Monday, July 3, 2006

O’Sullivan To Close Doors
Move Will Affect 200 Workers

Just days after county residents learned about the expansion of ABB’s plant, another facility announced it will be closing its doors.
O’Sullivan Industries, located in the Halifax County Industrial Park will cease manufacturing operations at the end of August and will cease shipping operations on September 30, according to President and CEO Rick Walters contacted in Atlanta Friday.
The move is expected to impact 200 workers, he said.
Walters said Friday that the move is a result of “an industry-wide excess capacity” in the ready-to-assemble furniture market.
“We’re trying to align our capacity with the demands of the marketplace,” he said. “It was a very difficult decision. The South Boston operation performed well, there are good people there and the fact that we’re closing is no reflection of the quality of the workers or the quality of product they produce. It was a purely business decision.”
In a press release issued Friday, Walters said the decision to close the plant was “difficult but necessary”.
“We determined that this was the most effective course of action to align our available capacity with the market and to make our total cost structure more competitive,” he said. “The closure… is not a reflection on the work force or management team in South Boston.
“In fact, the plant has demonstrated continuous improvement operationally and is consistently meeting customer quality and delivery requirements. However, there is an immediate need to improve capacity utilization and optimize overall company performance,” he added.
Workers and local officials were told Friday morning about the closing, according to Walters.
“There will be a severance package that will be offered to all employees,” he said.
Manufacturing operations will be shifted to the company’s Missouri facility.
Halifax County Industrial Development Authority Executive Director Mike Eades said his office will work to locate a new industry in the facility as quickly as possible.
“We’re obviously very disappointed,” he said. “We will do whatever we can to market the building and try to find a new tenant.
“It’s a good facility and has marketability and we’ll do whatever we can to put those people back to work,” Eades added.
O’Sullivan operates production facilities in Lamar, Missouri and South Boston, Virginia. These facilities comprise over 2,000,000 square feet of manufacturing and distribution space and are operated by over 1,300 employee partners. The state-of-the-art facilities service a customer base that includes America’s largest retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Office Depot, OfficeMax and Staples.

 

Home Invasion, Robbery Probed In South Boston
Police Seek Information About Three Hispanic Suspects In Friday Incident

Investigators with the South Boston Police Department are seeking information about three men they say entered a home and robbed the occupant at gunpoint Friday, according to Investigator T.M. VanAernem.
VanAernem said that between 2:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., officers with the department responded to a Marshall Avenue home for a call reporting a home invasion-style robbery.
The occupants of the home were present during the incident, according to VanAernem.
“The victims in this particular case initially came to the South Boston Police Department to report the incident,” the investigator said. “Further information revealed that sometime between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m., three Hispanic males forced their way into the residence and displayed an unknown type of firearm and demanded money and jewelry.”
VanAernem said the victims gave the suspects an undetermined amount of money and jewelry.
According to police, the suspects who entered the home, “along with two other individuals waiting in a vehicle,” fled the scene prior to the arrival of police.
“At this time, the only description of the vehicle that was being driven was a tan or brownish-colored two-door vehicle,” VanAernem said.
No one was reported injured during the incident.
The suspects are described as follows:
• A Hispanic male approximately 5’7”, weighing 180 pounds and wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt with stripes and light blue jeans.
This suspect had hazel eyes and spoke in Spanish during the alleged robbery.
He was wearing a black hat and had “VIP” tattooed on the right web/top of his hand.
• A Hispanic male with facial acne with a teardrop tattoo under his left eye.
This suspect was wearing a yellow long-sleeved shirt, was approximately 5’5”and weighed around 180 pounds.
• A Hispanic male with a moustache wearing a black shirt. The suspect was approximately 5’5” and weighed 180 pounds.
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the South Boston Police Department at 575-4271 or Crimestoppers at 575-TIPS.

Hogan Blasts Senate, Kaine
County Delegate Charges Running As Fiscal Conservatives ‘Dishonest’

Following the longest budget fight in the Virginia’s history, Halifax County’s delegate to the House of Representatives had strong words for Governor Tim Kaine and Senate Republicans, charging that they were dishonest with voters when they ran as conservatives.
“They want to spend every nickel they can get their hands on all the time and when anyone tries to show the least little bit of restraint, they act like you’re doing a disservice to the public when I believe they’re the ones doing the disservice,” Delegate Clarke Hogan said Friday.
Hogan made the charges at the end of a bitter week of budget wrangling that ended last Wednesday when House Republicans gutted $22 million in spending projects unrelated to the state’s transportation problem that Kaine proposed with nearly $30 million in newly-found cash.
He said that after six months of wrangling over the budget, it was an irresponsible move to introduce spending initiatives at the eleventh hour.
“We’d been fighting for six months on the budget, the conference committee had agreed on what we were going to spend our money on, and to conjure up $30 million at the last minute is completely irresponsible,” Hogan said. “It (the $22 million in cuts Republicans made last week) had nothing to do with these specific projects, it had everything to do with us saying we need to rearrange our priorities.”
The governor said the money came from unexpected lottery proceeds, a move Hogan challenged.
“There’s no perspective from the senate and governor’s side in what you’ve done and what you need to get done,” the delegate said. “It’s how much can we spend.
“With a week to go before the end of the budget, the governor conjures up $30 million out of thin air and wants to spend it on local earmarks and then he and his allies in the Senate suggest that by not spending the last little bit of money, major initiatives are being set back. These are major issues that they weren’t talking about a week ago. They suggest that we have a major transportation issue in the state and then spend every nickel they can possibly conjure up on everything but transportation,” he said.
“That leads me to the conclusion that they don’t really believe we have a transportation crisis, they just use it as an excuse for another tax increase. What they’re really about is raising taxes because they like spending other people’s money.”
Hogan said House Republicans tried to provide some oversight and accountability in the budget process to protect taxpayers from excessive spending.
“And the governor and Senate have fought us every step of the way,” he said.
The Halifax County delegate charged that Kaine and the Republican Senators ran as conservatives – a far cry from their true philosophical leanings.
“For the most part, the governor and Senate ran and were elected as fiscal conservatives and responsible managers of the public trust and they have acted completely contrary to what they said when they ran for office,” he said.
“It’d be funny if it wasn’t so pitiful that any idea we should show restraint is met with absolute disbelief by the governor and Senate,” Hogan added. “It goes to show you that they don’t show any restraint. To run as fiscal conservatives and govern in that way is a public disservice of the worst kind.
“What’s underlying is a disconnect over what the government needs to be doing,” he said. “We were honest when we got elected and they weren’t. It’s not about partisanship, it’s about honesty.
“They were dishonest with the public when they ran for office,” Hogan added. “What they are is a bunch of big spenders and they said everything but that.
“They can justify it any way they want but they ran as fiscal conservatives and they’ve been pushing for the biggest tax increase the state’s seen and I’m sick of it.”

Obituaries

Alma Dennis Dance McDaniel
Alma Dennis Dance McDaniel, 92, of Amelia, formerly of Halifax, died June 29, 2006, at Amelia.
Mrs. McDaniel was born in Halifax County on November 29, 1913, the daughter of the late William Howard Dance and Willie Barnes Dance and was married to the late Melvin Harrison McDaniel.
She was a lifelong member of Dan River Baptist Church where she served as a former Sunday school teacher for the ladies adult class and held many other leadership roles. In the community she was a charter member of the JOY Club and a member of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program.
Survivors include one daughter, Ann McDaniel Lastovica and her husband, Martin, of Colonial Heights; and one grandson, Brian Everett Lastovica of Colonia Heights.
Funeral services for Mrs. McDaniel were held July 2, at 3:30 p.m. at Dan River Baptist Church with the Rev. Doug Gibson officiating. Burial followed in the church cemetery.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Dan River Baptist Church Building Fund, 1228 Dan River Church Road, Halifax, 24558, or Gideon International Bible Association.
Amanda Cardwell Williams
Funeral services for Amanda Cardwell Williams have been changed to July 8, at 11 a.m. at Williams Temple CME Church with the Rev. George Brown officiating.
Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Rose Scott Cheek
Funeral services for Mrs. Rose Scott Cheek will be held today at 11 a.m. at Dan River Bethel Baptist Church with the Rev. Dwight Wilkerson officiating.
Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at 3193 Bold Springs Road in South Boston.
Mrs. Cheek, 81, died Thursday, June 29, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
She was born in West Virginia on June 15, 1925 the daughter of the late William Henry Scott and Florence Walton Scott, and was married to Elijah Cheek.
Mrs. Cheek was a member of Dan River Bethel Baptist Church.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Cheek is survived by two daughters, Evelyn Y. Luna and Gwendolyn C. Hedgepeth, both of Richmond; three sons, Elijah L. Cheek of Pikesville, Md., Ernest W. Cheek Sr. of South Boston and David Eugene Cheek Sr. of Richmond; four sisters, Alice Malone of Orange, N.J., Virginia Scott, Ruth Scott and Beatrice Lawson, all of New Jersey; a brother, Ernest Scott of Orange, N.J.; 15 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren; a son-in-law, three daughters-in-law, four brothers-in-law, three sisters-in-law and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Veronica Oliver.
Melvin Junior Barksdale
Funeral services for Mr. Melvin Junior Barksdale will be held Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Jeffress Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Bruce Featherstone officiating.
Burial will follow in the Cross Road Baptist Church Cemetery.
Public viewing hours will be Monday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Jeffress Funeral Home and the family is receiving friends at the home of Yvette Everett, 1028 Humps Trail, South Boston.
Mr. Barksdale, 35, died Thursday, June 29, at his residence.
He was born in Halifax County on April 6, 1971, the son Rosa Barksdale Walton and the late Edward Walton.
In addition to his mother, Mr. Barksdale is survived by two brothers, Joseph Carr of Clover and Timothy Walton of South Boston, four step-sisters, Linda S. Jennings and Vonnie Jones, both of South Boston, Mary Humphrey of Roxboro, N.C., and Betty Furman of Alton; four step-brothers, Retired Sgt. Joseph A. Walton of Hopewell, Master Sgt. Charlie C. Walton of Charleston, S.C., George D. Walton of Danville and Bobbie A. Walton of Baltimore; his maternal grandmother, Annie B. Chaney of South Boston; two aunts, two uncles, two great-aunts and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Jeffress Fares Well In Debut
Jeremy Jeffress Recorded A Strikeout In His Pro Baseball Debut With The Arizona Brewers
Former Halifax County High School hurler Jeremy Jeffress got his first pitching start for the Arizona Brewers, the Milwaukee Brewers’ Arizona Rookie League team, this past Thursday and got off to a good start.
Reed Nichols, the Farm Director for the Brewers, said Friday that Jeffress threw his first pitch for a strike and fanned the first batter he faced.
Nichols also noted that the hard-throwing right-hander’s fastball was clocked at between 94 and 98 mph and that it averaged out at 96 mph.
“He was very impressive,” Nichols said.
“It was a very impressive outing.”
Nichols said Jeffress pitched only the one inning, threw 31 pitches and yielded one earned run.
The Brewers’ farm director noted that a defensive miscue played a role in the run that was scored.
The Brewers lost the game to Kansas City by a score of 3-2.
Nichols said Jeffress will likely pitch again Tuesday.

 

Halifax County South Is Lone Undefeated Team In Tourney
Halifax Co. South Can Wrap Up The Dixie Youth Baseball AAA District 2 West Sub-District Tourney Title Tonight
The Halifax County South Dixie Youth Baseball AAA (Minor League) all-star team is hoping it can make quick work of the District 2 West Sub-District tonight at the Day Complex.
And, it appears that it is poised to do just that.
Halifax County South will face the winner of last night’s elimination game between Scottsburg and Halifax tonight at 6:30 p.m. with a win tonight giving Halifax County South the tournament title.
Even if Halifax County South should happen to stumble tonight with a loss, it will still get another shot at the tournament championship as it would get a rematch against tonight’s opponent at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
Halifax County South has already posted impressive wins over the two teams that squared off in last night’s elimination game.
Halifax County South opened the tournament with an impressive 12-2 win Friday night over Scottsburg. It followed that up with a 10-0 win over Halifax on Saturday night in a game that was stopped after five innings under a slaughter rule.
The host South Boston all-star team had a tough time of it and was the first team to be eliminated in the tournament.
South Boston lost to Halifax 35-7 Friday night in a game that was stopped after four innings under a slaughter rule. On Saturday night, Scottsburg downed South Boston 14-2 in a game that was stopped after four innings under a slaughter rule.
Hal. Co. South 12 Scottsburg 2 (Friday-Game 1)
Halifax County South and Scottsburg locked horns in a tough battle for the first three innings before Halifax County South broke the game open with a seven-run rally in the fourth inning.
A two-RBI hit by Andrew McCann in the top of the second inning put Halifax County South up 2-0.
Scottsburg answered in the bottom of the frame when Chase Wilkerson reached base with a hit, Elijah Hudson reached base on an error, and both scored as Hunter Watts reached base on an error.
The seven-run rally by Halifax County South in the fourth inning broke the 2-2 deadlock. A two-RBI double by James Williams and two-RBI double by Eddie Chaney were the big hits in the inning.
Halifax County South added a run in the fifth inning with a run-scoring hit by McCann and finished the game with two runs in the sixth inning with a two-RBI single from Greg Crawley.
Halifax County South had nine hits in the game with McCann leading the way with three hits and Williams following with two hits.
Tristan Howerton, Ethan Woltz, Crawley and Eddie Chaney each had one hit.
Scottsburg had four hits in the game with Wilkerson leading the way with two hits with Hudson and G.C. Wagstaff chipping in a hit each.
Halifax 35 South Boston 7 (Game 2 – Friday)
This was a game that turned out to be no game at all.
South Boston’s small, young team was no match for the older, bigger Halifax all-star team in this one as Halifax exploded for 10 runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back.
Halifax took advantage of 27 walks from South Boston hurlers and six South Boston errors while banging out 13 hits.
After Halifax scored its 10 runs in the top of the inning, South Boston scored a run in the bottom of the inning when Andrew Ozmec walked and scored on a two-out triple from Kyle Hendrickson.
That served to be only a temporary ray of hope as Halifax added nine more runs in the second inning to take a 19-1 lead. South Boston added a run in the bottom of the second inning when Mauricio Garza walked and later scored to make it 19-2.
Six runs in the top of the third gave Halifax a 25-2 edge.
South Boston got its first three batters in the third inning on base via walks and got back-to-back two-RBI hits from Ozmec and Petey Dickerson to chalk up four runs and make it a 25-6 game.
Halifax added another 10 runs in the top of the fourth inning to make it 35-6. South Boston mustered up another run in the bottom of the frame with Jeriq Faulkner doing the honors to make the final 35-7 count.
Halifax had 13 hits with Ryan Powell, Tyler Stephens, Aubrey Jordan and Adrian Moran each getting two hits. Cain Hamlett, Jessie Waller, Ikeem Woody, Drew Dawson, and Zack Terry each had one hit.
South Boston had four hits with Dickerson leading the way with two hits and Ozmec and Hendrickson each getting one hit.
Scottsburg 14 South Boston 2 (Game 3-Saturday)
Scottsburg rebounded from its opening-night loss to Halifax County South by downing South Boston 14-2 in Saturday’s opener and eliminating South Boston from the tournament.
Nine errors and nine walks played a key role in South Boston’s downfall as Scottsburg rolled up the easy win.
Scottsburg opened with five runs in the top of the first inning, three of which came on a bases-loaded triple from Hudson.
Seven more runs in the top of the third inning gave Scottsburg a 12-0 lead. A three-RBI triple from Nick Lewis accounted for three of the runs. Two runs scored as the result of South Boston errors and one run scored as the result of a passed ball.
Scottsburg added two more runs in the top of the fourth inning with Colby Grissom and Lewis doing the honors to make it a 14-0 Scottsburg led.
South Boston came to bat in the bottom of the inning needed five runs to keep the game alive but could only muster two runs.
Hunter Gregory reached base on an error and scored on a single by Ozmec. Ozmec scored later in the inning on a hit by Dre’Hubbard.
Scottsburg had seven hits with Wes Pruitt and Hudson getting two hits each and Watts, Lewis and Wagstaff getting one hit each.
South Boston had three hits with Ozmec, Hubbard and Hendrickson each getting one hit.
Hal. Co. South 10 Halifax 0 (Game 4-Saturday)
Halifax County South backed up its solid opening-night performance with a 10-0 shutout of Halifax in five innings in Saturday’s nightcap.
Tristan Howerton gave Halifax County South a solid night on the mound, hurling a no-hitter and fanning eight batters while scattering five walks.
Halifax County South scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 4-0 lead with three of the runs coming on a three-RBI double by Link.
A two-RBI double by Williams in the bottom of the third inning gave Halifax County South a 6-0 lead.
Seth Elliott scored with the help of two errors and a pair of passed balls to allow Halifax County South to add a run in the fourth inning and make it a 7-0 game.
Run-scoring hits from Seth Elliott, Woltz and McCann gave Halifax County South three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and allowed it to put an early cap on the contest.
Halifax County South had eight hits in the game with Williams and Elliott both getting two hits and Harris, Woltz, McCann and Link getting a hit each.

Post 8 Loses Pair To Lynchburg
Lynchburg Post 16 Swept A Doubleheader From South Boston Post 8 Here Saturday
The South Boston Post 8 American Legion baseball team was hoping to begin turning the tables on a tough season here Saturday against Lynchburg Post 16 but it didn’t happen.
Lynchburg netted only five hits but was able to take advantage of six walks and four South Boston errors and post a 7-1 win over Post in the opening game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
In the nightcap, Lynchburg exploded for seven runs in the first inning and never looked back as it scored an 11-1 win over Post 8 in a game that was stopped after five innings under a slaughter rule.
The pair of losses dropped Post 8’s record to 1-6.
Post 8 had six hits in the opening game with Blake Waller leading the way with a big 3-4 effort. Kyle Long chipped in two hits and Kaleb Long had one hit.
E.C. Glass High School standout Matt Bergin led Lynchburg with two hits.
Lynchburg grabbed the lead in the opening game with three runs in the second inning, two of which scored on a two-RBI hit by Bergin, to take a 3-0 lead.
A run in the fourth inning on a hit from Cameron Grant made it a 4-0 lead for Lynchburg.
South Boston scored a run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Ryan Gieselman reached base on an error and scored on a double by Waller to make it a 4-1 score.
Lynchburg picked up two runs in the sixth inning, one as the result of a Post 8 error to make it a 6-1 score. Post 16 added a run in the seventh inning on a hit by Bergin who scored with the help of a pair of passed balls and a Post 8 error to cap the game.
In the nightcap, Post 8 had five hits with Kaleb Long leading the way with a pair of hits and Waller, Eric Brandon and Tyler Hunt each getting a hit apiece.
Lynchburg opened the game with a seven-run first inning that began with Post 8 hurler Jacob Shelton walking the first three batters he faced and Elkins making him pay with a two-RBI double.
A double by Aaron Read scored another run to make it a 3-0 Lynchburg lead and things only got worse after that as the visitors ran off to a seven-run lead.
Lynchburg scored three runs in the top of the second inning to make it a 10- lead with a two-RBI double from Jeff Taylor being the big hit of the inning.
South Boston scored a run in the bottom of the third inning when Waller singled with two out and scored on a double by Brandon to make the score 10-1.
Lynchburg added its final run in the fifth inning on a run-scoring hit from Terrance Penn to make the final 11-1 score.
Grant, Read, and Leland Hertig led Lynchburg’s offense in the game with two hits each.
Post 8 has two games scheduled this week including a home game Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Danville Post 325 and a road game against Danville Post 325 Friday at 7 p.m.