Friday August 11, 2006

New SVHEC Wing To Be Ready For Students By October 1

A portion of the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center currently resonating with the sounds of construction will soon be abuzz with student activity, according to Executive Director W.W. “Ted” Bennett.
Bennett said yesterday that the 5,500 square foot expansion will be open for students by October 1.
“We were hoping to have the renovation complete by September 1, but we’re not going to make it because we had to wait to see if we got the money before we could obligate ourselves for the remainder of the money for the construction contract,” he said yesterday.
The Center is a state-supported higher education center that rents the existing building from the Halifax Educational Foundation, a body formed to support the Center.
The Foundation requested the funding to complete the renovation of the space into two large classrooms that can be converted into eight smaller classrooms, administrative office space, additional restrooms and an expanded student lounge area.
Bennett noted that the Foundation received $407,577 from the Tobacco Commission for the expansion.
Last year, the Tobacco Commission approved a $750,000 grant for the Center to complete the first phase of the expansion.
He said that since January, enrollment at the Center has increased by 150 percent, with much of that due to the school system’s dual enrollment program.
Regulations mandate that students taking classes for college credit at Halifax County High School be taught by teachers with Master’s Degrees in the area they are teaching.

Halifax County School Board Set To Approve Interim Financing
For Capital Improvement Projects

The Halifax County School Board is expected to approve a Virginia Public School Association application resolution for the school system’s capital projects at its monthly meeting Monday.
The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the Halifax County High School cafeteria.
The VPSA subsidy application was approved last week by the Halifax County Board of Supervisors.
At the Supervisor’s meeting, Halifax County Administrator Bryan Foster told the Board that although the county has applied for and was approved for $11.1 million in Literary Fund loans for the school construction projects under way, the waiting period for the funds could mean additional costs to the county in the form of higher interest rates on possible interim financing.
“It could be some time before the Literary Fund loans are approved,” he said. “But the state has a subsidy program where we could subsidize the interest rate. This will allow us to secure financing quicker.
“If we don’t, it could mean we’d need interim financing at a higher interest rate,” Foster said.
The county will secure the funds at a two-percent interest rate, according to Foster, the same rate as the Literary Fund loans.
Under reports, the Board will set its annual retreat where it addresses issues for the upcoming school year, discuss two conferences the Governor’s Conference on Education and the 2006 VSBA Leadership Conference and receive a maintenance report from Director of Maintenance Larry Roller.
On the consent agenda are personnel matters, athletic and educational field trips and fund-raising activities, textbook adoption and a request to hold a surplus auction.
After receiving the financial report from Chief Financial Officer Bill Covington, the Board will go into closed session to address personnel and student disciplinary matters.

N.C. Lottery Taking Bite Out Of Border Ticket Sales

Virginia Lottery Sales In County Down 19 Percent From Last Year
From Staff and Wire Reports
Some retail stores near the Virginia/North Carolina border have seen their ticket sales plummet since North Carolina launched its lottery March 30, but Virginia’s lottery director said the overall decline of 8 percent to 10 percent was expected.
But in Halifax County, the decline is more pronounced, according to lottery officials.
Virginia Lottery Director of Communications Jill Vaughan said yesterday that Halifax County’s lottery sales are down 19 percent for a 12-week period compared to last year.
Vaughan said that during the 12-week period in 2005, sales were $3.4 million compared to just $2.7 million this year.
“That translates to around a $670,000, or 19 percent, decrease,” she said.
“Obviously the Virginia lottery, for the first time in its 18-year history, has competition along its long border with North Carolina,” Vaughan said. “I think we were expecting a decrease in sales with the North Carolina lottery coming online.”
But Vaughan said the decrease could be associated with the novelty of the new lottery for North Carolina residents.
“We’ve looked at research on other states that shows that for the first year or two sales go down and then level off,” she said.
Ironically, the only store in North Carolina that made the top 100 list of lottery retailers was located just miles from the Halifax County border, according to North Carolina lottery officials.
For sales through last week, the only retailer in the 16 counties along the border that made the state’s top 100 list was O’Ryan’s Quik Stop in Person County, at No. 25. That store, in Roxboro, is more than 10 miles from the state border with Halifax County.
Store officials for the closest lottery retailer to the North Carolina line declined to comment on this story when contacted yesterday.
Sheila Hill-Christian said the Virginia lottery will make changes in games and install state-of-the-art technology that should enable it to make up the loss within two years.
‘‘We’ll overcome this,’’ she said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.
In Virginia, ticket sales were down 9 percent in the 12 weeks after North Carolina started selling lottery tickets, compared to the same period a year ago.
The greatest decline during the period was in Carroll County, where Hill-Christian said retail outlets’ sales fell 33 percent to $2.7 million. Henry County stores had a 24 percent decline in sales, to $3.6 million. Danville sales were down 17 percent and those in Brunswick County 16 percent, but the decline was only 7 percent in Chesapeake.
Phil McGraw, owner of the VA 500 Fruit Market in Carroll County about a mile from the North Carolina line, said he used to have close to 1,000 people a week in his store playing the lottery. Since the end of March, ticket sales have declined by about 50 percent and traffic has slowed enough that he’s had to lay off two people.
‘‘Some of the lottery players aren’t coming up this way at all,’’ he said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
Others have returned, saying the scratch-ticket payouts are better in Virginia than in North Carolina, McGraw said.
Hill-Christian said studies show that players go back and forth across the border to follow the largest jackpot, so Virginia stores now are losing some business from state residents as well as North Carolinians.
A low Mega Millions jackpot in Virginia can send players to North Carolina for Powerball tickets, she said.
‘‘Lotteries work very well together for the most part,’’ Hill-Christian said, but added that Virginia plans to rise to the competitive challenge.
By August 2007, the Virginia Lottery will have in stores touch-screen machines that will allow greater self-service game-playing, communications director Jill Vaughan said. The machines will be more reliable, she said, and will enable players to check their ticket numbers themselves.
McGraw is hopeful that the new machines will shorten lines and make it easier on retailers, and he’s not worried about the future of the combination gas station-grocery he’s run since the 1980s.
‘‘We survived and did well before we had a lottery,’’ he said.
For fiscal 2005, 19 of the 20 top-selling retailers in Virginia were along the North Carolina border, but lottery officials don’t have numbers yet from the year that ended June 30.
They also don’t know yet whether the North Carolina lottery has affected the profit margin for the year. For the current year, they have predicted a drop in profit of nearly 2 percent — or $426 million.
So far, Virginians don’t seem to be adding much to North Carolina’s lottery.
None of the North Carolina retailers along the border is among that state’s top ticket sellers, according to Pamela Walker, communications director for North Carolina’s lottery.

OBITUARIES

Andrew Forrest Allred
Andrew Forrest Allred, 46, of Richmond, died August 5, 2006.
He was born in Winston-Salem, N.C. on March 16, 1960, to John Alfred and Phyllis Terry Allred. He served in the United States Navy in Lebanon. The National Republican Congressional Committee appointed him as Honorary Chairman and presented him the 2005 National Leadership Award. He worked with his father in their financial services company and owned the Mixing Bowl Bakery.
Survivors of Mr. Allred include his mother, Phyllis Wilson and husband, Marvin; two brothers, Joseph Brian Allred and wife, Elana, and Benjamin Terry Allred and wife, Marie.
A memorial service was held August 9 at 11 a.m. in the chapel of First Baptist Church in Richmond. Burial was at noon August 10, in Virgilina Cemetery.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider the Little Sisters of The Poor, 1503 Michael Road, Richmond, 23229, or your favorite charity.
Annie Bell Sydnor Depp
Annie Bell Sydnor Depp, 90, of Florida, formerly of Scottsburg, died August 8, 2006, in Palm Coast, Fla.
Mrs. Depp was born in Scottsburg on July 16, 1916, to the late Joseph Sydnor and Anna Carden Sydnor. She was a member of Spanish Grove Baptist Church.
Survivors include one daughter, Margaret Mabry of Palm Coast, Fla.; one son, Charles E. Sydnor of Scottsburg; two stepsons, Elder Emmett Jeffress and the Rev. Fred Jeffress; two stepdaughters, Mary Davenport and Nettie Coleman, all of Scottsburg; four grandsons, Joseph Mabry Jr., James A. Mabry, Charles E. Sydnor Jr., and Michael Sydnor; seven great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; one daughter-in-law, Veronica Sydnor of Scottsburg; and one goddaughter, Barbara Jean Coleman.
A graveside service for Mrs. Depp will be held tomorrow, August 12, at noon at Spanish Grove Baptist Church Cemetery with the Rev. Levi Carden officiating.
The family will receive friends at the graveside tomorrow.
Jonathan Edward Heaton
Jonathan Edward Heaton, 25, of Piney Flats, Tenn., died August 8, 2006, at his home.
He was born October 22, 1980, in Crossnore, N.C., the son of Gregory Heaton Sr. and Linda Pearson Heaton, and was married to Carla Hudson Heaton, formerly of Halifax County. He attended Buffalo Christian Church, and worked in the family construction business.
Mr. Heaton attended Mayland Community College prior to his enlistment in the U.S. Air Force. He received the Airman of the Month commendation during his first deployment in Operation Enduring Freedom. He served a total of three deployments to the Middle East, the last of which was a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Survivors include his parents and wife; two brothers, Matthew Austin Heaton of Okinawa, Japan and Gregory Alan Heaton Jr. of Banner Elk, N.C.; his maternal grandmother, Evelyn Austin Pearson of Piney Flats; paternal grandparents, James M. Heaton Jr. and Anne Greer Heaton of Heaton, N.C.; his father and mother-in-law, Paul and Sandra Hudson; two sisters-in-law, Melanie Puryear and husband, Byron, and Melissa Rhew and husband, Jonathan; and a brother-in-law, Philip Hudson, all of Virgilina.
A funeral service for Mr. Heaton will be held at 2 p.m. tomorrow, August 12, in Tetrick Funeral Home Riverside Chapel with Jeffery Pearce and Brent Price, ministers officiating. Burial will follow in Happy Valley Memorial Park with Military Honors provided by the Tennessee Army National Guard.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Curtis Creek Freewill Baptist Church, 1915 Curtis Creek Road, Elk Park, NC 28622.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.tetrickfuneralhome.com.
Hilda Sizemore Ligon
Hilda Sizemore Ligon, 76, of Clarksville, widow of Henry Howard ‘Jack’ Ligon, died August 10, 2006 at MeadowView Terrace in Clarksville.
She was the daughter of the late Whitt and Novis Garner Sizemore.
Mrs. Ligon is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Jackie and Michael Burnett of Clarksville; a son and daughter-in-law, Carl and Sylvia Ligon of Chase City; one brother, Joe Sizemore of Burlington, N.C.; her grandchildren, Ann Pool Redd and husband, Jesse, and Tyler Whitt Pool, all of Clarksville, Jonathan Carl Ligon of Chase City and Haley Owen Ligon of Raleigh, N.C. A sister, Maxine Sizemore Ligon, and a brother, Garner Whitt Sizemore, preceded her in death.
Mrs. Ligon had worked part-time at Crowder Brothers and Hite’s Texaso in Clarksville. She was a former co-owner of Watkins Cooper Funeral Home and was organist there, and was also organist for Buffalo Baptist Church and pianist for the original Buffalo Baptist Quartet. She also assisted her husband in their framing shop.
Funeral services for Mrs. Ligon will be at 2 p.m. August 13, at Buffalo Baptist Church with the Revs. Jane Tucker Lyon and Dan Tilley officiating. Michael R. Lyon will also speak. Burial will follow at Oakhurst Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 p.m. tomorrow, August 12, at the Watkins Cooper Lyon Funeral Home.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Halifax Regional Hospice, 2204 Wilborn Avenue, South Boston, 24592, or Mecklenburg County Life Saving and Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 1539, Clarksville, 23927.
You may express condolences at www.wclfh.com.
Lisa Michelle Landrum Smith
Lisa Michelle Landrum Smith, 40, of 4151 Cluster Springs Road, Alton, died August 9, 2006, at her home.
Ms. Smith was born in Halifax County on December 29, 1965, the daughter of the late Otis Clifton Landrum Sr. and Bonnie Mills Shotwell. She was a member of Second Baptist Church in South Boston.
Survivors include her mother and stepfather, Ray Shotwell, of Alton; one daughter, Krystle Michelle Link of Alton; one granddaughter, Hailey McKay of Alton; one brother, Otis Clifton Landrum Jr. of South Boston; and one stepbrother, Tommy Ray Shotwell of Kentucky.
Graveside services for Ms. Smith will be held tomorrow, August 12 at 1 p.m. at Mount Vernon Baptist Church Cemetery. Pastor Larry Woolbrink and the Rev. W.D. ‘Dib’ Mills will officiate.
The family will receive friends at Powell Funeral Home this evening, August 11, from 7:00 until 8:30, and other times at the home of her brother, 4225 Bold Springs Road, South Boston.
Ethel Alice Trammell Anderson
Funeral services for Mrs. Ethel Alice Trammell Anderson will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Powell Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Bruce Hagy officiating.
Burial will follow in Halifax Memorial Gardens.
The family will receive friends tonight from 7:00 – 8:30 at Powell Funeral Home and other times at the home of her daughter Gayle and husband Tom Jones, 7050 Oak Level Road in Halifax.
Mrs. Anderson, 84, died Wednesday, August 9, at her home.
She was born in Halifax County on May 10, 1922, the daughter of the late Junious Trammell and Mary Barksdale Trammell and was married to the late Oscar Nathan “Tim” Anderson.
Mrs. Anderson was a member of the Arbor Baptist Church.
She is survived by a son, Oscar Larry Anderson and wife Millie of Atlanta; a daughter, Gayle Anderson Jones and husband Tom of Halifax; nine grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and a sister, Reva Lewis of South Boston.
Mrs. Anderson was preceded in death by a son, Nathan Bruce Anderson.

HCHS Football Mini-Camp A Success
Comets Gridders Make Good Progress During Three-Day Mini-Camp

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
Coaches and players alike looked a little tired as they drifted out of the field house at Tuck Dillard Stadium Wednesday afternoon.
The Comets football team’s three-day mini-camp had just concluded and all involved were anxious to get home and get some rest before returning for drills late yesterday afternoon and again this morning.
While a lot of work had been packed into the three days, Comets head coach John Lacy Harris said the mini-camp had produced the desired results.
“It was, without a doubt, a success,” Harris said.
“I think we accomplished what we set out to accomplish, which was to get everything installed in all three phases of the game, kicking, offense and defense.”
The mini-camp was designed to give the players and coaches time to bond and get to know each other as well as to get in some intensive work both on and off of the field.
“It provided an opportunity for the parents to leave the kids here and not have to transport them back and forth for a few days, which is a tremendous task,” Harris pointed out.
“We’re most appreciative to the parents for getting their sons to practice. It also gave us a chance to have meetings throughout the day and to go at a slower pace and really pay attention to detail in all of the schemes we were installing.”
Harris said he, his coaching staff and players are very appreciative to have the opportunity to have this mini-camp.
“Our players are blessed to have community support as well as parental support to get something like this done,” Harris pointed out.
“A lot of people have done a lot of work to help us. We thank Domino’s Pizza, McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, the YMCA, the Football Booster Club, the parents and our principal, Mr. Randolph for donations that were made for and for the things they did to help make this possible.”
Harris said the players and coaches got along well during the mini-camp.
“In order to have a successful football team, the players and staff have got to respect each other and like each other,” Harris said.
“Our kids really got along well. We have some new players on the team this year and it’s good to see that everybody is fitting in and adopting a team attitude. It’s a whole lot of “we” and “us” and not as whole lot of “I” and “me.” That’s really good.
“It’s a great beginning,” added Haris.
“Now we need to build on it throughout the next three weeks before the season starts.”
Harris said the players made a good deal of progress during the mini-camp.
“We are installing, so they’re still having to think about everything they’re doing before they do it,” he noted.
“We need everything to get to a point where they just react and do it naturally. We’re certainly not there by a long shot, but we’re much further along than we were two weeks ago.”
Harris also pointed out that the players have need time to get used to full-contact drills. During last week’s practices, the first week of drills, players did not go through contact drills.
“When you think about it, they hadn’t hit under full contact since last November,” Harris said of his players.
“They had an opportunity this week to work into slowly. It takes time to get acclimated to playing the game of football. The way we play it is very physical and it gave them a chance to work into it slowly. We didn’t have to throw a whole lot at them at one time.”
The Comets varsity football team had drills scheduled for yesterday afternoon and again this morning. They will have four days of drills next week to prepare for their first real test a week from tonight.
Next Friday night the Comets will host Gretna High School in a benefit game. Kickoff time will be 7:30 p.m. at Tuck Dillard Stadium.

Parker Named Baseball Coach, AD At PHCC
Former HCHS Baseball Standout Chris Parker Is the New Head Baseball Coach And Athletic Director At Patrick Henry Community College

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
Chris Parker of Volens, a former baseball standout at Halifax County High School and former player-coach for the Virginia Tech club baseball team, has been named as the new head baseball coach and Athletic Director at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville.
Parker officially began his duties yesterday.
“I’m really excited about this opportunity,” Parker said.
“I’m excited about jobs, especially being the athletic director. This will give me an opportunity to gain a lot of valuable administrative experience. I thank everyone who made this possible.”
One of the big challenges facing Parker as the school’s athletic director is transitioning the Patrick Henry Community College sports program from a community college-level program to a junior college level program.
In doing that, Patrick Henry Community College will transition from its participation in Virginia Community College System league play to playing under the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) banner.
The move will make PHCC the first Virginia community college to move to competing in the junior college ranks.
“We only have three sports but there is a lot of work to be done as far as understanding the (NJCAA) system and making the conversion to the NJCAA,” Parker said.
“There are a lot more rules and regulations that need to be adhered to in the NJCAA.”
The transition to junior college level sports is expected to make PHCC more attractive to prospective students.
“This should help bring some good student-athletes here to the Martinsville,” Parker pointed out.
“This should help us in recruiting players.”
As the new head baseball coach at PHCC, Parker will be taking over the reigns from former head coach Barry Nelson who is stepping down. Nelson, who has coached the baseball team since its inception five years ago, will serve as Parker’s had assistant coach.
PHCC finished third in its conference last season after having won the state championship in 2005.
Parker said he is looking forward to coaching te baseball team.
“Coach Nelson has some pretty good recruits coming in,” Parker pointed out.
“I’ve also talked to some guys I know over the past week or so. Plus, we will have four or five key players from this year’s team returning next season.”
Parker said his team will play 60 games next season including a series of games in Florida in which PHCC will square off against several NCAA Division II and Division III schools.
“We will be traveling from Boston (Mass.) to Florida,” Parker noted.
“It’s a lot of travel but it will be a lot of fun.”
Parker said he expects to have a 30-player roster next season with a 25-player travel squad.
This summer, Parker took over as the head coach of the Martinsville American Legion baseball team. The team finished with a 23-6 slate. The team was 5-13 in 2005.
“We had a good season,” Parker said.
“We won the district regular-season championship but lost the district tournament championship game.”
The good thing, Parker noted, was that the successful season came with young players.
“Next season we will have some key veterans returning,” he said.
“Out of my 10 starters, seven of them were juniors in high school and one was a sophomore in high school. We did what we did with young guys. We’re sitting pretty well for the next two years.”

Jeff Burton Back On Top Again, Aims For Spot In Cup Chase

BY JENNA FRYER
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - If Richard Childress can put two cars in the Chase for the championship, he’s convinced one will win the Nextel Cup title.
Either one of them.
Kevin Harvick no longer is the one-man show at RCR, a team on a comeback after several sluggish seasons. With it has come the emergence of rookie Clint Bowyer and the resurgence of veteran Jeff Burton.
‘’If we get in the Chase, we will win a championship,’’ Childress said. ‘’Jeff or Kevin can do it. If they’re in, they’ll be serious championship contenders.’’
It’s been a long time since anyone called Burton a contender. But now that he’s enjoying his best season in years, Burton finally might win the title he was predicted to get so many years ago.
He was a star back in 2000, when he won four races and finished third in the final standings behind champion Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt. Burton opened the next season as a championship favorite, but instead of taking the next step forward in his career, he went backward.
The 2001 season was overshadowed by Earnhardt’s death, and Burton was one of the leading voices for improved safety measures. Although he scored two wins and finished 10th in the standings, many believed he was consumed by his safety agendas and suffered on the track for it.
The next three years were a steady decline for Burton, who seemed to be in neutral while his Roush Racing teammates were reeling off wins and championships. Frustrated and unable to turn it around, Burton got out of the No. 99 Ford late in the 2004 season.
It didn’t help that Carl Edwards climbed in and took off - winning four times and finishing third in his first full season in the No. 99 - while Burton was stuck in RCR’s slow rebuild.
But now that Childress finally has things back on track, so does Burton.
‘’I didn’t go join Richard Childress Racing because I was trying to wrap up my career - I went to Richard Childress Racing because I was trying to restart my career,’’ Burton said. ‘’A lot of athletes, late in their careers they make a move, and that’s the end of it.
‘’That wasn’t my intention. My intention was to get it stepped back up.’’
He’s done so with a vengeance. Burton is currently third in the standings, needing nothing short of a total collapse to keep him out of the Chase. He sat on the pole last Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, giving him three poles this year after winning just two others in the previous 12 seasons.
And although he has yet to score a Nextel Cup win this season - his last victory was in 2001 - Burton has won twice in the Busch Series this year to prove he still knows the way.
Putting it all back together was simple, once Burton figured out what the problem was: He needed to get in a car that he could drive.
‘’I believe that at this level, Bobby Labonte hasn’t forgotten how to drive,’’ Burton said. ‘’You give him a car that will go around the racetrack fast, and he’ll go around the racetrack fast in it. I believe the same thing about myself. I believe the same thing about Mark Martin and the same thing about Kasey Kahne and many others.
‘’The reality of it is, a driver can’t put it up on his shoulders anymore. He can certainly have an impact. But the equipment is so important. It’s so important.’’
But there were times when Burton needed a little help getting his spirits up. He’d head into his personal trophy room to reminisce about the days of winning, glancing at the 37 trophies from his trips to Cup and Busch victory lanes.
It was all the proof he needed that he would someday be back.
‘’I will tell you that even though we were not running well, I never lost confidence in my ability to drive,’’ Burton said. ‘’Because I’ve seen it happen to everybody. I saw Dale Earnhardt get where he couldn’t run well. I watch enough sports and I’ve paid enough attention to the things around me to know that not everything is always going to go your way.
‘’And when it doesn’t, you’ve got to go to work and try to make it better.’’
Now that it’s better, Burton finds himself with his first real chance to win a title in six years. Although he’s currently 375 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson, the field will be reset in five weeks and Burton will begin the Chase with a clean slate and a solid chance to get it done.
If he does, he’ll have a cheering section at Roush made up of his former teammates.
‘’If we couldn’t win it, I’d love to see him win it,’’ said Matt Kenseth, currently second in the points. ‘’He’s been running great all year, and it’s cool to see him back in that form again.’’