Supes Plan Light Agenda

Supervisors face a light agenda Tuesday night with two public hearings, one on three proposed changes in the Zoning Ordinance related to elderly housing and care, and one conditional use application by Daniel J. McDuffie of Golden Age Care Center just south of the Town of Halifax.
The Board will also hear an update on the $3.5 million Continuing Education Center project by Chris Lumsden and be briefed by County Administrator Dan Sleeper on a Voting Rights Act preclearance bailout meeting he and Board chairman Joe Satterfield attended in Danville.
The county's record would meet requirements to seek a preclearance bailout, Sleeper said Friday.
The county administrator also will brief supervisors concerning the Halifax County Office of Emergency Services full-scale exercise on Saturday, July 24, beginning at 7:30 a.m.
The exercise will portray the aftermath of a tornado in the Love Shop/Centerville area, according to the Office of Emergency Services.
Also scheduled during the 7 p.m. meeting, Southside Concerned Citizens Chairman Jack Dunavant.
Dunavant said yesterday there are "some things that need to be clarified" prior to the Planning Commission's July 12 public hearing on hog setbacks, but the chairman declined to offer specifics.
SCC is calling for a two mile setback limit from streams, property lines, roads, "everything," Dunavant repeated.
SCC is planning a march from Halifax Courthouse to the Planning Commission's public hearing on hog setbacks, Monday, July 12.
A rally is planned by SCC for 6 p.m. on the courthouse lawn prior to the march to Mary Bethune Complex in Halifax, site of the 7 p.m. public hearing.

Power Outage Hits Virgilina

Virgilina was one of five area communities hit with a four-hour power outage Thursday afternoon.
A problem at the Clarksville substation triggered the original outage, according to Virginia Power spokesperson Patty Campbell.
The problem hit in two stages.
During routine maintenance at the substation, which included replacing some equipment, one of the new pieces of equipment failed causing a circuit to trip at 4:23 p.m.
Campbell said the outage affected 2700 customers in Clarksville, Averett, Virgilina, Buffalo Junction and Nelson.
In trying to reroute the power to get those 2700 people back online, an additional problem caused a small fire in the substation and knocked out power to 400 additional people at 4.57 p.m., explained Campbell.
Power was restored to 400 people by 8:30 p.m. and the remaining customers by 8:50 p.m.

Toddler In Duke After Struck By Vehicle

A toddler who was struck by a pick-up truck late Thursday afternoon remains hospitalized at Duke Medical Center in Durham, N.C. with head injuries.
According to the child's grandmother, Thelma Carr, two-and-a-half-year-old Ernest Davis IV wandered into the road in front of his Crystal Hill home on Route 603 around 4:30 p.m. and was hit by a pick-up truck driven by Mary Covington.
Covington, also of Crystal Hill, had just left Punk's Self Service Store shortly before it started to rain, according to store owner Punk Stanley.
"She'd just left the store and went on down the road. The child was just in the road," he said.
Carr, who was home at the time of the incident, said Davis suffered head injuries when he was struck by truck's bumper.
"She (Covington) did all she could, but he got hit by the bumper," Carr said.
Davis was airlifted to Duke Medical Center after being transported to Halifax Regional Hospital in South Boston.
A hospital spokesperson said Saturday that the child is listed in fair condition.
The incident was investigated by Virginia State Trooper M.S. Roark Jr., who could not be reached for information regarding any charges related to the accident.
In other reports, an Oxford, N.C., woman was charged after she drove into the side of another vehicle Thursday afternoon.
Trooper S.M. Krantz charged Helen Price Poole, 66, of Oxford, N.C., with failure to yield the right of way after she collided with the driver's side of a 1997 Honda driven by Nancy Tuck Lewis, 29, of South Boston at 2:05 p.m.
Krantz said Poole, who was operating a 1985 Mercury, was attempting a left turn from Route 501 one tenth of a mile north of Route 58 when the collision occurred.
Krantz estimated that Honda driven by Lewis sustained approximately $1,200 in damages, while damage to the Mercury was estimated at $400.
No charges were filed following two single-vehicle accidents last Tuesday morning.
Dawn Kay Carr, 30, of Halifax, was driving a 1997 Kia along Route 501 around 5:25 a.m. when she collided with a deer three tenths of a mile north of Liberty Road (Route 642).
Trooper Krantz estimated that the vehicle sustained $1,000 in damages.
A little more than two hours later, Krantz was called out to investigate an accident along Germy Creek Road (Route 820), two a half miles north of River Road (Route 659).
His report stated that Albert B. Jackson, 53, of Sutherlin, was operating a 1991 Chevrolet pick-up when he collided with a tree that had fallen in the roadway.
Damage to the truck was estimated at $4,000.

Lottery Profits Growing

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The Virginia Lottery's profits are bouncing back on the strength of record sales, but they haven't regained the all-time high they reached two years ago.
The lottery reported a profit of $321.4 million for the 1999 fiscal year that ended Wednesday, up slightly from $318.9 million the year before and well above the target of $314 million. But the income was still $21.6 million short of the record $343 million set in 1997.
Profits from the 11-year-old lottery dipped for the first time in 1998, largely because of larger payouts and the poor performance of the seven-state Big Game.
The lottery is the state's fourth-largest source of revenue behind the personal income tax, the sales tax and the corporate income tax. The profits - more than $3 billion since the lottery was launched in 1988 - go into the general fund, a pool of revenue over which Gov. Jim Gilmore and the General Assembly have discretionary control.
In the past, the lottery money has been used for a variety of projects, including education. But this year, the administration and the legislature agreed to earmark the profits solely for public education.
The lottery's improved performance may be tied to that policy change, Virginia Lottery Director Penelope W. Kyle said.
''Maybe the public is catching on to that,'' she said.
Changes in game rules might also spur on lottery players, officials said. The lottery is now giving Lotto and Big Game winners the option of taking their multimillion-dollar prizes in a lump sum or in annual payments.
Also, players of online games no longer have to specify when purchasing tickets whether they would want a single or an annual payout. This no-questions-asked approach is expected to speed sales and mean less work for clerks.
The lottery's overall sales for the year were $934.6 million, the highest ever. Instant-game sales accounted for 36 percent of that: They grew $35.5 million to $337.8 million. Lottery officials said customers apparently responded well to the introduction of 42 new scratch-off games.
Computerized online games, such as Lotto and the Big Game, make the remaining 64 percent of overall sales. Those sales fell $15 million to $596.8 million.
For the year, the lottery paid out $506.8 million in prizes and had operating expenses of $69 million. Retailers collected commissions of $52.2 million.
Unclaimed prizes totaling $9.3 million also will be earmarked for school construction, the lottery said. Another $745,500 from lottery winners will cover delinquent taxes, child support and other debts.

The Ultimate Gift

By Christine Schirmer
Little Diondre Coleman received the ultimate birthday present just days after he was born - a gift of life.
No one expected Diondre to have any problems when he came into the world back in November of 1995.
"The ultrasound was normal, and everything seemed fine at the time," Tonkaneka Coleman recalled.
It was November 27, 1995, and the farthest thing from the mind of this South Boston mother as she gazed into the dark eyes of her first child was that he might not live to see his first birthday.
But shortly after Diondre was born, the doctors at Halifax Regional Hospital detected a problem with the oxygen level in his blood, and it was arranged that Diondre would be taken to Virginia Baptist in Lynchburg for treatment while his mother recovered in South Boston.
"But when the transport arrived, the doctors realized he had a heart problem instead of a lung problem, and he was transported to UVA," Coleman recalled.
The news was devastating to the new mother. Her son was born without a right ventricle, and he needed a new heart.
He needed it as soon as possible.
"I got the call and went all to pieces," Coleman remembered. "Then, to me, a heart transplant didn't seem real. I was kind of ignorant, and a heart transplant seemed like something that only happens on T.V. I just immediately thought he was going to die."
After she had a little time to absorb the news, Coleman still did not quite understand the immensity of the situation.
"I assumed then that was it. The decision was made, and Diondre was going to get a transplant," she said. "But then the next day I found out he still needed a full exam to see if he was even eligible for a transplant, and after that I learned about all the risks of having a transplant."
The young mother recalled how she was even interviewed by a panel of doctors to see if she had the mental fortitude to withstand the pressure of the transplant process. After that, they still needed written approval through Medicaid.
It took nearly a week and a half to get that approval.
"But then they finally put him on the donor list. It was a Wednesday afternoon around 4 p.m.," Coleman said.
She was prepared to wait...and pray. She had been told a heart might come available in a day, or it might take months.
"That Wednesday I had already started sort of closing down business and was getting ready to stay in Charlottesville with Diondre," Coleman said.
Less than 48 hours later, the phone rang.
"It was a Friday morning. I recognized the voice, and thought the transplant people were just calling about me getting a pager, since I hadn't yet," Coleman recounted. "When they told me (that they had a heart for Diondre) I started hollering and screaming and jumping up and down!"
Coleman's mother, Shirley, was with her when the call came.
"I just thank god. That family gave so much, God had to have a hand in it for someone to give so much happiness to strangers," Mother Coleman said.
Overjoyed, Coleman called Diondre's father, Steven Ferrell, with the news. She remembers the wild two-and-a-half hour ride through the sleet to the hospital where her baby was to receive the healthy heart of a 13-month-old child.
"We left in such a hurry that we forgot clothing and money and had to go back, and by then the weather had gotten really bad," she said. "But God was really with us that night. We had a sand truck in front of us the entire drive. Then, when we got to Charlottesville, the sky just opened up."
But still, the gravity of the situation did not sink in immediately, Coleman said.
"We were so thrilled that we really didn't realize how serious it was until about three hours in to the surgery. Up until then we had all been sitting in the waiting room laughing and joking. Then it hit me hard and scared me to death," she said quietly, remembering the emotions that raged through her while her son's life hung in the balance.
The surgery was a success, and it not only saved the life of Coleman's only child, who is now a very healthy and rambunctious three-year-old, but changed her life forever.
"I used to be one of those people who planned to take it all with me when I died, but now I could give it all away," she stated. "I know what that family did was hard. I can't imagine making that decision myself, but now I know I could. I am just so grateful that the family of that 13-month-old little boy found it in their hearts to help me with my child."
"Not a day goes by that I don't think of that family. All I know about the child who gave his heart is that his name was Craig. It took me six months to get my thoughts together to write to them after all of this. It was hard to put into words just how to thank someone for such a gift," she continued.
Coleman, who recently joined the staff at Halifax Regional Hospital as a nurse, hopes by sharing her experience she can open the public's eyes to the need for organ, blood, and bone marrow donors.
"I got into nursing after I got Diondre straight. It was always something I wanted to do, and he was the pushing point," she explained. "Before all of this we were all so ignorant to the need for organ donors, then this came along and smacked us all in the face and really woke us up. Working in the hospital I see it every day, and people really need to become aware of the importance of donors."
Coleman, who became an organ donor following this experience as did her mother, urges individuals not only to agree to donate their organs and make their wish to do so clear to their families, but to give blood and participate in bone marrow programs.
"There is an especially pressing need for African Americans to sign up as bone marrow donors, because we have such a high risk for leukemia," she said. "You could be saving your neighbor's life."

Benjamin M. Sugg Sr.

Benjamin M. Sugg Sr. of Danville died Thursday, July 1, 1999 at Stratford Health Center. He was 84 years of age.
Mr. Sugg was born in Kinston, NC on October 13, 1914 the son of Leon H. Sugg and Helen Montague Sugg and was married to Shirley Nichols Sugg.
Graveside services for Mr. Sugg were held Saturday, July 3 at 3 p.m. at Clover Cemetery with Rev. Les Goode conducting the service.
Survivors include one daughter, Margaret Anne Sugg of Raleigh, NC; one son, Benjamin M. Sugg Jr. and wife Bonny Kate of Maryville, TN; one grandson, Benjamin M. Sugg III and wife Cindy of Knoxville, TN; three sisters, Nancy Thomas of Raleigh, Ellen Ayres of Williamsburg and Mary Smith of Rome, GA; and one brother, Leon H. Sugg Jr. of Brevard, NC.

Robert Daniel Bradley

Robert Daniel Bradley, 84, of Newport News died Wednesday, June 30, 1999 at Riverside Hospital in Newport News.
Mr. Bradley was born in Halifax County and was married to Eleanor Lester Bradley. He was a member of Orcutt Baptist Church.
Survivors include one son, Robert 'Dan' Bradley and wife, Linda of Knoxville, TN; three grandchildren, Elizabeth, Richard and Robert Bradley. He was preceded in death by his wife, an infant son, Richard Bradley, and four brothers and sisters.
A funeral service will be conducted Tuesday, July 6 at 9:30 a.m. at Peninsula Funeral Home, Newport News, with Rev. James Doyle officiating. Burial will follow in Peninsula Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends tonight, July 5 from 6:30 until 8:00 at the funeral home.

Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Orcutt Baptist Church Building Fund, 653 Oyster Point Lane, Newport News, VA 23602.

Michael Jeffrey Sharp

Michael Jeffrey 'Jeff' Sharp, 46, formerly of Orange, died at his home in Lewisburg, WV on July 1, 1999.
Mr. Sharp was the son of Frances Orrell Sharp and Richard A. Sharp. He was an electrical engineer, a gifted pianist, and a physician who practiced medicine at Greenbriar Valley Medical Center in Lewisburg. He graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in May 1966.
Survivors include three daughters, Teresa, Mandy and Emily; his mother; and three brothers, Joseph, Daniel and David Sharp.
A memorial service will be held at Trinity Methodist Church in Orange on Sunday, July 11 at 2 p.m.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider his daughter's college education.

Jean Snead Thompson

Mrs. Jean Snead Thompson of 328 Kingswood Road, Buffalo Junction, died July 2, 1999 at Duke Medical Center. She was born in Halifax County on June 27, 1928 and was 71 years old.
She was the daughter of Harry H. Snead and Virginia B. Snead and was married to Frank Lee Thompson.
Mrs. Thompson is survived by: one son, John H. Thompson, of Roanoke; two grandchildren, Karen and Laura Thompson, of Roanoke; four sisters, Nancy Brady, of Finchley; Dot Holt, of South Boston; Mary Ann Reaves, of South Hill and Bobby Sheffield, of South Hill; two brothers: Ned Snead, of South Boston and Harry Snead, Jr. of Buffalo Junction.
Funeral services for Mrs. Thompson were held Sunday, July 4 at 4:00 p.m. at Powell Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. H. V. Conner conducting the service.
Burial was in the Clover cemetery.

Maggie Whitlow Talley

Maggie Whitlow Talley of 1011 Mosley Ferry Road, Clover died July 2, 1999 at Halifax Regional Hospital. She was born November 4, 1905 in Halifax County.
She was the daughter of John Henry Whitlow and Sallie Spencer Whitlow and was married to Cookey Talley Sr.
Mrs. Talley was a member of Clover Baptist Church.
Mrs. Talley is survived by one daughter: Mildred T. Seay, of Clover; two sons, Morris Norman "Tom" Talley, of Scottsburg; Cookey Talley, Jr., of Scottsburg; one daughter: Barbara T. Guill, of Clover; three granddaughters: Mary Lee Williams, Patricia Ann Talley, Donna Jean Estes; two grandsons: John M. "Pete" Talley and Nelson Lee Guill, Jr.; great-grandchildren, Elizabeth Ann Talley, Vincent Edwin Talley, Melissa Ann Estes, Stephanie Lee Estes and Tyler Lee Guill; two step great grandsons and 3 step great great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Cookey Talley, Sr.
Funeral services for Mrs. Talley were held Sunday, July 4 at 2:00 p.m. at Clover Baptist Church. The Rev. Tom Walker officiated.

Jewel Bishop Moore

Mrs. Jewel Bishop Moore, for 25 years the director of church activities for First Baptist Church in South Boston, died Friday at Berry Hill Nursing Home.
A funeral for Mrs. Moore, 95, will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church with burial in Halifax Memorial Gardens.
The Rev. Robert M. Fox Jr. and the Rev. Frank Riley Jr. will officiate.
Mrs. Moore was a Sunday School teacher, former deacon, and past church treasurer, at First Baptist Church. She also was a member of the Tuesday Woman's Club.
Mrs. Moore, a daughter of Spotswood J. Bishop and Elizabeth Oliver Bishop, was married to the late Colgate Dennis Moore.
She is survived by two children, a daughter, Violet M. Neal, and a son, Hugh M. Moore, both of South Boston.
Also surviving are seven grandchildren: Kendall M. Turman, South Boston; Dennis Kerby Moore, South Boston; Chrystal N. Lifson, Richmond; Kevin M. Neal, South Boston; Amy R. Neal, San Diego, CA; and John E. Neal, Roanoke. Two great-grandchildren, Connor Lifson and Jewel Rae Moore, also survive.
Visitation will be Monday night at Brooks Funeral Home from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. and at other times at 1406 Peach Avenue in South Boston.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider First Baptist Church or the Tuesday Woman's Club.

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