Move To Remove Vehicles Fails

Indignant Crowd Voices Disapproval, Supervisors “Table Matter Indefinitely”

“Here in America, we have a right to own things,” Halifax County resident Larry Rowland told the Halifax County Board of Supervisors Tuesday night amid raucous applause. “These cars on our property aren’t hurting anyone. When our taxes go up, we pay them.
“I’d ask the Board tonight to forget this ordinance and let us continue tinkering on our cars,” Rowland added.
A packed crowd of more than 150 voiced overwhelming opposition when supervisors held a public hearing on an ordinance that would have made it a class three misdemeanor to keep more than three inoperable vehicles in public view.
The proposed ordinance stipulated that “any person may keep outside of a fully enclosed building one and no more than one inoperable vehicle, provided such inoperable vehicle is shielded or screened from view. In addition, any person may keep outside of a fully enclosed building no more than three inoperable vehicles that are shielded or screened from view by covers.”
The ordinance would not apply to vehicles in the process of being repaired or restored. It also wouldn’t apply to “a licensed business lawfully and regularly engaged in business as an automobile dealer, salvage dealer or scrap processor, or to farm vehicles used in an ongoing farming operation.”
For those in violation of the ordinance, the ordinance would have authorized the county to remove the vehicles from the property “at the owner’s expense.”
“In the event three (violations) have been imposed on the same person for the same or similar violation, not arising from the same set of operative facts, within a 24-month period, such violations shall be a Class 3 misdemeanor.”
But the majority of the standing-room-only crowd said the ordinance goes so far as to infringe on the rights of citizens.
Following a hearing where people stood in queue to oppose the measure, supervisors unanimously voted to “table the matter indefinitely.”
The vast majority of those in attendance vigorously opposed the proposal, alleging that the government of the county was trying to infringe on their property rights.
“What I object to is a government entity telling us what we can do with our land,” John Foster told the Board. “This is an agricultural county and that’s the way I’d like to see it kept. This has nothing to do with old cars, but this ordinance is starting down a slippery slope. Where do we stop? Common sense has to prevail.”
Richard Haley agreed.
“You’ve struck something near and dear to my heart,” he said. “I look at this as you trying to tax me and give me more laws. I want less taxes and less laws. We live in the county, not in a subdivision. We don’t need this. We’re using time and money tonight that we could be using to a whole lot better advantage than taking something away from me.”
Even some of the few in support of the ordinance admitted that the wording wasn’t sufficient to accomplish its goal.
“I’m here tonight in support of the inoperable vehicle ordinance,” Hwy. 58 resident Ronnie Overby told the Board. “I realize that there may be a need to change the ordinance, but there’s no reason anyone would want junk cars lining someone’s driveway that denigrates the value of my property. We have a right for no one else to decrease the value of our property.”
The first speaker of the evening was Gus Armstrong, who serves on the Halifax County Improvement Council, the body that asked supervisors to consider the ordinance in an effort to beautify the county.
Armstrong said there was simply a gap in the law that needed to be addressed, but conceded that the ordinance in its existing form would unfairly target law-abiding citizens.
“I’d like to let the citizens know where this ordinance came from,” he said. “Back in the summer, the Improvement Council made this proposal to the Board to address a gap in the law. Currently, there isn’t a law in the county to address inoperable vehicles. The Council just wants to beautify the county.
“It wasn’t the intent of the Council to make you get rid of your vehicles. We made exclusions in the ordinance for farmers, salvage yards and other things, but we didn’t exclude everything we needed to exclude. Obviously, there are things wrong with the ordinance, but if we can get those things excluded, I think it would still be a good ordinance for the county,” Armstrong added.
But Hwy. 58 resident Wanda Overby said she believed the ordinance would benefit the county and remove what she considers a hazard to county children.
She added that she is worried that fluids from gas tanks and leaking engines that haven’t been emptied could contaminate her water supply.
“We’ve worked long and hard to improve the land on Route 58 that we live on,” she said. “Our neighbor has inoperable cars and as a mother, I’m concerned and fearful my property won’t be fit to live on if something isn’t done to regulate it.
“We should take a stand to protect the land on which we live,” Overby added.
“I’ve seen the same thing happen in other states and these kinds of things can get way out of hand,” John Mayberry said, adding that he moved to Halifax County after living in other states for a number of years. “I don’t want to see that happen in this county. I think (Halifax County) is a good county and I don’t think we should tell a man how many cars he can have.
“You have to put some restrictions on this thing. Everyone will be telling everyone what the can and cannot do on their own property. We need to get this ordinance written in the right way so everyone can look at it and do it in the right way,” he added.
Supervisors agreed.
Following the public hearing, on a motion by Supervisor James Edmunds and with a second by Supervisor Tom West, the Board unanimously voted to table the matter.
In discussing the issue, Supervisor R.E. “Dickie” Abbott said he feels the “less government is the best government.
Abbott asked the members of the audience in opposition to the measure to stand.
When the vast majority rose to their feet, Abbott said he believes there is a financial motive to the proposal.
“This goes to show you that people don’t like it when other people try to do things to them,” he said. “I’m 77 years old and I try to treat my neighbors as good as I know how.
“I think people need to respect what others do and you have to give respect to get respect.
“How much money will the county get out of it?” he asked the Board to the applause of the audience. “I know the county will get money out of it.”
“Out of respect to the Halifax County Improvement Council, we agreed to hear this proposal,” Edmunds said. “We’ve honored that.
“But this ordinance violates the citizens’ personal property rights. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it’s none of our business,” he added.
Supervisor Doug Bowman said that while he supports the concept of beautifying the county, the current incarnation of the ordinance would violate the citizens’ right to own property.
“The purpose in bringing it forward is good and valid,” he said. “But the ordinance in its current form has some problems with it that I cannot support.
“This isn’t an issue that’s going to go away,” Bowman added, “but there are some problems and we need to work on them.”
Supervisor Bryant Claiborne stressed that citizens need to work together to ensure the matter doesn’t resurface.
“You have to respect the people next to you,” he said. “You have to learn to work together. I agree with the motion to table the issue, and if you all work together, maybe it won’t come back.”

Alton Man Not Guilty Sodomy

A Halifax County Circuit Court jury deliberated about an hour Wednesday before finding a 41-year-old Alton man not guilty of two charges of forcible sodomy and not guilty of two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
John Robert Humphries Jr. was acquitted of the charges after a two-day trial, with the jury beginning its deliberations Wednesday afternoon.
The alleged offenses occurred in a period from July 26 to July 29, 2004, according to court records.
Judge William L. Wellons presided over the case.
Other Court Cases
• James Thomas Mullikin, 21, of Vernon Hill, entered an Alford plea Thursday to a pair of indictments, both charging him with possession of a vehicle with altered ID numbers on separate occasions.
Under terms of an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt, but realizes prosecution evidence against him would make a guilty finding at trial almost a certainty.
Under terms of the Alford plea agreement, the Commonwealth nol prossed an additional charge against Mullikin, one charging him with receiving/possessing a stolen vehicle.
Judge Wellons sentenced Mullikin to three years each in prison for the two convictions, suspending all but five months each for a total of 10 months in jail.
The court ordered the suspended portions of Mullikin’s sentence be conditioned on his good behavior for six years and ordered him to be placed on probation for one year following his release.
• Wayne Sherman Torain, 44, of South Boston, was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison, with all but two years and 10 months suspended, for possessing a Schedule I/II controlled substance.
The court ordered the suspended portions of Torain’s sentence be conditioned on his good behavior for 10 years, and ordered Torain to be placed on probation for two years upon his release.
In addition, the court ordered Torain to abstain from illegal drugs and submit to random drug tests.
• Robert Lee Moore, 21, of Crystal Hill, was convicted Thursday of a probation violation.
The court revoked Moore’s previously suspended prison sentence, re-suspending all new time to the completion of a substance treatment program.
• Cathy Bowman Clark, 49, of South Boston, was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison, with all but two suspended, for passing a forged check.
The court also convicted Clark of contempt of court for failure to appear and a probation violation, Clark receiving a suspended 10-day jail sentence for the contempt citation and a re-suspension of any new time for the probation violation.
Judge Wellons ordered the suspended portions of Clark’s sentence for forging and uttering be conditioned on her good behavior for five years, ordering Clark to be placed on probation for one year upon her release.
The court finally ordered Clark to pay $486.68 restitution to her victim.

 

Fitzgerald Re-Elected Board Chair

Halifax County Board of Supervisors Officers Will Now Serve Two Years

Supervisors William Fitzgerald and James Edmunds will serve additional two-year terms as chairman and vice-chairman of the Halifax County Board of Supervisors.
During Tuesday’s organizational meeting, supervisors unanimously voted to increase the terms of the Board’s officers from one year to two years.
Fitzgerald was unanimously elected chairman on a motion by Supervisor Doug Bowman and a second by Edmunds.
Edmunds was elected to serve as vice-chairman on a motion by Supervisor Bryant Claiborne and with a second by Supervisor Wayne Conner. The motion passed on a unanimous vote.
Supervisors also voted to continue holding Board meetings on the first Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m.
After emerging from a closed session to discuss personnel issues, supervisors made the following appointments:
Halifax County businessman Bill Kelehar was named to serve on the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority Board of Directors on a motion by Supervisor Tom West and with a second by Edmunds.
Kelehar will replace William Royster, whose term expires on January 31.
IDA Board member Carlyle Ramsey was appointed to an additional term on the Board on a motion by Claiborne and with a second by Supervisor R.E. “Dickie” Abbott.
Mattie Cowan and Hunter Ford were reappointed to the Halifax County Planning Commission on a motion by Edmunds and with a second by Bowman.
Board members also named nine residents to staggered terms on the William M. Tuck Airport Commission.
Gary Newcomb, Bill Snead and Mark Stevens were elected to serve one-year terms, Doug Bowman, Kenneth Cassada and Ronnie Vaughan were tapped for two-year terms on the Commission and Tommy Epps and Marvin Wright were elected to three-year terms.
J. Aubrey Houghton was elected a life member of the Commission.
The Commission appointments were made on a motion by Supervisor Lottie Nunn and with a second by Claiborne.

 

Supes Approve Roads

Supervisors have approved a $10.2 million six-year road plan that will include five improvements to existing roads, four rural rustic paving projects and eight recommended changes, revisions and additions to the plan in 2006.
The approval came as the Halifax County Board of Supervisors met for their regular monthly meeting Tuesday.
The plan was unanimously approved on a motion by Supervisor Doug Bowman and with a second by Supervisor James Edmunds.
In presenting his six-year road plan to supervisors during a December hearing on the matter, VDOT Residency Administrator Joe Barkley told the Board that the county currently has 835 miles of road in its secondary road system.
“Of those, 63 miles are unpaved roads,” he said, noting that the county receives around $1.7 million annually for improvements to the secondary road system.
“The Department and the Board (of Supervisors) try to have a balanced program,” he noted.
Barkley told the Board that for 2006, the department has $1,374,000 allocated for road projects.
After approving the plan, Bowman told Barkley that he had received some calls about restricting tractor-trailer traffic on Dudley Road.
“There are some options,” Barkley said. “We could post weight limits and put up signs for school bus stops, but you’d need to submit the request to us to start the study.”
Board Chairman William Fitzgerald said that while he realized the measure would be an inconvenience to truck drivers, the issue boils down to safety.
“It’s the best thing to do,” he said.
“Logging trucks and school buses don’t go together on narrow roads,” Bowman said.
After the discussion, Barkley said VDOT would conduct a study and report back to the Board prior to any action on the matter.

 

Boys Track Team Wins Tri-Meet

The HCHS Boys Indoor Track Team Scored Eight Wins To Down E.C. Glass And GW

The Halifax County High School boys indoor track team is quite a happy group these days.
It should be.
Halifax County, ranked in a tie for fifth place in the Milestat.com Virginia High School Indoor Track Team Elite Performance Rankings at the end of December, won Tuesday’s district tri-meet with E.C. Glass and GW, giving Halifax County its first district track win in several seasons.
Winning eight events, the Comets tallied 59 5/6 points with E.C. Glass following with 55 points and GW trailing in third place with 32 1/6 points.
“I’m really, really proud of these guys,” said Comets coach Ralph Robinson.
“I don’t know how long it’s been but this is the first time we’ve won a district competition since I’ve been here and that’s three years.”
Among the eight wins, the Comets got two wins and a tie for first place from David Anderson and two wins from Travis Word. Melvin Reynolds picked up a win for the Comets, giving them six individual wins.
In addition, the Comets got wins from their 4x200-meter relay team and their 4x400-meter relay teams.
Anderson qualified for the Group AAA state meet in winning the triple jump with a leap of 45 feet. He won the long jump with a jump of 20 feel and 11 inches and tied for first place in the 60-yard dash with a time of 6.7 seconds.
Word qualified for the Northwest Region meet in winning the high jump with a mark of 5-10. He also won the 60-yard hurdles with a time of 8.3 seconds.
Melvin Reynolds scored a win for the Comets, taking the top spot in the 600-yard dash with a time of one minute and 22.1 seconds. Reynolds also finished third in the high jump with a leap of 5-8.
Halifax County’s 4x220-meter relay team consisting of Anderson, Jeremy Clauden, Willie Stephens and Jamond Edmonds won with a time of 1:40.9, beating second-place E.C. Glass by three seconds.
The Comets’ 4x400-meter relay team consisting of Ronnie Link, Shawn Barksdale, Patrick Currie and Reynolds won that event with a time of 3:54.1, beating runner-up E.C. Glass by four seconds.
The Comets captured three of the top five spots in the high jump, the top two spots in the long jump and 60-yard hurdles, two of the top three spots in the triple jump and two of the top four places in the 300-yard dash.
“It was a total team effort,” Robinson said.
“We got help from a lot of different people. This was a district competition. This lets us know that we’re in the mix with everybody in the district.”
Among its good marks, the Comets got as second-place finish from its 4x800-meter relay team. Chris Pridgen, Link, Justus Eisenbess and Barksdale turned in a time of 9:26.9, 24 seconds off of the pace set by the winning team from E.C. Glass.
Among individual performances, Edmonds had a good day with a runner-up finish in the long jump with a leap of 19-7. He finished third in the triple jump with a mark of 39-3.5 and tied teammate Willie Stephens for fourth place in the 60-yard dash with a time of 6.7 seconds.
Clauden was the runner-up in the 60-yard hurdles with a time of 8.4 seconds and Tony Barbour placed second in the 300-yard dash with a time of 36.5 seconds.
Eric Mosley placed third in the 600-yard dash with a time of 1:26.2 and Chris Pridgen finished third in the mile with a time of 5:12.4.
Currie placed fourth in the 300-yard dash with a time of 36.7 seconds, Bryan Clarke placed fourth in the high jump with a leap of 5-6 and Amanuel Coleman placed fourth in the 600-yard race with a time of 1:26.4.
The Comets track team will be idle until it competes in the Asics High School Invitational Meet at Liberty University Jan. 13-14.

 

Comets Open District Play Tonight

The HCHS Varsity Boys Cagers Will Face Franklin County Tonight, Looking To Rebound From Tuesday’s 61-36 Loss To Person High

The Halifax County High School varsity boys cagers are at a critical crossroads as they prepare to face Franklin County tonight in Rocky Mount in their Western Valley District opener.
Considering the way in which they fell 61-36 to neighboring border rival Person High School in a dismal performance Tuesday night, the Comets will be facing a tough task when they face the Eagles, a team which enters tonight’s game with a 10-1 slate.
“We’ve just got to go back and start over again,” Comets coach Ron Parson said after his team’s disappointing outing against Person High School.
“It’s going to be tough. You want to come off of a game like this (the Person High game) having won or at least having played well. We’re nowhere near where we should be.”
What Parson saw Tuesday night was a lethargic team that lacked focus, a team that did little, if anything, right in what was its worst and most disappointing game of the season.
“Half of the guys showed up not focused on the game, none whatsoever,” Parson pointed out after the loss that dropped the Comets to 3-7 on the season.
“ They’ve got their mind on other things. It’s especially disappointing when guys you’re counting on don’t show up. When you come out and play against a good team you’ve got to be focused. You can’t just show up against anybody and think they’re going to roll over and let you do what you’re going to do.”
It was a Comets team that was a direct opposite of the team that had played Person High School a week earlier in the championship game of the BB&T Bank Holiday Classic.
“We just did not show up to play and you can’t do that,” Parson said.
“We had made so much progress. I thought we had made a lot of progress the last two games. We set ourselves back another week playing like we played. We just don’t have the mental focus for four quarters that it takes to be a good basketball team.
Parson said Tuesday night he had no idea what tonight’s contest will bring.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if we go to Franklin County Friday night and play an outstanding game,” said the Comets coach.
“Then again, it wouldn’t surprise me if we go up there and play like we did tonight.”
The Comets had a dismal night Tuesday night against Person High School, falling behind 11-2 in the first five minutes and never recovering.
The Comets’ shooting from the floor was a disappointing 24 percent (13-53) overall and 3-17 from behind the three-point arc (17.6 percent).
Person High dominated the boards on both ends of the floor and out rebounded the Comets 38-24. And, the Comets were saddled with foul trouble with center Mark Ferrell being tagged for four fouls in the first half and fouling out in the third quarter. Another starter, Blaine Key, also fouled out of the game.
Derek Brooks led the Comets with 10 points and Patrick Terry followed with eight points. Jeremy Jeffress chipped in five points.
Halifax County trailed 17-7 at the end of the first quarter and fell behind 22-7 before a three-pointer from Terry with 5:49 left in the first half made the score 22-10.
The Comets trailed by 15 points twice more in the quarter before mounting a brief flurry in the waning seconds and making it a 13-point game at 32-19 at halftime.
A brief rally to start the third quarter that included a basket from Brooks and two free throws from Morgan Brown allowed the Comets to cut the Rockets’ lead to nine points at 32-23 with 6:46 left in the quarter.
Just as quickly as a brief ray of hope was beginning to shine, Person High erupted for a 15-0 run that served as the final knockout punch. The run by the Rockets left Halifax County trailing 47-23 with 1:20 left in the quarter and the Comets never got back into contention.
The Rockets led by as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter which turned ugly in the final minutes. The last two and a half minutes were punctuated by a technical foul against a Comets player and a intentional foul called on another Comets player with 3.1 seconds left in the game for dumping Person’s Antonio Glass on an attempted layup.
“We didn’t execute at all,” Parson said.
“We went through about three fourths of what we’re capable of doing and when you do that you’re going to get what we got tonight.”

HALIFAX COUNTY
NAME FG FT F TP
Terry 3 0-0 4 8
Burrell 1 0-1 0 3
Leigh 1 0-0 3 2
Jeffress 2 1-4 0 5
Brown 0 2-2 2 2
Key 0 4-4 5 4
Brooks 4 2-4 0 10
Edmonds 0 1-2 2 1
Pippen 0 0-0 1 0
Sibley 0 0-0 1 0
Ferrell 0 1-2 5 1
Totals 11 10-17 23 36
PERSON HIGH
NAME FG FT F TP
Carrington 2 2-2 2 7
Chambers 0 1-2 2 1
Walker 0 1-2 2 1
Glass 1 1-2 4 3
Dozier 7 4-5 1 18
Bailey 1 0-0 1 2
King 6 6-7 2 18
Clemons 0 0-2 0 0
Hamlet 0 0-2 0 0
Gentry 1 0-1 1 2
Johnson 0 0-0 0 0
Lee 0 2-4 0 2
Ivans 0 0-2 1 0
Wren 2 1-2 0 5
Totals 20 18-31 16 61
Three Point Field Goals: Terry (HC) 2, Burrell (HC) 1, Carrington (P) 1

Halifax County 7 12 7 10-36
Person High 17 15 16 13-61

 

Varsity Girls Cagers Fade Late Against Person High

Comets Fall 52-43 After Leading At Halftime

The Comets varsity girls basketball team lost its third game in as many tries this season against Person High School here Tuesday night, the Comets fading late in a 52-43 loss that dropped them to 2-6 on the season.
Halifax built a six-point halftime lead, fell behind in the third quarter, and were within four points with less than three minutes remaining, before the Rockets pulled away down the stretch.
Key Ferrell led the Comets with 14 points, including three treys, while Talesha Medley and Lashunda Davis scored 10 and nine points, respectively.
Shauna Harris and Deelynn Leigh finished with four points apiece, and Dachrista Teeters chipped in a basket for Halifax, which held leads of 11-10 after one quarter and 21-15 at halftime, before falling behind 30-26 going into the final quarter.
Shemeka Torain scored a game-high 22 points for Person, all coming after halftime, while Gabrielle Cameron and Danielle Lunsford added nine points apiece.
“We played three really good quarters of basketball tonight, and I felt we handled their zone better than we had in the previous two games against them,” said Comets coach Ray Reaves.
He said that a three-minute stretch in the final period was a key to the outcome, the Rockets’ switch to a man-to-man defense causing just enough problems for the Comets in that period of time to give them a workable lead.
Person’s zone had forced the Comets to rely on outside shooting the previous two times the teams played, but Halifax did not connect often enough to force the Rockets to switch to another defense.
That changed early in Tuesday’s game, Ferrell hitting a three-pointer to open the scoring and Leigh working inside for two buckets. Medley scored and Davis penetrated for a basket in the lane as the Comets led 11-10 after one quarter.
Halifax showed more patience against Person’s zone and the strategy worked for the most part, according to Reaves.
“We tried to be more patient and tried to pull them out a little bit, and we were successful,” noted Reaves.
“It opened up the lane for our guards to penetrate and we did that well tonight.”
The Comets’ lead ballooned to as much as 17-10 after another Ferrell trey and Medley basket in the second quarter.
Medley worked inside for the last field goal of the half to make it 21-15, but a season-long nemesis of the Comets, lack of size and height on the front line, came back to haunt the team after intermission.
Torain, who went scoreless in the first half, broke loose to score 12 of her team’s 15 third-quarter points, virtually all coming on put backs and power moves in the paint.
That helped Person take a 25-24 lead midway through the third quarter, and Person added to that for a 30-26 lead with a quarter left.
Person held a 40-32 advantage after Cameron’s trey early in the final period, but the Comets didn’t wilt, closing the gap to four points on Medley’s basket, and again to four points, trailing 44-40 with two and a half minutes after Ferrell’s bucket.
With the Comets pressing to get in position for a win, Person went four-for-four from the foul line and hit two breakaway baskets in the final minutes to seal the win.
“We got rattled a little with Person’s man-to-man, we couldn’t seem to find the open person with the pressure in our face,” said Reaves.
He added that the Comets adjusted to the defensive change and played evenly with the Rockets the rest of the way, but just didn’t get the scoring run necessary to catch up.
Despite the setback, the Comets are improving, he emphasized.
“We looked a lot better tonight, and I think the girls are satisfied with their progress,” he said.
“I’m frustrated with our not going to the free throw line as much as other teams, but it’s been that way all season. We’re at a disadvantage with our lack of size and we’ve struggled with that aspect of our game.”
The game statistics back up Reaves’ assessment, Halifax only four of six from the line, while Person went to the line 22 times, making 13 of them.
“Hopefully, that will change in the next day or two, we have someone coming in with some size I hope will help us out inside a whole lot,” said Reaves.
Things get no easier for the Comets, with Halifax playing powerhouse Franklin County here tonight at 7:30 p.m. to open its Western Valley District schedule.
“That’s going to be a tough game, we know Franklin County will bring a tough, well-coached squad,” said Reaves.
“Their coaching staff always prepares the team well, and they’re never overconfident. “We’ll have a couple of days to fix some things before then.”

 

Obituaries

George Ward Alkins
George Ward Alkins, 85, of Roxboro, N.C. died January 4, 2006, at Durham Regional Hospital.
Born in Elbgerton, Ga., he was the son of the late Dee and Dortha Harbart Alkins, and husband of the late Mary Mitchell Alkins.
Mr. Alkins retired from Collins and Aikman and served in the U.S. Army Air Corp during WWII. He was a member of Oak Grove United Methodist Church.
Survivors include two children and their spouses, Gary and Nancy Alkins and Julia A. and John James, all of Roxboro; one brother, Vallie Alkins of Roxboro; seven grandchildren, Beth Bowes, Brynn Alkins, Laura-Ann Alkins, James Alkins, Heather Jo Alkins, Donna Alkins and Michaela Alkins; and one great-grandchild, Emily Bowes.
Funeral services for Mr. Alkins will be held today, January 6, at 2 p.m. at Oak Grove United Methodist Church by the Revs. Kenneth McLean and Herbert Brown. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider the National Kidney Foundation, 5950 Fairview Drive, Suite 708, Charlotte, N.C. 28210.

JoLena Crews Boyd
JoLena Crews Boyd, 77, of New York, formerly of Halifax County, died December 30, 2005.
Mrs. Boyd was born in Halifax County on January 29, 1928, the daughter of the late John Crews and Odell Crews. She was first married to the late John Boyd Sr. and later married the late William Patterson.
Survivors include three daughters, Constella Woody of Nathalie, Barbara B. Robinson and Jacqueline B. Kelly, both of New York; two sons, John Boyd Jr. of New York and Michael Boyd of Va.; 24 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; two sisters, Ellen Crews Easley and Ada Crews Jackson, both of Va.; three brothers, Joe Louis Crews of New York, James Crews of Va. and Nathaniel Crews of N.C. She was also preceded in death by three children, Charles Boyd, Linda Boyd and JoAnn Boyd Pearson.
Funeral services for Mrs. Boyd will be held tomorrow, January 7, at 2 p.m. at Crawford House Chapel in Halifax with the Rev. Louis Leigh officiating. Cremation will follow the service.
The family is receiving friends at the home of Constella Woody, 1076 Henry’s Trail, Nathalie, and tomorrow at Crawford House Chapel.

James Edward Howerton
James Edward Howerton ‘Chicken,’ 70, of 2071 Lewis Ferrell Road, South Boston died January 3, 2006, in Halifax Regional Hospital.
Born January 22, 1935, in Pittsylvania County, he was the son of the late James M. Howerton and the late Bertha Jones Howerton, and was married to the late Shirley Mayo Howerton.
Mr. Howerton was of the Baptist faith, and was retired from Pepsi Cola Bottling Company.
Survivors include five sons, Gary and wife, Peggy, of Fayetteville, N.C., James L. and wife, Dorothy, of Capital Heights, Md., Ricky and wife, Deborah, of Far Rockaway, N.J., James U. and wife, Geneva, of Atlantic City, N.J., and David of South Boston; one daughter, Bertha, of South Boston; 12 grandchildren; three brothers, Willie Howerton and wife, Gloria, Garland Howerton and wife, Mary, all of Halifax, and Harry Howerton and wife, Francis, of Laurel, Md.; one sister, Ola Howerton Daniel of Arlington; a sister-in-law, grace Howerton of Washington, D.C.; a devoted caregiver, Priscilla Bulerin; and a devoted friend, Sarah Kirby. One brother, Roy T. Howerton, preceded him in death.
Funeral services for Mr. Howerton will be held tomorrow, January 7, at 1 p.m. at Mountain Grove Baptist Church with the Rev. Arthur E. Crews officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Viewing will be tomorrow from noon until the time of the service at the church. The family is receiving friends at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Willie Howerton, 1206 Union Church Road, Halifax.