IDA Wants More Land

During its meeting Friday the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority will address the purchase of additional land at Riverstone Technology Park.
The meeting will be at 8 a.m. in the conference room of Riverstone Building One.
Also under real estate the IDA board will receive updates on the ABB expansion project, Georgia-Pacific – recommendation on a demolition contractor, the relocation of the IDA office to RTB and will receive recommendations on real estate commissions on property it owns.
Following the meeting at Riverstone the IDA will tour the ABB construction site, according to IDA Executive Director Mike Eades.

Coyotes Making Meal Out Of Fifi

A pack of coyotes is blamed for fatal attacks on a dachshund and a cat at Barry Thompson’s farm off of U.S. 58.
“You’ve got trouble here,” warned Thompson, who found his dog’s remains.
The cat simply disappeared about two weeks ago. And it’s not the first cat to vanish.
Coyotes praying on pets is nothing new.
Described as opportunistic feeders, coyotes in Virginia have been blamed for the deaths of pets, young sheep and fawns.
Indeed, the rabbits and groundhogs that were once plentiful in the Thompsons’ garden have simply disappeared.
Animal Control Officer Sherman Logan confirmed yesterday that there are “ a bunch of coyotes” in the county. “We get complaints about livestock,” he said.
Thompson also worries about young children at play.
It is a valid concern, according to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
“Be aware that coyotes in other eastern states have attacked and severely injured small toddlers when left unattended for even a short period of time,” warns the department. “Although the likelihood of such an attack is very remote, never leave small children unattended in areas frequented by coyotes.”
State officials also warn coyotes will kill larger animals such as big game and livestock during the animals’ more vulnerable periods. For example, turkeys on nests, deer fawns, lambs, kid goats and newborn calves.
Pet food and garbage should also be contained if coyotes roam nearby.
However, they generally prey on small rodents, rabbits, birds, snakes and frogs, according to information furnished by Game and Inland Fisheries.
Thompson fears that since his property is bordered by government property in a flood zone, the coyotes have discovered a nice home near a water source.
Although Halifax County is one of approximately 15 Virginia counties that has placed a bounty on the animals - $50 per carcass in Halifax - historically, bounties are a questionable control tool. In some sections of the nation they have been in place for years with little apparent impact.
And for Thompson, there is a new concern.
At dusk he says he can hear the coyotes’ yelping and howling behind his home, with one pack appearing to be answering another in a separate territory.
“Something needs to be done,” he said.

South Boston Well Represented At Scouting World Jamboree In Britain

A South Boston youth and thousands of products manufactured by a South Boston company are making the 3,000-mile trek across the Atlantic to be part of the 21st World Scout Jamboree in Chelmsford, England.
Catesby Saunders, an Eagle Scout from Troop 497, left Monday to participate in the 100-year celebration of the World Scouting Movement.
And thousands of flags and neckerchiefs manufactured at the South Boston Annin and Company facility will also be making their way to the event with scouts from around the U.S.
According to his parents, if it wasn’t for a conversation at Buggs Island Lake with Mark Layne, the print plant superintendent for Annin, Catesby would have left for England without knowledge of the event’s other South Boston connection.
Layne said he was talking with Catesby’s father, Harman, when Catesby came over and asked him where he worked.
After learning that Layne worked for the flag maker, Catesby asked if the company would donate some souvenirs for the Virginia scouts to trade during their time in England.
It is customary for scouts to take items to jamborees from their hometown to trade with scouts from other areas and in this case countries, according to Harman Saunders.
Layne did him one better arranging for the Eagle Scout to tour the Annin manufacturing facility on U.S. 58.
“When he arrived (for the tour) he had his uniform and had the jamboree neckerchief on, which floored me,” Layne said. “He got to meet the artist that designed the neckerchief, which was pretty cool.”
Catesby got to see the manufacturing process from the product’s inception through printing, Layne explained. After the neckerchiefs are printed in South Boston they are shipped to a facility in Ohio where they are sewn and from there they are distributed to scouts around the country.
Layne said the young Eagle Scout made an impression on him.
“He asked some very insightful questions during the tour,” Layne said. “He’s a sharp young man.”
And Saunders didn’t leave the facility empty-handed.
“We gave him some U.S. and Virginia flags to trade with other scouts at the Jamboree,” Layne said. “Other scouts will have a little piece of South Boston when they walk away.”

Obituaries

Joseph Donald Custer
Joseph Donald Custer, 72, of Danville died July 23, 2007, at Danville Regional Medical Center.
Mr. Custer was born in Halifax County June 23, 1935, the son of the late John Henry Custer and Ida Cornelia Custer.
Survivors include one brother, Jessie Custer of Danville; one sister, Ida E. Custer of Chatham; and a number of nieces and nephews.
A graveside memorial service for Mr. Custer will be held July 27, at 11 a.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Cemetery with Pastor Mike Jones officiatiing.
The family is receiving friends at the home of his niece, Donna Hodnett, 1487 Francis Road, Java.

William Lee Langford
William Lee Langford, 55, of Richmond died July 11, 2007. He was the son of the late Woodrow Langford and the lateVirginia Lucille Langford of Halifax County.
Graveside services will be held July 29, at 3 p.m. at Oakland Cemetery in Scottsburg.
Mr. Langford is survived by one sister, Sarah Aiken of Chester; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Wilbert Junious Marable
Wilbert Junious Marable of East Board Rock Road, Richmond, died July 20 in Richmond at the age of 67.
Mr. Marable was born in Lunenburg County on August 3, 1939, a son of the late Douglas Marable and Annie Boyd Marable and was married to Brenda Turner Marable.
He was formerly employed by Dan River, Inc., the Richmond Times-Dispatch and was a self-employed paint contractor.
Mr. Marable was a former member of Mountain Grove Missionary Baptist Church in South Boston and was an active member at Brown Grove Baptist Church in Midlothian.
Mr. Marable is survived by his wife of the home; one son, Chris Turner and wife Melba of Richmond; his stepmother, Julia Marable of South Boston; four sisters, Annie Lois Younger of Halifax, Elnora White of Keeling, Brenda Armstead and husband Joseph Jr. of Richmond, and Glorya Williams and husband Wonell of South Boston; two brothers, Robert Marable and wife Martha of Keeling, and Ronnie Marable of Richmond; one stepbrother, Lewis Ferrell and wife Elsie of Halifax County; one stepsister, Deloris Ferrell of Halifax County; one goddaughter; five grandchildren; four aunts and a number of nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by one sister, Cecil Inez Lanier, and three brothers, Richard, William and Floyd Marable.
Funeral services for Mr. Marable will be held today at 2 p.m. at Brown Grove Baptist Church, Midlothian, with Rev. Samuel Robinson officiating.
Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

Cleveland Harris Wilkins
Cleveland Harris ‘Rooster’ Wilkins, 82, of Deltona, Fla. died July 23, 2007, at his home.
Mr. Wilkins was born April 6, 1925, in Alton to the late Grove Cleveland Wilkins and the late Nannie Lou Harris Wilkins. He formerly attended Harmony United Methodist Church.
Survivors include one sister, Gurdine Burleson of Deltona; and several nieces and nephews. Two sisters, Emma Lee Moore and Shirley Mae Williamson, also preceded Mr. Wilkins in death.
Funeral services will be held July 28, at 11 a.m. at Harmony UMC with the Revs. Liz Buxton and Tommy Faust officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Online condolences may be sent to brooksfh@earthlink.net

Dorothy Edmonds Younger
Dorothy Edmonds Younger, 71, of Bridgeport, Conn., formerly of Halifax County, died July 20, 2007, at Lynchburg General Hospital.
Mrs. Younger was born in Halifax County on July 12, 1936, the daughter of the late Henry Hurt Edmonds and Beatrice Hargrove Edmonds, and was married to the late Joseph Lee Younger. She was a member of Fellowship Temple Pentecostal Church in Bridgeport.
Survivors include six daughters, Sandra Younger-Moore, Teresa Younger, Barbara Younger and Linda Thorne, all of Bridgeport, Lois Younger of New Haven, Conn., and Dorothy Lorraine Luke of East Hartford, Conn.; two sons, Sylvester Younger Sr. and Andrew Younger Sr., both of Bridgeport; 24 grandchildren, including Tasha Younger, Tamika Younger and Akiem Younger whom she raised as her own; nine great-grandchildren; five sisters, Annie Williams of Stratford, Conn., Beatrice Edmonds of Bridgeport, Hallie Sparks of South Boston, Hazel Edmonds of Meriden, Conn., and Carolyn Jackson of Mattydale, N.Y.; seven brothers, Nathaniel Edmonds of Chatham, Willie Womack, Preston Edmonds and Joseph Edmonds, all of South Boston, Elijah Edmonds of Stratford, Gregory Edmonds and Lawrence Edmonds, both of Bridgeport. Six brothers and one sister also preceded Mrs. Younger in death.
Funeral services for Mrs. Younger will be held today, July 25, at 3 p .m. at Christ Temple Blue Rock Holiness Church with the Rev. Dr. James Jackson officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family is receiving friends at the home of Joseph Edmonds, 911 Easley Street, South Boston.

Stephens Commits To Virginia Tech

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
Halifax County High School football standout Allen Stephens put an end to speculation as to where he will play college football Monday afternoon by announcing a verbal commitment to Virginia Tech.
Stephens, who will soon begin his senior season at Halifax County High School, had been heavily sought by a number of major colleges throughout the country.
“I liked the overall atmosphere,” said Stephens as he sat decked out in a Virginia Tech cap and shirt.
“The coaches said we’re like a family at Virginia Tech.”
Stephens, one of the nation’s top prep football prospects, said one of the things that influenced his decision were comments made by Tech coaches that he could have an opportunity to step in and play almost right away.
“The coach said I have good ability,” Stephens remarked.
“He said that with the seniors they have leaving (at the end of this season) I’ve got a good high percentage of playing. They told me they were recruiting three linebackers and that I was one of the top linebacker they were getting this year.
“When I went to Tech to visit, I talked to Bud Foster, who is the linebackers coach and defensive coordinator. He told me he really wanted me to be coached by him because I have good potential of furthering my career after college.”
Also weighing heavily in Stephens’ decision was his ability to be able to play for a major college that was close to home.
“I’ve got people around me,” Stephens pointed out.
“It (Virginia Tech) will be like a new home to me. There will be people there from Halifax that I know. If I went West Virginia, it would be starting my life over with all new people.”
Stephens said he likes the prospect of being close enough to home that his family and friends can come to see him play.
“It will help take some of the jitters off of me while I’m on the field,” Stephens said.
“I’ll know that my family and other people will be there. Almost everybody in this town is a Virginia Tech fan. They visit games and they will know who I am from playing on the Comets team.”
Stephens’ former Comets teammate, wide receiver Patrick Terry is at Virginia Tech and will be starting his college football career there this fall. Stephens said he and Terry had talked about Virginia Tech.
“I didn’t go by his decision for me to go there, but he (Terry) was telling me how good it (Virginia Tech) was and how they take care of you down there,” Stephens noted.
“Patrick was just saying that it would be a good place for me to fit in. He said my family could come watch me and that there are students that attended school here (in Halifax County) are at Tech also.”
One of the key things in the mind of Stephens and his family in announcing a decision at this time is that this takes the pressure off of the Comets senior linebacker as he prepares for the start of his senior season.
“I’m glad I made the decision,” Stephens said.
“At school, every day somebody was asking me had I decided where I wanted to go and I had to tell them I’m not sure yet. Having made my decision, I can focus more on my senior football season and my senior year academics-wise. By the time the school year starts, everybody will know.
“I know I need to carry my team,” Stephens continued.
“As a leader, I know I should take care of business first. Now I can focus on my senior year and not have to worry about that I have to do well for this or I have to do well for something else. I already know where I’m going, so I can have more of a laid-back year and can focus on doing what I need to do for the team. After the game is over, I won’t have to worry about another college coach coming up to me. They know I’m already taken.”
Stephens’ father, Willie Stephens Jr., said he, like his son, is glad the process is over and that the pressure is off.
“I’m glad he made the decision,” the elder Stephens said.
“He won’t have to worry about all of this pressure after ballgames every Friday night with recruiters asking you where you’re going to school and have you made up your mind where you’ve decided to go. He can go home and focus on his homework and concentrate on what he needs to do every game.
Stephens’ mother, Sharon Stephens said it was important that her son be at a place that is near to home and be at a school with a good academic program.
“One of the biggest things was being close to home,” she pointed out.
“That was very important to Allen. He had said if he had to go further away he would ,but being close to home with family and friends was important to him.”
The education aspect was also important, she said.
“We visited some of the other schools and there was something nice about all of the schools we visited,” she noted.
“I wanted to make sure that although Allen goes to a large university that he wouldn’t get lost in the crowd. With football taking up a lot of his time with games and practices, I wanted to make sure that if he needed a tutor or needed extra help that he would be able to get that help.”
Stephens, a 6-2, 255-pound linebacker, was the Western Valley District Defensive Player of the Year last season as a junior and was named to the First Team of the All-Northwest Region Team. He logged 157 tackles during his team’s 10 regular-season games, 39 of which were for a loss. He had 17 sacks, caused 11 fumbles and tipped nine passes.
One of the country’s top high school players, Stephens has been on the radar screen of a number of schools. Members of Stephens’ family said Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Maryland and Marshall had made full scholarship offers for the rising Comets senior.
Halifax County High School head varsity football coach Stan Hodgin congratulated Stephens on his opportunity.
“It is with tremendous pride and admiration that I congratulate Allen and his family,” Hodgin said in a prepared statement.
“Allen has brought many fond memories to our program, school and community and we certainly anticipate more of the same as he enters his senior year.”
Hodgin said Stephens and his family have handled the pressure of the recruiting process very well.
“For anyone who has not experienced this process, it is time-consuming, exciting, overwhelming and exilerating and it also wears a family down in fatigue,” Hodgin pointed out.
“Allen has made a solid decision for what I feel are the right reasons. This past spring about 75 different schools inquired about Allen. Allen has handled the attention wonderfully. I am very proud of Allen in the way he has handled the entire process. I am also very appreciative of the way his parents and family have helped guide Allen along the way. I believe he has made the best decision for himself and his family.”

World Series Times Four

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff Writer
Kate Bane and Jennifer Lacks know a little bit about softball and World Series competition, as a matter of fact about four times as much as a lot of folks.
That’s because the Halifax American Belles teammates are making their fourth World Series appearance together, this year in the Dixie Belles World Series, starting Friday Marianna, Florida.
Bane and Lacks went to the Dixie Softball Angels World Series in 2002 in Eufaula, Alabama, and 2004 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and the Dixie Softball Ponytails World Series last year in Alexandria, Louisiana.
This year’s American Belles team is a reunion of sorts for Bane and Lacks, as they have joined forces again with 2002 American Angels all-stars Dalyn Hall, Johanna Spencer, Kim Snead, Sara Stewart, Christine DeGeorgis and Kisha Crowder.
That camaraderie has paid off in American’s successful tourney runs the past two seasons, both of which have culminated in World Series appearances.
The Halifax American Ponytails won the coveted Sportsmanship Award last year at the Ponytails World Series, but the pair of all-stars are looking for more this time out.
“I like our chances this year,” commented Bane. “Everyone on this team is so talented and we’ve been together for awhile, and that makes a difference.
Nodding her head in agreement, Lacks added that she thought this was the best team she’s been on since 2002, when eight members of this year’s Belles team went to Eufaula as Angels.
“We finished fourth that year and we’ve got about the same team together this year,” she said.
One of the best things about the World Series is the hospitality shown by the hosts, with a lot of different activities planned for the teams.
“There’s so much going on, and it changes every year, so it’s hard to know what to expect,” said Bane, who also enjoyed the different cuisine in each World Series.
“I liked the gumbo in Louisiana and the jambalaya in Mississippi,” said Bane.
“Yeah, reptile stew, I think it had alligator and crab in it,” laughed Lacks, who also fondly remembered a beach party thrown for World Series participants in the 2004 Angels World Series at Bay St. Louis.
The two softball veterans, also teammates on this year’s Halifax County Middle School softball team, said they were still anxious as this year’s World Series approaches, but admitted that the excitement has worn off just a little bit as the years have gone by.
“It’s still exciting, but it does wear off a little bit, but I enjoy meeting different people and the other teams,” said Bane.
“With all the hoopla of the World Series, it can be hard focusing on playing the games, but you just need to remember when it’s time to play softball, you block everything else out.”
Lacks agreed with her teammate, saying she has always been excited about traveling to the World Series, but not coming away with a championship trophy can become tiresome.
“I used to be real excited and couldn’t wait to go, but this year I want to win for once,” said Lacks.

Halifax County South Still Alive In State Tournament

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff Writer
The Halifax County South AAA all-stars are 2-1 in the Dixie Youth Baseball AAA State Tournament in Salem, needing a win last night against Charlotte County to stay alive in the double elimination tourney.
HCS lost to unbeaten Blacksburg 7-3 on Monday after beating Rustburg 5-3 in seven innings the day before.
Blacksburg 7 HCS 3
Blacksburg scored two runs each in the second and third innings and three more times in the fifth to defeat HCS 7-3.
HCS finished with seven hits for the game, Noah Seate with a RBI double, Bryce Berryhill with two singles and an RBI, and Chase Oakes a bases loaded walk to plate another run.
Tristan Howerton and Oakes had the other base hits for HCS, which fell behind 4-0 after three innings, before plating a run in the fourth.
Eddie Chaney walked to lead off the inning and stole second, Ben Majors drew another walk and Seate doubled to score Chaney, making it 4-1.
Blacksburg added three runs in the fifth to make it 7-1, but HCS rallied one last time in its final at-bat.
Ethan Woltz walked, Majors singled and Seate walked, before Oakes walked to score Woltz.
Berryhill followed with a single to score Majors with the final run of the game.
Dion Lassiter started the game for HCS and gave up seven hits, while walking four batters in five innings.
Chaney relieved for the sixth inning, giving up three hits in his time on the mound.
HCS 5 Rustburg 3 (Seven Innings)
Chaney’s bases-loaded single in the seventh inning plated two runs to give HCS a 5-3 win over Rustburg in seven innings.
With the score tied 3-3 after six frames, Berryhill drew a walk to lead off the seventh. Howerton singled and Drew Link reached on a bunt to load the bases, before Chaney singled home two runs.
HCS had scored three times in the second to take an early lead, Howerton walking to start the game and stealing two bases before scoring on Lassiter’s bunt single.
Chaney followed with a triple to score Howerton and later scored on a passed ball to make it 3-0.
Rustburg tied the score in fifth inning on an error, two walks and two base hits, and neither team scored in the sixth to force extra innings.
HCS had three other hits in the game, Chaney and Woltz with base hits in the fourth inning and Berryhill with a single in the fifth.
Howerton started the game for HCS and pitched all seven innings, giving up four hits and walking four batters, while striking out nine batters.