ED-1 Supervisor To Be Appointed August 11

Deadline To Apply August 7

About a half dozen candidates have expressed interest in applying for the ED-1 supervisor seat left vacant by the July 14 death of Richard E. “Dickie” Abbott, county officials said earlier this week.
Supervisors discussed and established an appointment process to fill the vacancy Monday night following their joint meeting with Halifax and South Boston Town Councils.
“Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the Abbott family,” said Board Chairman William Fitzgerald. “Dickie’s commitment to this county was remarkable, and he will be missed.”
Persons interested in being appointed to this seat on the board of supervisors must be a qualified voter residing in ED-1.
In order to be considered, applicants must submit a completed interest form to the county administrator’s office no later than 2 p.m. on Thursday, August 7.
Interest forms may be obtained at the County Administration Building located at 134 South Main Street in Halifax or by calling the office at 434-476-3300.
The board of supervisors has scheduled a special meeting on Monday, August 11 beginning at 4 p.m. to interview prospective candidates.
After interviewing candidates individually in closed session, board members are expected to return to open session and make an appointment at the conclusion of the meeting, County Administrator Bryan Foster said Monday night.
State law requires the board of supervisors to make an interim appointment within 45 days.
The person appointed will serve until a special election is held in November 2009.
The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of Abbott’s term that expires December 31, 2011, according to Foster.
Should the person appointed by the board wish to run in the special election, Foster said, he or she must qualify for the ballot using the normal petition and signature process.

Plan Progressing To Eliminate Decals

County To Hold Public Hearing August 4

Elimination of county decals is proceeding with a public hearing on the issue set for Monday, August 4 when the board of supervisors holds its regular monthly meeting.
Supervisors discussed the issue with members of Halifax and South Boston Town Councils Monday night during their quarterly joint meeting to insure all localities are ready to eliminate the use of windshield decals at the same time.
A joint committee composed of members from the county and towns of South Boston, Halifax County, Virgilina and Scottsburg met in early June and agreed to move forward with elimination of decals.
“Not the fee,” County Administrator Bryan Foster said, pointing out the fee will still be charged and included on the personal property tax bill mailed in the fall.
Foster said the county has much of its decal information codified on the county ordinance with a public hearing set for August 4.
“I would expect our board to adopt the ordinance change so we would be putting the fee on the personal property tax bills in the fall,” Foster said.
One of the issues discussed by the committee, according to Foster, involved how to compensate the fire department volunteers and rescue squad members who previously received free decals.
The county plans to give the individual emergency medical service departments the dollar equivalent in a lump sum to be distributed to their members.
“We are not going to try and delete it off the tax bills. It will still be the same benefit,” Foster added.
The county also plans to tie its fee structure to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), according to the county administrator.
“The state code says you can’t charge more than one DMV fee, so we need a separate fee structure that we amend from time to time. While we’re in the process of amending our ordinance, we’re just going to automatically tie it to DMV so that whenever DMV happens to change its fee, the county’s will be changed accordingly,” he said.
Foster said the individual towns also are taking the steps they need to in order to eliminate decals so there will be no decals in the coming year.
Halifax Vice Mayor Dick Moore voiced his concern over an issue that arose this year when a number of town decals were posted through the county.
One firm in the town of Halifax had 14 vehicles that purchased decals through the county because they got bills in the mail from the county, he added.
“I was told this happened in the town of South Boston too, but I really don’t know,” Moore said.
With the elimination of the decal purchases, the Halifax town councilman urged county officials to make sure the towns of Halifax and South Boston get their proper amount of money.
Treasurer Linda Foster, who attended the Monday night joint meeting, addressed Moore’s concerns.
“We’ve had problem with that for years,” she said. “It’s not a new thing.”
The treasurer said the problem occurs when some town residents use a post office box for their address.
“Unless you know the person, you’re not going to know where they live,” she added.
She said in the coming year, it will be up to the commissioner of revenue’s office to classify what is in the town and not in the town limits.
Once the town eliminates decals, she said if a person is listed as living in the town limits, then it should only be printed on the town bill and not the county personal property tax bill.
County Administrator Foster said the county gets its information on where a vehicle is garaged from the DMV.
Moore pointed out the incident he was referring to listed the vehicle as being garaged in the town of Halifax.
The treasurer said she could not explain why that had happened blaming some unexplained glitches on the software program used.
County Administrator Foster said that by tying the fee to the tax bill, the county should be able to “catch them all and not have that problem.”
South Boston Town Manager Ted Daniel said council plans to address the elimination of town decals at its next work session.
“We see no problems with addressing it this year,” Daniel said.
Also during Monday night’s joint meeting, the county administrator updated the three localities on ongoing construction work at the county’s transfer station located off Plywood Trail.
“It is scheduled for completion on August 15,” he said. “We’re looking forward to beginning operations just as soon as we can. If we can open earlier, we will.”
Scales remain to be put in, and paving is under way.
“As soon as we’re able to open we will be accepting trash from the three jurisdictions,” Foster added.
He said the project was over-budget when the bids came in exceeding the original estimate by “a few hundred thousand dollars.”
A total of $1.5 million had been budgeted for the transfer station project, and the accepted bid was $1.8 million.

Composting Facility Touted For Green Waste Disposal

Green waste should be recycled by means of a composting facility, South Boston Town Manager Ted Daniel told receptive county supervisors and members of the Halifax and South Boston Town Councils during their joint meeting Monday night.
“Green waste is a big issue to us,” Daniel said, noting the issue got the town’s attention during the last six months South Boston operated the landfill on Hamilton Boulevard.
The town manager said in July and August the landfill began running out of air space and had no room for green waste, so workers stockpiled the accumulation until late November and December.
At that time, a grinder was brought in to grind up the green waste yielding 1,500 tons, 500 tons that came from the airport.
“That gave us a six-month look at the green way stream coming into the landfill that averaged approximately 1,000 tons for the six-month period and 2,000 tons in a year,” he said.
Since the landfill in South Boston closed, Daniel said the town has been grinding one day a week since January, and he described it as “a healthy grinding” that fills up a 30 cubic yard dumpster hauled off to the regional landfill in Mecklenburg County.
“That’s a far cry from the 2,000 tons, and that means somewhere green waste is being bottled up, and it’s not coming into the system.
Last week, Daniel along with Halifax Town Manager Carl Espy, County Administrator Bryan Foster and Halifax County Service Authority (HCSA) Executive Director Willie Jones met to further discuss the green waste issue.
Daniel presented an update on the group’s study efforts Monday night concluding the green waste recycling effort should remain county-wide and be accomplished by means of a composting facility, similar to one located in Bedford, that could be centrally located in the county’s urban planning area.
Following the experience of other localities in the state involved in composting green waste, he said participants (including the county, both towns and the HCSA) would each be responsible for participating financially on a percentage basis to be determined.
“We can work out an equitable funding system,” he said, with the ultimate goal being to cover all expenses and in the future to even recoup some revenue from the composting solution.
Disposal of the wastewater sludge also “would play into this,” Daniel said, noting the wastewater sludge can be viewed as an asset or a liability.
“As a liability, you’re going to pay to transport and bury it, and it’s not going to be recycled,” Daniel said. “If you look at it as an asset, you can recycle it, and you might even be able to get some revenue out of it.”
A composting solution to the green waste and wastewater sludge waste streams will be more economical and environmentally responsible than landfill disposal or open air burning.
According to Daniel, the composting alternative would meet the requirements of the Southside Regional Authority solid waste management plan recycling system goal to implement a brush handling program (other than burning) to allow brush handling to count towards recycling goals.
Daniel summarized the benefits of the county implementing a composting solution citing the following:
• Meeting the adopted Solid Waste Management Plan goal;
• Providing a convenient and cost effective means of disposing of green waste by local governments, citizens and contractors;
• Providing a more cost-effective means of disposing of waste water sludge; and
• Potentially generating a revenue stream that may cover some or all of the program expenses through the sale of a marketable, low-cost soil amendment with residential and agricultural applications.
“I do not think we can not address the green waste solution. The need is there and the demand is there,” Daniel said urging the four entities to tackle the green waste issue together. “Piece-mealing it doesn’t make sense.”
Daniel said in his opinion, Halifax County should serve as “the leader and the single points person” in managing the green waste program.
The four managers agreed that as environmental laws are tightened the day would come when burning will not be permitted.
“If we come up with a system now, we can take that carbon stream and put it back into the earth,” he added.
The managers said they have not looked into the estimated costs of building a compost facility that would consist of a covered site with a roof over it on a concrete slab to be located at a site in the urban planning area, according to Daniel.
After much discussion Monday evening, supervisors and council members gave the green light for the four managers to proceed with finding a green waste solution for the county.
In other action Monday night, supervisors adopted a resolution supporting a regional Homeland Security Public Safety Interoperable Communications Grant totaling $1,950,000 that would provide for a regional communications system allowing Halifax, Charlotte, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg and Prince Edward counties to communicate regionally during times of catastrophic events and other life-threatening emergencies without interruption of service.

Obituaries

Odell Tuck Straehl
Odell Tuck Straehl, 92, of 405 Oak Lane, South Boston died Tuesday, July 22, 2008, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mrs. Straehl was born January 15, 1916, in Person County, N.C. the daughter of Balaam Tuck and Lena Ray Tuck, and she was married to the late John G. Straehl. She was a member of McCanless Memorial United Methodist Church and was a retired nurse’s aide with Boston Commons.
Survivors include two nephews, James E. Tuck Jr. and wife Suzanne of South Boston and Leroy Yancey and wife Rebecca of Amherst; two nieces, Emily T. Talbott and husband Luther of South Boston and Kathy Woodson and husband Ronnie of North Garden, Va.
Mrs. Straehl was also preceded in death by two brothers, Riley Ray Tuck Sr. and James Elvin Tuck Sr.; one sister, Lottie Tuck Powell; and one nephew, Riley Ray Tuck Jr.
Graveside services will be held Thursday, July 24, at 2 p.m. at Glenwood United Methodist Church Cemetery with the Rev. Ann Norton and the Rev. Phil Showers officiating.
The family will receive friends at Brooks Funeral Home Wednesday, July 23, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider McCanless Memorial UMC, P.O. Box 876, South Boston, Va. 24592, or to your favorite charity.
Online condolences may be sent to HYPERLINK "mailto:brooksfh@embarqmail.com" brooksfh@embarqmail.com
Arrangements are by Brooks Funeral Home, Inc., 115 Main Street, South Boston, Va.
Mrs. Nita Saunders Throckmorton
Mrs. Nita Saunders Throckmorton of 76 Maple Avenue, Halifax, Virginia died Saturday, July 19, 2008, at Virginia Baptist Hospital, Lynchburg, Virginia. She was born in Halifax County, Virginia July 30, 1934, and was 73 years of age. She was the daughter of the late Richard Lee Saunders Sr. and Irene Stevens Saunders and was married to the late Noel Lindy Throckmorton.
Mrs. Throckmorton was a member of Clover Baptist Church, charter member of the Tri River ABWA and was with the ASCS office for 42 years.
Survivors of Mrs. Throckmorton include one son, David N. Throckmorton of Halifax, Va.; two daughters, Kathryn J. Shiflett and husband Charles of Lynchburg, Va. and Jennifer T. Bomar and husband Tony of South Boston, Va.; two granddaughters, Kaitlin Shiflett of Lynchburg and Hailey Bomar of South Boston; one sister, Frances S. Spruill of Springfield, Va. She was preceded in death by two brothers, Richard Lee Saunders Jr. and James Linwood Saunders.
Funeral services for Mrs. Throckmorton will be held Wednesday, July 23, 2008, at 11 a.m. at Clover Baptist Church with the Rev. Lloyd Moore officiating. Burial will follow in the Clover Cemetery.
The family received friends Tuesday from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Powell Funeral Home and other times at her home, 76 Maple Avenue, Halifax.
For memorials, please consider the American Heart Association, 4217 Park Place Court, Glen Allen, Va. 23060.
Online condolences may be directed to HYPERLINK "mailto:powell@gcronline.com" powell@gcronline.com
Arrangements are by Powell Funeral Home, 1603 Wilborn Avenue, South Boston, Va.

Mary Frances Ladd Wills
Mary Frances Ladd Wills, 75, died suddenly, on the morning of Sunday, July 20, 2008 at John Randolph Hospital. Born on May 20, 1933 in Halifax County, Virginia, she was the daughter of the late Lonnie Carl Ladd and Janie Fletcher Ladd, formerly of Hopewell and Virgilina.
Mrs. Wills was the owner of Jane’s Beauty Shop in Hopewell, Virginia since 1962.
In addition to her parents, she was predeceased in death by a sister, Edna Arneida Elliott of Virgilina, Virginia.
To mourn her loss is her husband, John E. Wills, sons, Lewis F. Bowen, Jr. (Faidra) of Disputanta, Lonnie A. Bowen of Chester, daughters, Janie Bowen Jones, (Wayne Markland) of Richmond/Hopewell, Frances Anne Bowen Higgins (Bill) of Catawba, S.C. seven grandchildren, Angela Gilchrist Edwards (Elvis), Jeremy Jones (Tiffanie), Jennifer Bowen Langevin (Eric), Lewis F. Bowen, III, William Higgins III, Danielle Bowen (Matt Farley) and Matthew Higgins, five great-grandchildren, Christian McLaughlin, Korey Jones, Evan Jones, Samantha Edwards and Talan Farley. Also surviving are two brothers, Floyd Ladd (Nancy) of Richmond and Lynwood Ladd (Helen) of South Boston, Virginia, a host of nieces and nephews, and a host of friends.
A funeral service will be held Wednesday, July 23, in the Hopewell chapel of J. T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home at 2:00 p.m. followed by interment in Appomattox Cemetery, Hopewell. Condolences may be registered with www.jtmorriss.com

Dixie Boys Stay Unbeaten In State Tournament
By Doug Ford
Joe Martin slugged a two-run homer in a three-run second inning, and the Halifax County Dixie Boys baseball all-stars broke a tie with three runs in the fourth for a 6-3 win over Timberlake Monday night in the State Dixie Boys Tournament.
Halifax County played Bedford Central last night, with a win giving them a berth in the state championship game.
Tyler Long (triple, double), Ryan Puryear and Dustin Davis (double) each had two hits for Halifax County against Timberlake, while Dylan Sons (double), Ford Bradshaw and Will Nichols added a hit apiece to back the five-hit pitching of Long and Sons.
Long was stranded after a first-inning double, but Halifax County scored three times in the second inning.
Puryear reached base on an error to start the rally, and Martin slugged a two-run homer. Davis doubled and scored on a Sons RBI double for a 3-0 lead.
Timberlake, after stranding two base runners in each of the first three innings, scored three runs in the fourth on a base hit, two Halifax errors and a two-out triple to tie the game at 3-3, but Halifax responded in its next at-bat.
Singles by Davis and Nichols and a triple by Long made it 6-3, and Halifax County held on for the win, with one Timberlake player thrown out at home in the fifth inning to keep the margin at three runs.
Long pitched the first four innings for Halifax, giving up four hits while striking out six batters.
Sons relieved Long for the final three innings and allowed one hit while fanning seven of the 10 batters he faced.
Halifax County 29
Christiansburg 2 (Sunday)
The bats stayed hot for the Halifax County Dixie Boys all-stars at the state tournament Sunday with a 29-2 rout of host Christiansburg.
Halifax County banged out 25 hits for the game, 11 for extra bases, including home runs by Joe Martin and Dustin Davis.
Martin added a double and single, and Davis a triple and double, while Ford Bradshaw finished with five hits for the game, including a triple, two doubles and two base hits.
L.J. Barnett finished with a triple and three base hits, Tyler Long a double and two singles, Ryan Puryear and Cody Palmer with a double and single apiece, Dylan Sons with a triple and William Worley, Mike Farson and Derek Conner each with a base hit.
Halifax County took a 3-0 lead after one inning and added nine runs in the second for a 12-0 advantage.
Christiansburg scored twice in the third inning, but Halifax County countered with 10 runs to make it 22-2, before a seven-run fifth inning ended the scoring.
Puryear started the game on the mound for Halifax County and hurled two innings, before Patrick Barton came on to pitch the third and fourth innings, and Derek Conner the fifth inning.
Puryear gave up one hit while striking out four batters, Barton allowed two hits while striking out two and Conner allowed a hit while striking out two batters.

A True Balancing Act
Ally Thompson Juggles School, Sports, Work And EMS Training

By Doug Ford
At first glance, Mary Alyson “Ally” Thompson seems like any other teenager, energetic and inquisitive, always on the go.
Look closer and you find someone with a focus and drive that many adults would love to emulate.
Independent from an early age, Thompson has managed a delicate balance between work, sports and school, while volunteering her time as an emt.
She played both softball and volleyball all four years in high school, beginning her emt training while a sophomore.
“I’ve always wanted to do it, ever since I was a little girl,” recalled Thompson.
“I remember seeing the big trucks go by with the shiny lights and sirens and thinking I wanted to do that.
“I remember thinking it’s a cool job, the lights, sirens and going fast!”
Thompson’s interest in the medical field has only increased from that point on.
“It’s just a passion I’ve always had, knowing I can help somebody with my own two hands and making a difference, and it makes me feel good,” she said.
Volunteering her time to help others has always been a priority for Thompson.
“I guess I’m just a busybody and like to get involved, and I have to always be doing something, so being in the ems world has had a big impact on my life,” said Thompson.
“I’ve seen the good, bad and the ugly.”
Thompson admits to having reservations when the toner calls her to another accident scene, but she has learned to approach things in a professional manner.
“You always have the thought in the back of your mind about why you are here and why you are doing this, but my adrenaline starts flowing.
“But, it’s where I feel I need to be,” she emphasized.
“I just don’t think about what I may encounter, whether it be family, friends, or someone I don’t know, but I can’t let that affect me.”
Working an accident can be a sobering experience for anyone, and Thompson is no exception.
“I’ve seen people in accident scenes who’ve made mistakes, and I keep it in the back of my mind not to do what they’ve done, especially when it involves drugs and alcohol,” she said.
Much of the discipline and focus Thompson displays in working an accident scene are a result of her participation in team sports over the years.
Thompson has played sports since she was five or six years old, beginning with t-ball, then softball, before discovering volleyball in her eighth-grade year.
She has managed to keep her emt certification on track, despite her involvement in sports while in high school, with her goals intact.
Thompson said she has been certified in cpr and emt basic, and has just completed a pre-hospital life support trauma class.
“I’m going to Jefferson College of Health Sciences in Roanoke and obtaining a paramedic degree,” said Thompson, who is sticking to her goal of being a flight nurse, despite a self-confessed fear of heights.
Thompson said she wouldn’t have been able to manage her balancing act without the support of family, friends, teammates and teachers.
“My parents have raised me well, and my mom has been there through thick and thin.
“And, I’ve always had good friends and coaches, so it’s all fallen into place for me.”
As far as advice and suggestions for those who do or don’t volunteer their time, Thompson’s view is “to each his own.”
“I’m not the type to judge anyone, as far someone who doesn’t volunteer, because everyone has different life experiences,” she noted.
Quoting one of her high school coaches, Thompson said, “Everyone needs to find his or her own passion and have the heart, desire and confidence to go forward and do it.”

The KODE Headlines Music At VIR Big Kahuna Nationals

Special To The Gazette-Virginian
The KODE, one of America’s best ‘party bands’ will headline the musical performances at VIRginia International Raceway’s Suzuki Big
Kahuna Nationals, featuring the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited on August 15 and 16.
Describing themselves as “straight up party” The KODE promises concerts toremember and music that covers the gamut of rock with “practically everything from AC/DC to Zombie and all the good stuff in between” according to the band’s cofounder and lead guitarist John Domo.
“This is another one of the bonuses we offer the fans at our races,” said promoter and M1 Entertainment president Cameron Gray. “The KODE is a great party band and the Big Kahuna is a great party so this is a really good pairing of band and event. We’re glad to have them on board with us at VIR.”
The Big Kahuna brings America’s fastest motorcycle road racers to VIR’s 2.25-mile North Course in a three-day celebration of speed and skill. With more than just the motorcycle races for guests to enjoy, the Big Kahuna brings together racing with a collection of vendors, exhibitors, big screen displays, children’s zones and everything else to make it an event for the entire family.
Tickets for the Big Kahuna are selling fast, with only a few of the Trackside VIP Suite tickets still available. For more information on
the many ticket options available, check out the promoter’s web site at: www.moto1usa.com or call them at 303-377-3278.
There is more to the Big Kahuna than just motorcycle racing. The Big Kahuna Big Give supports motorcycle safety and education for young riders with the Ethan Gillim “Chasin a Dream” foundation, along with the fight against breast cancer.
A donation of only $3 to the raffle could win the grand prize of a 2008 Suzuki GSX-R600 along with an Arai helmet and complete riding
gear. Other prizes range from an Arai helmet signed by past and present stars of AMA and World Superbike and MotoGP, to a Leo Vince exhaust system, a Makita drill kit and a year’s supply of RockStar energy drink.
The next big events at VIR are a Porsche Club of America race August 9-10, followed by the AMA Big Kahuna Superbike National on August 15-17, bringing America’s best Superbike racers to VIR’s North Course.
The weekend of October 3-5 sees GT Live and the KONI Challenge bring a combination of motorcycle stunts, drifting, track attack and endurance sports car races.
These events are all combined with a wide variety of amateur and vintage road racing and schools throughout the year.
Season passes to VIR’s major events include preferred parking and access to the major spectator events.
For information on the track and other event schedules, call 434-822-7700 or check the VIR web site at www.virclub.com.