Monday, February 7, 2005

HEC, Tobacco Bills Nearing Passage

$1.6 Million For Higher Ed Center

Two pieces of legislation critical to the future of Halifax County and Southside are slowly but surely working their way toward becoming law, Del. Clarke Hogan (R-Halifax) said yesterday.
Legislation that will fund the newly-created higher education center at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center is in the House budget, and Hogan said he feels confident that a bill that will give small cigarette manufacturers a chance at survival in the face of hostile legislation will pass both the House and Senate.
Hogan said he was “cautiously optimistic” that both pieces of legislation will become law.
“We’ve won some battles but we haven’t won the war yet,” he said.
Higher Education Center
On February 1, legislation that would create a state-supported higher education center at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center passed committees in both the House and Senate.
Hogan said yesterday that funding for the new center, approximately $1.6 million a year, was included in the House budget.
“It’s fully funded in the House," he said. “I have no idea what’s in the Senate budget."
The funds will come from a state General Fund allocation at $1.2 million, with the remainder from lease arrangements at the SVHEC.
“We’ve jumped a huge hurdle in getting it where it is right now," Hogan said. “Both the House and Senate have approved legislation to set up the center and the House has fully funded it."
Fighting For Small Manufacturers
Legislation that will allow small tobacco manufacturers to get tax relief on funds they put into escrow for tobacco-related lawsuits passed the Senate 35-4 Friday, Hogan said.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Phillip Puckett, is companion legislation to Hogan’s, and the Halifax County delegate said the measure gives manufacturers a “fighting chance” to survive after the allocable share legislation passed both houses.
“We have similar bills in both houses that hopefully will take some of the bite off of allocable share,” he said. “(Allocable share) does no one any good and is simply designed to punish small manufacturers,” he said.
If passed in both houses, the legislation will allow the manufacturers to “make an irrevocable assignment of his interest in the funds to the benefit of the Commonwealth of Virginia,” thereby making the funds a taxable business expense.
“This bill will allow them to get tax relief on it because it’s going to the state,” Hogan said.
Small manufacturers have been paying around eight cents per carton into the escrow account. The allocable share legislation passed by the General Assembly will make their payments around $4 per carton.
“It would simply have put them out of business," Hogan said.
In addition, Hogan’s legislation will allow the funds assigned to the state to be used for the Virginia Health Care Fund.
Hogan said his legislation, in addition to providing relief to small manufacturers, simultaneously provides around $1 billion in health care funding to the state over the next 25 years.
“I’m nervous about it," he said. “But things are looking better and we’ll be able to keep our guys alive. It’s not what we wanted, but it gives them some relief and a fighting chance at survival."
In addition, the legislation provides a tax incentive to manufacturers who buy a minimum of 75 percent of American tobacco.
“It keeps (small manufacturers) competitive in the marketplace and creates an incentive in the U.S. market for our tobacco," Hogan said. “These two incentives together will give our small manufacturers a chance to survive in a global market."
The National Association of Attorneys General and tobacco giants pressured states to approve the allocable share legislation. They say it closes a ‘‘loophole’’ that has given an unfair price advantage to companies operating outside the Master Settlement Agreement between the large manufacturers and 46 states. And because payments are based on the companies’ domestic sales volumes, fewer cigarettes sold means less money for the states.

 

Dillard Named State Mentor Of The Year

Proving that giving back to the community doesn’t stop at retirement, retired Halifax County educator Harvey Dillard was named Mentor of the Year last week in Richmond for his work in getting the Mentor/Role Model Program started in Halifax County.
The award, given by the Virginia Mentoring Partnership, honors individual volunteers and mentoring programs that help children across the Commonwealth.
This year’s awards were presented by John W. Marshall, Virginia’s Secretary of Public Safety, during the 2005 Mentoring Summit and Third Annual Awards Banquet.
In 1991, Dillard joined forces with two other retired educators, Gatha Richardson and Carter Hicks, when he perceived that young African-American boys in Halifax County needed positive role models and a sense of direction.
In response, Dillard joined the two educators in organizing a small mentoring program through the American Legion Post 99 that served 30 at-risk boys.
Shortly after the program was created, the community embraced the program, and the Mentor/Role Model Program was born.
Currently, the program serves over 256 youth throughout the county’s school system.
Co-founder Gatha Richardson said yesterday that no one deserved the honor like Dillard.
“He really deserves this recognition.
“Every since the program started, he’s been outstanding," he said. “During the year, he keeps three to five mentees and diligently follows their progress."
For his part, Dillard said he was thankful the community recognized the need for such a program in Halifax County.
“I’m thrilled about how the community rallied around the program," he said. “They helped us get us started and are still supporting it. We’re hoping we can make a difference in the lives of children in Halifax County for years to come."
And Dillard remains, mentoring five young boys.
“I’m getting as much from the children as they are giving me," he said.

 

Supes To Tackle King Village Trail

Expected To Take Action On Resolution To Put Road Into Secondary System
Halifax Attorney Russell Slayton is expected to recommend approval of a resolution to take King Village Road into the county’s secondary road system when the Halifax County Board of Supervisors convenes for its regular monthly meeting tonight.
The meeting gets under way at 6:30 p.m. in the public meeting room of the Mary Bethune Complex in Halifax.
“Upon the completion of condemnation proceedings, this Board hereby guarantees the right-of-way to be clear and unrestricted," the resolution reads in part. “This Board requests the Virginia Department of Transportation to improve said street to the prescribed minimum standards."
Assistant County Administrator Jerry Lovelace said Friday that the move is a part of the process to condemn the land necessary for right-of-way acquisition.
“It’s another step in the process initiated by the Board of Supervisors when they voted to condemn the property," he said.
Public hearings on a rezoning application, proposed ordinance amendment and grant application are on tonight’s agenda.
The three hearings get under way at 7 p.m.
Kitty W. Anderson has applied to have 3.1 acres at the intersection of U.S. 360 and Route 344 zoned B-2 business. The property is currently zoned A-1 agricultural, but has been the site of a gas station since the 1960s.
Following the public hearing on the proposal, supervisors are also expected to vote on an ordinance amendment that will allow muzzleloader hunting throughout the deer hunting season.
If approved, the ordinance will be in effect for the fall, 2005, hunting season.
A public hearing will also be held following a presentation by Tim Frost, president of Frost Motorsports, on an application for a Community Development Block Grant for a motorsports testing facility at South Boston Speedway.
Prior to the public hearings, supervisors are also expected to consider a proposed ordinance change to update the county code regarding the Junior Firefighter’s Program.
Supervisors are also expected to consider a policy change that will prohibit smoking in county-owned buildings.
Following the meeting, supervisors will convene in closed session to discuss personnel and legal matters.

 

Thelma Jeanette Owen Anderson

Thelma Jeanette Owen Anderson, 87, of Berry Hill Nursing Home, died February 4.
Born December 10, 1917, in Bedford County, she was the daughter of the late William Moorman Owen and Lillian Carter Owen and was married to the late Howard Taft Anderson.
Mrs. Anderson was a graduate of Radford Teacher’s College, a retired Halifax County school teacher, and was a member of Main Street United Methodist Church where she taught Sunday school for many years.
Survivors include one son, Howard O. Anderson and his wife, Nancy, of South Boston; three daughters, Mary Synan of Richmond, Betsy Smith and her husband, Nelson, of Chatham, and Gayle Saunders and her husband, Mitch, of Glade Hill; 10 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.
In addition to her parents and husband, Mrs. Anderson was preceded in death by four brothers, William Harold Owen, Lloyd Carter Owen, Clifford Thomas Owen, and Aubrey Lee Owen; and one grandson, Grey Neal.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. today, February 7, at Brooks Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Patrick Henry Boys & Girls Plantations, P.O. Box 1398, Brookneal, 24528.

Deacon Adolphus Logan

Funeral services for Mr. Deacon Adolphus Logan will be held Thursday, February 10, at 1:30 p.m., with services at the Millstone Baptist Church.
The Rev. Chester Spruill will officiate.
Burial will follow in the church cemetery with military honors.
The family will receive friends at the L.P. Bailey Highway home.
Mr. Logan died Friday, February 4. He was 86.
Mr. Logan was the son of the late Arthur and Janie Ewell Logan, was married to Gaynell Barksdale Logan and was a member of the Millstone Baptist Church.
He is survived by his wife, many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

John Thomas Glass

John Thomas Glass of Newbill School Rd., Halifax, died Saturday at his home.
Mr. Glass was 66-years-old at the time of his death.
Mr. Glass was born February 14, 1938, in Halifax County, the son of the late Irvin R. Glass and the late Thelma Hall Glass, and was married to the late Velma H. Glass. He was a member of Ellis Creek Baptist Church and was a farmer.
Mr. Glass is survived by one daughter, Lisa G. King and husband George of Halifax; one son, Andy Glass and wife Judy of Nathalie; four brothers, Hugh R. Glass and wife Grey of Clover, Kenneth W. Glass and wife Judy, Irvin R. Glass Jr. and Jimmy G. Glass and wife Beth, all of Nathalie; two grandchildren, Justin Trammell and Peyton King of Halifax; and a special friend, Cindy Ambrose.
Funeral services for Mr. John Thomas Glass will be tomorrow, February 8 at 2 p.m., at Ellis Creek Baptist Church, with the Rev. Dr. Melvin Bradshaw and the Rev. Tony Sisk officiating.
Burial will be in the church cemetery.
Visitation will be held at Powell Funeral Home from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday and other times at the home, 4131 Newbill School Rd.
For memorials, please consider Halifax Regional Hospice, 2204 Wilborn Ave., South Boston, Va., 24592. Online memorials may be directed to Powell@gcronline.com.

Dennis Melvin Guthrie

Funeral services for Mr. Dennis Melvin Guthrie will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Childrey Baptist Church.
The Rev. Andy Ferguson will officiate.
Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Mr. Guthrie, of Acorn Road in Nathalie, died Saturday, February 5.
He was 50.
Mr. Guthrie was born in Lynchburg o n August 24, 1954, the son of Loretta Francis Guthrie and the late Aaron Melvin (Dood) Guthrie.
He was a member of the Childrey Baptist Church, an Army veteran and an employee of Flowserve Corp., in Lynchburg.
Mr. Guthrie is survived by his wife, his mother, one son, Christopher Clements of Nathalie, three brothers, Darrell Guthrie and wife Kathy of Nathalie, Tony Guthrie and wife Robin of Halifax, and Lester Guthrie and wife Donna of Nathalie, one sister, Vickie Guthrie of South Boston, and a number of nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends from 7:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. today at the Henderson Funeral Home in Brookneal, and will be at the residence other times.

 

Brandon Sets New District Record In Triple Jump

Shemelia Brandon Eclipsed 39 Feet In The Triple Jump As The Comets Girls Finished Second And The Boys Grabbed Third Place In The District Championship Meet

BY Joe Chandler
G-V STAFF WRITER

Shemelia Brandon set a new Western Valley District indoor meet record in winning the triple jump and added three other wins as the Halifax County High School girls indoor track team finished in the runner-up spot in Saturday’s Western Valley District Championship meet in Lynchburg.
The Comets senior had a top jump of 39 feet and seven inches, a mark that topped the former meet record of 38 feet and one inch set in 1996 by Angela Parker of Heritage High School.
In addition to eclipsing the district meet record, Brandon, for the third time this season, set a new Halifax County High School record in the event.
Brandon’s big day included four wins and a second-place finish.
Along with winning the triple jump, Brandon won the long jump with a mark of 18 feet and four and three quarters inches, won the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.41 seconds and won the 300-meter race with a time of 41.75 seconds.
The second-place finish came in the 500-meter race, a race in which she turned ina time of one minute and 19.14 seconds.
Halifax County High School’s girls indoor team placed second behind meet winner E.C. Glass. Glass tallied 171 points while Comets followed with 128.5 points. Franklin County was third with 78 points, Patrick Henry placed fourth with 47 points and GW rounded out the field with 35.5 points.
Halifax County High School’s boys indoor track team also made a strong showing with its third-place finish in the boys meet. Last year, the Comets boys team finished last.
E.C. Glass won the boys meet with 170 points and was followed by Patrick Henry with 132 points and Halifax County with 67 points.
GW finished fourth with 62 points and Franklin County finished fifth with 25 points.
The big story for the Comets boys track team rested in the fact that 18 of the 20 teamn members that participated in the district meet qualified for the Northwest Region meet.
That was a tremendous improvement over a year ago when only two members of the Comets boys track team qualified for the Northwest Region meet.
“I am extremely happy,” said Comets coach Ralph Robinson.
“This was a tremendous improvement. Our goal going into the meet was to get at least one person qualified in every event. We came very close to doing that. The only events we didn’t qualify in were the mile, the two-mile and the 4x200 relay. Even in those events, we missed qualifying by only one position. It was an extremely good day for us.”
Along with the four wins from Brandon, the Comets girls team also picked up a win from Shaday Coleman in the 55-meter hurdles. Coleman’s winning time was 9.22 seconds.
The Comets also had a handful of second-place finishes.
Erin Squires took the runner-up spot in the high jump with a leap of 4-8, Ashlee Coleman won second place in the shot put with a throw of 35-5 and freshman Tanashia Medley placed second in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 9.39 seconds.
Halifax County’s 4x200-meter relay team placed third with a time of 1:54.50, the Comets 4x400-meter relay team placed fourth with a time of 4:41.64 and the Comets’ 4x800-meter relay team placed fourth with a time of 12:15.64.
Halifax County’s girls team took five of the top six positions in the 55-meter dash with Brandon (first), Leanora Coleman (third), Medley (fourth) and Juanita Kincy (fifth) doing the honors.
The Comets took three of the top six spots in the shot put, high jump, 55-meter hurdles, 500-meter race and the 300-meter race.
Halifax County’s boys 4x400-meter relay team had a good day with a second-place finish with a time of 3:45.94
David Anderson was the top individual man for the Comets, placing in three events and emerging as the top points man.
Anderson placed fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 39 feet, placed fourth in the 300-meter race with a time of 37.59 seconds and placed fifth in the long jump with a mark of 19-2.
Jamond Edmonds placed in a pair of events, finishing fourth in the long jump with a leap of 19-11 and taking sixth place in the triple jump with a leap of 38 feet and four and three quarters inches.
Cory Jackson placed third in the shot put with a throw of 45-1. Also earning third-place finishes were Travis Word in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.20 seconds, Patrick Terry in the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.63 seconds and Taron Rogers in the 500-meter race with a time of 1:10.94.
The Comets had three team members to tie for sixth-place in the high jump with Henry Redmond, Louis Lassiter and Vatell Coleman all leaping 5-4. In addition, the Comets had two team members place in the long jump, triple jump, the 55-meter hurdles, the 1,00-meter run (Ronnie Link fourth and Justin Davis sixth), and the 300-meter race (Anderson fourth and Tony Barbour sixth).

Another One Slips Away

Poor FT Shooting And A Miscue Down The Stretch Allows Franklin County To Slip Away With An 83-76 Win Over The Comets In Overtime

BY Joe Chandler
G-V STAFF WRITER

Halifax County all but had a key road win over district leader Franklin County in hand Friday night.
But, poor free throw shooting down the stretch and a turnover on a key inbounds play with just over six seconds left in the game allowed Franklin County to wiggle off of the hook.
The Eagles rallied from a seven-point deficit with just under three minutes left to tie the game on a three-point bucket from Riley Brubaker at the end of regulation and went on to defeat Halifax County 83-76 in overtime.
Friday night’s win by Franklin County put a big dent in the Comets’ bid for second place in the Western Valley District standings. The Eagles (15-4, 6-0 district), meanwhile, nailed down at least a tie for the regular-season Western Valley District title.
“We had it in our hands with a chance to wrap it up and give ourselves a really good chance of finishing second but we did not totally finish it,” said Comets coach Garrett Dillard after his team slid to 10-10 overall and 3-4 in the district standings.
“We just didn’t finish it. Down the stretch all the breaks went their way."
A tough 4-8 tally at the free throw line in the final 1:57 of the fourth quarter and a miscue on a critical inbounds play with just over six seconds to play in the fourth quarter ultimately unraveled the Comets’ bid for a big road win.
“You’ve got to shoot better than 50 percent in the fourth quarter, especially late down the stretch," Dillard pointed out.
The Comets appeared to have had the game in hand after Quintin Brown canned a pair of free throws with 3:45 left to put the Comets up by nine points. Halifax still held a seven-point lead after a layup by Craig McCargo with 1:31 to play.
With its two starting post players, ChaseWeddle and Derek Brooks, having fouled out of the game, Halifax County began to find itself in trouble in the waning minutes as the Eagles, with their 6-8 center, Lewis Witcher, began pounding the ball inside and started chipping away at the Comets’ lead.
When Franklin County was forced to foul the Comets down the stretch in order to stop the clock and attempt to get the ball back, the Comets were unable to cash in at the charity stripe and put the game away.
Still, the Comets had a 66-63 lead and the ball when Dillard called a timeout with 6.6 seconds to play to set up a final play.
However, the Comets failed to execute the inbounds play from under the Franklin County goal with Clyde Brooks throwing a three-quarter-court pass that sailed out of bounds as no Comets broke down floor to grab it.
Franklin County then got the ball under its own basket and inbounded it to Demario Mattox who attempted a three-pointer from the right wing. That shot missed but Brock Mattox snared the rebound, fired a pass to Riley Brubaker and Brubaker canned a trey from the left side to tie the game and send the contest into overtime.
“It was a tough inbounds with 6-8 (Lewis Witcher) on six-foot (Clyde Brooks)," Dillard noted.
“ We had guys coming to the ball but we didn’t want to throw it under the basket and let them get a steal. Somebody should have been going long but nobody went. Actually, I think the Witcher kid tipped the basketball, but that’s me seeing it from my perspective and the referee seeing it from his perspective."
That was all Franklin County needed to swing the momentum its way.
The Eagles hit two free throws to open the four-minute overtime period to go up 68-66. McCargo was tagged with an offensive foul on the other end when he attempted to drive the lane. Brubaker followed with another trey to put Franklin County up by five points at 71-66 and the Comets never got closer than that the rest of the way.
Dillard said he felt his team was somewhat shellshocked during the overtime period.
“I think it was a combination of we didn’t expect to be in overtime and then you get that first tough call (the offensive foul on McCargo) and it takes the momentum away from you," said Dillard.
“Craig drives to the basket and nobody falls on the floor and they (the officials) call a charging foul. We’re thinking it’s a three-point play for us and they (the officials) call a charging foul. Then they (Franklin County) go down and hit a “three" and suddenly, you’re down five (points)."
The Comets led most of the game that started with a technical foul being called on Franklin County for dunking the ball during pre-game warm-ups.
McCargo, who led the team with 23 points, hit two free throws and Marcus Coleman drilled home a trey on the Comets’ first possession to give them a 5-0 lead.
An 11-2 flurry fueled with a pair of three-pointers from Jeremy Jeffress who finished the night with 20 points, gave the Comets a 20-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
A trey by Coleman put the Comets up by 11 points in the first two minutes of the second quarter and the Comets held their own, finishing the first half with a 34-27 lead.
Franklin County cut the Comets’ lead to two points early in the third quarter but a 9-0 Comets run pushed the lead back to 11 points at 43-32 with 3:58 left in the third quarter.
The Comets went on to lead by 10 points at 54-44 at the end of the third quarter.

 

Halifax Comets Swimmer Clements Qualifies For State

Clements Sixth in 100 Butterfly At Northwest Regionals

BY Doug Ford
G-V STAFF WRITER

Comets swimmer Caroline Clements qualified for the Virginia State Meet after a sixth-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly event Friday at the Northwest Region Swim Meet at Hargrave Military Academy.
Clements swam the 100 in 1:02.40, good for sixth-place. The top eight swimmers in each event qualify for the state meet.
Halifax scored 25 points in the girls meet, which was won by Osbourn Park with 221 points, while E.C. Glass, a long-time power in the Western Valley District, won the boys meet with 214 points. The Halifax boys finished with 19 points at the meet.
Clements was one of seven Comets girls swimmers who competed in the regional meet this year. Brittany Abbott, Anna Bowen, Morgan McDowell and Courtney McDowell competed in individual events at the meet, while Lacy Will and Cally Zanarini went to the regionals as members of the girls 400-yard free relay team.
The Comets boys sent eight swimmers to the regionals this year, including Dane Ferguson, Jeremy Cherry, Bryan Slagle, Phillip Saunders, Ryland Clark, Eric Nelson and Jarrett Pearce in individual events.
Brett Kluge made the regionals as a member of the 400-yard free relay team.
Finishing times for other Comets swimmers at the regionals were not available at press time.