Monday, August 4, 2003

Police Target County Crime
‘Operation Community Caretaker’ Nets 22 Charges Against 14 County Individuals

Over the past six weeks, officers from the Halifax County Sheriff's Office, the South Boston Police Department, the Halifax/South Boston Regional Drug Task Force and the Pittsylvania County Sheriff's Office have been conducting an investigation in the Cody and Volens communities, according to Maj. R.S.B. Pulliam of the task force.

"This investigation, named 'Operation Community Caretaker,' focused on conducting traffic checkpoints, fugitive apprehensions, drug violations and related crimes in an effort to improve the quality of life within these communities," he said.

Pulliam said that with the help of concerned members of the community, the officers were able to locate suspicious criminal activity and increased traffic patterns.

"The operation has been successful, but there is more work to be done," the major said.

During the investigation, Pulliam said that 22 charges have been filed against 14 individuals.

"These charges range from criminal traffic and firearm violations to possession of crack cocaine and marijuana," he said.

Investigators expect approximately eight more indictments for drug charges pending the results of lab tests, according to the investigator.

Pulliam said that the task force is grateful for the calls and lette

rs received with information about drug activity in the communities.
"We would like to thank the citizens for their continued patience necessary to allow these investigations to conclude," he added.

Espy Is Named Town Manager
Was Also Sworn In As Town Clerk, Treasurer

After years of spearheading the revitalization effort in the Town of Halifax, Carl Espy now has three new hats to wear.

The 42-year-old chairman of the town's Planning Commission, Espy was hired as the new town manager during a special called meeting of the Halifax Town Council Thursday night.

In addition, he was sworn in as town clerk and town treasurer.

Espy is replacing Bob Greene, who retired effective August 1.

"I'll be busy," he said yesterday. "I don't expect too many free nights for a while."

But Espy said he is committed to meeting the challenge of the position.

"I'm grateful for Council's appointing me to this position," he said. "I know it will be challenging, but I'm committed to serving the town to the best of my ability."

And he said the new job will allow him to continue to focus on revitalization efforts.

"The new position will allow me to work with the county on a more proactive basis," Espy said. "I want to help chart a course for a compelling future for the Town of Halifax."

A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Espy said his first order of business will be to gain an understanding of the routine day-to-day operations within the town.

"I plan to meet with all of the employees of the town and all of their various departments," he said. "My focus is to bring a greater awareness to Council, the residents of the town and businesses of the existing services and amenities that we offer."

Hired at a salary of $36,000, Espy will be eligible for a performance-based increase of 3.5 percent in six months.

"I want the public to know that my door is always open and I welcome any comments or suggestions anyone may have," he said.

Espy is married to Bee Edmunds, is active in the Mentor/Role Model program and is a member of the Halifax County Historical Society Executive Committee and the St. John's Episcopal Church Vestry.

Espy lists backpacking, canoeing, travel, film, art, architecture and history as his hobbies.

A Journal From Mt. Kilimanjaro

(Editor's Note: South Boston native Mitch Wilborn and his wife Teresa recently climbed the fabled Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. The following is the first part in a series detailing the adventure.)

Advertisement for the Trip of A Lifetime: Fly from Raleigh/Durham to Singapore to Dubai, UAE to Nairobi, Kenya, 33 hours flying time, ignoring a U.S. State Department bulletin warning tourists not to travel to Nairobi because of kidnapping and ground-to-air missile risks, then eight hours by bus from Nairobi to Arusha to Moshi with one police search and two immigration stops, then another two hours by van over a mud path to Kilimanjaro Park gate, of course getting stuck half way up to the gate and having to wait in the mud and rain to be loaded into the back of Land Rover and bounced the last five miles to the trailhead.

Then strap on a 10-pound backpack and trek 51 miles to a height of 19,340 ft. and back down over a period of 6 days through rain, snow, mud, ice, boulders and volcanic scree in temperatures ranging from 80 degrees to -10 degrees while trying to avoid AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) and its relative HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema) and companion HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema.)

Oh, and you don't bathe or change clothes and don't even ask about the bathroom facilities.

Tents are supplied but be sure to bring your own toilet paper.

And it only costs about the same as a year's tuition at a good public university.

Where do I sign up?

This journey began two years ago when friends who had been planning a Kilimanjaro climb asked my wife, Teresa, if she thought it would be something we wanted to do.

She mentioned it to me and being the compliant spouse, and conveniently ignoring the fact that I had gotten AMS the year before in Breckinridge, Colorado, at 8,500 ft. said, "Sure. Why not?" As if I was agreeing to spend two weeks at Virginia Beach.

Since there was no further discussion, I forgot that I had agreed to go on this trip.

On the other hand our friends, Margaret and Stig, had already developed an itinerary that included a safari and were well into their training for the climb during that first year.

Sometime in late summer 2002 in Singapore we went to see the IMAX film "Kilimanjaro, The Roof of Africa."

PacWest Travel, a local company which specializes in mountain climbing, had left their brochures at the theatre.

After several months of discussion, PacWest put together a 12-day climbing trip leaving from Singapore.

Teresa shared our proposed trip details with Margaret and Stig, intriguing them. Subsequently, they got quotes from PacWest for a combination climb/safari leaving from the U.S. which was much less than the price the U.S. outfitters had delivered.

So, early in 2003, plans were finalized, deposits sent in, and we were all set to meet them in Nairobi for the climb in late June, 2003.

In January, Teresa began conditioning and weight training in the gym daily on the stepping machine and treadmills with some longer hikes on weekends in preparation for the trek.

When I returned to the U.S. in March, I started a workout regimen of weights and stair machine daily until May when I began twice-daily workouts.

Then on May 15th, the U.S. State Department issued the following warning for Kenya:

"Terrorist actions may include suicide operations, bombings, or kidnappings," the statement said. "U.S. citizens should be aware of the risk of indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets in public places including tourist sites, American commercial interests, and other sites where westerners are known to congregate."

That same day British Airways suspended all flights into Nairobi because of specific threats against the airline. Since Margaret and Stig were flying on BA, they cancelled their trip a few days later.

Teresa and I talked about the risks then decided that since we were flying Emirates, an Arab airline, the travel risks were minimal and since we probably wouldn't put the effort into getting into climbing shape again - and since we didn't want to get all of the necessary vaccinations again (yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis, tetanus, and a few others), it was now or never.
We decided to go.

Then the real fun began.

Packing for this type of trip is daunting because of the temperature extremes; you begin with days of 80 degree F in the rain and end with days below zero in the snow.

All of our warm-weather clothes were already in Singapore so I packed the rain and cold-weather gear, medications (AMS preventative (Diamox) and anti-malarial (Malarone), protein-rich power bars and left for Singapore through Tokyo on the 17th of June on an All Nippon Airlines 777.

In order to be allowed into Singapore in the aftermath of the SARS epidemic, all arriving passengers walk through a temperature-sensing detector as soon as you exit the plane at Chiangi Airport. They let me in the country.

The next morning we met with PacWest to finalize all of the details.

We also agreed to accept another person on our trek whose companions had backed out at the last minute.

We started the course of anti-malarial treatment today.

It will continue once a day until seven days after we leave Africa.

There was a flurry of activity for the next 24 hours, consolidating everything in three duffel bags in order to leave late on June 19 for the Emirates Airline flight to Nairobi through Dubai.

We met Ajeet, the newest membe r of our group, at Chiangi when we checked in at 1a.m. He was a pleasant, easy-going 25-year-old Singapore Airlines pilot from Hyderabad, India.

Our scheduled plane on Emirates Airlines had arrived in Singapore from Perth, Australia around midnight.

With a short layover, the flight was to continue to Dubai. But this was not to be the case. Evidently, several passengers decided to have a few drinks at an airport lounge, had a few too many, and were not allowed back on the plane.
We were delayed until 3:30 a.m. while they off-loaded their bags.

Two meals, two movies and seven hours later, we landed in the United Arab Emirates.

The airport in Dubai is like a large, suburban U.S. shopping mall with everything from McDonalds to Gucci.

I bought a watch with altimeter, barometer, thermometer, and compass functions, with which I immediately proceeded to annoy my wife.

In order to get my money's worth out of this device, I continued this behavior for most of the next nine days until even I did not care how many feet above sea level I was.

We boarded Emirates again for the four-hour flight to Nairobi, Kenya, but unfortunately Teresa's bag missed the connecting flight which we did not find out about until we landed.

Given that there were few Westerners on the plane, we didn't give much thought to the U.S. State Department warnings to American citizens flying into East Africa.

After an uneventful flight, there was no fancy thermal imaging device to screen for SARS in Nairobi. The three of us from Singapore were taken into a room where our temperatures were taken by thermometer. All passed.

Teresa signed all of the necessary forms about her lost luggage with assurances from the Emirates staff that they would expedite getting the bag back to her as soon as possible.

After a U.S. $50 immigration visa fee, we found our PacWest van for the ride into the center of Nairobi to the hotel that the agency had booked us into.

As we got closer to the city center, the traffic congestion worsened. There were stoplights on the street corners, but according to our driver, none of them worked due to the corruption of the last government.

In an hour we arrived at the Parkside Hotel - not plush, but comfortable with two single beds, a table with a small mirror, a bathroom with shower and a western-style toilet, and breakfast cooked to order the next morning.

The State Department issued a second terrorist warning specific to the U.S. Embassy about three hours before we arrived. Again, impeccable timing since our hotel was right down the street.

I took a shower, went to bed at 5 p.m., and didn't get up until 6 a.m.
Teresa and Ajeet went out for pizza.

After a somewhat restful night, we squeezed onto a loaded bus at 8 a.m., with mostly locals for the five-hour trip to Arusha, where we would change to a van for the two-hour trip to Moshi.

We headed back toward the airport to pick up some freight and encountered the first of several police checkpoints - this beingthe only one in which they boarded and searched the bus.

By sitting in the front seats, we had a panoramic view of the countryside. I guess you could say this was the bus safari component of our trip.

We did see zebra, antelope-looking animals (maybe springbok), troops of baboons, 10-ft high anthills, and thousands of domestic animals being herded by Maasai boys in colorful red clothes who looked to be no older than eight years old.

Everyone had to get out at the border in order to go through immigration first in Kenya; then again 500 yards farther at Tanzania, where we had to have our luggage inspected and pay a U.S. $50 visa fee.

Baggage was reloaded on top of our bus and soon we were on our way at 80 m.p.h. to Arusha.

The roads were in remarkable shape, except for the ubiquitous teeth-rattling speed bumps.

We arrived in Arusha at the Mt. Meru Novotel Hotel, where we met our guide Joshua and the PacWest agent, Saidi, who transferred us to a van to complete the journey to Moshi.

This was where we met, Jo, a 22-year-old college student from York, England who was traveling around Africa for two months.

She had not booked her Kilimanjaro climb in advance and was asking Teresa about our itinerary.

Teresa invited her to join us if she liked.

Jo talked to Saidi, and after some negotiations became the last member of our trekking group.

The van was not nearly as comfortable as the bus but the trip wasn't nearly as long.

About halfway to Moshi the driver caught our attention and motioned to the left side of the road.

We didn't see anything at first, then he pointed up. There above the clouds was the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

All of the planning to this point has seemed like an academic exercise.
Everyone got quiet. I got chill bumps. All I could think about was the quote from Hemingway:

"...and Compie turned his head and grinned and pointed and there, ahead, all he could see, as wide as all the world,great, high, and unbelievably white in the sun, was the square top of Kilimanjaro." Hemingway, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, 1936.

No one had much to say the rest of the way into Moshi, a small town that is the staging point for most of the climbs up the southern slope of the mountain.
We checked into the Kindoroko Hotel, five-star compared to our hotel in Nairobi. It featured a rooftop restaurant with magnificent views of Mt. Kilimanjaro, cable TV, and an Internet café.

We met for dinner on the rooftop, where Saidi joined us for a final briefing on the climb.

Saidi told Teresa they had located her bag in Dubai and it would arrive in Arusha, where he would pick it up in time to begin the climb tomorrow.

Without her boots and cold weather clothes, there would be no reason to start the climb.

Contingencies were discussed. She could wear some of my warm-weather hiking gear for the first two days if she could find some boots.

Joshua came up with a pair of womens boots that fit Teresa perfectly; then we rented a few other items like poles and gloves.

We gave him our food requests: mostly vegetarian with some chicken and fish for protein.

Anxious to begin the trek, we turned in early.

Thinking that "this was the day," everyone was up early at the buffet breakfast of fruit, cereal, toast with peanut butter, juice, and tea.

We got everything packed and ready, then waited. And waited and waited.

No Saidi. The guides later in the morning told us that Teresa's bag never showed up. It was too late now to begin. Everyone was pretty upset.

To appease us, Saidi offered an afternoon hike to a waterfall near the Marangu Gate, which is another route up Mt. Kilimanjaro.

We reluctantly accepted, which probably was a mistake because it was a one-hour ride each way over bumpy roads to a waterfall that fell into the category of "if you have seen one, you have seen them all."

At the end of the day, we were more mentally than physically tired because of the long van ride.

So, another early turn-in following a dinner of fried rice and salad at the rooftop restaurant.

We watched cable TV through the mosquito netting for a few minutes before falling asleep (Ajeet said the next morning that he really enjoyed the Hindi movie playing; we were less enthused.)

I slept fitfully in anticipation of actually climbing tomorrow.

The next day, we were up at daybreak for a quick breakfast, and met the guides in the hotel lobby at 8:30 a.m., according to the schedule we were given by Saidi.

However, he did not show up until 10:30 a.m. with some vague excuse about the bank much to everyone's chagrin.

Additionally, he did not have Teresa's bag, but promised us it would be brought up the mountain by the end of our second day.

At this point we had little confidence in anything he said, but when Teresa used her cell phone to call Emirates in Dubai, they assured her that what Saidi was telling her was true.

Beginning The Ascent June 23.

So, finally, on June 23, 2003, at 11 a.m., we loaded everything in a 12-passenger van to begin the ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro via the Machame route.
Even though the rainy season ended in May, the roads were in very bad shape with deep muddy ruts still very slippery from yesterday's rain.

We got about five miles from Machame Gate, began sliding and ended up in a two-foot ditch.

A four-wheel drive Land Rover which had been behind us towed us out but we promptly got stuck again within 100 yards.

Everyone got out thinking we would have to trudge the remaining distance on foot, but our guide convinced the driver of the Land Rover, which had an open back, to ferry us the rest of the way.

The road got worse as we bounced from side to side.

Nonetheless, at noon we arrived at Machame Gate (5,900 ft.) to begin the first leg of our climb which would take about seven hours to hike the 11 miles through the tropical forest to Machame Camp (9,850 ft.).

Even though large animals are mostly gone from the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro, in the rainforest you can hear Colobus and Sykes monkeys, birds (tropical boubou, and maybe a hornbill or two), and a myriad of insects.

A couple of times we saw various droppings along the path which we found out later could have been from some of the cat family (civets, feral cats, or leopards).

Our party consisted of two guides, Joshua and Fideli, one cook, eight porters, and the four of us.

It was about 75 degrees Farenheit with a light mist falling.

Teresa was able to cobble together enough gear to last her until her bag arrived at Shira Camp.

Because of the mud, everyone had shorts on with gaiters, a heavy cloth covering for your leg extending from your shoe to your knee.

About one-half mile into the hike, a park ranger from the gate caught up to us.
Apparently, we had failed to sign the Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park official register.

We all signed names, passports, home countries, tour company name, guide's name, and age.

Teresa wasn't real happy about the last category. But it was interesting to read details of your fellow climbers. Most were Europeans in their 20s and 30s with a few in their 60s.

The first quarter of the trail was easy. A little slope but not much mud and just a mist falling.

As she walked, Teresa got warm and made the mistake of taking off her gaiters because soon thereafter the rains came, the trail became a bog, and the fun ceased immediately. The hike became a hopscotch from one rock and one submersed log to another.

If you missed you sank up to your knees in mud, as Teresa found out.
We stopped at 2:30 p.m. for a bagged lunch of chicken, hard-boiled egg, peanut butter sandwich, chocolate bar, and orange.

The rest of the day was just a slog through the rain and mist as the terrain steepened. The rainforest canopy kept most of the light out, so by 6 p.m. it was getting dark and turning considerably cooler.

The last hour was very unpleasant as it was cold, almost completely dark, and everyone was soaked by this time.

We heard the raucous welcome caws of the white-naped ravens before we saw the camp. These scavenging mountain crows would greet us at every camp except the arctic Crater Camp.

We got to Machame Camp about 7:15 p.m., signed the camp register, and changed out of our wet clothes.

Even though we had encountered only two other hikers along the trail today, there were probably 15 other groups camping at Machame Camp who had left earlier in the morning than we did.

The porters had gone ahead to set up camp and had everything waiting for us with two 6'x5' tents for sleeping and one 10'x10' mess tent with a table and four aluminum camp chairs.

By the time the dinner of noodles, chicken, and the daily soup was served at 9:30 p.m., everyone was tired but still able to joke about the day's hike.

At this level (about 10,000 ft.) altitude can pose problems for climbers.

High Altitude: 5,000 - 11,500 ft
Very High Altitude: 11,500 - 18,000 ft
Extreme Altitude: above 18,000 ft

Typical symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness or hypoxic distress
(decreasing oxygen) include loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue/weakness, dizziness/lightheadedness, headaches, and difficulty sleeping.

None of us had any major altitude problems so far, although any physical exertion had a noticeable effect on our breathing.

Today was a pretty easy day for me, but since Teresa got completely soaked early in the day and never warmed up, she was exhausted after dinner and immediately fell asleep.

She very seldom snores but because of the high-altitude physical demands of this climb, she started snoring the first night and did not stop until we were back in Moshi six days later.

What I found out that night was that I do not sleep in tents, especially tents at altitude: everything was damp.

I felt claustrophobic and unable to catch my breath inside the sleeping bag inside the tent, and there was no way to get comfortable when your feet and head were touching the wet tent.

And not least, I was busy establishing a classification system for Teresa's snoring (tonight it was snorus whinus, or if your are using the British system, snorus whingus).
HC Angels Open With 4-3 Win

By DOUG FOR D| G-V Staff Writer

April Francis, Jill Trickey and Emily Conner had RBI hits, and Trickey, Jamilia Smith and Allison Thaxton pitched a combined three-hitter, as the Halifax National Dixie Angels all-stars edged Mississippi 4-3 Saturday in its opening game of the Dixie Angels World Series in Muscle Shoals, Al.

Halifax National played its second game of the World Series last night against Louisiana.

Jill Trickey, Jamilia Smith and Allison Thaxton each pitched two innings, allowing a total of three hits, while allowing only two walks.

Jamilia Smith, Conner, Vaughan and Francis collected hits for Halifax, but the big damage was done via the walk.

Halifax drew 10 walks, with walked batters accounting for three of the four runs, while a hit batsman accounted for the final run.

"We showed a lot of patience at the plate, and we swung at good pitches," said Halifax Manager Tony Conner.

"We averaged five pitches per batter, and we played excellent defense overall, with Brittany Long making a double play in the first inning."

Conner drew a walk and eventually scored on Vaughan's hit in the second.
In the third, Kelsey White and Samantha Osborne drew walks, Jamilia Smith advanced them with a sacrifice bunt, and Trickey followed with an RBI hit.

Mississippi used a walk, base hit and error to even the score in the fourth inning, before Halifax National took the lead for good in the fifth.

Jamilia Smith and Long walked to lead off the inning, with Conner's hit driving in the third run of the game for Halifax.

Halifax National scored an insurance run in the sixth inning.

Vaughan was hit by a pitch to start the inning, White drew a walk, and April Francis singled for a 4-2 lead.

Mississippi used a leadoff single, a walk, and another single to cut the deficit to 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth, but couldn't push the tying run across.

Obituaries

Edith Loftis Satterfield

Edith Loftis Satterfield, 84, of 200 Monroe Street, South Boston died July 31 at Halifax Regional Hospital.

Mrs. Satterfield was born in Halifax County on May 7, 1919, the daughter of William Andrew Loftis and Sara Ollie Loftis and was married to Osborne Robert Satterfield. She was a founding member and Sunday school teacher of Ash Avenue Baptist Church. She was also a member of the Tuesday Woman’s Club.

Survivors include one son and daughter-in-law, Bob and Sue Satterfield of Afton; two sisters, Bertha Gravitt and Dorothy Brown, both of South Boston; two granddaughters, Shannon Kanner of Dahlonega, Ga. and Laine Satterfield Boise of Idaho; one grandson, Tuck Satterfield of Durham, N.C.; and one great-granddaughter, Elyse Kanner of Dahlonega. Mrs. Satterfield was preceded in death by four brothers, Andrew, Jack, Dan and Roy Loftis.
Funeral services were held August 3 at 3 p.m. at Ash Avenue Baptist Church with the Rev. John Eure officiating. Burial followed in Oak Ridge Cemetery.

Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Ash Avenue Baptist Church, 900 Ash Avenue, South Boston, 24592.

William Edward ‘John’ Stevens

William Edward ‘John’ Stevens, 76, of Danville died August 1 at Danville Regional Medical Center.

Mr. Stevens was born May 25, 1927, in Halifax County the son of Claude Stevens and Nadie Huffman Stevens.

He was employed with Dan River Mills for 25 years and was a member of Arbor Baptist Church. Mr. Stevens was a Veteran of the US Army during WWII serving with the Military Police in Germany.

Survivors include three daughters, Martha Payne and her husband, William of Richmond, Carolyn Jane Stevens of Lawrenceville and Donna Ruth Stevens of Ringgold; two sons, Danny Edward Stevens and his wife, Mary, of Danville, and Matthew Sterling Stevens and wife, Cathy, of Alton; one sister, Mabel Bowen of Virgilina; grandchildren, Ann Stevens Adams, Amanda Stevens, Alyesa Stevens, William Payne IV, Stephanie Payne McGriffin, Clarence Thompson and Rebecca Stevens; and his great-grandchildren, Morgan Thompson, Madison Payne, Caleb Adams, Jody Adams and William Adams. Mr. Stevens was preceded in death by one son, William Edward Stevens Jr.

Services were held August 3 at 4 p.m. at Swicegood Funeral Home Chapel in Danville with the Rev. Averette Witcher officiating. Burial with military rites followed in Arbor Baptist Church Cemetery in Halifax County.

Ollie S. Taylor

A funeral service will be held for Ollie S. Taylor of Mechanicsville at 11 a.m. Tuesday, August 5, at Nelsen Funeral Home.

Interment will be at Washington Memorial Park.

Mrs. Taylor, 84, died Saturday, August 2.

She is survived by her husband of 64 years, Howard J. Taylor Sr., a son Howard J. Taylor Jr. and his wife, Brenda, two grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren, as well as a host of nieces, nephews and friends.

Mrs. Taylor was retired from the American Tobacco Company, and was a member of Antioch Baptist Church.

The family will receive friends on Monday from 2-4 p.m. as well as from 6-8 p.m. at the Nelsen Funeral Home.

Wilford Wright Whitlow

Wilford Wright Whitlow, 60, of 218 Easley Street, South Boston died July 30 at Halifax Regional Hospital.

Mr. Whitlow was born in Person County, N.C. on February 4, 1943, the son of Amos Thomas Whitlow and Lucie W. Gravitt and was married to Althea Adams Whitlow. He was a member of Second Baptist Church, and was a self-employed dry wall contractor.

Survivors include his wife; his mother; one son, Wilford A. ‘Tony’ Whitlow and his wife, Shelia, of Virgilina; one daughter, Tamra W. Whitt and her husband, Kevin, of Virgilina; three grandsons, William ‘Will’ Whitlow, Andrew Whitlow and Daniel Whitt; two granddaughters, Sara Whitt and Grace Whitt; and a special niece, Donna W. Francis and family of South Boston. Mr. Whitlow was preceded in death by his father; two brothers, Charles Whitlow and Kenneth Gravitt; and one sister, Judy Newcomb.

Funeral services for Mr. Whitlow were held August 2 at 2 p.m. at Brooks Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Jim Smith and Ricky Whitlow officiating. Burial followed in the Jones Family Cemetery in Virgilina.

Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Central Virginia Chapter, 3805 Cutshaw Avenue, #212, Richmond, 23230.