Bertie S.T.E.M. Open House

The Bertie School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S.T.E.M.) will hold an “Open House” on Saturday, June 7, 2008 from 10:00 AM until 12:00 noon.

The event will be held at the school located on the campus of Bertie High School, 715 U.S. Highway 13 North in Windsor, NC 27983. Rising ninth and tenth graders, along with their parents, are urged to attend this insightful time with S.T.E.M. students, teachers and others.

For more information, call 252-794-5820.

Teacher Caught On Tape: Kindergartner 'Ignorant, Pathetic, Self-Absorbed'

by Jonann Brady - May 27th, 2008 - ABC News

Ignorant. Pathetic. Self-absorbed.

Those are some of the harsh names an Indiana kindergarten teacher called one of her students, and the boy's parents captured it all on tape.

Kristen Woodward, the teacher, does not think that humiliating the child was wrong. Like local Judge Rob Lewis, she felt that humiliation would affect the child in a positive way. However the only thing that has happened is that Kristen Woodward is now likely to lose her job.

I have gotten a lot of feedback on my criticism of Judge Rob Lewis for his use of humiliation to punish the young men who recently created a disturbance after a Bertie County High School dance. It appears there are a number of people who side with Kristen Woodward, the teacher in the incident above who tried to humiliate a misbehaving child in Kindergarten, just as there are a number who support Judge Lewis here in Bertie County.

"What do you say to a kid who's rolling around, punching, biting, kicking? What can a teacher do?" Carol Mooney, a spokeswoman with the Indiana State Teachers Association asked of the local newspaper.

I wonder why it is felt that humiliating a high school student will work but humiliating a kindergarten student will not?

Where do you stand on the issue of humiliation as a punishment for school children? Does it matter how old they are?

Insurance Explained To Rotary

Joe Alexander introduced the program for the Windsor Rotary on Thursday. He had arranged for Laura Ambrose and Connie Robinson of Aflac Insurance to explain their special insurance which pays cash benefits when a policyholder has a covered accident or sickness.




Laura Ambrose (shown below) explained the well known insurance program that we see on TV, and also explained the large array of other insurance that Aflac offers.




Collins Cooper (below on left) presents the traditional cobalt blue coffee mug to Laura and Connie as thanks for the information they provided.




One thing Aflac brought that Rotary does not usually see was a lot of gifts which they gave away in a lottery. (shown from left below) Kelly Taylor, Parker Garrett and Crystal Cobb model the Aflac Ducks which they won in the Aflac lottery.




If you wish to contact Aflac, Laura can be reached at (252) 793-4608 or by email at laura_ambrose@us.aflac.com. Connie can be reached at (252) 793-4973 or by email at connie_robinson@us.aflac.com

Judge Humiliates Bertie Kids

Specifically, District Judge Rob Lewis orders 16 Bertie kids to parade around downtown Windsor with sign that says "DON'T I LOOK STUPID".





It appears to me there are groups who are unhappy with the growing discipline problems caused by gang members who who are attending our schools. These groups feel parents have failed the kids and that someone should stop the problem. Judge Rob Lewis seems to be a part of these groups and he is apparently very angry about it.

The latest issue to come up is the discipline being ordered for some of the kids who participated in an incident at Bertie High School. There seems to be some minor questions about the details, and though I have left a request with Deputy Sheriff Travis Askew, the officer I was told who handled the complaint, I have not been allowed to speak with him yet. However what I have been told is the following.

Some wannabe gang members got in to an altercation after a dance 3/30 as continuation of a previous altercation between them in downtown Windsor. Toward the end of the altercation, one of them fired a gun to intimidate the other gang as he left in a car. The deputies called the Windsor Police and he was stopped and arrested. The group at the high school were already dispersing in cars, so over the weekend the deputies got arrest warrants and the gang members were arrested the following Monday. The student who fired the weapon has been expelled, but is also a part of the group the Judge is dealing with. Some of the others were charged with fighting and some were only charged with failure to disperse. There were 16 defendants

It was these charges which Judge Rob Lewis dealt with yesterday. It appears that Judge Lewis got his law degree from a college that studied the Pilgrims. The reason I think this? Part of the Judges order was for the kids to parade around the block where the court is situated holding a sign that said "DON'T I LOOK STUPID".

One of the attorneys present said that he thought all of the 16 who were sentenced yesterday, got similar orders from the judge, including the humiliation of carrying a sign around the courthouse block for various lengths of time. I was not present for most of the hearings after the first so I cannot provide details on the others who got similar orders.

The one student whose trial I was present for got the following orders. Judge Lewis ordered him to 12 months of deferred prosecution and in the interim he ordered him to a long list of restrictions and punishments which were to include: read 12 books and do book reports - one each month, adhere to all school officials directives, have no unexcused absences, he was assigned a nightly curfew, and finally the Judge ordered him to walk around the block of the courthouse with a sign that said on one side, "Don't I look stupid" and on the other "I was fighting at Bertie High School". I was told that deferred prosecution meant that if the kid behaved and followed the restrictions, his conviction would be expunged and he would have no criminal record.

Sort of reminds me of the kinds of punishment used in the old days, as seen behind the Revolutionary War Era Courthouse in Edenton (picture above).

For anyone who would like to contact Judge Lewis, his phone and address are included.

W. Rob Lewis,District Court Judge
P.O. Box 643
Jackson, NC 27845

(252) 534-1785

There are a couple of other articles about the actions of Judge Lewis and his attempts to humiliate others. They are linked below:
http://www.roanoke-chowannewsherald.com/articles/2008/05/26/news/news2.txt
http://theruleoflaw.blogspot.com/2008/05/judge-rob-lewis-threatens-bertie-school.html

Future Opportunities For Bertie And Windsor

The Windsor Rotary program yesterday was provided by Kelly Taylor (shown below), our local reporter and advertising rep for the Bertie Ledger Advance. It was a good program. Kelly brought both the Director of Economic Development and two of the managers from our great local success story, Innsbrook.




Steve Biggs (shown below), Director of Economic Development for Bertie County brought rotary up to speed on many actions that are taking place to provide jobs, homes and health improvements for our area.




Next we heard from Tim Dougherty (shown below), Innsbrook's Head Golf Pro. Tim explained the many opportunities that the magnificent new Innsbrook Golf and Athletic Club will offer to local sports enthusiasts to enjoy the facilities that are being constructed. There will be men, women and children's leagues of golf, allowing great public access to this magnificent facility during the development phase.

Tim also talked about the tennis, pool and other athletic facilities that have not previously received much mention.




Some of the earlier articles we have posted about this great facility can be found below:

Arnold Palmer Opens Signature Course covers the recent Grand Opening of the Innsbrook golf course.

North Carolina's Greatest Golf Course - Pictures and layouts of all 18 Innsbrook golf holes, including the magnificent 17th! These were taken in early 2007 right after a severe freeze set the course completion back by half a year.

Click here for 2006 pictures and article from Innsbrook site as it progressed.

Click here for the original 2005 pictures and article on the Innsbrook development when construction first started.

If you have any questions for Tim, he can be reached at (252) 482-5300, or by email at timegolfpro@hotmail.com

Chris Catron of Innsbrook's Sales Department was also there to answer questions about the Innsbrook facility. Their web site can be found at http://www.innsbrookgolfandboat.com/index.php





Kelly (above on right) gave both Steve (above on left) and Tim (center above) the traditional cobalt blue coffee mug as a thank you for their presentations.

NCDOT To Pick Up Storm Debris

The NC Department Of Transportation is to Begin Picking Up Storm Debris from State Highway Rights of Way in Bertie County on Wednesday May 14, 2008.

Property owners should bring storm-related debris to the right of way no later than Monday, May 26, to ensure pick up.

Debris should be kept out of the roadway and property owners are asked to cut woody debris such as trees into five- or six-foot pieces, if possible. The department will also pick up construction and demolition debris from storm-damaged homes and businesses. These materials should be placed in a separate pile from woody debris. No hazardous materials or appliances will be collected; these should be taken to appropriate disposal locations by property owners.

Operation of Disaster Recovery Center

Bertie County has been declared a disaster area due to the recent tornadoes. This means that affected residents are eligible for assistance. The Individual Assistance (IA) and Small Business Association (SBA) officials will be assigned to Bertie County to process applications for this assistance. They will be located at Mt. Olive Baptist Church located at 102 Mt. Olive Road Windsor, NC (off Governors Rd) beginning May 16th -18th. The operation hours are 7:00 a.m. till 7:00 p.m. Any resident that has received storm damages are encouraged to apply. The contact number is 252-348-2656.

The American Red Cross is also located at this location to assist individuals with their services.

Any questions please call Bertie County Emergency Management @ 252-724-1675 or 252-794-5302.

We Have Lost A Great Man - Holley Mack Bell

- - Holley Mack Bell, II - - 1922 - 2008

I got a call from a friend to ask if I had heard that Mack had died Sunday. I had not heard; and like those calls always make you feel when someone you really like has passed, I felt great sorrow. Not for Mack, since I know he is in a better place. Sorrow for me, because I will never again be able to talk with Mack about the things that are happening in this county and town that he loved.

To the Bell family and especially Clara, please know that Mack was loved by all whose lives he touched. We will miss him.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, Windsor, Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 11:00 AM.


This will be followed by a reception at the home, 407 South King Street, Windsor.


Click on the title above or here for the News & Observer obituary. Please click and sign the online guest book for the family.

Innsbrook And Bertie, Magnificent Beauty - Arnold Palmer Opens Signature Course

Today was a great day in the move to expose the world to the beauty of Bertie County. The new Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course was inaugurated by Arnie playing a round of golf at the new facility. There was a huge crowd on hand to see this milestone in Bobby Ware's Innsbrook masterpeice, the jewel of the Inner Banks.

Though his trip here this day had more to do with Bobby Ware selecting Arnold's design company to build his golf course than personal appreciation for our area, Arnold Palmer is the kind of man Bertie County can admire and take to heart. Palmer has an incredible number of golf awards, including victories in seven "major" events among his 92 wins, Arnold Palmer is also the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Arnold Palmer is among golf's top handful of all time greats. He is considered the top for a great number of people who admire his grit and determination. As we learned on this beautiful day in Bertie, he still plays an amazing game of golf for a man approaching 80 years old.

It does not hurt that Arnold attended Wake Forest University here in North Carolina. That makes him one of ours.

As you approached the Innsbrook facility this day, Bobby had flags marking the way to the course.




At the Innsbrook Front Gate, U.S. and North Carolina flags proudly flew with the Innsbrook Crest Flag. Click on the title above to see the crest on the Innsbrook web site.




Driving into the facility, the landscape of the golf course is simply awesome.





Just before reaching the location of today's event, you pass the nearly completed Innsbrook Country Club building.




There were a number of tents set up to house the facilities used for today's Grand Opening of the golf course.




Chris Catron (below center) was meeting people at the registration tent to welcome them to the Innsbrook facility. Everyone who registered was provided with a great set of brochures on the facilities and a goodie bag of momentos for the occasion.




Very quickly things were organized and we head out for the first hole of the day. The crowd was so mobbed around Arnold that I missed getting a picture of the first shot. I learned my lesson though, and the rest of the day I hustled to get to the holes in time to get a good position for the shots I took.




Following are each of Arnies shots for the day, as he circulated the course. He may not be playing the pro tour any more, but he is still a great golfer. He definitely showed flashes of his old brilliance.










Windsor Mayor Bob Spivey and Commissioner Wallace Perry (shown above) were a part of the crowd.














Commissioners Norman Cherry (front left above) and Charles Smith (right rear) accompanied by local reporter Jennipher Dickens (left rear). Jennipher was present talking with all the dignataries and getting their views of the event and the new facility. I missed getting the name of the young lady driving the cart.




Three separate holes (pictures following) shows Arnies stroke.






A really long putt (below) that came up six inches short, but it was right on line.





Even the great Arnold Palmer (below) sometimes hits the sand traps. They are everywhere at Innsbrook so I was amazed at how Arnie avoided them. This is not an easy course. It is a great one.








Wayland and Lucy Spruill (below) were there to enjoy the day. They must be in pretty good shape as they were walking the course. Most of the crowd was walking. Though the weather looked rough when we first arrived, it turned out to be a glorious sunny day.




After the round of golf, everyone met in the tents for a great meal. Here (from left rear) Diane Hoggard (L.C.'s wife), L.C. Hoggard, Wallace Perry, Rick Harrell, and Lori Harrell (Rick's wife) enjoy their meal with some other local dignataries; Mike Freeman (left front) and Helen Freeman (Mike's wife), (and on the right) Belinda White and Morris Rascoe.




Holland Cayton sets up the hot plates for the food.





Johnny Ray Pierce (center rear) and his wife Rachel (not shown) of the local restaurant Heritage House provided the excellent food.



After lunch the golf continued with the shotgun start of the super ball tournament.





At the end of the day, I found Innsbrook developer Bobby Ware talking with some of our County Commissioners. (From left) Wallace Perry, Norman Cherry (Chairman), Bobby Ware (Innsbrook), L.C. Hoggard and Charles Smith.

Everyone agreed that Bobby had met his goal of buiding one of the truly great golf facilities in the world, right here among the magnificent beauty of Bertie County.



Follwing are links to earlier articles on the Bertie County Patriot covering this facility as it has progressed.

North Carolina's Greatest Golf Course - Pictures and layouts of all 18 Innsbrook holes, including the magnificent 17th! These were taken in early 2007 right after a severe freeze set the course completion back by half a year.

Click here for 2006 pictures and article from Innsbrook site.

Click here for the original 2005 pictures and article on the Innsbrook development.