Steady Weekend Rains Put Dent In Drought

Steady rains Saturday and Sunday helped put a small dent in the drought Halifax County has been experiencing throughout the entire year.
According to a spokesman at the South Boston Water Treatment Plant, 1.33 inches of rain fell here over the weekend.
Anita Silverman of the National Weather Service in Blacksburg said the area has shown an almost 11 inch deficit since Jan. 1, 2007.
Halifax County ended the year 10.99 inches below normal, she confirmed.
Area residents welcomed the steady rain, with National Weather Service officials reporting 1.25 inches in a 24-hour period ending Sunday at midnight.
“The drought of 2007 is considered by many experts to be a continuation of the 1998 through 2002 drought,” according to Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent William H. McCaleb.
“The drought of 2007 is minor compared to what our ancestors experienced in 1896-97 and other periods dating back to 1607,” he said referring to information gained through NOAA, The Cato Institute and The National Science Foundation.

Washington Coleman Future Up For Discussion Monday

The future of Washington Coleman Elementary School property will be up for discussion Monday night when the Halifax County Board of Supervisors holds a public hearing.
The hearing is set for 6:30 p.m. in the second floor meeting room of the Mary Bethune Complex in Halifax.
The Washington Coleman property is one of the closed elementary school properties that recently was turned back to the county by the Halifax County School Board.
When South Boston Town Council donated land for construction of the new South Boston Elementary School on property the town owned off Hamilton Boulevard, a gentleman’s agreement called for the Washington-Coleman property to be turned back over to the town.
Late last year, school board members voted to return the surplus property to the county with the recommendation that it be given to the town.
However, a public hearing must be conducted to receive citizen comments before that transfer can take place.

Halifax County Trash Off To Mecklenburg Regional Landfill

By Dallas K. Weston
Special To The Gazette-Virginian
The new regional landfill serving Halifax, Charlotte and Mecklenburg counties has opened at a cost of roughly $6 million -- the result of more than five years work requiring cooperation from three counties.
Mecklenburg County Administrator Wayne Carter said late last month that although a few minor details had to be taken care of, everything seemed to be falling into place and the regional landfill, permit number 598 opened as scheduled.
Carter explained that because of new, more stringent environmental regulations handed down earlier in this decade, the old Mecklenburg landfill had to be closed.
“Under the new regulations,” explained Carter, “the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is closing down all unlined municipal landfills in the state. We were in the first group. We had to close out ours as of December 31. So did Halifax.”
The fact that Halifax was in the same position as Mecklenburg brought the two counties together to investigate the possibility of the two localities saving money by building one landfill.
“Back around 2002, Joe Morgan, who was then the county administrator for Halifax County, and I started talking about the possibilities,” explained Carter. “We brought in Town Manager Ted Daniel from South Boston.”
The town, explained Carter, “was operating the landfill for Halifax. We thought it could be a viable regional project, and we went to Charlotte County. They had closed their landfill in 1993 and both of us, Halifax and Mecklenburg, had been partnering with them to take some of their waste. The three county administrators, R.B. Clark in Charlotte County, Joe Morgan and I each went back to our boards of supervisors with the idea of a regional landfill.”
According to Carter, studies indicated that not only would the economy of scale make it cheaper for each of the counties taking part in the project, but finding funding for a regional effort presented fewer problems than finding funding for individual projects.
“Funding for the project was done through the Virginia Resources Authority,” said Carter. “It’s a group which lends money to localities and authorities for these sorts of projects all across Virginia.”
With a single landfill serving three counties, location was one of the earliest items that had to be decided.
“There were several sites under consideration,” admitted Carter. “Halifax had a permit for their closed landfill. The three boards thought that locations were something that should be investigated, and members were appointed to discuss it in much more depth.”
The three counties sent out requests for proposals from both engineering and financial firms. The firms selected then began crunching numbers to determine what site would be the most feasible.
According to Carter, the numbers showed that the Mecklenburg site would be the better choice because figures indicated that because of size and other factors, the Mecklenburg site would have a longer operational life span and would therefore be the most cost effective site for a Subtitle D landfill.
“The name Subtitle D comes from the section of code that refers to the construction requirements of the landfill,” explained Carter. “Subtitle D landfills are lined and in complete compliance with Environmental Protection Agency Regulations.”
The first cell of the regional landfill is, according to Carter, 10.8 acres and features a two-foot clay liner. On top of the clay sits a 60 mil poly liner and on top of that is a geotextile liner. Over the liner lays 12 inches of stone topped with six inches of cover material. The reason for the stone, said Carter, is to allow leachate or runoff to be collected.
The cell is sloped down to insure proper drainage and the leachate is then collected and pumped into a 500,000 gallon glass lined steel tank.
“It’s a state of the art facility,” said Carter.
The landfill is located six-tenths of a mile from Highway 92 near Boydton. “It’s not an eyesore,” said Carter. “That’s why we moved it back from the state road. And,” he added, “there are buffers in place on all sides of the property.”
Although the project is a joint venture between the three counties, each locality will be charged a tipping fee of $29.50 per ton, based on the original estimates from financial consultants and engineers.
Under the terms of the agreement among the counties, each locality will be responsible for residential wastes delivered to the landfill. Business and industrial customers will have separate charges.
Projections set the waste, based on population, to be at 45 percent for Halifax, 40 percent from Mecklenburg and 15 percent from Charlotte.
Carter said that despite the size of the project, there were no major problems in the construction.
“We’ve been very pleased with the job done by the construction company, Thalle of Hillsborough, N.C. They were able to bring the job in on time and budget. And,” added Carter, “we had a very ambitious construction schedule to start with because of the deadline for closing the existing landfills.”

Obituaries

Bernard Lacy King Jr.
Bernard Lacy King Jr., 59, of Gretna died December 28, 2007, at Berry Hill Nursing Home.
Mr. King was born December 29, 1947, in Pittsylvania County the son of Willie Clay Murphy of Gretna and the late Bernard Lacy King Sr. He was a former employee of Klopman and a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.
In addition to his mother Mr. King is survived by his stepfather, Melvin Murphy.
Graveside services were held at 11 a.m. December 31, at Mulberry Baptist Church Cemetery by the Rev. Michael Davis.

The Year In Sports

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff Writer
The past year in sports had something for everyone, with seminal moments in a wide range of sports at levels ranging from youth recreation to professional. Following are some of the top stories not necessarily in order of importance.
Comets Softball Makes State AAA Quarterfinals
The Comets varsity softball team won the Western Valley District Tournament championship and won two additional games in advancing to the quarterfinals of the State AAA Tournament.
Halifax blanked arch-rival Franklin County 6-0 in the district tournament championship game and defeated North Stafford in extra innings (3-0) and Battlefield (1-0) to advance to the state quarterfinals.
The Comets lost 4-3 in eight innings to Osbourn in the Northwest Regional championship game before a 8-5 loss to Robinson in the state quarterfinals ended the Comets’ 19-5 season.
Comets shortstop Lashunda Davis was a First Team, All-Western Valley District selection, Co-MVP for the Northwest Region and was also a Second Team All-Group AAA selection.
Davis signed a full grant-in aid to play Division I softball at Longwood University later in the year.
Comets varsity softball head coach Melanie Saunders was named Coach of the Year for the Western Valley District.
Comets Golf Makes
Regionals
The Comets golf team had one of its best seasons in many years, finishing as the Western Valley District Runnerup and qualifying for the regionals for the first time in many years.
Comets Track Has Strong Indoor, Outdoor Season
Patrick Terry, Cory Jackson and Stacey Hamlett each won district titles in indoor track in 2007, Terry and Hamlett in the 55-meter dash, and Jackson the shot put. Terry went on to finish fifth in the 55-meter dash at the Group AAA State Indoor Track Meet.
Hamlett, Jackson and Erick Mosley won the 100-meter dash, shot put and 400-meter run for the Comets in the Western Valley District Outdoor Track Meet in the spring.
Marteia Ferrell set a personal best in the triple jump at the Northwest Regional Outdoor Track Meet in 2007, good enough to qualify her for the State AAA Meet.
Comets Football Players Take Next Step
Alonzo Coleman, former record-setting running back for Halifax County and Hampton University, signed a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League, and is now on the practice squad.
Coleman finished his collegiate career as the all-time leading rusher for Hampton University and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Former Comets standouts Cory Jackson and Patrick Terry also signed to play Division I-AA or 1-A football, Jackson at the University of Richmond and Terry at Virginia Tech, while Comets linebacker Stephens gave a verbal commitment to play at Virginia Tech.
Former Comets standout wide receiver Mark Ferrell signed on to play football at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, another I-A school.
Up And Down Year For Jeffress
Jeremy Jeffress, former standout pitcher for the Comets baseball team and first-round draft choice of the Milwaukee Brewers, was promoted to the West Virginia Power, the Class A affiliate of the Brewers in 2007.
Jeffress had a stellar season on the mound only to have off-field problems take a little luster off his accomplishments.
Jeffress was suspended for 50 games by Major League baseball officials after testing positive for a “drug of abuse” in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
Tisha Waller Track & Field Dedicated
Two-time Olympian and Halifax County native Tisha Waller was the guest of honor at a ceremony officially dedicating the Tisha Waller Track and Field facility in April.
Waller is a two-time Olympian, participating in both the 1996 and 2004 Olympic Games, and is a five-time USA outdoor and indoor champion.
She is currently an educational consultant with Harcourt School Publishers.
Four Inducted Into Sports Hall Of Fame
The Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame inducted four new members in 2007.
Scooter Dunn, a standout baseball player and coach, Donald Testerman, standout running back at the high school, collegiate and professional level, race track owner, promoter and prominent Dixie Youth baseball coach Mason C. Day Jr., and football, basketball and baseball standout, the late Sanford Ray “Dock” Ballou, were inducted.
Former Comets Help DCC To State Baseball Crown
Three former Comets baseball players helped Danville Community College win its third state baseball championship in 2007.
Ryan Roller of Scottsburg, and Chris Perkins and Tyler Clarke, both of South Boston, were among the team members recognized at the end of the season for their contributions to the run to the state title.
Two Tracks Celebrate 50 Years Of Racing
Both South Boston Speedway and VIRginia International Raceway celebrated their 50th anniversaries in 2007.
Several special events highlighted the celebration at South Boston Speedway, culminating in a reunion of some of the best race drivers and other notables from the first half century.
The track hosted its first-ever Grand National Division Busch East Series race, along with a pair of Hooter’s ProCup races, along with the NASCAR weekly racing series competition.
Track champions included Adam Barker in the Late Model Stock Car Division , Bruce Anderson in the Limited Sportsman, Chuck Watkins in the Pure Stock and Randy Smith in the Southern Vintage Modified divisions.
Wayne Ramsey, second to Barker in the final Late Model points standings, capped a late-season surge with a win in the season-ending SoBo 300 Late Model Stock Car race.
South Boston Speedway hosted its first NASCAR East Series race in May, with Matt Kobyluck holding off former South Boston Speedway Late Model Stock Car and NASCAR Weekly Series national champion Peyton Sellers for the win.
The track also hosted two Hooters ProCup Northern Division ProCup races, with Bobby Gill winning the April race and Jeff Agnew the August race.
Gary St. Amant locked up the Northern Division points title and Brandon Ward the rookie points title in the August ProCup race.
Also competing at South Boston Speedway were racers in the Halifax County Public Schools karting program, with five division winners named, including Jenna Elliott, Brittany Crews, Austin Thaxton, Brent Younger and Matthew Wilborn.
Motorsports Academy Continues Growth
The Halifax County Motorsports Academy kicked into high gear in 2007, with Farm Bureau Insurance sponsoring the Chevrolet driven by Terri Marks in the Limited Sportsman Division at South Boston Speedway.
Marks drove half the 2007 season out of the Motorsports Academy stable and will return for a full season in 2008.
She finished sixth in the Limited Sportsman points, just two points out of fifth place, while rookie driver George Spencer of Halifax, a Motorsports Academy student, finished tenth in the division standings.
Motorsports Academy students had the opportunity to earn a varsity letter in Motorsports in 2007 for the first time.
VIR Is 50 Years Young
Virginia International Raceway celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007 with an expanded number of spectator events, including the popular Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superbike Championships, Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series VIR 400 and the GT Live/KONI Challenge Series Weekend.
The annual Gold Cup Historic Races also celebrated VIR’s 50th anniversary with legendary car builder Carroll Shelby and noted auto racing journalist and broadcaster Chris Economaki making an appearance at the famed track.
Winners of the major races at VIR in 2007 included the driving team of Max Angelilli and Jan Magnussen in the VIR 400 Rolex Series Race in April.
Mat Mladin swept both AMA Superbike races at VIR in August, while the Turner Motorsports team of Bill Auberlen, Chris Gleason, Joey Hand and Don Salama won the six-hour KONI Challenge Series Sport Series race at VIR in October.
The Automatic Racing Team of Jep Thornton, Jeff Segal and Nick Longhi wrapped up both the driver and series title in the same race.
Another addition in 2007 was Stock Car Test Day in which fans were able to watch top NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers test at the track for the first time.
Jeff Burton Makes Chase, Ward Makes
Changes
South Boston native Jeff Burton made the NASCAR Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship in 2007, finishing in eighth-place.
The Richard Childress Racing driver had one win - April 15 at the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway - along with nine top five and 19 top ten finishes in 36 starts.
He won the season-ending Ford 300 NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division race at Homestead, Florida, clinching the NASCAR Busch Series Owner’s Title for Richard Childress Racing.
It was his fifth win of the season and 27th career NASCAR Busch Series win.
Burton was also named the 2007 Person of the Year by NASCAR Illustrated for his efforts both on and off the track.
As part of the honor, Old Spice has agreed to donate $5,000 to Duke Children’s Hospital in his name. To congratulate Burton for the award, AT&T has matched the donation with $5,000 contribution of their own to the hospital.
Burton is an advocate for improved driver safety and a top supporter of Duke Children’s Hospital.
Ward Burton and Morgan-McClure Motorsports parted company in 2007, putting the racing future of the 2002 Daytona 500 winner in limbo.
Burton, who made his debut in the No. 4 MMM Chevrolet at Martinsville in October 2006, made the field for nine races in 2007.
His best finish came with an 18th place effort in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway early in the Nextel Cup season.
Burton and MMM parted ways just prior to the season’s final race at Homestead, Florida, leaving Burton to pursue possible options in 2008.
Coaching Changes At HCHS
Head coaching changes were made in 2007 at Halifax County High School in football and basketball.
Stan Hodgin replaced John Lacy Harris as head varsity football coach for the Comets, while Lynn Ramage replaced Ron Parson as head varsity basketball coach.
Battling a number of injuries to key players, the Comets varsity football team still finished with a 6-4 record for the 2007 season.
Ramage’s Comets varsity basketball team finished the 2007 portion of its schedule with an 8-3 record.
High School Teams Excel
Comets teams excelled on the diamond, the football field and the volleyball court in 2007.
Comets baseball had its share of ups and downs in 2007, but still finished with a 11-8 record in the regular season, including a 4-4 mark in the district.
Halifax first baseman Justin Bagbey capped an outstanding season by being named to the first teams of both the Western Valley District and Northwest Region.
Bagbey was also a Honorable Mention choice for the All-Group AAA baseball squad.
The Comets varsity volleyball team had perhaps its best season ever, going 10-0 against non-district teams and winning four matches in the Western Valley District regular season.
The Comets capped their 15-7 season by advancing to the semifinals of the district tournament.
Luck, McCollum
Shine In Tennis
Shanna Luck won the Western Valley District singles tennis championship for the Comets in 2007, while the doubles team of Luck and Sarah Bradford McCollum also qualified for regional competition with a second-place finish in the district tournament.
More Championships For Halifax County
Middle School
Halifax County Middle School racked up championships in several sports in 2007, beginning with the girls’ basketball team in February and continuing in the spring with conference and tournament titles in baseball.
The championship bonanza continued in the fall with regular season and tournament titles in golf, conference and tournament titles in volleyball, and another championship in football.
Melyse Brown, a standout in both basketball and track, was named the winner of the H.A. Dillard Award, given each year to the top athlete at the middle school.
County Golf Winners
Halifax Country Club regained the Men’s County Cup in September after a one-year absence, and also won the Lady’s County Cup for the second year in a row.
Green’s Folly avoided a sweep as its Senior County Cup team overtook Halifax Country Club on the final day to win the Senior County Cup.
It was a big year for the Lumsden family at Halifax Country Club, with mother Linda taking the Ladies Club Championship and son, Nick the Mens Club Championship.
At Green’s Folly Golf Club, Kay Burton took the Ladies championship and Jimmy Clay won the Men’s Championship.
Two Dixie All-Star Teams Advance To World Series
Halifax County sent one Dixie Softball all-star team and one Dixie Boys all-star team to the World Series in 2007.
The Halifax County Dixie Softball American Belles all-star team won its second straight state tournament title and represented Virginia in the Dixie Belles World Series.
The Halifax County Dixie Junior Boys all-star team also made a strong post-season run, capturing the Virginia state title and making an appearance in the Dixie Junior Boys World Series.
Halifax County hosted its share of Dixie Baseball and Softball tournaments this past year, including the Dixie Majors and Pre-Majors State Baseball Tournaments, the Dixie Belles, Ponytails, Angels and Darlings Softball District 7 tournaments, and the District 4 Dixie Boys Baseball Tournament.
AAU Hoops Teams Win Gold Medals
Two Halifax County-based AAU basketball teams came away with Gold Medals at the 2007 Coventry Commonwealth Games in Roanoke.
The Halifax County Heat AAU 15 and Under boys basketball team won all five of its games to take the Gold Medal, while the South Boston Lady Storm 15 and Under girls basketball team also went undefeated (4-0) in bringing home the gold.
Bowling Hall Of Fame Inducts Two
The South Boston Bowling Hall of Fame inducted two new members in 2007. Long-time bowling standouts Richard “Ricky” Hutcherson and Jeanette Ingram were honored for their contributions to their sport both on and off the lanes.
YMCA 5K Winners
The Halifax County-South Boston YMCA crowned two new winners in the Seventh Annual YMCA 5K race in June.
Chris Irby of South Boston recorded his first YMCA 5K overall win in the men’s division, while Reba Slivka of Danville finished first in the women’s division.
Holland, Newcomb
Continue Powerlifting Exploits
Halifax County powerlifters Tommy Holland and Doug Newcomb, each previous winners of World Championships in their respective age and weight classes, continued to excel in 2007.