Friday, July 23, 2004

Double Shooting Rocks Halifax
Charles Ricky Hammock, Derick Charles Hammock Found Dead Of Apparent Gunshot Wounds Wednesday At Cedar Lane Residence

Residents of the Town of Halifax were still reeling yesterday following the shooting deaths of two Cedar Lane residents Wednesday.

The bodies of 52-year-old Charles Ricky Hammock and his son Derick Charles Hammock, 19, were discovered shortly before 9:45 a.m., according to Halifax Police Chief Keith Tribble.

Both died of apparent gunshot wounds, police report.

Police were hesitant to give specifics, but Tribble said officials believe Rick Hammock died of a gunshot wound to the head and suspect his son, who was confined to a wheelchair, died of at least one gunshot wound to the torso.

The elder Hammock was the plant manager of Sunshine Mills in Halifax. His son was a 2004 graduate of Halifax County High School and was employed as a gate guard at Sunshine Mills, according to police.

While some reports are speculating that the deaths were the result of a murder/suicide, Tribble was reluctant to make that determination.

"We won't call the crime a murder/suicide for sure until we get the reports from the medical examiner's office in Richmond," he said. "But it's certainly possible.

"Right now we don't want to categorize it," he said. "We just don't know at this point and frankly, we may never know."

The chief said he hoped to have the autopsy reports in hand today, but that it could possibly be the first of the week before they were available.

"We'll know more in the next week or so," Tribble said.

Officials said yesterday that there was no indication of a motive in the deaths.

While police recovered a handgun at the scene they suspect was used in the slayings, Tribble said that no suicide note was discovered.

No signs of struggle or forced entry were discovered by police, according to the chief.

Police officials said the elder Hammock left for work Wednesday only to return home.

He reportedly called a work associate and asked that he come to the Cedar Lane address, according to police.

His wife, Sandra Hammock, had left for work prior to the incident, according to police.

When the friend arrived at the home, he discovered the two bodies in separate bedrooms of the home and called 911.

Halifax Police Officer M.A. Womack was the first to arrive on the scene, followed by Tribble who arrived shortly thereafter.

The Halifax officers are being assisted in the investigation by members of the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation and investigators with the Halifax County Sheriff's Office.

"It's just tragic," Tribble said of the deaths. "This is a small town. These kinds of things aren't supposed to happen here. But it did."

Warner To Announce $429,775 In Grants
Will Be Used For Low-Income Housing Project

Gov. Mark R. Warner is expected to announce $429,775 in Community Development Block Grants for the Sunnybrook low-income housing project today, the Gazette-Virginian has learned.

The funding will be used to build 12 homes in the subdivision located in the Town of South Boston.

Gov. Warner will announce the grants in Franklin County at 1 p.m.

With a total of 21 grant confirmations and letters of intent to fund four additional projects, grants to be announced total $15,014,306.

The projects are designed to benefit more than 4,000 Virginians through the creation of low-to-moderate housing , public water and sewer systems, downtown revitalization efforts and job training programs.

Fourteen of the 25 approved projects will create new or rehabilitate housing for around 400 Virginians.

The majority of the grants will fund infrastructure projects including water and sewer systems expected to serve around 3,000 state residents.

The federal grants are administered by the state through the Department of Housing and Community Development.

Annually, the state receives up to $24 million for the CDBG grant program.
The funds are allocated on a competitive basis to eligible non-metropolitan cities, counties and towns.

In accordance with federal law, the majority of the grants benefit low and moderate-income residents.

High Powered Construction
Clover Power Provides Home For Three Peregrine Falcons

By NICHOLAS ELMES | GV Staff Writer

Diving and soaring, fledgling flyers who will ultimately streak 200 mph are honing their skills in Clover Power Station's air space.

The Clover plant is part of a unique program to improve Virginia’s wildlife population while also helping to reduce the ranks of troublesome birds - like pigeons.

A group of three young peregrine falcons arrived at the power plant on June 4 as part of a statewide effort to reestablish the endangered birds.

Clover Power Station Senior Environmental Compliance Coordinator Tim Hamlet had a home ready for the fledglings, a completely enclosed “hack” box on top of one of the station's coal silos.

“The box is positioned so that it's facing the stacks so they will imprint on this area and recognize it as their home,” said Hamlet.

“They like to be up high and overlooking water, so the box is overlooking several ponds.

"It's up high enough that they are out of range of their normal predators, but it's an easy spot for us to get to so that we can feed them and keep an eye on them."

He said the young birds had been taken from a nest positioned in a dangerous area near Whitestone.

“These birds were nesting under a bridge on an I-beam,” said Hamlet. “There was nothing for the birds to land on when they took their first flight, so they removed them and brought them down to us. They have a much better chance of survival here.”

Although the three birds are currently soaring all over the Clover community, when they first arrived they had to be contained to the “hack” box for several weeks.

“When we first got them they were like little balls of fluff,” said Hamlet. “They grew very fast, to the point you could see a difference each day.

"We fed them each day until their full plumage came in and they were ready to fledge and take their first flight,” he added. “It is really impressive the amount of food that those three falcons can eat."

The falcons are fed farm grown quail, according to Hamlet, and have consumed over 300 birds since arriving in Clover.

By mid June the birds were ready to take to the air.

“We opened their box and put some quail out by the door to coax them out,” said Hamlet. “They spent a couple of days up there just jumping around on the box and the concrete before they took their first flight.

“They would sit up on the rails for a while, just testing their wings out and getting their courage up before they took their first plunge,” he added. “Then they would make small flights.

“They would dive off of the silo and make a little loop before coming back."

Hamlet said the falcons gradually took longer and longer flights, finding new structures to perch on.

Today, the birds are in the air for most of day, only returning to their box in the evenings for food.

“We are still feeding them, but we have cut back on their food a little bit to encourage them to start hunting on their own,” said Hamlet.

He hopes eventually the falcons will be able to sustain themselves on the pigeons that flock around the power station.

“The idea is that they will work on our prolific pigeon population,” said Hamlet. “The pigeons create a pretty big mess for us. And, there are other birds that cause problems, like the European starlings that like to nest in our gutters and clog them up."

Although Hamlet has not seen a falcon catch anything yet, he has seen them chasing other birds.

“They like to pester turkey vultures,” he said. “It helps them learn their hunting skills.

"They like to chase each other as well,” he added. "You will see them flying around and they will dive bomb each other. That helps them learn how to use altitude to hunt."

The falcons can reach speeds close to 200 miles per hour while they are diving, according to Hamlet.

He said that based on the continued good health of the falcons, the power plant seems to have been a good choice for a new falcon environment.

“We were told we would be lucky if one survived through the summer, and so far all three are out hunting and flying around,” said Hamlet. “It has actually gone better than expected here and they have already indicated that they want to bring more here next year.”

‘They' are the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF), the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary, and Dominion Virginia Power.

The three agencies began working to increase Virginia’s falcon population in 2000 with the installation of a “hack” box on top of the Dominion Virginia Power corporate headquarters in Richmond.

Clover Power Station is the second location chosen by the three agencies to place falcons, but the VDGIF and the College of William and Mary have been working to repopulate falcons since 1978, when five young birds were released on the Eastern Shore.

Each bird is marked with tags on both legs so they can be tracked.

"One leg is tagged with bands with numbers on them and the other leg just has a solid aluminum band that is color coded so they can be identified from a further distance," said Hamlet.

"With a pair of binoculars you can track them and see which ones are hanging around and which ones are hunting," he added.

Many of the falcons are also equipped with solar-powered transmitters so their migrations can be tracked.

The falcons typically migrate to Central America during the winter and return to the mid-Atlantic region beginning in March.

Hamlet hopes the three Clover birds will return to the area next spring when he plans to release some females.

"The goal is to establish a viable breeding pair in this area," he said. "If we can establish a pair here, then the young they raise can be taken to another sport."

He said the birds had become default mascots of the power station.

"A lot of people are keeping their eye on them," he said. "It is pretty impressive to watch them fly around."

Dixie Majors Win Fifth State Crown In Six Years
The Team Earned A World Series Berth By Downing Brookneal 8-5

BY JOE CHANDLER | G-V STAFF WRITER

For the fifth time in six years the South Boston Dixie Majors all-star team will be in the Dixie Majors World Series.

South Boston earned a berth in next week's Dixie Majors World Series in Monroe, LA by downing host Brookneal 8-5 Wednesday night in the championship game of the Dixie Majors State Tournament played at William Campbell High School in Brookneal.

Wednesday night's victory was South Boston's eighth win in a row, giving the team a perfect slate through district and state tournament play.

"I'm very proud of the guys," said manager Jeremy Satterfield.

"We were down once in the game with Carroll County but we came back. I think we did a whale of a job. I'm proud of all 14 of our guys."

Satterfield said he was somewhat surprised that his team would run out the string through both tournaments.

"I figured we'd take a loss somewhere," said Satterfield.

"This just shows how good a team we are. We can step up in different spots."

South Boston had six hits in Wednesday night's title game with Jason Lloyd and Chris Perkins leading way with two hits each.

One of Lloyd's hits was a solo round-tripper in the second inning.

Chris Lowery and Clyde Brooks also had a hit.

Brookneal had five hits with Kyle Bradley leading the way with two hits.

Justin Rogers had a solo homer in the seventh inning and John Wayne Godsey and Jamie Williams had a hit each.

South Boston threatened to put the game away early with four runs in the bottom of the first inning.

Pitcher Jody Nelson kicked off the rally by reaching base on an error with one out. Brent Long, the next batter, also reached base on a Brookneal error.

A single by Perkins scored Nelson and a triple by Lowery scored Long and Perkins to give South Boston a 3-0 lead.

Ryan Roller's sacrifice fly to left field scored Lowery to give South Boston a four-run cushion.

Lloyd's solo homer in the bottom of the second inning gave South Boston a five-run cushion it greatly needed.

Brookneal rallied to put four runs on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning to cut its deficit to a run.

A hit by Williams opened the inning. That, coupled with Travis Guthrie reaching base on an error and a single by Bradley loaded the bases with one out.

Nelson, struggling on the mound at that point, gave up back-to-back walks to Rogers and Bradley as Brookneal cut the gap to 5-2.

Another run scored when Randall Dickerson reached base on a fielder's choice and a single by Godsey that scored Rogers gave Brookneal its fourth run of the inning.

The game remained a tense one-run affair until South Boston scratched up three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Lloyd opened with a single but was nabbed attempting to steal second base.
Nelson was struck by a pitch and Long walked to put two runners on the bases.

A single by Perkins plated Nelson and Long and Perkins scored later in the inning on a passed ball to give South Boston an 8-4 lead.

Brookneal attempted to get something going in the bottom of the seventh inning with Rogers' homer with two out.

But, Nelson settled down to fan Rob Bradley to end the game.

South Boston 13
Carroll County 5
The South Boston Dixie Majors all-star team found itself in a tussle as they came from behind to score a 13-5 win over Carroll County Tuesday night.

Trailing 5-2 after four innings, South Boston rallied for five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to gain the lead and tacked on six more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to secure the win.

South Boston had 11 hits in the game as it remained on par with its prior performances.

Lloyd and Long each had two hits to lead the way for South Boston.

Nelson, Perkins, Chad Lewis, Kirby Barbour, Steve Smith, Clyde Brooks and Jacob Owen each chipped in a hit.

A South Boston error followed by a two-run homer gave Carroll County a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning.

South Boston deadlocked the game in the bottom of the second inning when Lowery walked, Nathan Thomas reached base with a hit and both scored on a double by Smith.

Carroll County regained the lead with a run in the top of the third inning that resulted from a South Boston error that was backed with a base hit.

Two more runs were plated by Carroll County in the top of the fourth inning to make it a 5-2 score, the runs coming as the result of South Boston's third error of the game and a pair of base hits.

That was all of the runs Carroll County would score as the visitors netted only two hits the rest of the contest.

South Boston took the lead with a five-run rally in the bottom of the fifth inning that made the score 7-5.

Owen led off the inning with a hit but was erased at second base for the first out of the inning when Lloyd reached base on a fielder's choice.

Lloyd advanced to second base when Nelson grounded out for the second out of the inning.

A single by Long scored Lloyd. Perkins reached base on an error and Lowery walked to load the bases.

Lewis followed with a two-RBI single and Barbour cleared the bases with a two-RBI double that gave South Boston the two-run cushion.

South Boston added six more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to put the game out of reach.

Owen opened the inning by reaching base on an error, Lloyd added a double and Long cleared the bases with a three-run homer with one out.

Perkins came up with a base hit and Lowery walked to put two runners on base. A passed ball allowed Perkins to score.

Lewis reached base on an error that allowed Lowery to score.

Barbour walked and two runs scored on a single by Brooks to give South Boston the 13-5 lead it held the rest of the way.

Obituaries

Emma Frances Ewell Brown

Emma Frances Ewell Brown, 86, of 1221 Neal's Corner Road, Clover, died July 20 at Halifax Regional Hospital.

Mrs. Brown was born in Halifax County on April 26, 1918, the daughter of the late Charlie Ewell and Annie Poindexter Ewell. She was married to the late Adolphus Brown Sr. and was a member of Sunflower Baptist Church.

Survivors include three daughters, Diane Brown and Hattie Brown, both of Clover, and Preteasta Barksdale of Lynchburg; eight sons, James Harold Brown, Adolphus Brown Jr., Andrew Brown, Dwight Brown and Lionell Brown, all of Clover, Flave Brown of Roxboro, N.C., Archie Brown of Queens, N.Y., and Randy Brown of Forest; three sisters, Rosa Bell West and Edmonia Bailey, both of Richmond, and Lou Ella Jennings of Nathalie; 10 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; one son-in-law; and four daughters-in-law.

Funeral services for Mrs. Brown will be held tomorrow, July 24 at 5 p.m. at Bethel grove Baptist Church with the Revs. Robert Tucker and William Hicks officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

The family will receive friends this evening, July 23 at the Chapel of Jeffress Funeral Home from 6 until 7, and other times at the home of Diane Brown, 7248 Hunting Creek Road, Clover.

Marvin Wayne Cash

Marvin Wayne Cash, 36, of 5188 Howard P. Anderson Highway, Halifax, died July 19. He was born in Halifax County on October 14, 1967, the son of Hardy Cash and Virginia L. Womack.

Survivors include his mother and stepfather, Virginia L. and Dean Womack of Halifax; his father and stepmother, Hardy and Vicky Cash of Halifax; two sons, Brandon and Dakota Cash of Nathalie; his grandmother, Etta Martin of South Boston; four brothers, Cecil Cash and wife, Joanne, and Frankie Cash and wife, Donna, all of Halifax, Darrell Cash and wife, Beth, of Scottsburg, and Randy Cash and wife, Wendy, of Nathalie.

A graveside service for Mr. Cash will be held today, July 23 at 11 a.m. at Oakland Cemetery in Scottsburg with the Rev. Rudolph Jacobs officiating.

Harry Hampton Crews

Harry Hampton Crews, son of the late William and Sarah Spraggins Crews, died in Philadelphia, Pa. on June 29. He was born in Halifax County.

Mr. Crews was chauffeur to the heirs of the Campbell Soup Company for many years.

A funeral service was held July 8 at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church with the Rev. Nathaniel R. Walker officiating. Burial followed in Westminster Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

Survivors include his wife, Lola Crews; a son, Harry Hampton Crews; one grandson, Carl Demetrius; four sisters, Willie Wynne, Nancy Reed of Philadelphia, Clara Jennings and Alice Eubanks of Nathalie; one sister-in-law, Mildred Crews; and his caregiver, Jean D. Cutts, of Philadelphia.

Mary B. Crews

Mary B. Crews died in Philadelphia, Pa. on April 17.

She was born in Sussex County and was the wife of the late Stimpson Crews.

A funeral service for Mrs. Crews was held at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Albert F. Campbell officiating on April 26. Burial followed in Rolling Green Memorial Park in West Chester, Pa.

Survivors include one daughter, Barbara Jean Benson; two grandchildren, Kelly Shepherd and Min. Kyle Benson; one great-granddaughter, Kezia; sisters-in-law, Mildred Crews, Lola Crews, Willie Wynne and Nancy Reed, all of Philadelphia, Alice Eubanks and Clara Jennings, both of Nathalie; and a brother-in-law, Hampton Crews of Philadelphia.

Samuel Edward Green

Samuel Edward Green, 82, of 1115 Neal's Corner Road, Clover died July 20 at Berry Hill Nursing Home.

Mr. Green was born in Halifax County on May 4, 1922, the son of the late Edward Green and Gussie Britton Green. He was a World War II Army Veteran and a member of Bethel Grove Baptist Church.

Survivors include one daughter, Belinda Penick of Nathalie; one son, Samuel Green Jr. of Nathalie; three sisters, Ruth Green of Clover, Martha Lee and Rachel Bailey, both of Boston, Mass.; two brothers, James Green of Norwalk, Conn. and John Green of Boston; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; one daughter-in-law, Carolyn Green. One brother preceded him in death, Thomas Green.

Funeral services for Mr. Green will be held tomorrow, July 24 at 11 a.m. at Bethel Grove Baptist Church with the Rev. William Hicks officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

The family will receive friends at the home.

Willie James Harris

Willie James Harris of 1118 Skylark Trail, Virgilina, died at the age of 58.

Mr. Harris was born in Halifax County on August 18, 1945, the son of the late Cora King Barksdale. He was a member of Jeters Chapel Baptist Church.

Survivors include one daughter, Kim Cameron of Alexandria; two sisters, Coretha Talley of South Boston and Janie Harris of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and one brother, Charlie Harris of Brooklyn. Mr. Harris was preceded in death by one brother, Ernest Harris.

Memorial services will be held tomorrow, July 24 at noon at Jeters Chapel Baptist Church with the Rev. Cathy McCargo officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

The family will receive friends at the church Saturday.

Otey Ralph Jones

Otey Ralph Jones, 64, of 1047 Old School Lane, Crystal Hill, died July 20 at Halifax Regional Hospital.

Mr. Jones was born in Halifax County on November 30, 1939, the son of Henry O. Jones and Annie Arendall Jones and was married to Joan Jones.

A graveside service will be held today, July 23 at 11 a.m. at Halifax Memorial Gardens with the Revs. Harper Davis and Bruce Hagy officiating.

Survivors of Mr. Jones include his wife; two daughters, Gwen Velazquez and husband, Jesse, and Cheryl Beadles and husband, Earl, all of Crystal Hill; one son, Brian Jones of Hagerstown, Md.; eight grandchildren, Kyle, Kaitlin, Jessica, Joanna, Gaby, Jason, Jeremy and Justin; two brothers, Billy and Frank Jones, both of Nathalie; two sisters, Della Beadles of Mebane, N.C. and Myrtle Warren of South Boston.

Mr. Jones was preceded in death by three brothers, Rayburn, Barkley and William Tell Jones; and four sisters, Shirley Crews, Dorothy Adams, Virginia Short and Lacy Cade.

Ricardo Montez Lipscomb

Sgt. 1st Class Ricardo Montez Lipscomb, 33, of Fort Gordon, Ga., formerly of Halifax County, died July 19 in Fort Gordon.

Sgt. Lipscomb was born in Alexandria on June 26, 1971, the son of Delores Edmondson Lipscomb and the late Cleveland Brandon. He was married to Sherie Mougey Lipscomb and was a member of Piney Grove Baptist Church.

Survivors include his wife of Ft. Huachuca, Ariz.; two sons, Ricardo M. Lipscomb Jr. and Ryan P. Lipscomb, both of Ft. Huachuca; his mother of Scottsburg; and two sisters, Sheila Lipscomb and LaShawn Wilson, both of Danville.

Funeral services for Sgt. Lipscomb will be held Sunday, July 25 at 2 p.m. at Piney Grove Baptist Church with the Rev. Whitfield Scott officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery with full Military Honors.

The family is receiving friends at the home of his mother, 1131 Cole Lane, Scottsburg.

John L. 'Peter' Long

John L. 'Peter' Long, 74, of 1142 Harmony Road, Alton, died July 22 at his home.

Mr. Long was born in Person County, N.C. on April 26, 1930, the son of the late Walter Avery Long and Sallie Bet Bowes Long. He was first married to the late Nannie L. Long and then to Hallie W. Long. He was a member of Bethel Hill Baptist Church and was retired from the Virginia Department of Highways.

Survivors include his wife; one son, Lawrence M. Long and wife, Jean, of Alton; four daughters, Rita L. Newcomb and husband, Jimmy, of Keysville, Cynthia L. Smith and husband, Joel, of Roxboro, Wanda L. Toombs and husband, Bill, of Halifax, and Kathy L. Vaughan and husband, Cecil of South Boston; one stepdaughter, Nellie Barksdale and husband, Owen, of Alton; three stepsons, Richard C. Cole and wife, Barbara, of Alton, Charlie Cole and wife, Susan, of Reidsville, N.C., and Lloyd H. Cole and wife, Paula, of Danville; five sisters, Edith Bohannon of Roxboro, Lorene Shotwell and husband, Wayne and Louise L. Wilson, all of Alton, Rosa Lee Baird and husband, Howard of Oxford, N.C., and Lois Marie Adcock and husband, Leo, of Rougemont, N.C.; two brothers, Dewey Thomas Lee Long and wife, Edna, of Roxboro and Robert Edward Long and wife, Paula, of Alton; 15 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; 10 step-grandchildren; and a number of step great-grandchildren.

Funeral services for Mr. Long will be held at Bethel Baptist Church Sunday, July 25 at 2 p.m. with the Revs. Jason Evans and Rudolph Jacobs officiating. Burial will follow in Harmony United Methodist Church cemetery.

The family will receive friends Saturday evening from 7:00 until 8:30 at Brooks Funeral Home, and other times at the home.

Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Halifax Regional Hospice, 2204 Wilborn Avenue, South Boston.

Doris Williams Roark

Doris Williams Roark, 75, of 14070 L.P. Bailey Memorial Highway, Nathalie, died July 20 at her home. She was the wife of the late Malcolm Stover Roark Sr.

Mrs. Roark was born in Martin County, N.C. on May 28, 1929, the daughter of the late Robert I. Williams and Rosa Bullock Williams. She was a member of Childrey Baptist Church, a member of North Halifax Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary and a homemaker.

Survivors include two sons, M. Stover Roark Jr. and wife, Deborah, of Halifax, and Robert L. Roark and wife, Melissa, of Volens; one daughter, Sheila R. Pillow of Volens; five grandchildren, Shane Pillow, Chad Pillow, David Roark, Sharon R. Edwards, and R. Malcolm Roark; three great-grandchildren, Tyler Pillow, Destiny Roark and Cassie Edwards; one sister, Geneoria W. Goff of Richmond. Mrs. Roark was preceded in death by two sons, Ronnie and Calvin Roark.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. today, July 23, at Childrey Baptist Church by the Revs. Andrew Ferguson and Richard Saunders. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider North Halifax Volunteer Fire Department or Childrey Baptist Church Building Fund.