High Winds Cause Power Outages

More Than 1,400 Customers Were Affected In The County

Sustained high winds coupled with rainfall Wednesday left 1,400 customers of Dominion Virginia Power without power throughout the day, according to a spokesman for the power company.
David Botkins, Dominion Virginia Power spokesman, said that 1,445 customers in South Boston and Halifax County were affected.
“Winds as high as 40-50 miles per hour blew all over Virginia and affected the entire state,” he said.
In Halifax County, outages started being reported overnight Tuesday, and continued into the late afternoon Wednesday.
“All of the power has been restored as of last night,” Botkins said yesterday. “The winds were the problem, but no one was out for an extended period of time and everyone is back on now,” he said.
Trees were reportedly felled near the Alton and Nathalie areas, cutting power to several homes.
According to Anita Silverman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, Halifax County reported sustained winds of 36 miles per hour and gusts over 40 miles per hour.
“With winds at that speed, most of the time it’s not strong enough to produce damage, but the ground was soft enough because of the rainfall that a few trees came down,” she said.
Botkins said that in the event of future outages, customers should always report them immediately to 1-888-667-3000.
“Don’t rely on your neighbors to report them for you because they may be on a different circuit,” he said. “Call them in yourself.”

 

IDA To Rent GP Building

Lease Will Net Board $10,000 Monthly

The Halifax County Industrial Development Authority authorized a short-term lease of the former Georgia Pacific facility during its meeting yesterday.
Executive Director Mike Eades said the IDA Board had been approached by an unnamed general contractor about using the building on a temporary basis.
“The terms of the lease call for $10,000 a month plus expenses and the IDA will have zero liability,” he said.
The IDA Board is currently investigating demolition of the building, but Eades said the short-term lease will provide the Board with additional income in the interim.
“At this point, we don’t have the funds to start demolition and it (the GP building) is just setting there empty,” he said.
The IDA Board closed on the property on January 12. “We are seeking tobacco commission funds as well as money from state and federal sources to demolish and dispose of the building,” Eades said.
According to Eades, the estimate to demolish and dispose of the building is around $800,000.
In other business, Board member John Bosiger made a motion to conduct an environmental study on 42 acres the IDA holds an option on at the former Motorplex Park on U.S. 58.
With a second by Board member Carlyle Ramsey, the Board unanimously authorized staff to begin expenditures for an environmental, geotechnical and wetlands study.
The property is located between Bojangles and the Coke plant.
In other business, the Board unanimously voted to advertise for a salvage company to demolish an abandoned home owned by the IDA on Sandy Beach Road.
Board members also unanimously voted to issue a request for proposals for a master plan and related services at Riverstone Technology Park.
Eades told the Board that the plan will incorporate technical information into a presentation package that can be used to market the facility to prospective businesses.
“This is a marketing tool, there’s no doubt about it,” Board Chairman Larry McPeters said.
Eades said he will advertise the proposal for around three weeks and hopes to have the final plan in hand by the end of the fiscal year.
Board members also agreed to issue a request for proposals to clear a 14-acre tract at the Sinai Industrial Park. The request will include sediment and erosion control.
Eades told the Board that a suit has been filed against Flamecrusher, USA and owner Grant Ellwood.
The two suits were filed Tuesday.

 

Drug Cases At Forefront Of Circuit Court Docket

Drug trials were at the forefront of cases heard Thursday in Halifax County Circuit Court, with three defendants convicted of the possession of a Schedule I/II controlled substance and another convicted of marijuana possession.
• Donna Mullins Wright, 37, of South Boston pleaded guilty Thursday to cocaine possession after reaching a plea agreement with the Commonwealth.
Judge William L. Wellons ordered Wright released on bond to await sentencing in the March court term.
• Elijah Jarrod Porter, 33, of South Boston, pleaded guilty Thursday to cocaine possession after reaching a plea agreement with the Commonwealth.
The court ordered Porter released on bond to await sentencing in the March court term.
• Jeremy Deon Medley, 22, of South Boston, pleaded guilty to an amended charge of possession of a Schedule I/II substance, the result of a plea agreement with the Commonwealth.
Medley is free on bond until a sentencing hearing set for the March court term.
• Frederick Price Jr., 24, of South Boston, was convicted Thursday of possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute.
Judge Wellons ordered Price released on bond to await sentencing in the March court term.
Other Court Cases
• Robert Eugene Ferrell, 36, of South Boston, pleaded no contest Thursday to marijuana possession.
Judge Wellons found evidence sufficient to convict Ferrell, but withheld his finding of guilt, granting Ferrell first offender status and continuing the case for one year, ordering Ferrell to be of good behavior during that time.
The court ordered Ferrell to undergo one year of drug and substance abuse counseling through Halifax-Pittsylvania Court Services, and perform 100 hours of community service.
The court additionally suspended Ferrell’s operator’s license for six months, restricting it for travel to and from work, counseling sessions and the probation department.
• Alexander Harris, 31, of Nelson, was convicted Thursday of driving after being declared a habitual offender.
The court remanded Harris to custody to await sentencing in the March court term.
• Jesse James West, 24, of Lynchburg, was convicted Thursday of a probation violation.
The court revoked West’s previously suspended prison sentence, but resuspended any new jail time, ordering West to be placed on probation for two years upon his release.
The court ordered West to serve the two-year probationary period concurrently with that received in Lunenburg County.
• Steven Jermale Brown, 18, of Nathalie, had an indictment charging him with possession of marijuana nol prossed Thursday by the Commonwealth in Halifax County Circuit Court.

 

Comets Boys, Girls Face Key District Games

Patrick Henry Match-Ups Tonight Key To Post-Season Possibilities For HCHS

The Halifax County High School varsity girls and varsity boys basketball teams face key games tonight against Western Valley District opponent Patrick Henry of Roanoke.
For the Comets boys, who will face the Patriots here tonight at 7:30 p.m., this is a big game because a win will give them their second district win of the season and keep them in contention for the regular-season title and making the field for the postseason district tournament.
Tonight’s girls game, which will be played at 7:30 p.m. in Roanoke, is a key game because both teams are winless in district play with the winner gaining a leg up in terms of its ability to make it into the postseason district tournament.
Ray Reaves, the head coach of the Comets varsity girls team and Ron Parson, the head coach of the Varsity boys team know tonight’s game is a key one for their respective teams.
Both know their teams must turn the tables and play much better basketball than they did in their respective losses to Carlisle School Tuesday night if they expect to have a chance at a win tonight.
“If we come out Friday and play like this, we’re going to get the same thing,” Parson said Tuesday night following his team’s disappointing 64-55 loss to the Chiefs.
“ You can’t expect to just show up and win because the other team wants to win too.”
Parson said his team (4-10 overall, 1-1 district) has the ability to make things happen and turn the season into a good one.
“We’re going to have to up our game if we’re going to get into the tournament,” the Comets coach pointed out.
“ The thing is that we can. We can play so well and then we can play so bad. We just haven’t found the button to push to make them come out and play every night.
“If you accept anything less than your best, you’re going to get beat,” added the Comets coach.
“ We will play accepting anything but our best. We do that. I don’t know why.”
The Comets girls team, (2-10 overall, 0-2 district) will face two challenges in tonight’s road game in Roanoke.
Tonight’s game has been made a little tougher by the fact that Patrick Henry, which had been winless through its first 12 games, picked up its first win of the season Wednesday night with a victory over Patrick County.
Not only will the Comets girls be working to turn around their performance from Tuesday night, they will face a Lady Patriots team that now has some positive momentum behind it.
“It is an important game because it is a district game and we know the situation that both teams are going into,” Reaves said.
“We need a win. We can’t start out 0-3 in the district, especially when we have a decent chance to finish at least third. We know Franklin County and GW are going to be tough but E.C. Glass, PH and us are about tit-for-tat. It’s going to be a battle every night. I hope we can go and perform better.”
Reaves said his team will have to play four quarters of good basketball if it hopes to beat Patrick Henry.
“We can’t pick and choose which quarters we play,” said Reaves.
“ We can’t just choose to play in the second half. We have to come out intense and play with that same amount of intensity throughout the game. If we don’t, it will be more of what happened Tuesday.”
Reaves said he feels his team can get the job done tonight.
“We want to win,” said the Comets coach.
“We feel like we can get one. The girls work hard in practice and give me a whole lot. I wish they could get a win because I feel they’re working hard enough to earn it. Their record doesn’t show how hard they work for me.”
Reaves said the girls have earned the respect of the coaching staff but that they must earn the respect of others on the playing floor.
“They’ve earned a lot of respect from the coaching staff, but, in order to earn respect from the fans, the parents, the school and themselves, they’ve got to go out and win,” Reaves noted.
“ They can only earn that respect on the floor.”

 

Mistakes Doom Comets Against Carlisle

A Mistake-Riddled HCHS Varsity Boys Basketball Team Fell To Carlisle School 64-55 Tuesday Night In Martinsville

Halifax County High School varsity boys basketball coach Ron Parson emerged from the dressing room searching for answers.
His team had just completed a lackluster mistake-riddled game against Carlisle School, a game which, for the most part, was not as close as the 64-55 score might would indicate.
It was a performance in which his team appeared to have regressed – a performance that in no way resembled the solid game the Comets had played against a bigger, more talented New Horizon Christian School team last Thursday night.
“We did look like we regressed,” Parson admitted after the loss that dropped his team to 4-10 overall for the season.
“I thought we would come out and play better than what we did. But, sometimes you don’t know what’s going on in kids’ minds, especially coming off a weekend.”
Parson said he doesn’t know what the answer is.
“I do not know the answers,” noted the Comets coach.
“ The only thing I can do is get them in there (in the gym) tomorrow and Thursday and work at it. The only thing I know to do is what has worked for me. We’ll keep doing it and, hopefully, it will click.”
Derek Brooks led the Comets with 21 points and Jeremy Jeffress chipped in 17 points. Patrick Terry added nine points, Blaine Key scored four points and Morgan Brown and Mark Ferrell each scored two points.
The Chiefs (10-0, 5-0 conference) were led by Joe Manns who scored a game-high 33 points and speared the Comets with six three-point baskets.
Manns opened the game with a three-pointer to put the Chiefs up 3-0 and the Comets never led. Key hit the first two baskets for the Comets in the opening period keeping the Comets within hailing distance at 5-4 with 3:33 left in the first quarter.
Halifax trailed by a point after a basket from Brooks at the 1:50 mark but a 6-0 run by the Chiefs to close out the period left the Comets trailing 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
A three-pointer by Manns to start the second quarter put the Chiefs up 17-7 Jeffress answered with a trey to make the score 17-9 with 6:39 left in the half. Three straight treys by Mann, a string interrupted only by one three-pointer from Terry, left the Comets trailing 26-12 at the halfway mark of the second quarter.
Carlisle School led 32-17 before the Comets scored the final five points of the half, three coming on a three-pointer at the buzzer, and made it an 11-point 32-21 Carlisle lead at halftime.
With two unanswered baskets to open the second half, the Chiefs pulled away to a 36-21 lead. Back-to-back layups from Brooks and Jeffress brought Halifax County to within 11 points again at 36-25 with just under six minutes left in the quarter.
As had been the case earlier, the Chiefs pulled out to another big lead, this one at 41-25, only to have the Comets chop the deficit to 11 points with two free throws from Brooks with 2:18 left.
Carlisle inched away to a 13-point 45-32 lead at the end of the third quarter and made a 6-0 run to start the fourth quarter to put the Comets behind 51-32 with just under seven minutes left in the game.
The Comets battled back against the Chiefs’ reserves and got a basket from Brooks with 2:02 to play to bring the Comets back to within 12 points at 56-44.
Halifax, in the position of having to foul at the end in order to stop the clock, rallied at the end. The Comets cut the Chiefs’ lead to 10 points when Brown hit two free throws with 33 seconds left.
Jeffress hit a pair of three-point baskets in the final 24 seconds of the game, the second of which cut the Comets’ deficit to six points at 61-55. However, the Chiefs hit four of six tries from the charity stripe in the final 19 seconds of the game to seal the win.

HALIFAX COUNTY
NAME FG FT F TP
Terry 3 0-0 2 9
Burrell 0 0-0 0 0
Leigh 0 0-0 2 0
Jeffress 6 1-2 1 17
Brown 0 2-2 3 2
Key 3 0-0 2 6
Brooks 8 2-2 5 21
Edmonds 0 0-2 0 0

NAME FG FT F TP
Pippen 0 0-0 0 0
Sibley 0 0-0 0 0
Ferrell 1 0-0 5 2
Totals 21 5-8 20 55
CARLISLE SCHOOL
NAME FG FT F TP
Manns 12 3-6 3 33
Trent 2 0-0 2 4
Franklin 1 0-1 2 2
Reese 0 1-2 0 1
Hunt 0 0-0 0 0
Burnett 5 3-3 2 13
Goggins 1 1-2 0 3
Robertson 2 0-0 2 4
Hamlet 0 1-2 1 1
Adkins 0 3-4 0 3
James 0 0-0 0 0
Totals 23 12-20 12 64
Three Point Field Goals: Jeffress (HC) 4, Brooks (HC) 3, Terry (HC) 3, Manns (CS) 6

Halifax County 7 14 11 25-55
New Horizon 14 18 13 14-64

 

Lady Chiefs, Miscues Bury Comets Girls Cagers

Carlisle School Picked Apart The HCHS Varsity Girls Basketball Team In An Easy 55-30 Win

What do 48 turnovers and 17 missed free throws produce for a basketball team?
The answer is simple – a disaster.
Forty-eight turnovers and 17 missed free throws are what the Halifax County High School varsity girls basketball team weathered Tuesday night in a 55-30 loss to the Carlisle Lady Chiefs.
“This letdown takes us two or three steps backward, and we don’t need that,” said Comets coach Ray Reaves.
“You can’t win a ballgame having 48 turnovers.”
The disappointing performance on the part of the Comets followed a promising outing last Friday against E.C. Glass, a game in which the Comets led much of the way only to lose in the waning seconds as a result of a couple of miscues.
Last week’s game against E.C. Glass was one of the better games of the season for the Comets, a game that showed that they could possibly make some good headway in the Western Valley District wars.
However, in Tuesday night’s game against Carlisle School, the Comets lacked energy and enthusiasm and could do little right.
“We didn’t play as well as we could have,” said Reaves.
“We had no intensity, no enthusiasm. We came out in the first half sluggish, didn’t take care of the basketball and couldn’t get back on defense. They (Carlisle) were much more aggressive on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. We couldn’t handle their pressure. We got rattled, got our heads down and couldn’t get them back up.”
Reaves gave credit to the Lady Chiefs (9-3 overall, 3-0 conference) for their effort.
“They just got after us,” he pointed out.
“They played very good defense, especially in the half-court set. They took away the passing lanes and put pressure on the basketball. We had very few options and just couldn’t score.”
The Comets’ scoring was meager with Lashunda Davis leading the way with nine points and Dachrista Teeters, Talesha Medley and Keyara Ferrell each chipping in four points.
Markeshia Coleman and Brittany Gayles each scored three points, Kemper Russell scored two points and Ashley Coleman scored one point.
Carlisle School jumped out to a 14-0 lead on the Comets and was never tested. The Lady Chiefs led 16-2 at the end of the first quarter with the only Comets basket coming from Davis and expanded their lead to 27-7 at halftime.
In the second quarter, the Comets got a three-point basket from Coleman with six minutes left in the half that made it a 20-5 score and two free throws from Ferrell with 1:18 left in the first half. Those five points were the only points the Comets scored in the second quarter.
The Comets fared a little better in the second half but the slight improvement was somewhat overshadowed by the many mistakes and turnovers that produced points for the Lady Chiefs.
Davis opened the third quarter with a basket for the Comets to make the score 27-9. The Lady Chiefs extended their lead to 34-9 before the Comets cored again with a pair of free throws from Medley with 4:42 left in the third quarter.
Halifax trailed by 23 points midway through the third quarter and had opportunities to cut into the deficit after that. But a 1-8 effort from the charity stripe and other miscues in the final 2:19 of the quarter left the Comets trailing 40-18 entering the fourth quarter.
Carlisle made a 10-0 run in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter to take a 50-18 lead.
The Comets played their best basketball after that run, scoring 12 points in the final 4:38 of the game. One of Halifax County’s best spurts was a 5-0 run that included a free throw from Coleman, two free throws from Teeters and a basket from Davis on a lay-up after a steal.
Halifax County’s best flurry of the game came in the final 1:45 of the game when the Comets got a basket from Davis, a free throw from Gayles, a lay-up from Russell and a basket from Gayles off of an offensive rebound to make it a 52-30 score.
Carlisle ended the game by hitting a long three-pointer at the final buzzer to make the final 55-30 score.
“We played a little better in the second half,” Reaves said.
“We played more aggressive and with more intensity and did a few more things on the offensive end of the floor to give ourselves more opportunities. We did a lot better in the second half, we just got into such a big deficit in the first half that we couldn’t get out.”

 

Obituaries

Nathaniel Gillespie Sr.
Nathaniel Gillespie Sr., 73, of Nathalie, died January 16, 2006, at the Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Gillespie was born September 4, 1932, in New York and was the son of the late Rev. William Gillespie and Mary Allen Gillespie and was married to Edith Gillespie. He was a member of the Ellis Creek Baptist Church.
Mr. Gillespie is survived by his wife of the home; two sons, Nathaniel Gillespie Jr. and Antonio Gillespie, both of New York; one brother, Jimmy Gillespie of Halifax; and one sister, Genevieve Gillespie of Nathalie.
Funeral services will be held tomorrow, January 21, at 2 p.m. at Ellis Creek Baptist Church in Nathalie with the Rev. Rodney Forrest officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Condolences may be emailed to Jcffressfh@aol.com. Adell Herndon
Adell Herndon of Nathalie died January 14, 2006, in South Boston. She was the daughter of the late Ms. Odell Herndon.
Survivors include one son, Clarence Herndon and wife, Gladys, of Nathalie; three granddaughters, Ann Herndon and Joanne and husband, Mike Waller, all of Nathalie, and Kisey Herndon of Brookneal; one grandson, Darrius Waller of Bland; three brothers, Frank Herndon of Nathalie, Sherman Herndon of Brookneal, and Albert Herndon of Chatham; and six great-grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mrs. Herndon were held January 19, at 2:00 p.m. at the chapel of Jeffress Funeral Home And Cremation Service in Brookneal with interment in the Old Second Buffalo Baptist Church Cemetery in Nathalie. Condolences may be emailed to Jeffressfh@aol.com.

Dorothy Chapin Shultz
Dorothy Chapin Shultz, 81, of South Boston died January 17, 2006, at The Woodview.
Mrs. Shultz was born September 27, 1924, in Richmond the daughter of the late Cornelius C. Chapin Jr. and Dorothy B. Chapin. She was a retired administrative assistant.
Graveside services will be held today, January 20, at 11:30 a.m. at Riverview Cemetery in Richmond.
Survivors of Mrs. Shultz include one son, James C. Sheppard of South Boston; one daughter, Sallie B. Brown of Twain Harte, Calif; one brother Cornelius C. Chapin III of Richmond; and two grandchildren, Jennifer K. Brown and Sara C. Brown. She was also preceded in death by a sister, Virginia C. Finlayson.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Union United Methodist Church Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 484, Halifax, 24558, or a charity of choice.

Sharon Calista Ward Thomas
Sharon Calista Ward Thomas, 56, of Spartanburg, S.C. died January 16, 2006, at her home. She was born in Auburn, Ala. February 11, 1949, the daughter of Henry Ward and Margaret Ward and was married to William James ‘Billy’ Thomas Jr. She was a member of McCanless Memorial United Methodist Church in South Boston.
Survivors include her husband; two sons, Greg Melvin of San Francisco, Calif. and Jason Melvin of Pittsburg, Pa.; two stepsons, William Keith Thomas and James Russell Thomas, both of South Boston; one sister, Lyn Cain and husband, John, of Palm Bay, Fla.; and one brother, Silas Ward and wife, Suzanne, of Dalton, Ga.
Funeral services for Mrs. Thomas will be held today, January 20, at 1 p.m. at McCanless Memorial United Methodist Church with the Rev. Phil Showers officiating. Burial will follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider McCanless Memorial United Methodist Church, 300 Edmonds Street, South Boston, 24592.

Jackie Saunders Richardson
Jackie Saunders Richardson, 53, of 2027 Winns Creek Road, Halifax, died January 17 at Halifax Regional Hospital
Ms. Richardson was born in Halifax County on May 7, 1952, the daughter of the late Lacy Johnson Saunders and Mary Strickland Saunders, who survives. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Millstone.
Survivors include her m other; one son, Ralph Daryl Montgomery and wife, Lynn, of Alton; two grandchildren; one step-grandchild; three sisters, Frances Flourney and husband, Phil, of Raleigh, N.C., Doris Annibale of New York, N.Y., and Jeanette Chaney and husband, Bill, of Halifax.
Ms. Richardson was also preceded in death by one brother, Cecil T. Saunders.
Funeral services will be held tomorrow, January 21, at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Millstone with the Rev. Bob Watts officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends this evening, January 20, from 6:30 until 8:00, at Powell Funeral Home and other times at the home of her mother, 1052 Dixon Lane, Halifax.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Halifax Regional Hospice, 2204 Wilborn Avenue, South Boston, 24592.