Featured Artist - Barbara Sant

The Bertie County Arts Council has announced an open house will be held Friday September 9th from 5:00 to 7:00 PM for Barbara Sant of Windsor. The event will be held at the Arts Council Gallery in Windsor, NC.

Barbara is this months featured artist for the Bertie County Arts Council and her work will be on display throughout the month of September. Below is a sample of her work.

"Windsor Landscape" By Barbara Sant

You can see more of Barbara's work on her web site at http://www.santfineart.com

Local art patrons have discovered that the quality of the art is always high and the prices are attractive at the Arts Council Gallery. These monthly shows are free and open to the public and are well attended. One reason is the good food that is always served.

For more information on the Bertie County Arts Council please call (252) 794 - 9402 or email the council at bertiearts@earthlink.net

School Board Can't Muzzle Critics

By Staff - August 24, 2005 - World Net Daily

A federal judge in New Jersey yesterday ordered a local school board to stop restricting speech it deemed "personally directed" from members of the community at public meetings ...

This is typical of the attitude of many school boards across the United States today. They have become so used to the concept of tenure, essentially the concept that school personnel are exempt from criticism, that the boards also believe they are exempt from the normal rules of our society.

There are many problems with our schools that cannot be laid at the feet of school boards. Rampant out of control discipline problems are the result of courts stripping teachers of the right to exert discipline in the classroom. This problem we will have to deal with by changing our courts (and we must).

But there are a great number of problems that are the direct result of school boards taking the side of teacher's unions and the education establishment against the rights of parents and students. This must end.

There is also the critical problem with school funding being a complicated sytem designed to obscure how money is spent. We must get a system that ties education spending to the student. This will fix the problem and prevent the constant complaint that "we don't have enough money" at the same time we are spending twice what it should cost for a quality education.

If you would like to get involved with this effort, please contact Lindalyn Kakadelis at the North Carolina Education Alliance.

Welcome Dr. Madigan - September 22nd

The Cashie Medical Center is having a party and you're invited!

They are holding an open house to welcome Dr. Timothy C. Madigan to our community, with light refreshments and tours of the hospital included. Dr. Madigan has joined the Cashie Medical Center as a specialist in family practice and he will be on the staff at Bertie Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Timothy C. Madigan

The Open House will be held on Thursday, September 22nd from 5:30 - 7:30 PM in the Bertie Memorial Hospital lobby.

The hospital is located at 1403 S. King Street, Windsor, N.C. For more information, call 794-6775.

Jeff Horton Promotes The Nature Conservancy

This week's speaker for the Windsor Rotary Club was Jeff Horton of The Nature Conservancy. Jeff provided a fascinating presentation on The Nature Conservancy and the Roanoke River Partners. He spoke enthusiastically of the Roanoke River Trail, and the many conservancy attractions that bring so many people to our area to view the natural wonders that we have to offer.

Jeff Horton Of "The Nature Conservancy"

If you have any questions about the work of The Nature Conservancy, please call Jeff at (252) 794-1818 or email him at jhorton@tnc.org.

Dogma Versus Reality

Thomas Sowell - July 19, 2005 - TownHall.com

There have been many bitter complaints from teachers and principals about the Bush administration's "No Child Left Behind" act -- and more specifically about having to "teach to the test" instead of doing whatever teachers and principals want to do.

Now the results are in.

Not only have test scores in math and reading shown "solid gains" in the words of the New York Times, young black students have "significantly narrowed the gap" between themselves and white students.

The signficance is that all students are doing better as teachers are forced to return to teaching. In this article Sowell points out the refusal of the teaching community to recognize the failure of their philosophy of being a "guide on the side" instead of a "sage on the stage". This expermiment with the minds of our students has been proved wrong through four decades of student failure, but the teacher's unions and the teaching community keep insisting that it is all the parent's fault. The school system never accepts responsibitility for anything.

This is an important article that every parent should read.

Burch And The Baker Field Bird - By Bob Fringer

Story By Bob Fringer

The sands of time were running out. After a month of persistent hunting, Warner Perry and I had yet to harvest a turkey. It certainly wasn't because we hadn't been trying. While we had several opportunities to take some jakes and been in the vicinity of several vocal gobblers, we had not pulled the trigger on a mature bird. Our hunting activities were limited to early morning pursuits. Normally, we hunted 4 to 5 days a week during the month-long North Carolina turkey season. Unfortunately we had to be out of the woods by 7:30 A.M. most mornings. Although I am retired and working on a part-time basis, Warner is a full-time farmer. As we all know, April and May are busy months for farmers and Warner is no exception. He usually spends most days on a tractor planting corn, soybeans, peanuts and cotton. Our approach to turkey hunting is dictated by the demands of earning a living, not unlike most folks. If we don't hear a roosting bird, we move to another location.

This morning was a bit different. Warner's son, Burch, was hunting with us. Burch had been chasing turkeys for a number of years without success. He had hunted with us several times this year but he too had not shot a bird. Today we were hunting an area where we had hunted several times earlier in the year. We had heard at least two gobblers but were not able to spark their interest. The area we chose to hunt was a mixed hardwood and cypress tract of forest bordered by adjacent fields. We were in place next to the woods about one-half hour before sunrise. It was a beautiful morning with no wind and reasonable temperatures. The woods started to come to life with the early morning chirps of birds and the various sounds of the woods creatures. Despite the owl calls, raucous goose honking and our own imitation of wild critters, we could not hear a roosting gobbler. The season was slipping away from us-fast!

We hurried back to the truck in hopes of hunting another area over on Warner's farm. An adult gobbler had been seen several times in the area by Warner and his farm help. At the last sighting, the gobbler and a hen were seen feeding in an area known as the Baker Field. We decided to set up on the edge of the field in hopes that a gobbler would cross the field and hang out along the edge, much like he had several times in the past. We planned to put our decoys out in the field and then spread ourselves out along the edge of the field. While we were putting our decoys out, we heard the distant call of a gobbler immediately behind us. Warner, without his gun, quickly moved to my left and Burch slipped off to my right. Warner buried himself in some heavy brush while I selected a spot which gave me a good straight-ahead view but with limited coverage on my left. I didn't worry about my right because Burch was there. Burch had a good view of the entire set-up.

The gobbler called again. I responded with a couple of yelps while Warner added a few purrs to keep the bird interested. Each time we called the bird sounded like he was coming closer. We kept our calls low and at a minimum. He continued to move in our direction. I was pretty sure he was coming our way but was not certain where he would enter the field because the field was bordered by fairly dense brush. Then the gobbling stopped. I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want to call too much. Warner gave a few soft purrs and that old gobbler just lit right up! I knew he was coming then. The only question was where he would enter the field.

Suddenly, I detected motion on my left and, and sure enough, that old gobbler was in the field and heading right for the decoys. I couldn't move a muscle. He moved ever so slowly. It seemed like he was moving in slow motion. His eyes appeared to probe every inch of the field edge. He was in no hurry now. He moved slowly forward, watching for any unusual motion.

What a sight. He was a beautiful bird! The sunlight made his feathers glisten and glow as he continued his walk. Suddenly, Burch's gun broke the silence of the moment. Then I could hear the heavy flaps of the wings and I knew that Burch had harvested his first turkey. I'll always remember the beauty of that bird and the feeling of elation that Burch had harvested his first North Carolina gobbler. What a perfect way to end the season--with a successful hunt with some treasured friends.

“New Creation” At Roanoke / Cashie River Center

Saturday, August 27, 2005

7:00 – 9:00 P.M.

Come out and listen to Blue Grass and Gospel by the local group “New Creation”

Local Group "New Creation"

• Bring a Lawn Chair/ Umbrellas
• Coolers are Allowed (No Glass Bottles)

Asthma Assistance

By Janet Capehart, Pediatric Asthma Director
Bertie Memorial Hospital - Chowan Hospital


Two of the most important keys to insuring a successful school year for the asthmatic student are preparation and management. Asthma is one of the most common chronic childhood illnesses affecting 10 percent of all school age children. It has been reported that more than 9 million children under the age of 18 suffer from allergies and asthma. This can account for more than 14 million missed school days and cost millions of dollars in medical bills and lost workdays for parents.

Given the amount of time that children are away from home and attending school, it is important that asthmatic children and their families work together with teachers, coaches and school nurses to avoid asthma triggers and to deal with symptoms. Asthma can be manageable with education and equipment. Items to have in place on the first day of school are

· a rescue medicine such as Albuterol (check the expiration date and that it is properly labeled)
· spacer for the inhaler
· an up-to-date action plan
· the proper authorization for Albuterol to be administered at school (whether by the student or school staff)
· a peak flow meter

Talk to your child and review what triggers his or her asthma symptoms. Encourage your child to ask a teacher for help when symptoms worsen. By being prepared, everyone is more at ease, especially the child.

For more information on childhood asthma, contact Janet Capehart, CRT, RCP, AE-C, the Bertie and Chowan Pediatric Asthma Program Case Manager at 252-794-3426.

Annual Chamber Dinner Was A Great Success

The annual membership meeting and dinner of the Windsor / Bertie County Chamber of Commerce was held last night and was a great success. The dinner was opened by welcoming comments from Larry Norris of First Union Bank.

The Dinner Had A Great Turnout

Larry asked Windsor Mayor Bob Spivey to give the benediction for the evening and the dinner.

Windsor Mayor Bob Spivey Provided the Benediction

Larry also introduced the master of ceremonies for the evening, Chamber Director, Patrick Demofonte.

Patrick Demofonte Was The Master Of Ceremonies

One of the major purposes of the dinner was announcement of the winner of the Outstanding Citizen of the Year Award, and Mary Davis of the Cashie Medical Center was the presenter to this years winner, Bill Hazelgrove. Details of her comments are covered in the separate article posted last night.

Patrick introduced the evening's guest speaker, Cathy Scott from North Carolina's Northeast Partnership.

Cathy gave a very interesting presentation on what is happening in our area, and covered some of the exciting things that are going to happen in the near future. From the $130 million music theater and entertainment district announced by Randy Parton, to the new TAMSCO Airport Hangar facility in Elizabeth City, to the advanced vehicle research facility in Northampton County, many things are happening in our area that show great promise for a bright future. An important topic covered was the beneficial effect that expressway construction (like 64) is bringing to our area. Cathy also talked about the many activities and services that the Northeast Partnership can provide to businesses in our area.

Cathy Scott From The Northeast Partnership Was The Featured Speaker

Larry Norris provided closing remarks.

Larry Norris Provided Both Opening And Closing Remarks

If you are not a member of the Chamber of Commerce, please consider getting involved. The Chamber is providing great leadership in moving our local economy forward, to the benefit of all of us. You can call Chamber Director Patrick Demofonte at 252-794-4277 or email him at info@windsor-bertie.com.

Outstanding Citizen Of The Year - Bill Hazelgrove

The “Outstanding Citizen Of The Year” for Windsor - Bertie County was announced tonight at the Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner. Mary Davis announced the honoree. Bill Hazelgrove was the person chosen.

Mary Davis Presents Bill Hazelgrove With Award Recognizing Him As "Outstanding Citizen Of The Year"

Mary shared some of Bill's background and accomplishments. Most important of all, Bill has been married for over 50 years to Jessie Cowan Hazelgrove, who is from Windsor, and the owner of local real estate firm Hazelgrove Realty. Bill and Jessie have 3 children.

Some of the highlights of Bill's career include: Company Commander with the 45th Division in Korea where he won the Bronze Star with V cluster (for Valor). Bill worked with Great American Insurance and became General Manager of Alabama. Bill's dedication to children led him to accept the position as Director of the "Virginia Home for Boys and Girls" in Richmond, a position he served for 17 years. In this position Bill has positively impacted literally hundreds of children who admire him and love him. Bill joined Dryden Oil Company as Regional Sales Manager for a period before he returned with Jessie to Windsor to become Director of the Windsor - Bertie County Chamber of Commerce for the last 9 Years, retiring just under one year ago. Bill was responsible for a great number of accomplishments for our area, and was the person who founded the "Outstanding Citizen of the Year" honor 5 years ago.

Bill Hazelgrove Accepts Honor With His Usual Style

Bill was extremely gracious and humble in his acceptance comments, as he always is. Bill is one of the best loved people in this area and the award was a very popular choice.

Dr. Collins-Hart Is Rotary Guest

Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart, the newly appointed Bertie School Superintendent was the guest speaker at today's Windsor Rotary luncheon.

Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart Accepts Coffee Cup From Patrick Demofonte

Patrick Demofonte, Director of the Windsor Bertie Chamber of Commerce Presents Dr. Collins-Hart with the honorary gift that is traditional.

Due to Holland Cayton's absence, the traditional Rotary song was postponed until his return.

Second Audit Ordered

By Cal Bryant - August 18, 2005 - Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald

WINDSOR - For the second time this year, the financial books of the Bertie County Public School system will be audited.

Meanwhile, Rick Harrell, Chairman of the Bertie Board of Commissioners, issued a stern statement concerning the new audit.

[snip]

"We have been assured that this investigation will be thorough and swift. We anticipate at least preliminary information soon and shall continue to monitor the situation and to voice our concerns. If action and information is not forthcoming, the County Commissioners shall take other appropriate actions."

When asked to define what type of actions, Harrell responded, "To use whatever means necessary to obtain the information we are seeking."

Those who are unhappy with our public education system point to school expenditure secrecy as one of the reasons that citizens have trouble assigning accountability for the drop in quality education.

This is an interesting article. We look forward to following this issue. Public education is a trust. In the last 60 years, while dominated by the teacher unions and protected by excessive abuse of tenure, America has slowly dropped from the best education system in the world to one of the worst. It is time we got back to being the best.

Ducks Unlimited Banquet October 7th

The annual Banquet for the Bertie County Chapter of Ducks Unlimited will be held Friday October 7th at the Cashie River Country Club. The social event with hors deurves will begin at 5:30 PM. The Seafood Buffet Dinner will start at 7:00 PM. There is also roast beef for those who prefer.

Mike Lee Of Bertie County Ducks Unlimited

The cost for the event is $50 for an individual and $75 for a couple. Please contact Mike at (252) 325-1229 for additional information or to obtain tickets.

Outrage On The Green - PETA

Maria Garriga - August 9th, 2005 - New Haven Register

NEW HAVEN — A two-hour animal rights demonstration on the Green Monday sparked outrage instead of sympathy from the public.

"This is the most racist thing I’ve ever seen on the Green. How dare you," roared Philip Goldson, 43, of New Haven at the protest organizers at Church and Chapel streets.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a national animal rights group, posted giant photographs of people, mostly black Americans, being tortured, sold and killed, next to photographs of animals, including cattle and sheep, being tortured, sold and killed.

Here in Bertie County it is easy to miss some of the newest radical ideas from fringe groups that are showing up in urban areas of America. That is why a lot of people have failed to appreciate the nonsense that comes from the so-called "animal rights" group known as PETA. The term "animal rights" is not what you might think it is. This is not a group that cares about animals. This is a group that has an extreme liberal political agenda.

PETA does not think that black people have any more rights than animals. In their hatred for mankind, they actually see animals as superior to people. This concept was defended when people attacked them for the demonstration documented in the article above. Read some of the quotes in the article and you can start to understand what PETA's agenda really is. "You can’t compare me to a freaking cow," shouted John Darryl Thompson ...

Another article by Brian O'Connor, "A Zookeepers Perspective", explains the misunderstanding about beliefs of the "animal rights" groups like PETA and the traditional "animal welfare" groups such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). PETA benefits from this misunderstanding.

The list of quotes from PETA representatives listed in this third article will leave no doubt that PETA is primarily opposed to people, and cares little for animals other than as a way to attack mankind. As an example, they think it is okay for a lion to eat meat, but that it should be illegal for humans to eat meat. The logic by which they arrive at this conclusion is bizarre. PETAs President says the following, "Mankind is the biggest blight on the face of the earth." -- Ingrid Newkirk, PETA.

Is there any surprise that they still do not think they did anything wrong when they took Bertie County animals using the promise to see them adopted, and then killed them (having never made any attempt to allow them to be adopted) to make room in the van to pick up more animals? Pretending to care about animals gets them large donations to support their political causes. That is what they care about, and the Cook-Hinkle case has been damaging to their image.

To overcome that they have mounted a letter writing campaign to the Bertie Ledger defending the killing of the animals and providing glowing accounts of their good works. This PR effort, designed to mitigate the damage done by the actions of their group, is documented in another Brian O'Connor article here. Most animal welfare groups don't buy it. We shouldn't either.

A Setter Or A Sitter? - By Bob Fringer

Story By Bob Fringer

Our pioneer forefathers would be simply flabbergasted by all the gadgets and toys we use every day and just take for granted. To my way of thinking, television is the most wonderful invention mankind has ever developed. I can’t for the life of me understand how tiny impulses floating through the air can end up on my TV screen in living, moving color. With this wonderful device you can receive innumerable shows and advertisements which can provide you with all sorts of knowledge from how to create a scrumptious Martha Stewart cream puff to the way to use ointments to rid yourself of some nasty personal ailments. The availability of knowledge is mind boggling!

Ever since cable TV has been installed in our home I have been able to watch some hilarious animal shows. Just the other day I watched some domestic animals perform some crazy stunts while their owners have acted even more foolishly. In fact, the other night I watched an elderly lady try to teach her dog to say,”I love you.” Her shrill voice made that poor old dog howl like crazy. You needed a pretty good imagination to discern “I love you” out of that dog’s howls.

I must admit some dogs can perform some unusual tricks. Take for example, my English Setter, Duffy. I don’t know how it happened but that darned dog learned to read ...... but not well. Somehow or other he read, or found out, that he was an English Setter. Don’t ask me how he did that; but the only trouble is that he can’t read that well. I believe he thinks he is an English Sitter(not Setter), and he tries to live up to his pedigree. Let me explain this a bit farther and give you a couple of examples.

About four or five years ago, Warner Perry and I went quail hunting with our two English Setters, Duffy and Sally. We hunted a large cutover which was bordered by a dirt road. We had hunted the cutover several times earlier in the year and knew the approximate locations of four to five coveys of quail. It had been a tough week for us so we used a lazy man’s way to hunt for some birds. We put the dogs into the cutover and just slowly drove along the road keeping track of the dogs by listening to the bell attached to Duffy’s collar.

Sally would hunt close to the road while Duffy would range farther out-sometimes very far out! We would simply ride down the road until we couldn’t hear the bell and then get out of the truck and start looking for Duffy. Usually both dogs would be close together and pointing a covey of birds. The cutover was pretty thick so sometimes it took a while before we found the dogs. That’s what happened on the day I’m talking about. After about a 20-minute search for Duffy, Warner finally found him on the side of a small hillside, which sloped down to a small creek. Old Duffy had located a covey of birds and was pointing them as solidly as possible, only he was sitting down. The sitting Setter was patiently waiting for us and enjoying the wonderful aroma of the covey as the birds huddled upwind. It was some sight seeing a Setter sitting while pointing. Unfortunately, we missed every shot as the covey flushed from the top of an old fallen tree. We searched for some single birds out of that covey but never found the first one. It’s a wonder that Duffy didn’t just go back to the truck after he saw how poorly we shot at that covey of birds he had worked so hard to find.

On another occasion Warner and I took a trip down to Lake Mattamuskeet and hunted around a small, overgrown waterfowl impoundment. In years when there was sufficient rainfall the impoundment would be full of water during the winter months. That year the water level was down and the impoundment was dry and overgrown with weeds. There was a ditch about five yards wide, which surrounded the impoundment on three sides. The impoundment bordered a National Wildlife Refuge and hunting on that side was strictly forbidden. That day, Warner and I put the dogs down and let them do their thing while we leisurely walked on the road, which bordered the impoundment. We left the truck at the end where there was no ditch. We had walked almost half way down the edge of the impoundment when Duffy began to act as though he had smelled some birds. Shortly after that, he froze in a classic point. Warner’s dog, Holly, immediately honored his point.

Now, we had a problem-that five yard wide ditch separated us from the dogs. After a brief moment, Warner decided to walk back toward the truck and enter the impoundment where there was no ditch. I stayed on the road to watch the dogs and keep track of the birds if they flushed. Warner had a 10-minute walk back to the truck and then another 10 minutes walk back to the dogs. It seemed as though it took forever for Warner to return to the dogs. I noticed that Duffy had slightly shifted positions but I kept my focus on the large patch of high reeds where I thought the birds were hiding.

As Warner approached the area, Holly moved forward to stand next to Duffy who was now sitting. Apparently, he had gotten tired of standing and decided to sit for a spell-perhaps he thought he was a sitter rather than a Setter. Anyway, the birds flushed in one large ball of feathered flying missiles. Warner was in a spot where he wasn’t able to see the birds and, unfortunately, could not shoot. By some astounding fortune, I was able to knock down a couple of birds to save the day. The remainder of the covey flew over the ditch and into the Refuge. So, we rounded up our dogs, Holly, the Setter, and Duffy, the sitter, and returned to the truck for the ride home.

Now this tale is not quite over. Duffy continued his tricks into last year’s season. On this hunt Warner and I were in a fairly thick cutover. I had replaced Duffy’s bell with an electronic collar, which helped us keep track of him in thick cover. The frequency of the beeper would change when he stopped to point. A covey had flushed wild and the birds were spread out in the cutover. We had some nice dog work and Warner shot a couple of birds. As we started to return to the truck Duff had ranged out far enough that we could barely hear the beeper. Soon the beeper changed its frequency and we proceeded to search for him. He was pointing but we had a difficult time finding him. Soon, Warner found him. There he was, lying flat out on the ground.

He was intently peering straight ahead. Warner walked up in front of Duffy and neatly dropped the quail as it flushed. Neither he nor I had ever witnessed such a sight. I wondered if Duff was a setter, a sitter or a “lyer”. He is certainly a complex dog. Who knows what this next season will bring!

Bob Fringer - October 10, 2003

'We Saw The Jumpers ... Choosing To Die'

Associated Press - Saturday August 13th, 2005 - The London Guardian
Excerpts from the testimonies of emergency workers in New York on September 11

"Somebody yelled something was falling. We didn't know if it was desks coming out. It turned out it was people coming out, and they started coming out one after the other ... we saw the jumpers coming. We didn't know what it was at first, but then the first body hit and then we knew what it was. And they were just like constant ... I was getting sick. I felt like I was intruding on a sacrament. They were choosing to die and I was watching them and shouldn't have been. So me and another guy turned away and looked at a wall and we could still hear them hit."

Firefighter Maureen McArdle-Schulman

The release of these testimonies seems to be a timely thing. A portion of our population is reported to be tired of the war against the islamofascists and ready to quit.

You have to wonder what these people who were being burned to death and chose to end their own lives rather than suffer would say to that idea? They had no warning of the coming of the war. Their fist introduction to the war was when burning airplane fuel scalded their bodies. How can those who are not even bearing the brunt of the war be ready to quit? What do they say to those who died so horribly that day? Is life, liberty and freedom worth no sacrifice? Is there any reason to believe that if we quit the islamofascists are going to give up their dream of world domination? Who is ready to be ruled by their worldwide caliphate?

Click above and read some of the other testimonies from the emergency workers who saw 9/11 up close. The war against us had been going on for over 20 years before this day changed our reaction. It is a timely reminder of why we finally stopped pretending the islamofascists were merely a nuisance.

"Ducks Unlimited" Comes To Bertie County

The guest speaker for yesterday's Rotary Club meeting was Mike Lee of Ducks Unlimited. Mike was very pleased to announce that Bertie County now has it's own Chapter for Ducks Unlimited and they will be having their annual convention and dinner next month. Information on the event will be posted here shortly, as Mike has promised to send the details of time and location.

Mike explained many of the activities of Ducks Unlimited. They are famous for having significantly improved the environment for wetlands for both conservation and hunting.

Rhonda Cobb Presents Mike Lee With The Famous Rotary Coffee Cup In Appreciation For His Presentation

Mike also mentioned that Duck's unlimited has its 30th North Carolina State Convention Thursday August 18 through Sunday August 21 at Atlantic Beach. You can click here to get details on that event.

Artist Of The Month - Tonza Ruffin

The Bertie County Arts Council held a reception for August's Artist of the Month, jewelry designer Tonza Ruffin of Windsor.

Tonza Ruffin Prepares Her Jewelry For Display

Tonza's unique and gorgeous designs will be on display throughout the month of August. Also featured during the exhibit will be paintings by several prominent local artists.

Some More Of Tonza Ruffin's Jewelry

There are always some great opportunities at the Bertie County Arts Center located at 124 South King Street in historic downtown Windsor.

East Lake - By Bob Fringer

Story By Bob Fringer

The enchantment of goose hunting has been in my blood since the time I shot my first Canadian Goose during the early 1950s. Since that initial episode on a lonely meadow off the Passadumkeag Stream in Maine, I have been infatuated by those wonderful airborne creatures of flight.

Many years later, I began to hunt them with more interest . Over-wintering populations of geese in New Jersey had increased and I had the opportunity to hunt them in a number of different areas in the State. The extended Canadian Goose season allowed me to be in the fields and marshes before and after the normal duck season. In addition. I had teamed up with a friend, Fred Stucky, who had recently built a quaint hunting cabin, modeled after a southern tenant farm house, on a beautiful tidal marsh off the Cohansey River near the Delaware Bay.

We had the goose hunting bug and there was no end to our determination to hunt those birds. Early in September, I received a call from a friend who worked for the Agricultural Extension Service in South Jersey. He called to see if I would be interested in leasing a hunting blind on East Lake, a small body of water centered in an area which had several thousand acres of field corn. I enthusiastically jumped at the chance because East Lake had the reputation of holding great numbers of Canadian Geese each winter.

The cost of the lease was not prohibitive if it were spread among several other hunting buddies. The deal was made and we had the sole hunting privileges to East Lake. Look out geese here we come! Our first order of business after paying for the lease was to camouflage the one and only blind on the lake. The structure was built out in the water about 15 yards from the shore line. It was rock-solid, had a roof, and would hold 4 hunters with ease.

Early in October, Fred and I loaded my canoe on my Jeep and drove our vehicles down to East Lake . It was a beautiful early autumn day with temperatures in the 60s. We unloaded my canoe and carried it down to the lake’s edge. After we cut arm loads of brush and small trees, we put them in the canoe and paddled out to the blind. We very carefully tucked, pushed and tied all the vegetation to the outside of the blind.

Having accomplished all that work, we paddled out to the front of the blind to view our handiwork. The blind looked great; it blended in with the entire shore line. We paddled back to the blind and went inside to make sure that we had good visibility to shoot all incoming birds. Everything seemed perfect.

As we turned around to leave, we noticed something was wrong. Our canoe was missing! Much to our dismay we saw the canoe serenely drifting away from the blind. It was about 25 yards out from the blind and slowly heading toward the other side of the lake. We had neglected to tie up our sole means of getting back to the shore. Fred and I exchanged glances. I could see from the gleam in his eyes that old Fred had no intentions of getting wet that day. I reluctantly agreed to wade back to shore, get in my Jeep, drive over to the other side of the lake and retrieve the canoe while Fred would watch from his dry perch in the blind.

I took off my shoes and unloaded my pockets prior to climbing out of the blind. As I slowly inched my way down the ladder the cold water began to penetrate the inner core of my body. The water was only about 2 feet deep but the bottom was composed of about another foot of rotting leaves and branches which had accumulated over the past 50 years or so. Things were getting a little testy by the time the water had reached the top of my thighs. I very carefully navigated through all the debris underfoot. I certainly did not wish to fall in that water! Finally, I reached the shore line and headed to my Jeep. The warm October sun felt good on my shivering, drenched body.

As I drove to the other side of the lake I figured my wading efforts were over. I was wrong! Much to my chagrin, the canoe had floated across the lake but it was now lodged in the brush and stuck about 25 yards from the shore line. It was wading time again! I went through the same process of slowly wading in the water with the same old muck underfoot. However, this time the water was up to my shirt pocket and the temperature hadn’t gotten warmer! I finally reached the canoe and with a death grip on its side I pulled it back to the water’s edge. I stepped into the canoe and paddled it back over to the blind where Fred sat--warm and dry.

After returning to my Jeep, I was able to shed my wet, soggy clothes and change into some warm ones. It had been some afternoon! From that day on I made certain that there were lines on both ends of the canoe and that they were securely tied to something near at hand.

As an aside, we shot less than six ducks from that blind and never downed a goose. The geese continued to use East Lake but always left before the legal shooting time began and returned to the lake immediately after the legal time expired. So much for East Lake! The hunting was poor and the wading even worse.

Bob Fringer - 11/05/02

Joseph Avery Visits Bertie County Republicans

The Executive Committee for Bertie County Republicans held its monthly meeting and the guest speaker was the Republican Party Chairman from Johnston County, Joseph Avery. Mr. Avery is the State Coordinator for the Black GOP, a nationwide group that is making great progress in persuading conservative African Americans to return to the Republican Party. Mr. Avery is a noted and successful businessman from the Smithfield area.

County Chairman John Stallings and County Chairman Joe Avery

A recent article in the Washington Times recognizing the growing trend for conservative and moderate minorities to join the Republican party can be found here.

One line from the article that seems to be the heart of the trend, "Journalists are creating public awareness of an emerging class of people called New Republicans. No longer operating under the proverbial radar screen, they are people who value family, limited government, self-help and responsibility, and an entrepreneurial spirit." Mr. Avery seems an outstanding example of the these attributes.

NC Education Alliance

Lindalyn Kakadelis, Director of the North Carolina Education Alliance, was the featured speaker at the Shaftesbury Society Luncheon yesterday. These luncheons are a regular feature at the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh. Her presentation was on educational choice and empowerment for students in North Carolina. It was titled, "Accomplishing the Mission of the North Carolina Eucation Alliance".

Lindalyn's explanation of her role is to help parents understand how to get a better education for their children by making the complex education establishment easier to understand.

Lindalyn Kakadelis Is A Powerful Advocate For Our Children

Lindalyn is a persausive speaker whose enthusiasm for education is well known in North Carolina. Before coming to the Alliance, Mrs. Kakadelis served as the director of the Children’s Scholarship Fund of Charlotte working on behalf of disadvantaged children. Mrs. Kakadelis also served two terms on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Board of Education where she worked on the Legislative and Curriculum Committees and chaired the Policy Committee.

Mrs. Kakadelis began her career in education as an elementary schoolteacher, later becoming a preschool director, PTA member, and PTA legislative chairperson when she had children. Above all, her career has been governed by a commitment to empowering families through educational freedom and competition.

Her presentation yesterday was focused on actions we could take to help our children get a better education. Her use of statistics was limited to those that supported the important points, making the presentation much more about our children than most education presentations. She covered a lot of ground, but some of the points that she made clearly stand out.

Education in America is a bureaucratic political monopoly that consumes $500 billion every year. However no matter how much money we spend, no teacher can be fired for bad teaching. They are granted tenure that protects them no matter how little they teach. Parents and children are disposable in the system. The teachers unions control the system. Pay increases are automatic and never have anything to do with student achievement. That is why private schools teach our children signifcantly more effectively for approximately 25% less money than the public school system, even in spite of the fact that private schools frequently pay taxes while public schools are exempt.

One of the most critical problems is that how money is spent is hidden inside of a complex accounting process intended to make it impossible to evaluate how effectively money is spent. Parents need to help those who desire improved education by forcing the politicians to fix the education funding maze. The goal will be to assure that funding is attached to the child, not to the classroom, so that use of funds can be compared to student achievement and progress measured.

Lindalyn's most compelling point was that the system needs to be held accountable for "bright flight". For years this has been mis-characterized as "white flight" and used to tarnish anyone who complained about the problem. However it is now clear that the brightest of all races are leaving our public school system, weakening the ability of the system to deliver a quality education to all. We must correct this problem, not by denying students choice, but by making the system work. That means it must teach our children better than it does now by a significant margin.