrest just hours after responding to two fire calls. “He loved helping people,” his See ENCL, A5 Colerain man gets larceny charge Arrests was made in Bear Grass LESLIE BEACHBOARD Managing Editor BEAR GRASS - A Colerain man is behind bars chained vidth breaking and entering in Martin County. At approximately 4 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 2, deputies from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office were dis patched to the Bear Grass commuraty regarding a breaking and entering of a motor veMcle that was in progress. Upon arrival to the scene, deputies found that the vic tim had observed the sus pect breaking into one of the victim’s veMcles and several neighbors had assisted in detaining the suspect. During the detention of the suspect, the suspect as saulted the victim. After a brief struggle vrith deputies, the suspect was taken into custody. Through further inves tigation and additional ev idence, it was found that the suspect was connected to numerous motor veMcle break-ins that had occurred since December 2021. Kirklin McCoy Williams, of 233 Thompson Rd. in Colerain, was charged with first degree burglary, eight counts of breaking and entering a motor veMcle, six counts of attempted See ARREST, A5 Some new laws took effect In North Carolina as of January 1 TYLER NEWMAN Staff Writer While the onset of the new year typically brings resolutions and champagne, it also brings new laws and measures enacted by state governments. Quite a few new measures went into effect on Jan. 1 in North Car olina, following their signings into In this edition — law throughout 2021. Here are some of them. • Senate Bill 248: Additional info on health insurance cards. Ev ery insurer offering a health bene fit plan will be required to provide the health benefit plan subscriber with ai\ identification card. The card is required to list policyhold er’s obligations for copayments for primary care, specially care, ur gent care and emergency room visits; list the contact info for the subscriber^ and list if the health benefit plan is a fully irrsureu i>k or a self-funded plan. Gov. Coope; signet, the bill m June. • Senate Bill 300: Criminal jus tice reform. The new law aims to increase protectiorrs, training and oversight for state and local law enforcement officers. As part of the law: a decertification database will be created; the FBI’s Next Crmeration Identification System massive database of personal .md biometric information) will be roqirir ed for all officer fingerprints by 2023; establishing minimum mental health screening protocols for ^plicants that must be met in order to qualify for entry level em ployment and retention as a crim inal justice officer in temporary, probationary or permanent posi tions; and the relevant law will be amended to provide immediate disclosure of body-worn camera recording related to death or ^ rious bodily iiyury. Coy. Cooper signed SB 300 in August. • Senate Bill 473: Set to magnify See LAWS,A5 / Good morning, Sylvia Hughes OFlUlNDSOR Thank Yai TOR subscrihng! Find us on Facebook www.bertieledgeradvance.com Church & Faith A3 Classified A8 Obituaries A'2 Opinion A4 Sports A6 0 11711 35906 6