Scottsburg Man County’s First Fatality

A 19-year-old Scottsburg man has become the first fatality of 2008 on Halifax County roads, according to state police.
Sgt. Dave Cooper said Robert Lynn Carey II was pronounced dead at the scene Sunday night following a two-car crash on Rt. 677, Ridge Road.
Carey was traveling north on Ridge Road when he apparently lost control of the 2002 Saturn SC-2 he was driving. The vehicle spun sideways and into the southbound lane where it was struck by a 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier driven by a 17-year-old female juvenile, Cooper said.
The accident occurred at approximately 8 p.m., one mile west of Rt. 360, Mountain Road. Cooper said Carey was pronounced dead at 8:20 p.m.
The juvenile driver of the Cavalier was transported to Halifax Regional Hospital where she was treated for her injuries and released, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Trooper D.H. Hess is the investigating officer. No charges were filed in the crash.

Task Force Reforming

“It’s a unified task force to fight the war on drugs and gangs in Halifax County,” said Sheriff Stanley Noblin Monday afternoon, flanked by State Police First Sgt. Jeff Lane, South Boston Police Chief Jim Binner and Commonwealth’s Attorney Kim White.
The Virginia State Police, South Boston Police Department and the sheriff’s office are joining forces to try to stamp out illegal drugs and gangs. According to Noblin, the three departments have been working on the formation of the task force since the beginning of the year.
Noblin said a three-member board, comprised of himself, Binner and State Police Capt. Frank Whitehurst, will lead the new task force as directors.
“The task force will consist of members of each department,” Noblin said. “The actual number of members is yet to be finalized,” he added.
A task force coordinator will be appointed by the state police shortly. “It’s in the interview process now, so people have to apply for that position,” said Lane. “That’s not un-unique to other parts of the state. Traditionally they have a special agent that is assigned within the task force for certain management positions.”
The coordinator is expected to be named by the second week in February, according to Noblin.
“The coordinator’s position is a Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) position, and that special agent is traditionally given supervisory-type responsibilities,” said Lane.
Funding for the new task force will be shared by the state police, Town of South Boston and the sheriff’s office, according to Noblin. “All of our resources, our equipment, financing, everything will be shared among the partners, which will alleviate the burden that is currently placed on the individual departments,” Noblin said.
The task force will work out of the sheriff’s office for now, but may eventually move to another site, according to Noblin.
“The commonwealth’s attorney’s office certainly applauds any cooperation among law enforcement agencies,” said White. “We can and will provide legal assistance, and we look forward to that.”
“Our primary focus is Halifax County, South Boston and the Town of Halifax,” said Noblin. “Drugs and gangs have no boundaries, so this (task force) will enable local officers to go outside of our jurisdiction and work.”

Uranium Study Bill Referred To Senate Subcommittee

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources on Monday referred a plan for studying whether uranium can be mined safely in Virginia to a subcommittee for further review.
The bill, proposed by state Sen. Frank Wagner of Virginia Beach, calls for the establishment of a 15-member executive branch commission to assess the risks and benefits of developing uranium resources in Virginia.
State Sen. Frank Ruff is one of the five senators appointed to the subcommittee that will review the bill.
Others to serve on the subcommittee include state Sen. Roscoe Reynolds of Henry County who will chair the subcommittee, state Sen. John C. Watkins of Midlothian, state Sen. J. Chapman Petersen of Fairfax and state Sen. Ryan McDougle of Mechanicsville.
During the hearing on Monday, 11 persons spoke in opposition and three favored the study that is charged with examining the benefits and risks of the mining project discovered 25 years ago at a site northeast of Chatham in Pittsylvania County.
At that time, Virginians opposed the mining of uranium citing fear of ground and surface water pollution as well as concern about the storage of radioactive tailings, a mining residue.
This past fall, newly formed Virginia Uranium Inc. announced its plans to resurrect uranium mining at the site.
The company was formed about a year ago by the Coles and Bowen families, which own adjoining property. Norman Reynolds, a former Marline president, was hired as chief executive to oversee company operations of an area that has an estimated 110 million pounds of the material with an estimated worth of at least $10 billion.
Before the mining can take place, a state moratorium on uranium mining must be lifted, and this study is one step toward accomplishing that goal.
Coy Harville, chairman of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, spoke in favor of the study bill at Monday’s hearing, while more than a dozen Southside Concerned Citizens expressed their opposition.
But it was the resounding voice of an 11-year-old country boy from Halifax that made a lasting impression on the committee members Monday morning.
“I am the future, and not just me,” Matthew Epps told legislators. “If you allow this to happen, it would be like throwing a person’s health down the drain, or worse.”
Epps, the grandson of Southside Concerned Citizens Chairman Jack Dunavant, cut to the chase emphatically telling senators, “it (mining uranium) can’t be done safely.”
Following young Epps’ remarks, state Sen. Creigh Deeds of Charlottesville asked the bill’s patron Wagner, “What has changed about the ground or science to make us believe the result will be different this time?”
Deeds said he was an attorney in Danville in 1984 when the statewide ban was placed on uranium mining, a ban that remains in effect.
The SCC chairman also spoke before the senators Monday telling of the potential negative health and environmental impacts and other serious problems associated with uranium mining.
From an engineering standpoint, Dunavant outlined what he described as a tailings configuration needed for the quantity of ore deposited at Coles Hill, the site believed to be the largest uranium deposit in America.
Dunavant said Coles has said he is leaning toward an open pit mine.
Once open pit mining begins at the site, Dunavant warned there will be no way to contain radiation from the tailings pile at the site.
“What washes off this mountain of material or flushes up out of the ground is coming down into the Banister to pollute and poison one of our major sources of water,” Dunavant said yesterday explaining the wind and water erosion will carry the material downstream and ultimately affect Virginia Beach’s water supply.
Dunavant told reporters people needed to be alerted to the physical aspects of this proposed uranium mine.
Using the numbers provided by Virginia Uranium Mine, Inc. (VUI), Dunavant said there will be 110,000,000 pounds of uranium extracted from the Coles’ Hill site.
For every pound extracted there are 3,999 pounds of waste called tailings. These tailings are of the consistency of finely ground sand, and they will still contain about one-half of the natural uranium ore, he explained.
If piled in a triangular shape 200 feet tall (tall as a 20 story building) and 400 foot wide at the base, Dunavant said this tailings pile would stretch 14.06 miles long.
“This tailings pile would rival White Oak Mountain and could stretch from Chatham to Gretna,” he added.
In Richmond on Monday, Wagner admitted that no one knows whether advances in environmental science will make it safe to mine the uranium, “but that’s why we want to have a study.”
Following the hearing Monday, Ruff said, “We’re trying to make the best of a bad situation.”
He said he won’t know what changes will be made to the study bill until the subcommittee meets. Their next meeting is scheduled Thursday.
“I am on record opposing uranium mining in the Commonwealth. The safety of our citizens should be the greatest concern,” Ruff concluded.

Obituaries

Robert Lynn Carey II
Robert Lynn ‘Dusty’ Carey II, 19, of 6091 James D. Hagood Highway, Scottsburg died January 27, 2008, in Halifax County.
He was born in Halifax County on November 26, 1988, the son of Robert Lynn ‘Smokey’ Carey and Penny Hall Carey. Mr. Carey was a member of South Boston Church of God, a student at DCC, a former member of Halifax County High School Marching Band, and worked at Tractor Supply Company.
Survivors include his parents; one brother, Dakota Carey; his maternal grandparents, Louis and Betty Jean Brewer, all of Scottsburg, and Robert Joe Hall and wife, Maggie, of Ewing; his paternal grandmother, Mary Todaro of Smithfield, N .C.; three aunts, Celeste and George Owens of South Boston, Annette and Howard Frazier of Mt. Vernon, Ky., and Alma and Candido Fernandez of Norlina, N.C.; and a number of cousins and friends.
Two grandfathers, Leo Todaro and Robert ‘Baldy’ Carey; and two great-grandmothers, Georgia Allen High and Ophie Hall, preceded Mr. Carey in death.
Funeral services will be held tomorrow, January 31, at 2 p.m. at the South Boston Church of God with the Revs. Bruce Hagy and D.G. Fox officiating. Burial will follow in the Carey Family Farm Cemetery at Scottsburg.
The family will receive friends this evening, January 30, from 7:00 to 8:30, at South Boston Church of God and other times at the home.

Donald Louis Fisher
Donald Louis Fisher, 60, of Amelia died January 17, 2008.
Mr. Fisher was the son of the late Janie Bradley Fisher and the late Charlie C. Fisher of Nathalie.
His survivors include his sons, Michael Louis Fisher of Milton, N.C. and Lucas Brandon Fisher of Jetersville; his daughters, Kimberly Ann Fisher of Blanch, N.C. and Elizabeth Sue Fisher of Amelia; four grandchildren; his brothers, Danny and Samuel Fisher of South Boston; and sisters, Norma Sue and Ann of Virginia.
Funeral services for Mr. Fisher were held January 29, at 2 p.m. at Hillsman-Hix Funeral Home in Amelia. Burial followed at the Virginia Veterans Cemetery.

Drewey Elam Greene
Drewey ‘Poochie’ Elam Greene, 72, of 7199 Hunting Creek Road, Clover died January 28, 2008, at his home. Mr. Greene was born in Halifax County on February 15, 1935, the son of the late Alfred Greene and Bettie Cousins Greene, and was married to Dorothy G. Greene. He was a member of Bethel Grove Baptist Church, and was a former employee of Halifax County Public Schools.
Survivors include his wife of the home; one daughter, Darlene Downey of Danville; three sons, David Greene of Roxboro, N.C., Danny Greene and Derrick Greene, both of Clover; one sister, Nancy Ashton of Ft. Washington, Md.; two brothers, Alfred Greene of Maryland and George Greene of Clinton Md.; 11 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; one aunt, Judy Hendricks of Nathalie; and other relatives and friends.
Funeral services for Mr. Greene will be held tomorrow, January 31, at 1 p.m. at Bethel Grove Baptist Church with the Rev. William Hicks officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family is receiving friends at the home.

Earl Brooks Phillips
Earl Brooks Phillips, 69, of 3015 Virgie Cole Road, South Boston died January 27, 2008, at The Brian Center in Fincastle.
Mr. Phillips was born May 29, 1938, in Halifax County the son of the late Roy Edmund Phillips and the late Neville Cole Phillips, and was married to Marie Norwood Phillips. He attended Grace Baptist Church, was a member of the Hyco Hunting Club and was a former employee of Burlington Industries, Inc.
Survivors of Mr. Phillips include one daughter, Lisa Crawford of South Boston; two sons, Scott Phillips of South Boston and Kevin Phillips of New Mexico; three grandchildren, Casey Crawford, Jayse Phillips and Ryan Phillips; two great-grandchildren, Camden and Nathan Crawford; and his special friends, Jennifer Reagan, Robin Throckmorton, Christine Rippee and Carolyn Hale.
Funeral services will be held at Brooks Funeral Home Chapel tomorrow, January 31, at 2 p.m. with the Rev. Dave Cline officiating. Burial will follow in Grace Baptist Church Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home this evening, January 30, from 7:00 to 8:30, and other times at the home.
Online condolences may be sent to brooksfh@embarqmail.com

Josephine Sadler Rickmond
Josephine Sadler Rickmond of Farmville died at Britthaven Nursing Home in Keysville January 27, 2008.
Mrs. Rickmond was born November 21, 1919, in Halifax County. She was the wife of the late Phillip L. Rickmond.
Survivors include two sons, Owen L. Rickmond and wife, Becky, and Norman L. Rickmond and wife, Diane, all of Cumberland; two daughters, Ann M. Gosnell and husband, Don, and Nancy J. Harris, and husband, Sonny, all of Farmville; 14 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; her sisters, Helen Owen and Mary Bass, both of South Boston, and Myrtle Ray of Clarksville. Three sisters, Nora Gravitt, Geneva Link and Annie Jones; and two brothers, Jack and Pete Sadler, also preceded Mrs. Rickmond in death.
A graveside service will be held today, January 30, at 2 p.m. at Westview Cemetery.

Northwest Region Considers Expanded Playoffs

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
Northwest Region officials are considering expanding post-season regional playoffs to include more teams in all sports beginning in the fall of 2009.
Halifax County High School Athletics Director Allen Lawter said yesterday “it’s still in the discussion stage” and that a vote is expected when Northwest Region ADs and principals meet in late February.
“Several regions have already done that,” he noted.
Lawter said no decision has been as far as how many teams, six or eight, would be included in the expanded playoffs. Under the current system, four teams participate in regional playoffs.
“If I had to guess right now, I’d say six,” Lawter said.
“But, nothing is set in stone.”
In looking at football playoffs, Lawter said an expansion of the number of teams eligible to participate in post-season regional playoffs will necessitate an additional week of post-season play.
“What is being looked at is taking the twelfth play date (the week Halifax County played GW in the final week of the regular season this past season) and using that date for the first round,” Lawter explained.
That, he said, would mean teams would open regular-season play a week earlier than they previously have been.
Using football as an example, Lawter said a proposed scenario in an expanded six-team playoff would have the sixth seed traveling to the home field of the third seed and the fifth seed traveling to the home field of the fourth seed on the opening week. The top two seeds would receive a bye until the following week and would have a home game against the winners of the first week’s playoff round.
“That would give the top two teams a well-deserved plus for being the top two teams,” Lawter said.
“It would give them a chance to rest players and an extra week to prepare for their games,” Lawter said.
In an expanded eight-team scenario, a proposal has the number eight seed facing the number one seed, the seventh seed facing the second seed and so forth in the opening round.
E.C. Glass Trying To Drop To Group AA
In another matter of area interest, E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg has asked Virginia High School officials to be allowed to drop from Group AAA to Group AA beginning in 2009 due to a decrease in school enrollment.
The Virginia High School League’s Redistricting and Reclassification Committee has approved the move, but the move will not become official unless the Virginia High School League’s Executive Committee gives the nod in a vote at its April meeting.
If the VHSL Executive Committee approves the move, E.C. Glass will drop out of the Western Valley District and likely become a member of the Group AA Seminole District, joining Lynchburg area schools including Heritage High School, Brookville, Jefferson and Rustburg in that district.
A story published in a Lynchburg newspaper noted that officials at an overwhelming majority of Seminole District schools are opposed E.C. Glass joining the district. E.C. Glass would be the largest school in the Seminole District if it is allowed to drop to Group AA status.
If E.C. Glass does drop to Group AA, the Western Valley District will become a five-team district. Halifax County High School and GW of Danville will be on one end of the district with Franklin County High School in Rocky Mount and Patrick Henry High School and William Fleming High School, both in Roanoke, situated on the opposite end of the district in terms of geographic location.
In terms of travel, the loss of E.C. Glass High School from the Western Valley District would be another blow to Halifax County High School in terms of its travel woes.
“We would lose the second-closest (Western Valley District) team to us if that happens,” Lawter pointed out.
“It would not be the best situation for us (in terms of travel) or for the rest of the district. We would just have to deal with it.”
There is also a question as to whether Halifax County and E.C. Glass, which have consistently played each other in sports for nearly a half a century, will continue to play each other.
Lawter said he and E.C. Glass Athletic Director Chip Berry will discuss the scheduling situation at some point after the VHSL makes a final determination on E.C. Glass’ request to drop to Group AA.
“We don’t know what will happen in terms of scheduling,” Lawter said.
“We haven’t gotten into that. We left it as we’ll discuss it after a decision has been made and we know which direction things are going.”

Wright Third In MV Border Clash

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
Halifax County High School’s 285-pound grappler Richie Wright, picked up the only medal for the Comets with his third-place finish Saturday in the annual Border Clash Wrestling Tournament at Magna Vista High School.
“I would have liked to have seen Richie in the finals, but he just made a mistake in the third period that tied the (semi-final) match, and he then lost in overtime,” noted Comets head coach Brady Taylor.
As a team, the Comets finished 11th overall among the 13 participating schools from Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Two Comets wrestlers, Lewis Ashworth, the Comets’ 145-pounder and Wright, made it to the semi-final round. Neither made it to the finals.
“We didn’t wrestle as well as we have been recently,” Taylor said.
“There was some good competition, but we should have won more matches. At least we have an off week where we can heal up and work on some things to get ready for the district tournament.”
Wright and Comets 189-pounder Justin Perkins both won three matches. Jeremy Roman, the Comets’ 160-pounder, and 215-pounder Michael Puryear both won two matches.
Comets wrestlers that picked up a win included Ryan Dixon (140), Adrian Oliver (145) and Sam Lantor (152).
Two North Carolina High Schools, McMichael High School and West Stokes High School, finished first and second respectively. Patrick County High School finished third. Tournament host Magna Vista High School finished fifth.
Comets Results:
Ralph Tuck – 130 - 0-2
Ryan Dixon - 140 - 1-2
Lewis Ashworth – 145 - 1-2
Adrian Oliver – 145 - 1-2
Sam Lantor - 152 - 1-2
Jeremy Roman – 160 - 2-2
Justin Perkins – 189 - 3-2
Michael Puryear – 215 - 2-2
Marcus Chandler - 215 - 0-2
Richie Wright – 285 - 3-1 third place

Lady Comets Hit The Road Again

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff Writer
“On The Road Again,” the classic sung by Willie Nelson, more than aptly describes the travels of the Comets varsity girls basketball team, currently in the midst of five straight Western Valley District road games.
The Comets, 1-4 in the district and 9-8 overall, played the second of that set of road games last night at Franklin County after losing the first at Patrick Henry l Friday by a 48-40 margin.
Despite the 1-4 start in district games, Comets coach Ray Reaves said that he has been pleased with how the team has progressed, not only from the start of the season, but since the start of district play.
“We’ve been competitive both on the road and at home thus far, and played fairly even with our opponents except for a quarter here and a quarter there,” said Reaves.
“In the GW game, the first quarter killed us, the third quarter killed us in the Franklin County game, and the third quarter hurt us again at Patrick Henry.
“We’ve had some lapses where we come out and make entirely too many mistakes on the offensive end, but I’ve been pleased with our effort, hustle and defense.”
There are areas to address as the second half of the district season continues, according to Reaves, including free throw shooting and turnovers.
Keeping composure and focus after a turnover, missed shot or foul call, particularly during a road game, can be critical in the Comets’ chances of pulling out a win in a close game, according to Reaves.
“Those things have made a big difference in our record and our performance each time out,” he noted.
“We’re sitting at 1-4 right now, but we’ve been more competitive this year than in past years and the district is wide open.
“Had we had a couple of things go our way or had the ball bounce our way, a couple of shots go in, we could easily be 4-1, so we’re right there.
Reaves took time with his team during Monday’s practice to go over game film which illustrated some of the things the Comets need to work on.
“We saw passes we made that weren’t there and where we tried to put the ball in areas that weren’t open, and we talked about not letting bad calls or missed shots or turnovers affect us emotionally or mentally.
“That helped them see it on film instead of just me always telling them. They can hear me, coach Rutledge and coach McCargo tell them all week long, but seeing it on film helped them a lot, I think.”
While realizing the tough road ahead, Reaves thinks the Comets will respond to the challenges ahead now that they have seen their district opponents at least once.
It all comes down to factors that the team can control, rather than those it can’t, he emphasized.
“We know Franklin County (Tuesday’s opponent) has a tough team, but we proved here for three quarters that we can play with them, and we’re capable of playing with anyone in the district,” said Reaves.
“It comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes who makes the biggest plays and who keeps their composure.
“The girls have told me that they know now what to expect from each team, not only the individual players but the different environments we expect to see, because that makes a big difference in the speed of the game, and the patience they show on the court.
“It’s been a growing process, and I’ve been impressed with how the girls have handled it.
“There’ve been some bumps in the road and some frustrations, but I think overall they’re pretty satisfied, not with their record but with their effort.
“We feel we have a good shot to go on a pretty good run if a few things can go our way, and if we stay healthy.”
The Comets have been without the services of senior guard Shauna Harris the past several games, and several others have missed court time due to illness or injury.
“Shanua’s absence has really hurt us, particularly on the defensive end. She puts a lot of pressure on the basketball and we usually put her on one of our opponent’s shorter guards.
“Melyse [Brown] missed one game due to illness and Destiny [Betts] missed several games at the start of the season,” said Reaves.
“You know going in that’s a possibility, but you have to be impressed with how the other girls have stepped up, and once we get Shauna back, we’ll be a more complete team because of the experience the others have gained.”
That’s one example where a bad situation can turn into something positive, noted Reaves, who added the string of road district games to end the regular season may be a blessing in disguise.
“If that had been reversed and we’d have played all those district games on the road to start, I think it could have been more trouble,” said Reaves.
“Now when we go on the road, we don’t have to deal with learning the ropes of the Western Valley.
“We’ve found out a little about us and our opponents while we were able to play in the comfort of our own gym.
“We know the opponents we’re going to face and all we have to deal with is playing in the environment of a different gym and the travel involved in getting there.”