CHAMBERCHAHER
Lewis Hoggard offers
assessment of two events.
PICTURETHAT
Andre’ Alfred is enjoying his job,
offers thanks.
MEDITATING
Sylvia Hughes says don’t
confuse righteousness.
SCAN ME
Volume 3.24:
No. 45
Ledfifer-Advance
^ Thursday • November 10,2022
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ASKEWVILLE 4- AULANDER ♦ COLERAIN -f KELFORD > LEWISTON WOODVILLE ♦ MERRY HILL > POWELLSVILLE 4- ROXOBEL -4 WINDSOR
BCS awarded $490K Safety Upgrade Grant
JOHN FOLEY
Staff Writer
WINDSOR - The timing couldn’t
have been better.
As the Bertie County School
District was preparing for their
upcoming Gang and Gun Violence
Forum, the Department of Justice
awarded $ 190 million in funding to
school districts across the country
to improve the safety of schools.
Bertie County Schools was
awarded $490,417 earmarked to
wards that effort. Bertie County
Schools Superintendent Dr. Otis
Smallwood annoimced the award.
“The grant will help institute
safety measures in and around
schools, support school violence
prevention efforts, provide train
ing to school personnel and stu
dents and enhance coordination
with local law enforcement,” Dr.
Smallwood said. “The ‘Build Ber
tie Better’ project wiU not only
provide physical security en
hancements such as surveillance
cameras, door access control and
training, but also consider the
need to upgrade physical security
while maintaining a positive learn
ing environment.
“In addition, the security system
provides another layer of safety
protection by allowing local law
enforcement officials to remotely
log into the system if the need ever
arises,” he added.
The ‘Build Bertie Better’ proj
ect’s main goal is to improve se
curity at schools and on school
grounds through evidence-based
school safety programs and by
helping students and teachers
recognize, respond quickly to and
help prevent acts of violence and
ensure a positive school climate,
explained Dr. Smallwood.
“The safety of the students
and staff of Bertie County Public
Schools is a very important issue
for the members of the Bertie
See GRANT, A3
Judge rejects
Askew plea deal
JOHN FOLEY
Staff Writer
While everyone in
volved in the Bertie County
ChereUe Askew cruelty to
animals case expected the
trial to end last week. Chief
District Court Judge Brenda
Branch had a different sce
nario in mind.
“An unusual thing hap
pened in court last week,”
said Daphna Nachmino-
vitch, Peta Senior Vice Pres
ident in charge of investiga
tions, in relation to the case.
The “unusual thing” sur
prised everyone.
Judge Branch rejected
the plea deal that the Dis
trict Attorney’s office and
Askew’s court ^pointed
public defender, Walter
Rand, had agreed upon.
Although the two sides
reached the plea agreement,
which would have included
a “conditional discharge,” it
was rejected by the Judge.
Askew, 58, of Governor’s
Road was issued three crim
inal summons on June 22,
charging her with a total of
seven misdemeanor counts
of cruelty to animals.
Six of the seven counts
claim Askew intentional
ly deprived her animals of
food and water which led to
unhealthy conditions. The
seventh charge deals with
See REJECT, A3
TGOW Project
grants submitted
JOHN FOLEY
Staff Writer
The Bertie County Com
missioners are moving
ahead with the Tall Glass of
Water project and have their
eyes on Phase n of the Ber
tie Beach make-over.
The board unanimously
approved TGOW Project
Consultant Robin Payne’s
request to submit a grant
application for a $500,000
award going to Parks and
Recreation Trust Fund ac
cessibility for Parks.
Payne also requested ap
prove, and received it unan
imously, to submit a grant
to the N.C. Department of
Commerce Rural Trans
formation Grant Fund for
$256,750. This is a no-match
award for the county. Both
grants needed to be submit
ted by the Nov. 1 deadline.
Construction of Phase I
of the TGOW project began
on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
The Bertie County Board
of Commissioners awarded
the $1,271,000 contract to
A.R. Chesson Construction
Company of WiUiamston
at their regular September
board meeting.
The projected completion
date of the project, accord
ing to project coordinator
See TGOW, A3
THADD WHITE/BERTIE LEDGER-ADVANCE
Music was a key component of the anniversary celebration.
‘Bertie’ turns 300
JOHN FOLEY
Staff Writer
AU came together.
State, county and local officials,
candidates hoping to become local
officials, law enforcement employ
ees, fire department first respond
ers, school board members, school
faculty, students, parents, visitors
and those returning home for Bertie
County’s Tricentennial celebration
showed up Saturday and celebrated
300 years of the past while looking
towards the future.
While the hub of the day’s festivi
ties and entertainment were centered
aroimd downtown Windsor, the Hope
Plantation and the Roanoke/Cashie
River Center hosted events to edu
cate, inform and entertain.
Bertie County Commission Chair
man, John Trent welcomed the
crowd.
“Welcome everybody to celebrate
300 years of Bertie County. People
ask me all the time what makes Ber
tie County, Bertie County. It is the
people that make Bertie County, Ber
tie County”, said Trent. “It is about the
people of Bertie County that makes
and moves this county forward.
“I want to thank aU of the busi
nesses that attended and all of the
See 300, A3
‘Critters’ inspire art of Jana Marie Smith
JOHN FOLEY
Staff Writer
Merry Hill wire artist and
clay sculptor Jana Marie Smith
has a fondness for what she
calls, ‘critters.’
And she should hold her
“critters” dear, they have at
tracted over 45,000 followers
on 'likTok, her Etsy store has
accumulated rave reviews
over the past two years and
her display is a favorite at local
artisan shows in the area
“I always eryoyed creating
as a kid. Whether it was for
fairs, school projects or just
making gifts for family, I loved
being able to bring ideas in my
head to life,” said the talented
artist.
But this isn’t Smith’s first
artistic coup. In 2018, she cap
tured top honors at the Chow
an County Fair for her Pine
Comb Sculpture that won Best
of Show.
Others also eryoy the self-
taught artist’s creations. Her
Etsy page is full of favorable
reviews, even though she did
not sell anything on the site un
til two years ago.
Smith only began produc
ing pieces three years ago. She
was inspired by wire artists
from OxanaCrafts. The wire
See INSPIRE, A3
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Merry Hill artist Jana Marie Smith works on
her craft.
In this edition
GOCO MORNING,
She Fairless
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