Friday, April 8, 2005

SVHEC Is Now State Institution

Governor Warner Signed Bill Funding The SVHEC Wednesday.
Members of the Halifax Educational Foundation joined Halifax County Delegate Clarke Hogan and Senator Frank Ruff as Governor Mark Warner signed legislation that funds the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) annually as a state-sponsored higher education center.
The event comes as a result of a budget compromise during this year’s budget session that includes a total of $1.6 million in funding for the SVHEC.
Of that total, $1.2 million will come from an annual General Fund allocation, with the remainder from lease arrangements at the center.
The center had previously operated on a $475,000 annual budget.
Currently owned by the Halifax Educational Foundation, the SVHEC building will be leased to a 15-member Board of Trustees appointed by the General Assembly and governor.
Contacted yesterday, Hogan said the event marks the beginning of an era in Southside.
“This marks the completion of a long and sometimes difficult process and signals the beginning of an independent center largely governed by local people that’s fully funded to provide high quality educational opportunities in our community,” he said. “This is a happy day for Halifax County."
Created as an off-campus center for Longwood University, the SVHEC will now operate as a state-designated, independent higher education center.
Hogan said the designation will enable a curriculum tailored to the needs of Southside.
“This will give us the ability to respond to the educational needs of our area," he said shortly after the measure was passed by the General Assembly. “We will be able to focus our training on where we think it’s important to our community."
During their December, 2004 meetings, both the Halifax County Board of Supervisors and the South Boston Town Councils passed resolutions requesting the designation.
On February 1, legislation that created the center passed committees in both the House and Senate.
The full General Assembly passed the measure on February 26.

Halifax Co. Goes To College

County Leads State In Number Of Dual Enrollment Classes

Halifax County has more dual enrollment classes offered than than any other school system in the state.
Students taking dual enrollment courses at HCHS receive both high school credit and college credit.
Due to the dual enrollment program many area students will be ahead of the pack seeking employment or a college degree when they graduate from high school this spring, according to Schools Superintendent Paul Stapleton.
“Dual enrollment is far better than Advanced Placement (AP) or honors courses,” said Stapleton.
The credits received through the classes are recognized by any public institution in Virginia, according to Assistant Superintendent Larry Clark.
“Because of the agreement that exists in Virginia there is no question asked about the credits at public institutions,” he said. “Some colleges will except the credits on a course for course basis and some will give elective credit for the courses taken. That varies from institution to institution.”
Students taking AP classes that must pass a test at the end of the year for college recognition of their work.
Different AP scores are accepted at different colleges, which then allow students to opt out of entry level course.
Whether students are given actual credit hours based on their score varies from institution to institution.
“The nice thing about dual enrollment is when students apply or transfer to a college they have the opportunity to show the course work they have already done and are guaranteed the credits,’ said Stapleton. “It is a win-win situation.”
Stapleton said the dual enrollment classes could provide a tremendous savings for area parents.
“It is saving money for the parents because the school system is actually paying for the classes,” he said. “If a student gets 40 to 50 credit hours it could be a huge savings.”
Currently community colleges charge $68.85 per semester hour with four-year institutions like Longwood University charging $139 per credit hour.
“This is taxpayers’ dollars at work that really helps children,” said Clark. “If your child can go into college with advanced status as a sophomore you could be looking at a $10,000 savings.”
“And it is costing us very little to offer it,” said Stapleton. “We have an agreement with the community college system where we are hiring teachers that are also community college adjunct faculty.”
“We wouldn’t be able to offer this with out the proximity to and willingness of our two community colleges,” said Clark.
Stapleton said the courses benefit both college-bound students and those looking to start a career directly out of high school.
“It gives students the opportunity to know they can be successful in a college environment,” he said. “It helps those students who may the first generation in their family to look at college say ‘yeah I can do college level work.’ The program will encourage more of our students to go on to higher education and give them a leg up over students in Northern Virginia.”
The school system also offers a number of college level technical courses.
“We are building those students’ career and technical skills,” said Stapleton, adding that students can graduate high school with a college certificate in a number of vocational fields. “Those students can go directly to work out of high school.”

Suit Filed To Condemn Lacy Property

Approximately Three Acres Will Be Used For Right-Of-Way For King Village Road Improvements

The Halifax County Board of Supervisors filed the necessary paperwork Tuesday in Halifax County Circuit Court to condemn land adjacent to King Village Trail, according to court records.
Naming Epps Lacy and James Lacy, both of Love Shop Road, as defendants the Petition for Condemnation seeks to condemn approximately three acres for right-of-way and six drainage easements necessary for improvements to the roadway, according to Halifax County Administrator Bryan Foster.
The suit claims that the Board of Supervisors, through eminent domain, has the power to condemn the property and take title to the three acres after paying the Lacys fair market value as determined by the court.
“Your petitioner is the governing body of Halifax County, Virginia, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia, which is empowered to condemn real property and bring suits in its name on behalf of the county," the petition reads in part.
“The authority for the taking (of the property) is specifically provided… by…the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, which grants to the Board the power to acquire by condemnation title to land, buildings and structures, or any easement thereover, for the purpose of opening, construction, repairing or maintaining a road, of for any authorized public undertaking, if the terms of purchase cannot be agreed upon," the county’s attorney, Lawrenceville’s Russell Slayton, wrote in the petition.
Negotiations between the county and the Lacys to reach an equitable agreement to transfer the needed property to the county have been going on for years.
In April, 2003, the Lacy family declined to donate the property needed for the right-of-way to the county.
Supervisors adopted a resolution authorizing the condemnation of the property on March 1.
The property rights-of-way and easements are necessary to construct a state-maintained road to the community known as King Village, located off Love Shop road.
“The public use for which the property is to be taken is the construction of a new access road to serve the said King Village property, which access road will provide a safe and adequate means of traveling between State Route 614 (Love Shop Road) and the King Village property, and which will enable access to the King Village property by emergency response vehicles under all weather conditions, and which will enable public school buses to serve the public need for safe, adequate and convenient public school bus service to school-age children and their families.
“The petitioner (the Board of Supervisors) has made a bona fide, but ineffectual, effort to acquire the real property and drainage easements described above, which effort was made by providing written purchase offers to the respondents, which offers were based on appraisals conducted by… a duly licensed real estate appraiser," Slayton continued in the petition.
According to Foster, the Lacys have 21 days to respond to the petition via a separate motion filed on their behalf. The matter will then go through a court hearing process.
Slayton has told Foster he expects the legal process to be completed by mid-late summer.

 

Obituaries

JoAnn Brooks

JoAnn Brooks, 68, of 710 Edmunds Street, South Boston died April 3 at Duke University Medical Center.
Ms. Brooks was born in Halifax County on August 17, 1936, to the late William Brooks and Gracie Edmunds. She was a member of Ebenezer CME Church.
Survivors include three brothers, John Brooks of South Boston, Wiley Brooks and Jack Brooks, both of New York; one sister-in-law, Gracie Brooks of South Boston; one God-daughter, Barbara Murphy of New York; three devoted friends, Jack and Doressa Lindsey and Muriel Jordan.
Ms. Brooks was preceded in death by four sisters, Hattie Jackson, Lula Bell Brooks, Lucy Brooks and Jeanette Brooks; and four brothers, George, James, Robert and Jesse Brooks.
Funeral services will be held tomorrow, April 9, at 11 a.m. at Crawford House Chapel in Halifax with the Rev. William Dixon officiating. Burial will follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
The family is receiving friends at the home.

Rosa M. Craighead

Rosa M. Craighead of Saxe died at the home of her daughter in Drakes Branch on April 6.
Funeral services will be held April 10 at 3 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church in Drakes Branch.
Survivors of Ms. Craighead include three daughters, Marcia Rawlings and husband, William, of Drakes Branch, Janet Wilson and husband, Acree, of Chase City, and Lakeshia Cheatham and husband, Howe, of Saxe; her mother, Beatrice Craighead of Saxe; 17 brothers and sisters, Mary and George Price, Jessie Craighead, Clarence Craighead, Sarah and Sherman Harris, John and Sharon Craighead, all of Saxe, Diane and Larry McCraw of Scottsburg, Audrey and Willie Harris, Deborah and Muarry Hill, all of South Boston, Donald and Sonya Craighead, Tyrone and Tiffany Craighead, all of Drakes Branch, Sandra and Calvin King of Keysville, Keith and Teresa Craighead of Red Oak, Mary A. McCullough of Victoria, Alphonzo Craighead and Quinton Craighead, both of Arlington, Tracy Craighead of Clover, and Dorothy and Ronnie Ward of Randolph; and five grandchildren, Da’Quan, Qua’Sha, Qae’Von, Qae’Shon, and Dy’Qaesha.

Kenneth Eugene Fussell

Kenneth Eugene Fussell, 83, of Chase City died April 6 at Duke University Medical Center.
Mr. Fussell was born in Varina on October 22,1921, the son of the late Robert and Lelia Warriner Fussell, and was married to Bernice Nichols Fussell. He was a member of Centenary United Methodist Church, was a graduate of Virginia Tech, and served in the U.S. Army in World War II. He retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a Lt. Colonel, and retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a soil scientist.
Graveside services will be held tomorrow, April 9, at 2 p.m. at Clover Cemetery in Clover with the Rev. Thomas Caulkins officiating.
Survivors of Mr. Fussell include his wife; a stepdaughter, Paige Hunter of Seattle Wash., one step-granddaughter, Nathalie Hunter Smith of Seattle; one step-grandson, Maxwell Hunter of Snoqualmie, Wash.; and a number of nieces and nephews.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider your favorite charity.

Sarah Louise Younger Hendrick

Sarah Louise Younger Hendrick, 94, of 1070 Union Grove Road, South Boston died April 3 at her home.
Mrs. Hendrick was born in Halifax County on August 17, 1910, the daughter of the late Emma Younger. She was a member of Millstone Baptist Church.
Survivors include two daughters, Annie Barksdale of Halifax and Marie Hubbard of Washington, D.C.; 15 grandchildren; 31 great-grandchildren; 26 great-great-grandchildren; and other relatives and friends.
Funeral services for Mrs. Hendrick will be held tomorrow, April 9, at 1 p.m. at Millstone Baptist Church with the Rev. Chester Spruill officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family is receiving friends at the home.

Mary Elizabeth Bailey Jones

Mary Elizabeth Bailey Jones, 75, of Ohio, formerly of Halifax County, died April 4.
Mrs. Jones was born in Halifax County on November 26, 1929, to the late Rev. James H. Bailey and Helen Coleman Bailey. She was a member of St. James Baptist Church and was a retired public school teacher.
Survivors include three sons, Keith Ngoki Jones of Santa Barbara, Calif., Carlton Jones of Woodmere, Ohio and Norman Jones of Culver City, Calif; three grandchildren; two sisters, Grace Carden-Lewis and Florence Bailey Hurtt, both of Scottsburg; one brother, James A. Bailey of Powhatan; and other relatives and friends.
Funeral services for Mrs. Jones will be held tomorrow, April 9, at 3 p.m. at St. James Baptist Church with the Rev. B.B. Blackwell officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family is receiving friends at the home of Florence B. Hurtt.

Rosa Dance Lyons

Rosa D. Lyons of Landover, Md. died April 1. She was the daughter of the late Leander and Coida Coleman Dance of Halifax County, and was married to Dr. Charles A. Lyons Jr.
Mrs. Lyons was a retired educator, was a member of First Baptist Church of Glendarden, Md., and a member of numerous civic organizations.
Survivors include her husband; two daughters, Sheila Stringer of Mitchellville and Dr. Brenda Lyons of Springdale, Md.; one son, Charles A. Lyons of Oxen Hill, Md.; one daughter-in-law, Mia Tonya Lyons; a granddaughter, Charmia Lyons; four sisters-in-law, Cecil Dance of Halifax, Eva Dance of Fayetteville, N.C., Florence Dance of East Orange, N.J. and Leola Dance of Plainfield, N.J.
Funeral services for Mrs. Lyons will be held today, April 8, at 11 a.m. in First Baptist Church in Landover.
The family will receive friends at the church from 9:30 to 11:00, Friday.

Nancy Lynn Maxwell Toman

Nancy Lynn Maxwell Toman, 57, of Greensboro, N.C., formerly of Halifax County, died March 29.
Mrs. Toman was born in Athens, Ga. on November 1, 1947, the daughter of Julia Odell and Willie Lee Maxwell and was married to Joe Toman.
Survivors include her husband; children, Molly and husband, Gus Simmons, Emmy Nelson and Michael Toman; grandchildren, Kaleb, Stephanie and Morgan; brothers and sisters, Bill Maxwell and wife, DeeDee, Kitty Godsey and husband, Roy, and Stuart Maxwell.
Services for Mrs. Toman were held April 2 at 2 p.m. in Greensboro.

 

Arm Control

Jeremy Jeffress Spun A Two-Hitter And Clyde Brooks Delivered A Run As HCHS Downed E.C. Glass 1-0 In Its Western Valley District Opener

BY Joe Chandler
G-V STAFF WRITER

Comets hurler Jeremy Jeffress wanted to take control of Tuesday’s Western Valley District season-opener here against E.C. Glass.
He did just that.
Jeffress spun a two-hitter, fanned 13 batters and made a big defensive play at the plate in the first inning to help lead the Comets to a 1-0 win over the Hilltoppers and their standout pitching ace Jared Bolden.
“This was a great win for us,” Jeffress said after his team notched its fourth win in a row and improved its record to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in district play.
“Jared told me during basketball (season) he couldn’t wait for baseball to come down here and get us. Jared is a good left-handed pitcher. But, we like left-handed pitchers. We were going to go right at him.”
Bolden also had a big night, fanning eight Comets batters while allowing six scattered hits. But, it wasn’t enough to prevent the Hilltoppers from dropping their first game of the season after having come into the game with a 6-0 mark.
“I can’t say enough about Jeremy and Jared’s performance,” said Comets head coach Kelvin Davis.
“The fans got their money’s worth. They saw two workhorses go at one another. We were fortunate to come out with the win.”
Davis said Jeffress’ performance on the mound was one of the better outings of the junior hurler’s career.
“He went out there and took control of the game,” Davis noted.
“That’s one of the things Jeremy does so well. He’s a gamer. He wants the ball. He’s stubborn. He believes in his heart that he has the right stuff. He’s a heck of a pitcher. I’m just tickled to death to have the opportunity to coach the kid.”
The game got off to a shaky start for Jeffress and the Comets as Jeffress walked three of the first four E.C. Glass batters he faced in the top of the first inning, allowing Glass to load the sacks with one out.
Then, with the Hilltoppers’ Nathan Gillespie batting, a pitch from Jeffress got past Comets catcher Ryan Gieselman. Jeffress bolted to the plate and got there ahead of Glass runner Alex Kozera. Gieselman flipped the ball to Jeffress and Jeffress tagged out Kozera to prevent a run from scoring and give the Comets two out in the inning.
“He (Kozera) didn’t get a good jump," Jeffress pointed out.
“ I was waiting for Ryan to throw the ball. I knew I was going to get him."
Jeffress fanned Gillespie to end the inning.
The Comets put the game-winning run on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning when Clyde Brooks opened with a double. Then, with one out, Gieselman laced a sharp single that moved Brooks to third base.
Owens followed with a fly ball to right field that allowed Brooks to score and put the Comets up 1-0. Blake Waller went down on strikes to end the inning but the Comets had done their damage.
It was a tense pitching and defensive battle the rest of the way.
The Comets stranded runners and first base and third base in the bottom of the fifth inning and the Hilltoppers stranding a runner at third base in the top of the fifth inning and left runners at second base and third base in the top of the sixth inning.
Halifax County’s offense was led by Chris Conner who turned in a big 3-3 night at the plate. Jeffress, Brooks and Gieselman each chipped in a hit.
Davis said the game was the type of game he expected to see between the two teams.
“We knew what kind of team E.C. Glass has," Davis said.
“E.C. Glass is a team that will never lie down on you. They’re going to come at you until the last inning. We were very fortunate to get this win."

Halifax Varsity Softball Wins District Opener Over Glass

Throckmorton, Parker Lead Comets In 3-0 Shutout Of Hilltoppers

BY Doug Ford
G-V STAFF WRITER

Beth Throckmorton pitched a one hitter, and Jasmine Parker slugged two triples and scored twice, as the Comets varsity softball team won its Western Valley District opener Tuesday with a 3-0 shut out of E.C. Glass in Lynchburg.
Halifax evened its season record at 2-2 with Tuesday’s win.
Halifax finished with four hits in the contest, Parker hitting a triple to lead off the game before scoring on Mallory Lawter’s sacrifice.
Parker added another triple in the seventh, scoring on an error for the final Halifax tally.
Lashunda Davis scored the other Comets run in the first off an error, and singled in the fifth. Cari Clark singled in the third for the Comets’ other hit.
Those runs proved to be all Throckmorton needed, the junior right hander setting down 11 Hilltopper batters on strikes, and walking none, with only two Glass batters reaching base the entire game.
Comets coach Melanie Saunders was pleased with the win overall and the Comets’ defense, but added the offense seemed to fall off after scoring two first inning runs.
“I’m very pleased we opened with a Western Valley District win, but I know the girls are capable of much more than they showed at Glass,” said Saunders.
“Offensively, we came out in the first inning and executed at the plate to score two runs, but after the first inning,, we seemed to go flat and did not make the needed adjustments at the plate. Our timing seemed to be off.
“We have to learn to make adjustments depending on the pitcher we are facing and hopefully we will learn this more and more each game.”
Saunders noted key performances by Throckmorton and Parker, as well as the Comets’ defense, all of which were catalysts in the win over Glass.
“Jasmine Parker had a good game at the plate with two triples, and Beth Throckmorton did a good job on the mound, striking out 11 batters and walking none," said Saunders.
“Defensively, we played well, making only one error.”
The Comets executed the fundamentals well in the first inning to score two runs, Parker starting the rally with a leadoff triple, Lawter’s sacrifice bunt giving Halifax a 1-0 lead.
Davis reached base on an error and stole second, before scoring when the next batter, Tracy Nelson, also reached base on an error.
Nelson reached third base on that Glass miscue, but a popup and groundout cut the rally short.
Halifax had the bases loaded in the second inning, and got baserunners as far as third base in the fifth inning, but couldn’t get the key hit to plate additional runs.
Jessica Morris reached on an error to start the second inning, stole second base and advanced to third on a flyout, and Lawter drew a two-out walk and stole second.
Davis drew a walk to load the bases, but a strikeout ended that threat.
Clark hit a two-out single in the third, but was out stealing second, and Davis singled in the third with one out, stealing second and third.
A flyout and groundout stranded Davis at third, and the score remained 2-0 until the top of the seventh inning, when Parker slugged a one-out triple and scored on an error for the Comets’ final run.
Throckmorton and the Comets’ defense made the three scores stand up, Throckmorton getting two strikeouts in each of the first five innings and one strikeout in the sixth.
She allowed only one hit, a fourth inning single with two outs, but got a strikeout to end the inning.
The only other Glass batter to reach base did so after the Comets’ only error, that coming in the fifth inning, but the Comets got a Throckmorton strikeout, flyout and another Throckmorton “K” to erase that threat.