Monday, January 03, 2005

Jubilee Day One For Celebration, Reflection

Lewis Wilson Receives Cora Tucker Award

Lewis Wilson has traveled many places during his career as a professional truck driver, but none so special as his destination Saturday.

Wilson, a Nathalie resident and member of the National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People (NAACP) for over a half century, received the prestigious Cora C. Tucker Annual Award Saturday at the annual NAACP Jubilee Day Service at Banister Hill Baptist Church.

The award is given in honor of the late Cora C. Tucker, a well-known civil rights activist who was influential in registration of African-American voters in Halifax County.

In presenting the award to Wilson, the Rev. Roger Ford, president of the South Boston-Halifax County branch of the NAACP, praised Wilson for his dedication to the civil rights movement, as well as his perseverance in voter registration drives.

Wilson remembered the hardships he and his parents faced, and had a message for the youth of today.

“We’ve come a long way, baby," said Wilson. “In reference to young people, you ought to appreciate the privileges you have now and do the best you can to preserve and take care of them.

“If you don’t remember the past, it may come back to haunt you."

Jubilee Day was originally the idea of former NAACP Executive Director Benjamin Hooks, who suggested in the 1970s that all branches of the organization come together on New Year’s Day for a family day of worship and praise, and to thank God for their freedom, according to the Rev. Roger Ford, president of the South Boston-Halifax County NAACP.

The themes of celebration and reflection were reflected throughout the service, with the sermon delivered by the Rev. Carl B. Hutcherson Jr., Mayor of Lynchburg, Va., and music by the New Vernon Male Chorus.

Celebration and reflection were also key themes in the sermon delivered by the Rev. Hutcherson, who serves as Mayor of the City of Lynchburg Mayor and pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church, which he founded.

“There is a right time for everything," said the Rev. Hutcherson in quoting scripture from Ecclesiastes.

Hutcherson indicated now is the right time for youth to be reminded of the sacrifices made by those in the civil rights movement.

“We need to teach and remind young people about the struggles we’ve been through to bring them to this point, and the trials we’ve faced along the way," said Hutcherson.

 

HEC, Tobacco Top Hogan’s GA Agenda

BY Keith Strange
G-V STAFF WRITER

Establishing a Halifax County higher education center and maintaining the economic viability of small tobacco manufacturers will highlight Del. Clarke Hogan’s agenda when the Virginia General Assembly convenes on January 12.

“These are two issues that I think are a big deal for our community,” Hogan said yesterday.

Following passage of resolutions supporting the creation of a state-funded higher education center at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) from the Board of Supervisors and the town councils of South Boston and Halifax, Hogan said he feels there is sufficient community support to introduce the legislation.

“What we’re trying to do is a pretty bold step,” he said. “Having (the SVHEC) established as a stand-alone center will give us the flexibility to provide the kind of educational programming we really need and hold it at a local level.”

Hogan said he was “cautiously optimistic” the legislation designating the SVHEC a higher education center will pass but said securing state funding, estimated at around $1 million per year, would be a battle.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty in the higher education community right now, so we could run into some problems getting the center established because of forces beyond our control and not of our making,” the delegate said. “But I’m committed to doing what it takes to get the center funded and established.”

Similar centers are already in operation in Roanoke and Abingdon, “so we’re not trying to do something that hasn’t already been done in the state," Hogan said.

“I’ve been talking to some people on the money committees over the last several months to try to get it moved along but at the end of the day, I think it will be a struggle," he added. “We’ll get the center established, but the funding piece will be tough."

Battling For Small Cigarette Manufacturers

Hogan also said he expects a bill killed during last year’s General Assembly session to resurface.

House Bill 862 was an effort to make small manufacturers pay a share of the Master Settlement Agreement in 46 states while not getting the benefits of a national sales structure.

Opponents of the measure were able to halt the legislation procedurally before the full General Assembly could vote on the measure.

“The whole issue is coming back this session," Hogan said yesterday.

“What I want to do is make sure we maintain a legal situation whereby the small tobacco companies like S&M Brands, Virginia Brands and Cherokee Tobacco remain economically viable and competitive," he said.

Hogan said last year’s legislation was actually written by Philip Morris in a de facto move to force small manufacturers out of business.

“All this bill amounts to is shipping 500 jobs from Southside to foreign countries.

“It’s a pretty big deal for our community," he said. “The bottom line is a bunch of small cigarette manufacturers are operating under a legal statute and Philip Morris is behind a push to change the statute so the smaller companies can’t survive.

“The proposition that Philip Morris is pushing is called ‘allocable share’ and forces these small manufacturers to pay into a fund to settle a lawsuit they weren’t a part of. Depending on how the payments are structured it could cost as much as an additional $5.60 per carton and that puts these small manufacturers at a disadvantage.

“Foreign importers aren’t subject to these taxes and could use the domestic tax to drive the small manufacturers out of business," Hogan said. “This will have major ramifications for our area and quite frankly, these small cigarette manufacturers offer us the only chance we have to maintain any of our tobacco industry.

“Without them, it will be the end of it," he added.

Clearing Up Murky Revenue Forecasts

The Halifax County delegate said he would co-patron legislation to make revenue forecasts more accurate.

Hogan said the current surplus, announced just months after Governor Warner predicted the state would lose its bond rating without a tax increase, was the result of a manipulation of the revenue forecast.

“Last December, (Governor Mark) Warner came down to The Prizery with his graphs and spreadsheets and said that if we didn’t raise taxes the state would be in a mess and lose its bond rating," Hogan said, “and those of us who were skeptical of the forecast didn’t understand the economics.

“We were dismissed as a bunch of crazies and here we are six months later with more money than we were thinking we would have in the first place."

Hogan said the surplus the state currently enjoys isn’t the result of the tax increases passed in last year’s budget session.

“One of the reasons we were against the tax increase is we could see those numbers," he said. “I think the governor has understated the surplus and we have even more money that currently advertised.

“The bottom line is when you manipulate the forecasting to justify a tax increase, you undermine the way the government works.

“There will be some bills this session to open up this forecast to the public and legislature," Hogan added. “We need access to these numbers in a transparent way that aren’t manipulated. If we don’t get that changed, you’ll continue to see these types of impasses we’ve seen over the years and we can’t allow that to continue to happen in Virginia."

 

Supervisors To Consider EDA Funds

Board Will Also Elect Officers During Tonight’s Meeting

A new chairman and vice-chairman will be elected tonight when the Halifax County Board of Supervisors meets for their regular monthly meeting and annual organizational meeting.

Supervisors are also expected to hear a report on the appropriation of interim funding for the newly formed Economic Development Authority.

Finance Committee Chairman Doug Bowman is expected to report on an appropriation of $25,000 for the county’s new marketing body.

The appropriation is expected to come from a line item in the budget originally earmarked for the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority, Foster said.

Bowman said yesterday that tonight’s funding is simply a stopgap to allow the EDA to pay payroll and that more funding would be allocated during the February meeting.

“This is an interim step to get through January and give them some room to move forward with payroll issues until the February meeting,” Bowman said.

The meeting gets underway at 5:30 p.m. in the public meeting room of the Mary Bethune Complex in Halifax.

In addition to electing officers, supervisors will confirm the date and time for the Board’s regular monthly meeting, adopt and/or review by-laws and select rules of order.

Board members are expected to confirm the clerk for the Board and authorize the chairman or vice-chairman to delay meetings due to inclement weather.

County Administrator Bryan Foster is expected to update the Board on the purchase of centralized accounting software and the status of a grant for an access road to Virginia International Raceway.

Only one item of new business is on tonight’s agenda, the Board’s approval of the 2005 operating schedule for Virginia International Raceway.

The schedule calls for 15 spectator events this year, compared to 12 spectator events in 2004.

Police Searching For Halifax Man

Family Members Say 26-Year-Old Tony White Is Expected To Turn Himself In
At press time yesterday, police were still searching for a 26-year-old Halifax man who allegedly broke into his ex-girlfriend’s residence and fled the scene, according to Lt. B.K. Lovelace with the South Boston Police Department.

Police received a 911 call reporting that Tony White of Ball Park Loop had broken into his ex-girlfriend’s home located at Cavalier Apartments.

The suspect fled out of a back bedroom window when officers arrived, according to Lovelace.

“Three officers pursed the suspect on foot," Lovelace said, “but lost him in the woods behind the apartments."

South Boston officers called the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office for assistance tracking the suspect. Deputy T.C. Mocarsky responded to the scene with tracking dog Jed.

The dog was able to track White to Willow Oaks Apartments, where he lost the scent, Lovelace said.

Police have obtained warrants for White charging him with abduction and breaking and entering with intent to commit assault, according to Lovelace.

“Further charges are pending investigation," Lovelace said.

And White has previous outstanding warrants for felony charges, the investigator added.

Lovelace said a family member has contacted police and said White will turn himself in, but no specific timetable was given for his surrender.

In other police business, Tommy Clay Helton, 46, was arrested Friday and charged with breaking and entering with the intent to commit a felony.

The alleged offense occurred Friday at the residence of Lorie Lynn McMann.

Deputy S.M. Bowen was the arresting deputy.

Wilbur Harry Jacobs, 20, of North Bridge Street in Elkin, N.C., was arrested Thursday and charged with being a fugitive from justice.

Jacobs is wanted by police in North Carolina on five counts of obtaining property under false pretenses and five counts of aiding and abetting, according to the police report.

Deputy T.R. Spencer was the arresting deputy.

Angela Marie Jacobs, 25, of Clover Road in Clover, was charged with being a fugitive from justice.

Jacobs was also wanted in North Carolina on five counts of obtaining property under false pretenses.

She was also charged with forging and uttering, according to police.

Deputy J.M. Burton was the arresting deputy.

Joey Johnson, 40, of Oak Level Road in South Boston, was charged with brandishing a firearm Saturday.

The alleged offense occurred Friday.

Deputy S.M. Bowen was the arresting deputy.

Delores Terry, 30, of Eastover Drive in South Boston, was charged yesterday with public intoxication.

The alleged offense occurred yesterday.

Deputy Q.W. Clark was the arresting deputy.