Hogan Prepares SCC For ‘Uphill’ Uranium Battle

“I will put all my time and effort in this but you have to realize that other people on the other side are doing the same thing, and they’ve got $10 billion pushing them,” Del. Clarke Hogan told a group of about 35 people attending a meeting of the Southside Concerned Citizens (SCC) Thursday in Halifax.
Hogan described the uphill lengthy battle that he will face in the upcoming legislative session as he represents Southside in a fight to keep uranium from being mined and milled in Pittsylvania County.
“We need all the friends we can get downstream. We need Virginia Beach, and we may have to hire our own lobbyists,” Hogan said describing the multi-year battle as being “multifaceted.”
SCC held a meeting Thursday prior to a Thursday night meeting of the Pittsylvania County Planning Commission when planners were slated to hear a special use permit request by Southside Cattle Company, which SCC identified as owned by Virginia Uranium.
Many of those attending the Thursday afternoon meeting also planned to attend the Pittsylvania planning meeting to see if planners would grant the request to allow the company to construct buildings, drill wells for water and create a septic field.
Virginia Uranium already has begun exploratory drilling on the land under the supervision of state mining regulators.
Thursday afternoon, Hogan told SCC members, “You are going to have to be loud.”
He said although only one person in Halifax County had told him they believe uranium mining and milling can be done safely, “there are a fair number of people in Pittsylvania County who are for this. I’d say a significant portion there are for it, and a significant portion are against it.”
He pointed out the company has hired two lobbying firms to represent the interest of Virginia Uranium who has set its sights on mining the 200-acre site despite concerns of SCC members and environmental groups.
“I never underestimate the ability of lobbyists to affect public policy,” Hogan said. However, he said, “I kinda like my chances this session.”
He warned those attending the SCC meeting that if the bill seeking a study to explore whether uranium can be safely mined in Virginia gets out of committee, “We won’t be able to stop it.”
He said his strategy is to get this bill into the right sub-committee that will kill its chances of passage during this legislative session.
“But their lobbyists know how to play this game too,” he said.
“If we can put it to bed quietly this session, that will be great,” Hogan said.
At presstime the meeting was still under way.

Hogan Anticipates Legislative Session

By Beth Robertson
G-V Managing Editor
School construction, energy options, and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s proposed budget are top issues on Del. Clarke Hogan’s agenda when the General Assembly gets under way Wednesday.
“There are a couple of initiatives we’ve been working on,” began Hogan. “One is how do we go about creating a school construction fund that will lower financing of schools. One that would help relieve pressure on local taxes,” he added.
Lower interest rates, fees and structuring are key. “We can do better,” Hogan said.
Hogan suggested starting with a reasonably “modest commitment” that could grow over time. By developing a construction fund that localities can borrow from, millions of dollars could be saved.
Energy also is high on Hogan’s agenda.
“From the consumers’ perspective, we think there are some very interesting, innovative answers to this problem, ranging from biodiesel to energy conservation to wind power.
“There’s been a lot of talk about the problem, but as far as the state having a planned program to attack, to make things happen, we haven’t dug in there to help make some of these solutions a reality.”
Minimizing material that has to be put in landfills by utilizing some waste for energy is one option, a plan he describes as starting on a small scale now.
“But we need to look at what we’re going to do to really accelerate the growth of these sorts of energy savings, cost saving measures so that we’re not so dependent on foreign energy.”
Hogan sees opportunities for Halifax County to take the lead on some energy conservation and alternative energy forms that “could well lead to significant job growth and other economic benefits for our area.”
“Wood chip burning and a thousand variations on that theme,” he added. “Whoever takes the lead in business development for energy-related savings will see tremendous growth,” he predicted.
Discussing Kaine’s estimated $78 billion biennium budget package, Hogan described the proposal as “very challenging.”
“The Governor based it on much higher revenue coming in the second year of the budget,” he said. “A lot of people are not comfortable basing a budget on the Governor’s revenue projection. I am going to approach the budget in a more conservative way.” Hogan’s concern includes what he described as the administration’s “massive pre-K program” proposal, state employee pay raises as well as “a lot of new spending in different areas.”
“I don’t think the revenue is there to support that, and to build a budget on the premise it will be there in the second year is asking for another budget crisis like the one before.
“If we don’t make his revenue numbers, then we have to go back and start cutting,” added Hogan.
The delegate said that he would be supporting amendments for additional funding for the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center. “The Governor proposed about $500,000 per year, the Center’s asking for roughly twice that. But again, the budget is going to be tight. We need to make sure we have adequate funding for existing programs and that we protect the money we have.”
Addressing Virginia Uranium Inc.’s bid for a legislative study regarding its proposed mining and milling of an estimated $10 billion uranium ore deposit near Chatham, Hogan said he opposes the state study.
“I don’t think the people advocating for the study have done their homework yet,” he said. “They need to bring information to our community and the state.” The delegate warned that the community will have to be vigilant concerning the mining proposal. “This is going to be a multiyear, multifaceted discussion and controversy, and we better be prepared for the long haul.”

School Year Opens Aug. 18

Monday, Aug. 18, will be the first school day for students next school year, according to the 2008-09 school calendar.
Teachers new to Halifax County Public Schools will report to work Monday, Aug. 4, for new teacher orientation. Returning teachers will report later that week. Pre-school workdays and staff development activities are scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 7, through Friday, Aug. 15.
Students will have a full two weeks of instruction under their belts before the Labor Day holiday on Monday, Sept. 1. Students will have an early release day Monday, Sept. 15, with a teacher work afternoon from 1-3:30 that day. Interim reports will be issued Sept. 22.
The first nine weeks grading period will end Thursday, Oct. 16, with students released at 1 p.m. that day with a teachers’ work afternoon until 3:40 p.m. Report cards for the first nine-weeks grading session will be issued Wednesday, Oct. 22.
Interim reports for the second nine-weeks grading period will be issued Thursday, Nov. 20. Wednesday, Nov. 26, will be an early release day, and schools will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 27-28 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
The first semester of the 2008-09 school year ends Thursday, Dec. 18, with a total of 86 instructional days. Students will be released at 11:30 a.m. that day, with a teacher work afternoon the remainder of the day. Friday, Dec. 19, will be a teacher workday, and schools will be closed Monday, Dec. 22, through Thursday, Jan. 1, for winter break and the New Year’s holiday.
Students will have an extended holiday Friday and Monday, Jan. 2 and 5, but teachers will have workdays those two days. The new semester begins Tuesday, Jan. 6, and report cards for the first semester will be issued that day. Schools will be closed Friday, Jan. 16, and Monday, Jan. 19, in observance of the Lee-Jackson and Martin Luther King Jr. holidays.
Monday, Feb. 9, will be an early release day for students with a work afternoon for teachers. Interim reports will be issued Monday, Feb. 16. The third nine-weeks grading period will end Thursday, March 12, with a teacher workday scheduled for Friday, March 13. Report cards will be issued Wednesday, March 18.
Schools will be closed the week of April 13-17 for spring break. Students will have an early release Monday, April 27, with a work afternoon for teachers. Interim reports will be issued Thursday, April 30.
Schools will be closed Monday, May 25, for Memorial Day, and the second semester will end Thursday, May 28, with students released at 11:30 a.m. Teachers will have a work afternoon that day and a final work day Friday, May 29. Second semester will have a total of 94 instructional days.
Makeup days, if needed, will be as follows: the first day missed will be made up March 13 and the second will be made up May 29. The third day missed will be made up June 1, and day four will be made up June 2. The fifth day missed will be made up June 3. After the sixth and seventh days missed, a makeup day will be held June 4.
After the eigth and ninth days missed, June 5 will be a makeup day, and the tenth and eleventh days missed will be made up June 8. Any school days missed beyond 11 will be addressed by the school board.

Obituaries

Haley Ann Duckett
Haley Ann Duckett, 26 days old, of 1151 Harmony Road, Alton died December 29, 2007, at Duke University Medical Center.
The infant was born December 3, 2007 in South Boston the daughter of Kandance Irby of Alton and Michael Duckett of South Boston.
Graveside services were held January 3 at 2 p.m. at Harmony United Methodist Church Cemetery with the Rev. John Eure officiating.
Survivors include her parents; maternal grandfather, Walter Irby; maternal grandmother, Patricia Irby, both of Alton; her paternal grandmother, Debbie Duckett of South Boston; one uncle, Walter ‘Buddy’ Irby Jr. of Alton; her great-grandmothers, Brenda Rowland of Philadelphia, Pa., Ruth Irby of Roxboro, N.C., and Mary Ann Duckett of Hendersonville, N.C.
Online condolences may be sent to brooksfh@embarqmail.com

Vernelle Davis Johns
Vernelle Davis Johns, 57, of 1187 Owens Mill Road, Nathalie died December 31, 2007, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mrs. Johns was born April 15, 1948, in Pittsylvania County the daughter of the late Swanson Roland Clay Sr. and Madeline Waller Clay, and was married to the late Payton L. Johns. She was a member of Buffalo Baptist Church.
Survivors include one daughter, Betty Katherine Worley of Nathalie; her mother of Nathalie; two brothers, Herbert Clay of Mt. Airy and Swanson R. Clay Jr. of Roxboro, N.C.; one sister, Margie Seamster of Gretna; two adopted daughters, Sherry Tuck of Virgilina and Melinda Terry of Nathalie; and three grandchildren. One son, Charles E. Davis Jr. also preceded Mrs. Johns in death.
Graveside services were held January 3, at 4 p.m. at Mulberry Baptist Church with the Rev. Alfred Rimmer officiating.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider the American Diabetes Association, 530 East Main Street, Suite 200, Richmond, 23219.

Jerry Wayne Rice
Jerry Wayne Rice, 38, of 1091 Cluster Springs Road, South Boston died December 31, 2007, at Winchester Medical Center.
Mr. Rice was born in Halifax County on August 16, 1969, the son of Linda H. Rice and Earl F. Rice. He was a Navy Veteran and was employed as a kitchen manager and chef at Brookside Family Restaurant.
Survivors include his parents of South Boston; his longtime girlfriend, Susan Axell of Luray; two sisters, Tina R. Smith and husband, Jamie, of Virgilina, and Shelly Rice of Danville; one nephew, J.D. Smith; and numerous other relatives and friends.
Graveside services for Mr. Rice will be held today, January 4, at 2 p.m. at Halifax Memorial Gardens with Larry Rice officiating.
Online condolences may be sent to brooksfh@embarqmail.com

Ryan Langston Stevens
Ryan Langston Stevens, 18, of Fayetteville, N.C. died on December 30, 2007.
He was born on November 5, 1989, in Wayne County, N.C.
He is survived by his mother, Sherry Baker Odom, and his step-father James ‘Jimmy’ Odom, of the home; his father, Donald Langston Stevens Jr., and his step-mother, Karen Stevens, of Goldsboro, N.C.; one brother, Drew Stevens; one sister, Lindsey Odom, both of the home; and three step-sisters Christina Odom, and Elizabeth Blackwelder, both of Asheboro, N.C., and Lauren Gill of Goldsboro; his maternal grandparents, Jesse ‘Dick’ and Christine Baker, of South Boston; his paternal grandmother, Joyce Talley, of Goldsboro; his step paternal-grandmother, Marie Melton, of Fayetteville; and his maternal uncle, Kelvin Baker; and paternal uncle, Wayne Stevens. He is also survived by his girlfriend, Jennifer Wilkins, of Fayetteville; and a special family friend, Linda Fields, of Goldsboro. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Donald L. Stevens, and an Uncle Robert Stevens.
Funeral services will be held at 3:30 p.m. today, January 4, in the chapel of Rogers and Breece Funeral Home with Rev. Dennis Pollock officiating. Burial will follow in Lafayette Memorial Park.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Pine Forest High School Wrestling Team 525 Andrews Road, Fayetteville, 28311.

Mary Roeshell Hairston
Mary Roeshell Hairston, 55, of Mt. Carmel Road, Alton died January 2, 2008, at Lynchburg General Hospital.
Ms. Hairston was born in Pittsylvania County on May 20, 1952, the daughter of the late Minnie Hairston and James Small. She was a member of New Bethel Baptist Church in Alton.
Survivors include one daughter, Liz Coleman of South Boston; five sisters, Caroline Pointer of South Boston, Shirleene Lawson of Pelham, N.C. Barbara Doomes, Julie Tucker and Juanita Thorpe, all of Alton; four brothers, Bonzell Hairston of Alton, Tommie Hairston of South Boston, Ben Hairston and Jerry Hairston, both of Roxboro, N.C.; two grandchildren; and one son-in-law, Timothy Coleman. One brother, Moses Hairston, also preceded Ms. Hairston in death.
Funeral services will be held January 7, at 2 p.m. at New Bethel Baptist Church with the Rev. Harvey Bigelow officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Viewing for family and friends will be January 6, from noon to 6 p.m. at Jeffress Funeral Home.
The family will receive friends at the home of Barbara and Lindsey Doomes, 1149 New Bethel Road, Alton.

Comets To Open District Play

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
A new season begins tonight for Halifax County High School and its Western Valley District counterparts.
Tonight marks the opening of the Western Valley District campaign for all six teams with the Comets varsity boys cagers (9-3) going on the road to face Franklin County (6-3), GW squaring off against E.C. Glass and Roanoke rivals Patrick Henry and William Fleming facing off on opening night.
Comets head coach Lynn Ramage says tonight is a big night.
“ We’re starting over from scratch again. Winning Friday on the road at Franklin County would be very big for us. It would be unbelievable if we can get that win on the road. That would really set us starting off in the right direction.”
While the Comets have a better overall record than Franklin County, the Comets, at least for the past three games, have not played like a 9-3 team. Despite not making 30 percent of its shots from the floor, having bouts of poor free throw shooting and a tendency to lose focus at times, the team has somehow found ways to win ballgames.
A prime example of that was Wednesday night’s 60-58 double overtime win over a Martinsville High School team that was without two of its better players due to disciplinary reasons.
The Comets had trouble with Martinsville all night and needed a miracle three-point shot by Michael Ferrell at the buzzer at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime.
It wasn’t until the second overtime period that Halifax County could get enough of an edge to hold on and win the nail-biter.
In the two games the Comets played in the Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament, the Comets struggled against Gretna High School, which entered the game at 1-3, before taking charge in the final six minutes of the game to score a 53-40 win.
In the tournament championship game, the Comets struggled against Bassett High School before falling victim to an 18-2 Bassett run in a span of just under two minutes midway through the third quarter. The Comets lost that one 75-48.
With his team having played three lackluster games in a row, Ramage admitted to being uneasy about tonight’s district opener.
“I’m horrified,” Ramage said.
“We’ll get blown out if we go into Franklin County and play this way. We really haven’t played well. I don’t know which team will show up, the intramural Halifax team or the varsity Halifax team. But, what’s funny about this team is that we somehow rise to do something. I hope we can do that again.”
The Comets coach said he wished he had a little more time to prepare for tonight’s contest.
“I am ready to start district play, but I wish I had more days to prepare for it,” Ramage said.
“This (Martinsville contest) is a bad game for us because we’ve got a game on Friday. I don’t want to have just one day to prepare for my district games. But, we have to take what (schedule) they give us.”

Comets Edge ‘Dogs In Two OT Thriller

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
Halifax County needed a miracle and Michael Ferrell delivered it.
With the Comets trailing Martinsville High School 48-45 with 13.1 seconds left in regulation, Ferrell sank a badly off-balance three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game and send the contest into overtime.
Later, with 1:06 left in the first overtime period, his team trailing by 53-51 and the Comets having hit only one of six shots from the charity stripe in the first 2:54 of overtime, Ferrell hit two key free throws to deadlock the game again with what would turn out to be the final points of that stanza.
Ferrell opened the scoring in the second four-minute overtime period with a three-pointer to put the Comets up 56-53. Later, with 13.6 seconds left and the Comets up by a point at 59-58, Ferrell hit one of two free throws to seal a two-point 60-58 Comets road victory.
Ferrell’s crucial baskets and the tenacious defensive play of Durrell Chandler were big in the win that lifted the Comets’ season record to 9-3 and gave the Comets a sweep of their two contests against the Bulldogs.
“Durrell Chandler and Mike Ferrell refused to let us lose,” Comets head coach Lynn Ramage said after his team escaped with the win.
“I knew we had a chance. They wanted the ball and I put it in Mike’s hands at the end of the game. Mike is an unselfish player. When a player has a feel for something, I listen to them. I knew some things would happen if I did.”
Ferrell finished his big night with a game-high 29 points and came away with seven rebounds and four assists. Hakeem Ager and Deshon Dabbs also hit double figures with 13 points and 10 points respectively.
Ager and teammate Kejuan Mayo both snared eight rebounds. While Chandler failed to score, his ball-handling in key situations, four assists and his play on defense also played a key role in the contest.
While Ramage was more than glad to leave Martinsville with the win in hand, it wasn’t the kind of win that the Comets coach had wanted to see.
Continuing its recent streak of games in which they have not played well, the Comets shot only 29 percent from the floor, went the first 5:17 of the game without a basket and saw a six-point lead turn into a one-point deficit in the final 2:07 of the third quarter.
The Comets fell behind by seven points at 38-31 with 5:26 left in regulation and then spent the remainder of the fourth quarter in a frantic and tense attempt to get into position to try to pull the game out of the fire.
Fortunately for the Comets, they were able to hit eight of their 10 attempts from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to help them stay in contention. In contrast, the Comets hit only three of their eight attempts from the foul line in the first overtime period.
All of this was against a Martinsville team that was without two of its better players due to disciplinary reasons and a team that had three of its starters foul out of the contest, two of which exited before the end of regulation.
“Once again, it was ugly,” Ramage remarked.
“It’s amazing how bad we’re playing and that we’re still winning. I really don’t know what it is. I’m not happy with our team at all right now. We’re heading for a disaster if we keep playing this way.”
Ramage said that with the circumstances being what they were, his Comets team should have taken control of the game.
“Nothing against them (Martinsville) but they weren’t as good because they had lost some of their starters. They’re a good team, but we should have beaten them by more. We just bailed them out.”

Lady Comets Surge Past Martinsville

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff Writer
A 17-2 run over the last six and a half minutes of the second quarter gave the Comets varsity girls basketball team a 21-point lead, and Halifax cruised from there to a 54-35 win over Martinsville Wednesday at Comets Gym.
Miyisha Younger led Halifax with a game-high 19 points, 12 coming in the second quarter surge, while Nia Brown finished with nine and Destiny Betts with eight points.
Lauren Daniel and Whitney McCargo each added five points, each with a three-pointer, Daniel’s trey breaking an 8-8 tie and starting the Comets on the second quarter run that decided the game.
Tiffany Wilson scored four and Melyse Brown and Shauna Harris two apiece for Halifax, which finished the non-district portion of its schedule with a 8-4 record.
Liz Martin led Martinsville with 15 points, including eight of 10 at the foul line, while Aishah Jones added 11.
Comets coach Ray Reaves said that the key run in the second quarter was triggered by good work on the defensive and offensive boards.
“We had a real good second quarter and got a little run where we were able to hit several baskets in transition,” began Reaves.
“We were able to set up our press and force some turnovers, and that gave us some good momentum heading into halftime.
“The girls played real hard and it started and ended on the defensive end tonight where we played well,” he continued.
“One good thing I saw us do a little bit better job of was boxing out and rebounding on the defensive end, because Martinsville has some girls who can really attack the basket well and get to the offensive boards.
“Another thing I really liked was the way we kept pushing the ball inside on the offensive end and we got some of their inside players in early foul trouble.
“That really hurt them, because two of their main players got into foul trouble and eventually fouled out.
“We were then able to get the ball into the post and get some good looks down low, and we’ve seen before where foul trouble has hurt us.
“Tonight we were on the other end, and of course we benefited from that.”
Both teams were cold from the floor at the start, the Lady Bulldogs with only two first quarter field goals and the Comets one, that coming on a Nia Brown follow shot at the 1:50 mark to bring her team to within 6-4.
Younger added two free throws to tie the score 6-6 after one quarter and another follow shot by Betts made it 8-8 with less than seven minutes remaining before halftime.
That’s when the bottom fell out for the Lady Bulldogs.
Daniel hit a three-pointer and Wilson the first of two foul shots, Younger hustling to rebound the missed free throw and scoring to make it 14-8.
A steal and basket by Wilson, a bucket by Younger, one of two foul shots by Wilson, a basket in transition by Harris and a follow shot by Younger made it 23-8 before Martinsville scored again.
McCargo hit a short jumper from the baseline, and Younger scored in transition and then followed her own miss at the foul line to score again.
Nia Brown completed the surge with a basket to make it 31-10 at halftime.
The scoring pace slowed in the second half, but the Comets continued to crash the offensive and defensive boards, short-circuiting any Martinsville comeback hopes.
McCargo hit her three-pointer to give her team a 36-14 advantage and the lead grew to as much as 42-17 after a Younger basket in the third quarter, before a trey at the buzzer by Martin helped trim Martinsville’s deficit to 42-22.
The Lady Bulldogs could get no closer than the final margin in the fourth quarter, with two straight baskets by Betts making it 49-27 and Younger capped a strong game with another inside bucket for her team’s final score of the night.
Reaves said that the Comets played one of their better games of the season Wednesday night, but one piece of the puzzle remains before the Comets can assemble their best complete game performance - free throw shooting.
Halifax hit only 11 of 25 free throw opportunities against Martinsville, while the Bulldogs buried 10 of 13 from the line.
That statistic must change if the Comets are to become a complete team, noted Reaves.
“If we can hit our free throws, we would be so much more of a complete team,” he said.
“Don’t get me wrong, we’re a good team and getting better, but if we could shoot about 60 percent or higher each and every night, we’d be more of a complete team.
“We saw that the last game against Bassett, where they won the game at the free throw line.”
If the Comets improve at the foul line, continue to rebound at both ends of the court and execute on both offense and defense, all will be in place for a solid run in the Western Valley District, according to Reaves.
That run begins at Comets Gym tonight against Franklin County, and Reaves knows that the Lady Eagles (3-6) will present a challenge.
“We have several games in a row (five) at home, and hopefully, we can hold serve and then steal a couple on the road.
“Franklin County is coming here and we know they’re fundamentally sound and run the floor well, so we’ll definitely have to come to play like we did tonight.”