Citizens opposed to annexation by the towns of South Boston and Halifax voted Tuesday night to present petitions to town and county officials prior to the three governments' scheduled executive session Monday night.
Association for Better Government officials also urged citizens opposed to annexation to arrive at the scheduled 7 p.m. meeting early since the governments are scheduled to go into executive session.
The agenda for the three-government meeting had not been set earlier this week.
The executive session is scheduled Monday at 7 p.m. at the Mary Bethune Complex in Halifax.
A spokesman for the Association for Better Government reported at the organization's Tuesday evening session that over 3,000 signatures have been collected on petitions addressed to the two towns and the county.
Petitions to Halifax Town Council and South Boston Council request consolidation of services among the three governments to provide a more efficient and economic government.
Petitions also ask that councilmen not proceed with boundary extension efforts or annexation proceedings until all alternatives have been thoroughly explored and citizens given opportunity for input.
The petition to supervisors advises that citizens signing the petition believe consolidation of services and governments within the county would provide for more efficient operations and the elimination of conflict.
The petition also urges supervisors to consider the reports on consolidation developed in 1988 and 1989
Organization co-chairman Mike Armstrong called Tuesday night for a final push with petitions prior to the Monday meeting.
Petitions are to be returned to 220 Seafood by Sunday or to Hunt Enterprises through Monday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The organization also approved the creation of a brochure detailing effects of the proposed South Boston boundary adjustment. The brochure is to be completed this week.
South Boston's utility tax was one topic brought up at the Tuesday night meeting. One resident described the tax as 20 percent each month on a homeowner's gross electric bill for the first $75 or a maximum tax of $15 per month or $180 per year.
Residents also questioned South Boston's high tax rate.
In other business, Centerville businessman F.W. "Biggy" Hunt suggested citizens seek a slate to run in South Boston's next election. "Someone who understands the horrible impact of the annexation," said Hunt.
Mike Armstrong and Jeff Arnold serve as co-chairmen of the Association for Better Government. Biggy Hunt, Mike Harris and Ed Talbott serve as business representatives for the organization.
The Association for Better Government scheduled its next meeting for Tuesday, November 11, at the 220 Seafood Restaurant in Centerville.
Petitions in the South Boston and Halifax Town Councils and Halifax County Board of Supervisors can be signed at the following locations during business hours: Ratliff Grocery, Mac Ragan's Auto Sales, King Supply Inc., Tomz Inc., Runt's Store, Ratliff's Service Center, 220 Seafood, Holiday Travel and Hunt Enterprises.
Three teenagers were taken into custody following a Monday afternoon assault which occurred on a Halifax County Middle School bus, according to Halifax County Sheriff Jeff Oakes.
Meanwhile, the 15-year-old youth who was the victim of the beating was taken by his family to a specialist in Danville for treatment of a possible spinal injury, police said.
The incident happened at 4:15 p.m. in the Vernon Hill community and occurred when the bus stopped in front of two of the alleged attackers' home, police said.
The 14-year-old youth charged was taken to the W.W. Moore Detention Center in Danville, pending his trial in the Halifax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. No trial dates for any of the subjects have been set.
His 13-year-old brother was placed in detention at his parent's home. An electronic tracking device administered by the court system is monitoring his house-arrest.
The 17-year-old was placed in the Loudon County Detention Home in northern Virginia, due to a shortage of bed space at the W.W. Moore facility, police said.
That 17-year-old, who is from the Washington D.C. area, was originally believed to have been approximately 40-years-old by witnesses of the beating, according to the investigation.
Juvenile petitions of felonious assault and trespassing on school property were filed against the 13-year-old and 17-year-old. The 14-year-old was charged with felonious assault.
The 14-year-old was on his way home from school after being suspended for a three-day period. The 13-year-old was serving a three-day suspension period at the time of the incident, which meant that he was not allowed to climb onto the bus, police said.
Investigator C.A. Bates stated that additional charges may be forthcoming as the investigation continues.
Persons who erect signs advertising yard sales, stews, political candidates, and other events on highway signs and in the highway or street right of way beware -you are violating state law.
State Police issued a reminder yesterday that attaching signs to highway and road signs, traffic signs, highway roadside reflectors, and highway markers is illegal.
Also against the law is the practice of putting up signs in the median strips and highway crossovers and in any area that is part of the highway right of way.
And, individuals violating the law are reminded that they are subject to being charged with a misdemeanor criminal offense which, upon conviction, could result in fines and or jail time.
"We would like to stress to citizens that it is a violation to erect any sign in the highway right of way without the written consent of the State Commissioner of Transportation," Virginia State Police Sgt. T.A. LaRue said yesterday.
Sgt. LaRue said that state police have charged few violators in the recent past.
"What we have done in the recent past is to follow up on the information on the signs and where they lead, contact people and inform them of the violation, issue a warning, and ask them not to do it again," Sgt. LaRue said.
However, state police are paying more attention to the situation because of a recent rapid growth in the number of signs attached to highway signs, signs erected in the median strips, and signs in the highway or road's right of way.
"It's a situation that's getting out of hand," Sgt. LaRue said.
"We see the most signs in the spring and again about this time of year. In the spring it's mostly yard sales. This time of year it's mostly stews and political posters."
The growth in the numbers of such signs has become such, Sgt. LaRue said, that troopers are going to have to start taking some enforcement action.
"With the growing numbers (of signs) we will be more alert for this type of thing and take enforcement action on it," he said.
Sgt. LaRue said that troopers haven't been ignoring the obvious violators. It has been a matter that troopers have had other more serious and important matters to deal with than signs.
According to Sgt. LaRue, when time and circumstances permit, troopers will remove signs that violate the law.
"We try to remove signs," Sgt. LaRue said, "but we have to prioritize things. When we can, we do remove them."
The trooper explained that the danger in attaching signs to highway traffic signs is that it takes motorists attention off of the signs.
"It distracts from the official sign itself," Sgt. LaRue said.
"The Virginia Department of Transportation doesn't go around and put up signs just anywhere. There is a need and a study before they do it. They have a policy and procedures that they must follow before they erect any sign."
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Don Beyer narrowly won a mock election held this week among government classes at Halifax County High School.
Beyer won 53 percent of the vote to 47 percent for Republican candidate Jim Gilmore.
The results ran somewhat counter to a statewide poll taken by the Washington Post.
That poll showed Gilmore surging to 48 percent to Beyer's 41 percent
Former Democratic Congress-man L.F. Payne was ahead in the poll in his race against Republican John Hager. Payne had the support of 44 percent of those polled to 39 percent for Hager.
Pollsters said the results could be tied because of the margin for error.
Republican Mark Earley was ahead of Democrat William Dolan 44 percent to 38 percent.
After some very bold language about a tobacco settlement from the president and the congress, guess what?
There will be no settlement this year. In fact, it isn't anywhere near the front burner on anyone's agenda.
The congress will probably call it quits in about two weeks, and the so-called settlement will be on the leftovers tray for 1998.
In the meantime every politician in Washington is getting on the neuter the IRS bandwagon.
Someone - we forget just who - proposed some financial aid for tobacco if the industry is gutted by governmental action.
The figure most often mentioned was an $8 a pound buyout.
In dollars and cents, using only the poundage sold thus far on three flue cured marketing belts still operating:
The Old Belt has sold 204,854,860 pounds through Tuesday. Multiply that by the $8 a pound figure and you get $1,638,838,880, a bundle of cash.
The Eastern Belt has marketed 365,633,813 pounds thus far. Those growers would get $2,925,070,504 for tobacco al-ready sold and more when the remainder of their poundage is sold.
Border Belt growers would receive $1,814,899,592 for the 226,862,449 pounds they have already sold.
Don't hold your breath.
The buyout for just those three Belts comes to $6.4 billion, and they haven't quit selling yet.
Add to that the Burley crop and other smaller varieties, and it gets pretty expensive, even for congressmen.
Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour when you retire for the night Saturday,
It's pay back time for the hour you lost when the country converted to Daylight Saving Time last spring.
British scientists who created that headless tadpole believe that the method could be used to grow spare parts for humans in the future.
The idea of developing headless humans has its detractors, but the scientists were still very optimistic.
They shouldn't boast, however. This country has had headless humans for decades. They reside mostly in Washington.