FORT LAUDERDALE – A 70-year-old nursing assistant was arrested Thursday months after police said she was caught on camera stabbing a 78-year-old man with a fork at a rehabilitation facility in Fort Lauderdale Authorities responded to The Savoy at Fort Lauderdale Rehabilitation Center where a facility manager reported the facility was conducting an internal investigation into “elder abuse and injuries sustained by patients” on May 11 Surveillance footage recorded at 8:13 p.m. that day showed CNA Nerissa Betton “engaging in physically abusive behavior toward several patients,” according to the police report Betton appeared to repeatedly strike and stab a 78-year-old man with her hands and a metal fork inflicting wounds on his right leg and forehead that caused “profuse bleeding,” police said Betton was seen attempting to stop the bleeding with paper towels She then notified other nurses on the floor In a written internal report regarding the incident authorities said Betton falsely claimed that the man had caused his own injuries by banging his head on a table police said Betton “aggressively struck” an 87-year-old woman and another patient The facility’s internal investigation team reviewed the surveillance footage Investigators confirmed the footage provided “clear evidence” of Betton’s actions showing that the victims’ injuries were not self-inflicted but the result of her physical abuse Betton was placed on administrative leave pending further investigation Jail records show she is facing two counts of abuse of an elderly or disabled adult without great bodily harm one count of aggravated battery on a person 65 years or older and a separate charge of neglect or abuse of an elderly person Betton appeared in Broward County court on Friday where a judge held without bond and barred her from contacting the victims The judge also ruled that Betton is not allowed to be employed in any capacity where she treats elderly or disabled individuals until further notice from the court More Stories Like This In Our Email Newsletter Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved Ryan Mackey is a Digital Journalist at WPLG TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Closed Captioning / Audio Description Contact Us Careers at WPLG Terms of Use Privacy Policy Public File FCC Applications EEO Report Do Not Sell My Info 1.0 Host Exhibit Copyright © 2025 Local10.com is published by WPLG INC. Harold Byrd Betton of Little Rock will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans. Donate today to preserve the quality and integrity of local journalism. Cary Jenkins has been employed with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette since 1998 She started as a clerk for the City Desk and now is a writer and photographer for High Profile and other feature sections This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2025 audio and/or video material shall not be published rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use The AP will not be held liable for any delays errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing New-build 6880 Betton Grange made her public debut at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway last month The summer of 2024 is turning into a big year for steam — on both sides of the Atlantic While here in North America, fans are enjoying a continent-touring Hudson and a Big Boy working by itself on the main line for the first time in decades the British are enjoying a brand new 4-6-0 six decades after every member of its class was scrapped The locomotive in question is Great Western Railway 6880 which made its revenue service debut last month during the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway’s Cotswold Festival of Steam gala For more information about Betton Grange, visit www.6880.co.uk plans to acquire Minnesota Commercial Railway Locomotive 1616 is the second unit UP has painted to honor a U.S While the bridge was not on the portion of the railroad that currently hosts excursions officials said they hoped to use the trestle in the future Railfan & Railroad Magazine takes you trackside Before there was Whole Foods and Lululemon when there was a Miracle 5 movie theater and a Tomato Land produce stand He’s now buried in a small cemetery off of Betton Road called The Plantation Cemetery of Betton Hill behind several unmarked graves of enslaved people Watson was one of the first Black landowners in Tallahassee after the Civil War According to the historical marker at the cemetery Watson was once enslaved by the Winthrop family 75% of the total population in Leon County were enslaved The tombstone in the Betton Hills cemetery shows his year of death as 1904 we can infer that he was born in Alabama in the 1840s “Black property owning was diversified across the county in small pockets more small pockets than you think,” said Jennifer Koslow a professor of American history at Florida State University This includes the land around Lake Hall off of Thomasville Road and where Cascades Park is now, which was once called Smokey Hollow. The land Watson purchased was also called The Bottom aptly named because it was at the bottom of the hill The area wasn’t desirable at the time – the higher the land Many of the African American landowners bought property in these low-lying areas because these were the places that they could afford and were available to them residents of the neighborhood behind Whole Foods remember there used to be a small pond and say every time there’s a heavy rain It wasn't the norm for freedpeople to be landowners but Black land ownership does increase in the years after the Civil War as formerly enslaved people owned nothing before it Most Black farmers were tenant farmers or share croppers and rented the land they farmed they ended up paying rent to the same landowners who enslaved them before emancipation the cycle of debt made it extremely difficult to accumulate money or property He also wasn’t the only Black property owner in the neighborhood either Both he and his wife could not read or write went to school and could not read or write On the north side of town, the Maclay House, much of the gardens and all of the land surrounding Lake Overstreet and the northern half of Lake Hall were once owned by African Americans, according to historical research by an FSU graduate student. and landowners had a historical trajectory that connects them to both antebellum enslavement and contemporary communities Their history spans the property’s historical period while the Maclays just forty years in the 20th century,” wrote Triel Ellen Lindstrom in 2008 While the Maclay family bought his property in 1923 Black Tallahassee residents had been living on that land for generations had been the home place of African-American communities connected through marriage labor and worship since before the Civil War,” Lindstrom wrote almost 3,000 Black people owned land in Florida Florida was a destination for migrating freed people moving from more developed and older plantation regions of the South many of the white landowners were broke due to emancipation the boll weevil and declines in the price of cotton and the cotton plantations were turned into the vacation homes of wealthy northerners who came down south for quail hunting One landowner, however, sold some of his property to six Black families before all this during Reconstruction. Where neighborhoods like Highgrove and Foxcroft sit now used to be a Black community with farm stands, churches and a school "It is remarkable that these land purchases were made by people with no monetary assets, and who been enslaved only a couple years before," wrote a representative from the National Park Service in 2002. Nelson and Daniels families each paid $500 cash to Mariano Papy there is a Payne Street located in Carroll’s Quarters Watson began his land-owning legacy with $100 and a 4-acre purchase from John P. Apthorp in 1883, according to John G. Riley House archives. he bought another 3 acres from Apthorp for $75 The land was all located in section 30 of the county grid the low-lying area where Miracle Plaza is today Finding definitive information on Watson is difficult There appear to be several Henry Watsons in Tallahassee at the time and a record of what the Black community was doing Sometimes it was several houses on one parcel of land and so it wasn't something that was just documented at that time period,” said Marcus Curtis He and his coworkers have slogged through records and data to plot where Tallahassee’s plantations oldest cemeteries and neighborhoods once existed his office has been approached by many families searching for answers about their history where they come from and where their ancestors may lie I'm sympathetic to the situation,” he said there’s still a lot we don’t know about him There’s no newspaper record of the year he died The information that could be obtained from the 1890 census doesn’t exist because it was burned up in a fire in Washington D.C. “so we can’t find it that way,” Koslow said And state census information isn’t detailed But what we do know is that this land today is considered some of the most valuable property in Tallahassee today even though once it was called “The Bottom.” “It was worth something to them even though the land would have been difficult to cultivate The monetary value would not have been that rich but the ability to create their own independent life that doesn’t have a price tag,” Koslow said This story is part of TLH 200: the Gerald Ensley Bicentennial Memorial Project. Throughout our city's 200th birthday, we'll be drawing on the Tallahassee Democrat columnist and historian's research as we re-examine Tallahassee history. Read more at tallahassee.com/tlh200. Ana Goñi-Lessan can be reached at agonilessan@gannett.com First of all I’d like to say what an honour it is to be a guest contributor on what is the most prominent tennis player blog on the planet Secondly I’d like to pay a little tribute to Harri In the 2 years since we’ve known each other and the 6 months that we’ve got to know each other even more since working with each other three things have stood out to me – 1: That he is an exceptionally talented tennis player; 2: That he is fierce firstly I thought I’d give a short background about myself as most of you guys won’t know much about me at all and then before you all get too bored with that I’ll crack on with answering all of your excellent questions So – I was born and raised in a small mining town in the north of England called Barnsley My dad owned a car garage and my mum was a hairdresser Although I played a little bit on local park courts with my friends the first coaching or structured sessions I ever got was when I was 14 I played local and then regional tournaments and got to a semi decent standard pretty quickly eventually representing my county both in juniors and seniors I took a very short scholarship to a US college but I did not particularly enjoy that experience so the less said about that As I always knew I wouldn’t be a professional player (I was aware that my talent didn’t match competitiveness) I coached at a local tennis club for about 8 years I then moved to a couple of bigger indoor centres and started producing a few decent level junior players – I coached 3 British number 1 juniors and 3 national champions Around 2011 I felt that my coaching wasn’t really going anywhere though and wanted to learn more about sports coaching theory and how people learn For the next 3 years I embarked on that journey and eventually took and passed my LTA Master Performance Level 5 qualification which is the highest level of qualification a coach can achieve Since then I have been lucky enough to work with numerous world ranked players and thanks to Henry and Harri this summer – a Grand Slam Title I currently coach henry and Harri as a team (alongside Boris Hopefully there’s many more titles to come from these guys until this week I didn’t realise I could translate it to English so easily Historically I have coached juniors but not anymore I was doing work my county association with the junior county team up until earlier this year but I just don’t have the time anymore so I made the decision to call a stop to that What makes Harri and Henry a match made in heaven Honestly they just have such great chemistry as a team They’re really good friends and their styles match up so well and they dovetail so well as a partnership I really think they will go on to achieve even more great things What has changed in Henry’s game since he started playing with Harri I don’t know if anything has changed as such but I think Harri’s mentality and energy has just helped improve all of the things that Henry already did What is the next developmental target for them as a team First of all they’ve shown they can win on the biggest stage of them all and against the best teams in the world The next challenge is to do that repeatedly I think they can break serve a whole lot more than they do And I would like to see us finishing teams off more ruthlessly when we are on top Not letting matches get close when we could kill it off earlier How do you cooperate with Harri’s coach Boris We get on great and are very much aligned in our thoughts I’ll actually be presenting with Boris at an upcoming coaching day in Helsinki the week before Turin and am really looking forward to that We should also have a word here for our team’s assistant coach She’s been there for all the big wins so has to be part of the team How is it to coach a 30+ year old veteran who knows everything about tennis Harri is a student of the game but he isn’t a ‘know it all’ personality coaching isn’t about telling people things they have to do better It’s about us all having discussions about how we think we can all improve How much do you coach the team’s emotional and psychological resistance I think a lot of that is done subconsciously We try to always be positive and we know how the sport works and that there are ups and downs I also have to be adaptable in this regard For example in the Wimbledon semi and final I was aware what an emotional pressure cooker the situation could be so I made a big point myself of being calm and composed They have to see composure to be able to feel it themselves In other instances they may need the opposite of that and I’ll try and add some energy I also think Harri and Henry help each other so much in this regard Their contrasting personalities blend really well to help each other How does a coach decide whether to change a player’s technique or to leave it alone First of all I think ‘technique’ is a very misunderstood word in sports coaching What it usually means is that someone has an aesthetic idea of what they want a shot to look like as opposed to what is the most functional shot The idea of a “perfect technique” doesn’t exist The example I’ve always used on this is if you take Federer for many years the 3 best forehands in the world but all 3 of them have completely different “technique” And who is going to tell the other two that their technique is wrong none of them has the best or worst technique I come form very much an ecological position as a coach – if a player is given a task of something they need to achieve you give them the task and then try and help them organise their body in a way to organically achieve that themselves There might need to be fundamentals in place There are just some shots that look nicer than others When someone says to me they want to work on their forehand technique I always ask them “Which forehand?” There are about 200 different types of topspin forehand – on the run When I see a coach with a basket of balls either hand feeding or basket feeding to the middle of the court at a medium pace for 100 balls Skill is the ability to do something dynamically in the context of where and when it is required at the level of player and age of player I work with I’m very much opposed to changing technique in the commonly accepted way of thinking What I would do is try and encourage different feelings of the hit Or say “a little more of this” rather than change something If a player changes a technique and it isn’t done dynamically and in a correct skill acquisition process I want adaptable and skilful players who can handle any situation in context but I have only scratched the surface here A lot of my coaching is based around ‘letting the game coach the players’ I’ll spend hours thinking up drills and games with particular constraints and affordances that encourage players to think and act and make decisions that will improve them perhaps without them being aware at the time that its happening I have a very keen interest in coaching theory skill acquisition theory and constraint led coaching I have presented on the topic to coaches on these areas previously and should anyone be interested I would be happy to expand further Do you focus on quick fixes or long term improvement of a player I would absolutely never attempt a quick fix at the long term detriment of a player But not all coaching has to be complicated Often by focusing on how a shot “feels” something can be improved in a very short time but still maintain over a longer period How much can a coach influence what happens on court during a match the angle that we have to watch the match form isn’t ideal The coaches seats are always from the side so I can’t get a full picture of the court In some matches I feel like I’ve had a decent impact with things I’ve said to the guys but in other matches there isn’t anything that obviously presents itself I don’t consider coaches to be geniuses who can see things tactically that players can’t We’re just another pair of eyes that might be able to spot something that the players have missed in the heat of battle Or to tell them to focus on something that they may not be doing at that moment Also a lot of coaching is done when players don’t realise it I don’t like repeated white noise going at them all the time telling a player to be lighter on their feet I’ll wait for them to hit a shot where they have done that and I might say “great footwork there” How do you manage the logistical problems of working with 2 separate players on the doubles tour Its never really presented itself as a problem so I just work with both of them separately or if we’re on the same court I’ll work with them at the same time Week to week everyone is pretty relaxed about where I am and when was there a discussion about him playing with Luke Not really to be honest for a couple of reasons Firstly they both play the same side (deuce) and both are excellent returners so it wouldn’t make sense for either of them to switch and take away a big strength but he had played and been successful on the Ad as well Luke had just started a new partnership so it wasn’t really a consideration They’re really good friends though and in weeks when one of them has been without a partner I don’t have a set number of weeks with the guys and I think it suits us all that we don’t feel constrained by having a set number of weeks as some players do with their coaches I don’t have any children so it’s easier for me to be on the road than some others I enjoy the travel and the lifestyle though I think by the end of this year I’’l probably have done about 30 weeks either abroad or travelling in the UK plus then the weeks where we train in London I do a lot of scouting of opponents both in person and with the data we have And as doubles guys we often have to practice later in the day so we end up being at the venue a lot of the time When I do get some pare time I like to see a bit of the place where we’re at but if its not anywhere interesting I’ll probably just read or if there’s some football on TV i’ll watch that How do you sustain a family life while travelling around the globe Both my parents are still alive and i see a lot of them when I’m home They both love tennis as well so they watch every match I’m single atm and don’t have any children I fully understand that it’s an issue for some coaches though The flip side of that point though which can sometimes be difficult is that at the end of long days whether a win or loss there’s no one really for me to talk to about how the day has been so I’m left alone with my thoughts a lot of the time all me and my mates really did was play football and listen to music I spend most of my free time listening to it going to concerts or reading about it – I love music biographies I’d say the artists that I listen to most are the Beatles and I think Ive seen them 21 times since then I actually had a ticket to see Suede on the day of the Wimbledon final this year My favourite albums of all time I’d say are The Stone Roses eponymous debut album New Order’s Technique and Marvin Gaye’s Whats Going On I’m a die hard Manchester United supporter but boy we’ve had some good times over the last 30 years I go to matches whenever I’m back and in my life I’ve seen us win 13 league titles and 2 Champions League’s you have to take the rough with the smooth One of the great days this year was when Harri and Henri won the title in Lyon and then United won the FA Cup later that afternoon I was in Lyon watching the final (what a match!) and then got a train to Paris and arrived just in time to watch the last 10 minutes of the cup final in a coffee shop I let out a huge roar when the final whistle went Worst punishment – 2 years in prison or never being able to watch Man Utd again The way we’ve played over most of the last 10 yeas not being able to watch United again would not be a punishment I really enjoyed doing that and maybe if you guys enjoyed it Really looking forward to spending a few days in Finland in a couple of weeks time it was really interesting to read the above; you are a skilled penman What struck me maybe most was this: ”…Not letting matches get close when we could kill it off earlier….” You know the many tiebreaks Harri & Henry have played they could perhaps ease the tension for us followers by not getting into them 🙂 Hopefully we can see your team achieve great victories in the future (I’m sure you noticed the congratulations on the Wimbledon victory hidden there for your great answers and personal thoughts It was exciting to read about your career and approach to coaching It is a sensitive profession that requires special skills I feel you know what kind of talents you have on your hands Harri and Henry are the ones who can go up to the top and you can help them turn it into the correct position I wish you long-term and fruitful coaching with Harri and Henry Thanks to Calvin for the tennis coach lifestyle stories A lot of good ingredients for good mental training which helps to repeat winning performances from match to match we always knew you had a lot to say about these things listening to tennis unfiltered… So much appreciated that you did this because my friend is a tennis coach too… By the way I had this pet African hedgehog that died some time ago But he was probably originally named by his breeder after Calvin Klein 🙂 you don’t have anyone to talk and open up how it went i guess here is a place where you can write Comments from the coach would be very interesting bonus Nice to know practical features of coaching but they won’t help England in Helsinki as home crowd takes the win Very interesting to read your thoughs and learn more about you and your background Where else would someone get an opportunity like this to read a text from a wimbledon winners coach.      harriheliovaara      harri.heliovaara      harriheliovaara To mark the end of Thursday's Veterans Day observance the color guard presented an American flag to Old Dominion University student and Navy veteran Christopher (Chris) Betton one college or department from the University selects a veteran student the Batten College of Engineering and Technology chose Betton a master's student in the mechanical engineering program Betton was nominated by Kim Bullington, advisor for ODU's Student Veteran Association and chief departmental advisor and programs manager for the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering "Chris is an exemplary student who has navigated the transition from military to student while maintaining a very high GPA through his undergraduate work and now his graduate work," Bullington said "He is a great example of a successful student veteran who will be instrumental in solving the engineering problems of the present and the future." attended Naval Nuclear Power School in Charleston before serving as a nuclear machinist mate from 2014 to 2018 "I think being a veteran was important to my life because it showed me how important it is to serve others and to sacrifice for the betterment of other people," he said "I think that I have found a lot of purpose in serving the military and working towards a common goal with others." At ODU, Chris has worked in the Advanced Manufacturing Lab in the Batten College of Engineering and Technology since 2020. At the height of the pandemic, when personal protective equipment (PPE) was in short supply, Chris was part of a team that designed and manufactured PPE for the doctors and nurses at Sentara Hospital he helps to design tools and devices for use in applications both within ODU and the community Betton was surrounded by engineers in his hometown of Waldorf His father was a systems engineer and his mother worked in management and consulting for engineering firms "I remember in the summertime going to work with my mom and getting to talk to some of her co-workers about projects they were working on And that definitely influenced me to get into engineering." A sixth-grade STEM project helped to cement his love of engineering "We worked on a small hovercraft prototype made out of Styrofoam and a tiny motor powered by a nine-volt battery," Betton said "My team and I won first place locally for our hovercraft design After seeing that accomplishment and having so much fun designing the hovercraft I knew engineering was something I definitely wanted to get into." Betton didn't take the direct path to engineering He has always been an avid musician - playing saxophone It was his dream to play for the Navy band But the results of the ASVAB test changed his trajectory "I was convinced to try out for the nuclear program instead of the Navy band," he said "I'm really happy about that decision now because the nuclear program really prepared me for college It taught me how to study and taught me the discipline that I needed to accomplish my goals." He spent two years in Naval Nuclear Power School and then another four traveling the world before landing at ODU Betton earned his bachelor's in mechanical engineering technology last year and is now working on his master's in mechanical engineering Betton hopes to work as a design engineer for space systems Enhance your college career by gaining relevant experience with the skills and knowledge needed for your future career Discover our experiential learning opportunities From sports games to concerts and lectures join the ODU community at a variety of campus events who was left paralyzed after being shot during a drug raid in April 2015 settled his civil case against the City of Myrtle Beach and others for $11.25 million according to Myrtle Beach attorney Jonny McCoy The City of Myrtle Beach settled for $8.5 million most defendants in the case settled for $2.75 million but the City of Myrtle beach wanted to move forward defending their case Julian Betton was shot when police from the Drug Enforcement Unit entered his home on April 16, 2015, during the raid at a multi-family house on Withers Swash Drive near 3rd Avenue South. a city of Myrtle Beach spokesperson said that officers of the 15th Judicial Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit were serving a narcotics warrant when an officer was involved in a shooting with the occupants of the home Officers with the DEU come from numerous agencies in Horry and Georgetown Counties Betton filed a lawsuit against the City of Myrtle Beach 15th Judicial Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson and other Drug Enforcement Unit officers after the shooting The case against Richardson and many other officers was dismissed in 2018 attorneys for Julian Betton explained how the case evolved from a traffic stop to the incident at Betton's home to the settlement of the case said a busted taillight on another person's car is what started the case He said that police found marijuana in a woman's car and police told her she had to help them arrest more people or else she would face criminal charges Bannon said the woman bought and sold marijuana to Betton twice “The Drug Enforcement Unit and its lead case agent DEU conducted a drug raid at Betton’s house Bannon showed the unit’s written plan for the operation no one assigned to be the first person to go in It listed “TBD” next to each officer’s name officers are required to knock and announce you are the police and wait a reasonable period of time before breaching the door Bannon shared surveillance video from Betton’s porch “He had a weapon on him as many people in the state and this country do within one or two seconds of these people opening they fired 29 separate bullets at him,” said Bannon Bannon said the officers involved went to the Myrtle Beach Police Department and came back the next day and made written statements to South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Bannon said those said “that the team knocked and waited before they went into Julian Bettons home The three shooters who went inside his house all said that Julian Betton shot his weapon at them first.” The video from Betton’s porch showed the officers did not knock and an investigation from SLED showed that Betton never fired his weapon Bannon showed a video of crosstalk between an attorney and an Horry County Sheriff’s Office Agent The attorney asked “So you disagree with the SLED lab’s conclusion?” to which the agent replied “I got all the respect in the world for SLED having grown up here Bannon also argued Betton had no way to know the men entering his home were police officers because of how they were dressed “As you can see he’s wearing acid wash blue jeans and he is literally wearing a mask across half of his face,” Bannon said He showed a photo of the Myrtle Beach officer involved He showed a photo of the Horry County Sheriff’s Office Officer “The investigation also revealed of course that this raid took place at about 2:50 p.m around the time that school busses are driving through communities and letting children out to go home,” said Bannon Bannon said the attorneys also spoke with an officer who participated in the raid was that this is the way they did things all the time,” he said “I have never known a criminal investigation to have three alleged suspects tell the same lie and never get a return visit from the law enforcement agency that is supposed to be investigating what really happened in the case,” said Bannon He showed a video of DEU Commander Bill Knowles saying “they didn’t do anything wrong,” referring to the officers federal judges said what the officers said were lies Craig said one federal judge said “these facts here are horrendous.” "Shooting at a civilian 29 times who posed no immediate threat to you was not wrong?" Bannon asked rhetorically during the news conference "Misleading a state agency about what happened when officers got there and went in was not wrong those consequences were most dire for Julian Betton said when they presented the case to an outside judge in the appeals court Craige said the settlement will help Betton for the rest of his life "He is going to need attended care every day of his life We’ve set up a trust so that he will get that care for the rest of his life," he said The money was provided by DEU to buy this marijuana Think about the overkill of a SWAT team of 12 people armed with AR-15s and battering ram to smash into someone’s home for $100 of marijuana.” McCoy urged the media to continue to ask questions in the case and ask what policies have been changed since the incident ABC15 has reached out to multiple parties who were mentioned during the news conference for comment You can watch the entire news conference below: But with its expected proximity to Betton Hills neighborhood homes and a potential road extension being considered nearby residents worry about heightened traffic bright lights and loud construction noises “Our fear is that as this building comes, if something is not done to manage the traffic, it's just going to be unsafe for not only Betton and Centerville roads but our neighborhood streets that tie in there,” Mike Brezin a Tallahassee resident who lives in Betton Hills A draft by Moore Bass Consulting a Tallahassee-based civil engineering firm on the project’s design team lays out a detailed plan for the center with information about its location “The general location of the new project is immediately south of Centerville Road and east of Physicians Drive,” Moore Bass Consulting said in a Site Plan Narrative document dated Jan “This site plan depicts a road extension from Surgeon’s Drive to Centerville Road (known as Nurses Drive) This road extension is not proposed under this permit A separate permit will be submitted for construction of the road which will be subject to approval of the Canopy Road Citizens Committee.” Centerville is one of nine designated canopy roads in Tallahassee The health center’s placement means a new street would potentially penetrate the canopy on Centerville Road to connect it to the future structure along the busy and narrow two-lane road Brezin is also a member and former president of the Betton Hills Neighborhood Association a group made up of residents living in one of Tallahassee's oldest canopy neighborhoods — located downtown between Thomasville and Centerville roads near TMH As he explained how Centerville Road is already backed up in the mornings and in the afternoons and that the adjacent Betton Road is often backed up in the afternoons all the way from Thomasville Road A revised design will take neighborhood concerns into consideration and the university expects to have it complete in late May according to FSU spokesperson Amy Farnum-Patronis Related news: FSU, TMH sign agreement to build new academic health center in Tallahassee The building will include space for a laboratory About 350 parking spaces are being proposed for the future center Other companies on the project’s design team besides Moore Bass Consulting include HOK, a global engineering and architecture firm and Cumming Group an international project management and cost consulting firm Both of the firms have office locations across Florida in cities such as Miami and Orlando TMH organized a February meeting — which was led by FSU Chief Construction Officer Sadie Greiner — to give nearby residents of the community a general idea of what the project’s initial plan looked like The meeting’s participants were given the floor to share their concerns with the academic health center project’s team “It's not that we're expecting perfect quiet through there but that they just feel a responsibility to be neighborly and to fit into the neighborhood a little better,” Brezin said a local resident of the Pilckem Ridge community who has been living in Tallahassee for over 40 years light and traffic pollution need to be taken into consideration “We’re all for what TMH and FSU are doing because we need more medical training for doctors and nurses here,” said Williams, former owner of the commercial printer company Target Print & Mail “But we really don’t need that extra volume on Centerville Road since it’s only two lanes there It’s only going to add salt to the wound.” it would be about 200 feet away from her neighborhood’s entrance which is the only way for cars to get in and out of the neighborhood The small residential area is filled with upscale luxury homes just north of Betton Road off Centerville Road “There’s also a concern that there might be a whole lot of light pollution that bleeds into our neighborhood,” Williams said We’re afraid that loud air conditioners and other machines will be on our side — closest to our houses — which will create noise pollution for us when we have a very quiet Williams referred to trash and recycling compactors as well as a cooling tower that would be placed on the back end of the future building to face Centerville Road She hopes the final design plan of the center will make modifications to ameliorate some of the foreseeable nuisance The project's design changes have not been announced yet “The university continues to gather input related to the new building,” Farnum-Patronis said “Residents expressed concerns such as noise and traffic and we have made some design changes based on the feedback.” She added: “The FSU Health Academic Health Center project is a significant milestone in the university's relationship with TMH As we are nearing completion of the design development phase the site has been cleared and we anticipate starting some initial infrastructure work later this summer.” Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on X: @tarahjean_ A Betton Hills Subdivision home purchase went south after the potential buyer read  covenant language more than a half-century old banning minorities from owning property in the midtown neighborhood who thought she’d found her dream home on Mitchell Street is fighting to ensure other buyers aren’t subjected to the unconstitutional restriction and reliving the residual racism that was once common practice I’m buying a neighborhood,” said Dias who's Facebook post outing the outdated language sparked a firestorm of more than 200 comments condemning it “What I would like to see done is for that document to no longer exist It should not be passed on to prospective buyers.” But the criminal defense attorney’s crusade may be easier said than done even though the neighborhood association and city of Tallahassee call the language “repugnant.” Racist language comes from 1939 neighborhood developmentThe problematic paragraph in the seven-page covenant reads: “No person of other than the Caucasian race shall own use or occupy any property in said subdivision except that this covenant shall not prevent occupancy by domestic servants of a different race or nationality employed by an owner or tenant.” The restriction is rooted in a federal government loan program launched during the Great Depression president of the Betton Hills Neighborhood Association. In 1939 developers Guy and Pat Winthrop used the loan program to build houses in the neighborhood well before the non-Caucasian language was found to be unconstitutional tied to the deed and appears in title searches It's also part of an associated utility easement tied to 210 parcels in the neighborhood While there is general agreement the offensive language should be removed unraveling and eliminating it from the title documents is complicated Can the language be removed? The neighborhood association which includes the Betton Hills Subdivision and about a dozen others, has had several conversations with Dias and Coleman and city staffers on what can be done City of Tallahassee officials say the issue is a private matter and there may not be a role for local government “The restriction regarding race in the chain of title on the Betton Hills property is illegal unenforceable and offensive,” said City Attorney Cassandra Jackson in an email statement to the Democrat. “The fact that the restriction may continue within the chain of title is not within the city’s ability to remove.” Jackson said the perpetual easement isn’t tied to a specific property owner or purpose but rather can be used for electric “The city was unaware of the existence of this general easement and the easement does not show up in the Recorded Plat Map for the subdivision,” Jackson said in an email to the Tallahassee Democrat “The city has never utilized the easement in any respect and has no interest in use or maintenance of the easement.” After discussing the matter with a title company Because of the nature of the utility easement it and the out-dated language will still come up as an exemption in a title search which was suggested as an option by Coleman that Dias could pursue, may not remedy the issue The title company would still capture any recorded document relevant to the easement for liability purposes in a transaction while the city continues to investigate available options no formal resolution has been identified at this juncture that would satisfy the general easement in the view of the standards of private title companies,” Jackson said Yet, Coleman said the issue is still worth pursuing especially since other properties in Betton Hills and other neighborhoods in Tallahassee may have the same restrictive covenant “People may say it’s unenforceable and I deal with enough race issues every day,” Coleman said “We can’t take the position that this is not my issue … I think it’s dangerous for anyone to think it’s not a big deal Dias found out about the racist covenant because she had hoped to add a carport to the property and needed to know if there were any restrictions When she read it, the mother of four was appalled Dias has a black son and she couldn’t see herself living in the neighborhood knowing everyone wouldn’t be welcomed even if it was holdover language from decades ago Brezin said Dias' concerns should be taken seriously “We would like to convey a friendly open neighborhood to anyone who wants to move to Betton Hills,” said Brezin who's lived in the neighborhood for 25 years “We understand people have different sensibilities in terms of race in Tallahassee We want to be as responsive as possible to make people feel wanted and welcome.” 'Emergency press conference' calledOn the same day the story broke local faith and civic leaders held an "emergency press conference" at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church to address the situation.  "I know there are good people in Betton Hills and they are not pleased with this kind of racism racist covenant must be eliminated."  president of the local NAACP chapter and other local leaders Deputy city manager Cynthia Barber was also among those who spoke. She noted that the city has "started a process of inquiry," and that officials first learned about the language in the document when Dias brought it forward.  Holmes drew the press conference to a close by saying a "task force" would be announced next week to address the hidden language and search for other documents that contain similar language in Tallahassee neighborhoods.  "We cannot celebrate another birthday of this nation while this language is hidden in documents here," the Rev Contact TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com or follow @TaMarynWaters on Twitter. Reporter CD Davidson-Hiers contributed to this story CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed a quote from the city attorney to a city spokeswoman The story also listed the incorrect street of the home Shakopee football coach Ray Betton led his team through practice Aug as the Sabers worked to continue the success that arrived after an 0-2 start last season Shakopee football coach Ray Betton huddled with his four captains at practice last week and made an important handoff the four pillars crucial to Betton’s track record as a program builder throughout his 17 seasons Players who bought into Betton’s ideals through the years have enjoyed success His 2007 Simley team won the program’s first conference title Betton brought Holy Angels to a runner-up finish at the Prep Bowl The 2019 Sabers fell one victory shy of the state tournament semifinals Last year’s team turned an 0-2 start into a solid 6-2 campaign Betton knows the players make the difference Which is why he challenged Shakopee captains Jadon Hellerud “It’s your turn to lead,” said Betton lowering his raspy voice for the first time all morning “You guys are the ones on the field during the games had included his view on which of Betton’s pillars he best personified Most every high school coach leads from guiding principles Team mottos are printed on T-shirts and posters statewide a players’ coach who remains as relevant at 52 as peers half his age “He’s probably the best coach I’ve ever had in any sport,” Trelstad said “He gets you to another level of focus and makes you want to play for him.” Shakopee kicks off its season Thursday evening at home against Anoka The Tornadoes are in their third season of rebuilding under coach Bo Wasurick who revived football programs in Texas and most recently at Jordan Change is coming: Five football teams to watch Betton’s playbook for rehabilitating a program starts with patience and demanding more of players “I lose some kids at first,” said Betton who did not name captains for his first three seasons “When kids start to miss practices or come whenever they want those are the kids you’ve got to X out I’d rather have guys who are committed and dedicated.” he benched two starters for missing practices leading to the week of the first-round playoff game against Totino-Grace A one-win Sabers team hung tough in a 27-20 loss “That was where things started shifting because we almost won that game,” Betton said “We had the ball and had two chances at the end zone the weight room turnout got a little better.” Betton inherited a program without a traditional quarterback anywhere from the high school to the youth ranks ran a single-wing offense heavy on misdirection and running Stone’s style worked; Shakopee won back-to-back Missota Conference championships in 2010 and 2011 the spread triple option from the pistol or shotgun “People were excited when I came here,” Betton said ‘We’re going to throw the ball all around.’ ” “But we couldn’t throw,” he said He enlisted former Simley assistant coach Rex King to develop the quarterbacks King jumped at another chance to work with Betton When King took the Simley job three years after Betton left the four pillars were still painted on the locker room walls it’s you who has the problem,” King said “His passion for leading young men is not fluff he wouldn’t have been able to do what’s he done this long.” Betton enters his seventh season at Shakopee with only one winning season as the Sabers coach thus far but few programs play a tougher annual schedule Michael-Albertville and a 52-0 blowout against Eden Prairie Quarterback David Bigaouette challenged the team after the loss ‘Get this out of your heads and we won’t lose another game,’ ” Betton said “When guys can hold each other accountable it should mean something a little different coming from your peers.” Former defensive line coach Kirby Dorothy told Betton how impressed he was watching the team at the next week’s practices You guys went right back to work,’ ” Betton said that might be that mental toughness right there.” Betton tweaked his fourth pillar before this season changing mental toughness to mental discipline “I want my guys tough,” Betton said I just mean missed assignments or jumping offside.” Betton’s pillars are an acronym for “TEAM,” and players believe in their power Lee and Trelstad shared their individual pillar philosophies with their peers in a common area outside Shakopee High School Koivisto reminded teammates to have their fun while also taking the captains’ words to heart “Coach Betton always says that ‘These things that you’re learning through football can last you the rest of your life,’ ” Koivisto said “ ‘if you take the lessons correctly.’ ” Now: Shakopee football coach and district Learning Teaching & Equity Team supervisor for Shakopee Public Schools Education: Sports management undergraduate degree from Bemidji State master’s degree in special education from St ‘Let’s have a great day of football,’ at 6:30 in the morning He gets you hyped up even as you’re trying to wake up His energy helps you and the team be better.” My husband John was at the restaurant we own already cranking on our busiest night of the week I was eating my favorite takeout salad and watching Bravo thinking I should do  something more productive with my precious time alone I was scrolling through my Facebook feed when a minute-old post from a local moms group jumped out at me: “Shooting at Hot Yoga and possible surrounding businesses on Thomasville Road.” I can’t explain what I felt in that moment He answered and was crying so hard I could hardly understand him I have only seen my husband cry at our wedding and the births of our daughters I have to go. You can’t come here!” As the hours went by until the police cleared the scene and John could come home I called him over and over again — to hear his voice and I hugged him harder and longer than I ever had before We decided to close the restaurant the next day It just didn’t feel right to us to be open and John and our employees needed some time to decompress.  I was able to piece together more of the story from the little bits my husband and others told me.   John had seen one of the victims bleeding outside our door One of our bartenders who is studying to be an EMT and another who was picking up pizzas for his son’s birthday party all rushed outside to tend the victim searching for more victims and telling the other businesses on the lower level of the plaza to lock their doors The gentleman who owns the framing gallery four doors down from us came outside to ask what was going on and John screamed at him to get back inside He saw a woman bleeding in the clothing boutique next door and another victim bleeding inside the bar three doors down He told me about the woman he was helping who had been shot her adrenaline was wearing off and she was starting to feel the pain I can’t imagine what she saw and went through I am glad my husband and the others were with her I don’t understand how he did all those things at once not knowing if the shooting was over.In the last two months Lucky there was a stalled cold front that kept the eye of Michael west of Tallahassee lucky our house wasn’t hit by a tree lucky our business was able to re-open only five days after the hurricane Lucky that a madman did not begin or continue his rampage inside our restaurant where so many people I love were working or enjoying a Friday night dinner out that our daughters get to have him as a dad — that may be the luckiest thing of all Alicea Acevedo and her husband own Riccardo’s Restaurant They live in Tallahassee with their two young daughters Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedIn(WPTA) - The host of 21Alive’s INsight program will soon be taking home a prestigious volunteer service award honoring his years of community work Tony Betton Jr. will be honored with the President Joseph R Biden Lifetime Achievement Award and Presidential Volunteer Service Award medals during the Premiere Coalition Partner’s Association’s banquet on Saturday The award honors people and groups that give more than 4,000 hours of volunteering Beverly Kee later this month on behalf of the Points of Light I knew I wanted to make a change in the world there has been someone to pour into me and as long as I can “INsight” is an independent production of WPTA TV and is unaffiliated with the 21Alive news department Home > News By David Wood | 17th December 2024 Contracts have been exchanged following a recent meeting between the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) and the 6880 Betton Grange Society for their newly-built Great Western Railway-designed 'Grange' class 4-6-0 to be based on the Cotswold railway The meeting was between 6880 Betton Grange Society chairman Richard Cadge and GWSR finance director Richard Winstanley along with John Cruxon The GWSR was the first heritage railway on which no 6880 ran in May 2024 following delivery from Tyseley locomotive works The engine was run-in on the 14-mile line before performing faultlessly at the GWSR's annual Cotswold Festival of Steam It is currently on the Battlefield line in Leicestershire to work their Santa and New Year trains and will move to the Great Central Railway in January The locomotive will be delivered to the GWSR's Toddington depot towards the end of February 2025 said: "The arrival of the 'Grange' is timely as the boiler certificate of resident 'Manor' class no 7820 Dinmore Manor expires in early January We are thrilled that Betton Grange will be based at Toddington regular performers over our railway in GWR and BR days and I know that our volunteers are looking forward to working with a locomotive class that was often dubbed by BR crews as 'the engineman's engine' "The first task for Betton Grange will be to work race trains for the Cheltenham Festival in March - and this turns the clock back more than 60 years as the class were often seen heading BR's special trains to Cheltenham Races in the 1950s and early 60s." added: "The society's committee unanimously agreed that the GWSR is the ideal base for the locomotive We are very impressed with the facilities at Toddington both for locomotives and for volunteers with the outstanding mess facilities in 'The Goods Shed' "Particular mention should be made of Mike Solloway and the team who really went above and beyond to ensure that the engine was carefully run-in and that remaining essential work that emerged during that process especially with our team being invited to join in the Steam Department's BBQ!" Betton Grange will be a regular performer on the GWSR's Cotswold railway over the coming year Opinion marks early verdict on Labour amid Shire Hall shakeup The project has been more than a decade in the making and could see 620 acres of greenbelt transformed into a new town It has revealed plans to open a branch in town as part of a rapid expansion Forest of Dean venture shares its fears amid new burden Reproduction of any content is strictly forbidden without prior permission We use cookies to help make our website better. For more information on cookies and how to block them, visit https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/online/cookies/ This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The long wait for the reopening of Betton Road (well From Thomasville Road to Lee Avenue will reopen on February 22nd.  We welcome the return of the Betton Road commuters But this new street is not the old street:  a number of safety improvements have been made.  We recognize these improvements may take some time to get used to.  As a start we’re having an “open road” party from 1 p.m See and hear about the improvements from city staff and Betton Hills Neighborhood Association volunteers  (Project staff will lead a Q&A session at 1 p.m We hope you will see the new Betton as a guiding example of enhancing neighborhoods and improving road safety while meeting commuter needs Ask traditionally trained traffic engineers what makes a safe street and they’ll answer quickly:  straight wide travel lanes and a clear zone along the road’s edge.  Ask anyone what makes drivers speed on city streets and you’ll get the same answers plus some valid complaints about a lack of speed enforcement bicyclists and walkers.  The Betton Road improvements make the street safer for all users especially during non-peak hours.  (The high traffic volume of peak hours effectively reduces speeding.)  The improvements do not decrease traffic flow or the speed limit Travel lane widths slimmed from 12 to 10 feet.  Lane slimming discourages speeding.  It also creates space to add a planting strip along the south side of Betton providing a safety buffer for people using the sidewalk.  Crosswalks at Trescott and mid-block near Hickory allow safe crossings for walkers and bicyclists Three interspersed raised median islands in the middle lane.  The islands discourage speeding in the travel lanes and passing in the middle lane making it safer for drivers on Betton and those entering from side streets or driveways Removal of left turn at Mitchell onto Betton The left was unsafe during peak hours as cars often became marooned across travel lanes blocking traffic flow.  An improved crosswalk makes crossing Mitchell safer for youth going to/from Winthrop Park and Betton residents walking or biking to/from Thomasville Road shops Extending the left turn lane on Betton at Thomasville Road.  Lengthening the lane 80 feet accommodates more cars thereby keeping west-bound traffic flowing We thank the city’s Underground Utilities and Public Infrastructure Engineering staff for working with the BHNA to improve Betton Road.  This is a giant step for livability in a near town neighborhood Betton Hills is experiencing a dramatic increase in young families and active older residents.  These families enjoy walking They’ll be able to do so much more safely thanks to the city staff and the Talcon Group’s (the construction company) creativity and cooperation.  from Lee Avenue to Centerville Road will be completed in late spring Mike Brezin is the past president of the Betton Hills Neighborhood Association and a frequent driver Send letters to the editor (up to 200 words) or Your Turn columns (about 500 words) to letters@tallahassee.com Please include your address for verification purposes only also include a photo and 1-2 line bio of yourself You can also submit anonymous Zing!s at Tallahassee.com/Zing Submissions are published on a space-available basis and may also be published by any part of the USA TODAY NETWORK From Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office (WDEF) — The woman involved in a March 2022 homicide was arrested on Friday is being charged with murder and aggravated assault the police department announced on Tuesday Betton was arrested for her involvement in the shooting of a 62-year-old man named Kenneth Ray Townsend nearly a year ago Gabriel Mekel Adams was arrested in April for the shooting Investigators say Adams was the shooter in the incident He was charged with two counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault They also say that Betton was with Adams during the shooting The investigators obtained warrants for Betton’s arrest last week They say she was arrested without incident police received a call of a man shot at Townsend’s apartment in Dalton Police found gunshot wounds on Townsend’s arm and chest promises a smoother ride on that busy thoroughfare — though not without commuting headaches in the meantime.  it will be necessary to close Betton Road to thru traffic for the duration of the project," a city press release said "While construction of this type can be disruptive the City will do everything possible to minimize inconveniences to residents and businesses The whole project could shut down at least parts of Betton Road for up to a year "Construction hours will normally begin after sunrise and end prior to sunset with no construction allowed on Sundays," it added "Roadway detours will be clearly marked and access to residences and businesses will be maintained." The aim of the Betton Road Traffic and Pedestrian Enhancement Project is a much needed repaving of the road the city plans to "improve pedestrian safety .. and upgrade existing underground utilities raised medians will be constructed in the center turn lane in selected areas that will not impede access to driveways," according to the release.  please subscribe using the link at the top of the page and help keep the news you care about coming Kevin Stout says the chicken shack is back You may remember a wildly popular buffalo chicken sandwich as a bar and lunch menu item at Food Glorious Food then that same sandwich becoming the main attraction for the Hot Birdie's Chicken restaurant that opened nearly two years ago in Capital Plaza on Thomasville Road And while chicken enthusiasts were devastated is bringing back the heat and taking it to another level – one floor up to be exact – from his landmark Betton Place location The chicken sandwiches are now served in the upstairs dining area it'll be called "Birdie's at Betton." After 4 p.m. "We've had a lot of people asking about it and I want to re-energize the space," Stout said about bringing both concepts under the same roof to garner more traction Hot Birdie's chicken sandwich 'hotter than ever'Last September a post on the Hot Birdie's Facebook page told fans to "hold tight" because they were going to come "back soon and hotter than ever." a subtle logo change on the former Hot Birdie's Facebook page to a "sophisticated chicken" dressed in a monocle and top hat hinted that foodies wouldn't have to wait much longer Those who favored the Birdie's location a few blocks north have reunited with the concept since its opening Monday teasing that The Great North American Eclipse would actually be living in its shadow that day Birdie's at Betton serves some of the city's favorite chicken sandwiches including "BAB's Nashville Hot Birdie," a chicken patty dipped in Nashville hot butter and topped with spicy mayo brown-sugar honey slaw and aged spicy pickles on a brioche bun Another specialty is the "BAB's Bacon Ranch Birdie" topped with American cheese two thick slabs of smoked bacon and a ranch dressing drizzle on a toasted brioche bun Stout has enjoyed seeing regulars in the revitalized space adding that he enjoys seeing customers dig in because by the time he makes it to greet their tables their faces are "covered in hot sauce from the sandwich," which always gives him a laugh including the possibility of fried catfish Nashville-style sandwiches and vegetarian options Where: Birdie's at Betton is in the Betton Place shopping center Kyla A Sanford covers dining and entertainment for the Tallahassee Democrat She can be reached at ksanford@tallahassee.com Betton Road will close for construction and through traffic will be closed for about 10 months The city said the primary purpose of the construction project is "to reconstruct the aging road base on Betton Road which is reaching the end of its service life." the city said they are taking the opportunity to improve pedestrian safety and upgrade underground utilities Motorists who typically use Betton Road to travel between Centerville Road and Thomasville Road will be directed to use either Seventh Avenue or Raymond Diehl Road as a detour route during this time Coordination is ongoing with the Betton Hills neighborhood and residents will have access to their homes at all times To learn more about this project and to sign up to receive email updates as the project moves forward, you can click here. Work upgrading Betton Road won’t be complete until June the city has been adding new water and sewer improvements as well as replacing the aging roadway and upgrading pedestrian amenities an east-west connector between Thomasville and Centerville roads have been closed since the project started the intersection of Centerville and Betton roads will be closed for construction traffic will be detoured via Blair Stone and Thomasville roads The project started last June looks to repave the road while incorporating raised medians and sidewalk improvement A breakdown of the entire project can be found at talgov.com/bettonprojects. CORRECTION: The intersection of Betton and Centerville roads will be closed starting at 7 p.m Information about when the road would be closed in Tuesday’s Tallahassee Democrat was incorrect construction activities should continue into June 2022.  Q: Will the project impact existing trees along the ditch A: The City is working with an arborist to develop mitigation strategies to preserve as many trees as possible Q: Will construction be disruptive to the neighborhood and area businesses it will be necessary to close Betton Road to thru traffic for the duration of the project While construction of this type can be disruptive Construction hours will normally begin after sunrise and end prior to sunset Roadway detours will be clearly marked and access to residences and businesses will be maintained Q: Who can I talk with if I have questions or concerns A: Please contact Roger Cain, P.E., City of Tallahassee Underground Utilities and Public Infrastructure Engineering, at 850-891-2869, roger.cain@talgov.com Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter Never miss a story:  Subscribe to the Tallahassee Democrat using the link at the top of the page Little Rock Chief Deputy City Attorney Alex Betton who was recently tasked with overseeing the city's responses to Arkansas Freedom of Information Act requests Joseph Flaherty covers the city of Little Rock for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette A graduate of Middlebury College and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism he has worked for the newspaper since 2020 Recently, a prospective Betton Hills homebuyer became extremely upset about language in the original restrictive covenants for a subdivision in Betton Hills So upset that she was in a quandary concerning whether to go forward with the home purchase She knew racially-prejudicial covenants were found to be unconstitutional in 1949. She knew the covenants had expired in 1970. Given those facts it just made her more upset that the covenants were still linked to the deed forwarded from the title company by her realtor.  The buyer reached out to the Betton Hills Neighborhood Association city officials and others to see what could be done to remedy the situation — to get the expired restrictive covenants document deleted and separated from the deed. She felt their presence implicitly — if not explicitly — endorsed a “white only” home buying preference Here’s what the covenant states: “No person of other than the Caucasian race shall own our realtor pointed out the list of restricted covenants and that they no longer applied. Given that they had expired we didn’t think much more about them.  But with this recent incident and the visceral anger it engendered I wanted to better understand the history. What I found not only clarified but expanded my awareness of a broad and systematic government-endorsed segregation the effects of which are still with us a number of programs were enacted to get the country moving again economically The Federal Housing Administration created one such program in 1934. It subsidized home developers to build and home buyers to purchase new homes in subdivisions in city suburbs. With low loan interest rates and mortgage insurance subsidies one could buy a home for less than what one was paying in rent in the city.  There was only one catch. Every home must have restrictive covenants that prohibited sale or resale to non-Caucasians.  I want to emphasize that this was not just in Betton Hills Tallahassee or the South. It was a national program that essentially subsidized the “white exodus” to suburbs and the subsequent segregation of our cities Eight-five percent of the subdivisions built around New York City in the 1930s and '40s had the FHA-required covenants The belief was that African American owners would cause property values to decline and thereby put the loans at risk. There was no factual basis to this belief. Actually as African Americans were willing to pay a higher price than whites for a house in the suburbs the GI Bill was enacted and the Veterans Administration established. The VA created a subsidized home loan program and you can probably guess what happened. The VA adopted all the FHA’s racial exclusion regulations. African American veterans could not get a VA loan for a home the racial bias in the FHA regulations was found to be unconstitutional the Fair Housing Act prohibited racial preferences in home buying Tallahassee is one of the most housing- and income-segregated cities in the country.  By preventing African American home ownership for so long we have denied a substantial portion of our community the opportunity to acquire what is the most common means to accumulate wealth in America: a home.  The appreciating asset of a home enables one to have collateral to buy a car send a kid to college. An owned home stimulates cross-generational wealth accumulation as the home is passed down as an inheritance.  that local governments typically invest where the wealth is. Hence better schools more parks and better streets with sidewalks and streetlights in suburbs The sad fact is that while many African Americans could have afforded homes in the suburbs in the '30s and '40s those homes have now appreciated beyond their financial means. The American Dream of home ownership continues to be denied One could argue that the stagnant inequality driven by prolonged denial of home ownership and its loss of economic and social opportunities fosters the police-youth mistrust that creates racial profiling shootings and the resulting community confrontations I don’t have the fix. I can say that I have a clearer and more in-depth awareness of the home-owning and related economic and social privileges based on skin color granted to my grandparents and parents and passed on to me and my children.  I imagine if a non-Caucasian prospective homebuyer read the restrictive covenants it would trigger intense emotions — none of them good.  That’s not my America. For a safer more united and more prosperous future for all Americans it’s time for us to absorb the obligations of our past and commit to creating new remedies.  separating offensive but expired restricted covenants from a deed may be seen as small potatoes actions like this can mark the beginning of a new era of accounting for historical wrongs and creating remedies to reconcile our history with our national ideals  Words matter — and so do actions I will be encouraging neighborhood association leaders to see if this offensive language is linked to neighborhood deeds. If so to inform their residents and join with us to tackle this systemic injustice Mike Brezin is president of Betton Hills Neighborhood Association and of the Alliance of Tallahassee Neighborhoods MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) — The man who was shot by local Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) officers in April of 2015 during a drug raid at a Myrtle Beach home will speak publicly during a peaceful demonstration RELATED:Lawsuit involving Myrtle Beach man shot after drug raid settled out of court DEU officers got a warrant to go into Betton’s home after he sold small amounts of marijuana Officers entered the residence without knocking or announcing their arrival and used a battering ram to knock down the door A settlement was reached with most of the parties but the suit remained against the City of Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach police officer David Beleu Betton's attorney Jonny McCoy said in 2018 McCoy released the information about his client's decision to speak McCoy confirmed that Betton will speak and talk on the matter of the officers involved in the raid and shooting You can read more about the case that led to a multi-million dollar settlement from the City of Myrtle Beach RELATED:Myrtle Beach man paralyzed in police raid settles for millions McCoy said Betton will hold a peaceful demonstration in Myrtle Beach May 31 at 1:00 pm at Myrtle Beach City Hall Great Western 6880 is one of a dozen “new-build” standard gauge steam locomotives currently being built in the UK Almost six decades after the last of its kind was scrapped a newly-built Great Western Railway 4-6-0 is being prepared for service in the United Kingdom is one of at least a dozen standard gauge steam locomotives being built in the United Kingdom at this time The United Kingdom has long been home to a robust steam preservation movement with dozens of locomotives restored to service But the Brits weren’t content to just restore the locomotives that survived after the steam era came to a close in the 1960s they set out to start building locomotives that had been scrapped The most famous example is London & North Eastern Railway Peppercorn Class A1 4-6-2 60163 Tornado The success of that effort has since inspired others including here in the United States where the non-profit T1 Trust is currently building a Pennsylvania Railroad 4-4-4-4 The GWR’s Grange Class was built in the 1930s for mixed traffic As the steam era came to a close in the 1960s all 80 4-6-0s were taken out of service and scrapped the Betton Grange Society was established to build what it called “the 81st Grange.” After 25 years of work the build is entering its final stages at the Tyseley Locomotive Works in Birmingham the locomotive is being painted and test runs are expected in the coming weeks A recent issue of Heritage Railway listed a dozen different standard gauge steam locomotive builds across the country Among them is an effort by the A1 Trust — the same group that built Tornado — to build a P2 2-8-2 the most powerful express passenger locomotive ever built in Britain Efforts are also underway to build a 0-4-4T For more information about Betton Grange, visit www.6880.co.uk TRENTON - A state board has revoked the credentials of a former Washington Township teacher who made graphic online comments about child sexual abuse acknowledged he had described engaging in physical and sexual acts against very young children according to the the State Board of Examiners But Betton also asserted he had not actually performed the acts described in a Reddit conversation And while law enforcement officers reported the comments to the school district and the state Department of Children and Families Teachers had faced tenure charges Two Camden educators are barred from ever teaching again. Here's why Betton joined the district in September 2019 as a science teacher at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School He resigned from the non-tenured position in March 2020 after the district learned of the Reddit conversation from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office and the federal Department of Homeland Security there was absolutely no inappropriate behavior related to our students," said Eric Hibbs superintendent of the Washington Township district He said the district encourages anyone with allegations about Betton to contact law enforcement authorities Betton claimed to have abused very young children while babysitting and while traveling abroad He also described engaging in a sex act during a class and Skyping it But the DCF in April 2020 determined it could not identify any victims The agency also determined "no students were exposed to anything of a concerning nature," the decision added It noted Betton told the board "he did not care if he kept his teaching credentials It said the former teacher did not respond to offers to submit written arguments or to appear in person to challenge disciplinary action The board found Betton's comments on their own provided "just cause to act against his certificates" as a reading specialist and a teacher of elementary grades K-6 "Betton’s conduct in engaging in a sexually explicit chat regarding children on Reddit indicates a serious lapse in judgment," the board's decision said "The fact that the acts detailed in the chat did not actually occur does not prohibit the board from taking action.," it added The decision called revocation of Betton's certificates "the appropriate response to his breach." 21 decision to the state's education commissioner Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal After a year of work to repair the aged roadbed Betton Road will reopen to traffic on Wednesday.  Motorists will be able to use the road starting at about noon.  sewer and electric infrastructure and incorporated pedestrian enhancements to the major connector between Centerville and Thomasville roads.  Earlier: Betton construction update: Centerville Road intersection will close starting next week Drive around it: Prepare alternate route to avoid yearlong Betton Road project | Street Scene The $3 million project mainly focused on reconstructing the road base of Betton Road which was reaching the end of its service life Spruce and Chouteau avenues was replaced.  There will be a ribbon cutting for the newly completed project at the corner of Betton Road and Spruce Avenue at 9 a.m (WPDE) — The peaceful protest in which Julian Betton was supposed to speak Sunday has been canceled after a meeting with Myrtle Beach city leaders posted to Facebook Sunday morning and said his client met with Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune and other leaders "peaceful diplomacy works" in the post showing Betton and Bethune holding hands Drug Enforcement Unit officers got a warrant to go into Betton’s home alleging that he had been selling small amounts of marijuana Betton was coming out of a different room and officers shot him A settlement was reached with most of the parties Northeast Tallahassee is just two years away from adding hundreds of jobs as leaders look to improve healthcare in the Capital City Neighbors noticed this site plan on Betton and Centerville Roads marking progress that TMH and FSU are making on their new Academic Health Center Stacey Patterson said caring for patients is what pushes her each day in her job as FSU's VP of Research concepts to the bedside where they can actually help people is what really drives me and I think is what really makes place like FSU really impactful," Patterson said To make their research even more impactful they're moving forward with Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare to build a 130 thousand square foot facility here off of Betton and Centerville Roads Site plan signs recently went up in the area to let people know about the project It's in the design phase and land is being prepared "It's a 125 million dollar facility that will combine research community outreach and clinical care," Patterson said "It's really important that people are able to come and be a part of their healthcare experience." Funding from a state grant will help pay for the project Leaders at FSU said during the three-year construction phase the idea will support more than 300 high-paying positions in the area I asked job experts with CareerSource of the Capital Region how this will have an impact "It is great to have those jobs located here in our community that when these students graduate they don't have to go anywhere," said Khari Harrison with CareerSource With an unemployment rate of 3 percent in Leon County he said it's also a way to bridge a gap with the need for healthcare workers "We pretty much are able to fill a lot of the positions here but we still have those positions especially in healthcare that are very much in demand," Harrison said That's the reason Patterson said she's excited for the center to cultivate talent and innovation in the heart of the capital city "It's a really exciting opportunity now to take that to the next level to where we can bridge the gap between education and research with quality clinical care," Patterson said Patterson said the center is expected to start serving the public in the fall of 2026 Report a typo We cover stories making an impact in Northeast Tallahassee. This is your home to stay on top of what is changing in Northeast Tallahassee and why it matters to you and your family. We want to hear from you! Click here and tell us what we should be covering in your neighborhood (WTXL) — The parents of a FSU student who was killed when a man opened fire inside Hot Yoga Tallahassee in November 2018 have filed a lawsuit claiming both the studio and property owner failed to provide proper security on the premises filed the negligence lawsuit on June 5 against Hot Yoga Tallahassee and Betton Place Partners a company owned and operated by NAI TalCor owner Ed Murray The lawsuit asserts that the yoga studio and the property owner failed to take proper security measures to protect patrons the property lacked security guards or operational surveillance cameras throughout the premises despite the fact that the defendants allegedly ".. should have known that numerous criminal incidents had occurred on the Defendant's premises ..." Douglas McCarron with the Haggard Law Firm wrote that the studio and property owner failed to hire or retain security personnel to monitor the area and didn't train employees to protect guests on the property didn't have enough working security cameras in the right locations and didn't have an overall security plan in place the suit alleges that the defendants also failed to take action after being put on notice for inadequate security measures the lawsuit contends that their negligence directly led to the shooting because there was "inadequate and/or nonexistent visible deterrence." "Criminals could carry out physical assaults on the defendant's premises without fear of being caught the lawyer representing the Binkley family in the lawsuit we spoke to Ron Sachs who is the spokesperson for Betton Place He feels the blame in this lawsuit is misplaced "This lawsuit is misguided and misdirected," Sachs explained "That tragedy is not lessened by this lawsuit There was one bad guy in this situation who acted independently and neither a security guard or security cameras would have stopped him." Binkley and Dr. Nancy Van Vessem, who was a member of the Tallahassee Memorial medical staff, died as a result of the shooting. Another fiver people were also hurt that night including Joshua Quick, who was hospitalized after attempting to fight off the shooter The family is seeking to recover at least $15,000 in damages 062619 Betton Hot Yoga Comp... by on Scribd