A deputy on routine patrol early Thursday morning discovered more than just a set of discarded tires at a dumpster site near the intersection of U.S. 501 and Rt. 96.
Connected to those tires was a 1997 Porsche valued at $55,000, which had been reported stolen Wednesday evening from a parking lot of the Duke University Hospital in Durham, N.C.
At 2:19 a.m., Halifax County Sheriff's Deputy R.C. Lipscomb spotted the abandoned vehicle at the dumpster site near the Virginia-North Carolina state line.
After entering the vehicle's license number into the National Criminal Investigative Center's computer system, Lipscomb received a "hit," meaning that the vehicle had been reported stolen, police said.
The black Porsche Boxter 986 Series vehicle was owned by a doctor who was on duty at the hospital when the theft occurred, according to Major Robert Dean of the Duke University Police Department. The doctor's name was not released.
The theft took place sometime between 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., Major Dean said.
"The doctor had taken off his lab coat and set it down in a communal area," Major Dean explained. "Whoever stole the vehicle had found the coat and keys."
Apparently, the thief went through the parking lot "looking for the right Porsche through a process of elimination," according to Major Dean.
The vehicle apparently sustained no damage during its theft, police said.
"We're looking into a number of situations that could have happened in this case," Major Dean said. "Why it was found there in Halifax County, we just don't yet know. It could have been that he or she just ran out of gas."
Anyone with any information on the case is asked to call the Halifax County Crime Stoppers at (804) 476-8477 or Major Robert Dean at (919) 684-3350.
| "It was not so much that the frost was early, the season was late," explained Chuck Ward. "Tobacco is in the weed family and without rain it goes into a dormant stage, and it rained in mid-September instead of June or July." | "Frost gather across the surface of the leaf and as the sun rises and shines on it, that layer of frost acts like a magnifying glass, intensifying the sun's rays. It burns the cell structure of the plant." Chuck Ward |
It did not look good.
A killing October frost was forecast and Chuck Ward still had about 11 acres of tobacco in his Halifax fields, enough tobacco to fill two barns and part of a third.
He was about to lose a substantial investment, and Time and Mother Nature were his formidable enemies.
It was then Chuck and Penny Ward discovered they had an arsenel that could whip even Time and Nature, friends. Dozens of friends.The Halifax fields quickly turned into an old-fashioned "rush to save the crop" happening as neighbors, friends and family pitched in with some of them putting in 15 and 16 hours.
"We pulled until 11:15 p.m. that night," said Ward of the October save. "We got most of it, so we beat the frost."
At one time there were 14 people pulling tobacco that busy Wednesday. Even 6-year-old Jack Ward helped transport the golden weed as volunteers did in one day what Ward said would have taken three regular days with help.
It all started when one of Ward's neighbors, Dave White, volunteered to help.
The insurance agent was quickly joined by accountant Larry Snead and his son, grocery store manager Phil Hammond and businessman Gene Haugh, among others. Friends, as well as some of the volunteers' wives, even brought dinner to the fields.
And when the working day ended at Ward's Equipment, men in the shop volunteered their own time to help.
"The neat thing is no one was asked," recalled Ward. "It just seemed to spread by word-of-mouth."
"It was a really touching thing," said Mrs. Anne Ward, Chuck's mother.
"Touching from a personal standpoint, but it also showed that people realize the importance of tobacco in the community," said Chuck Ward.
During the rush to save the crop the volunteers filled all the barns and, "as a last resort," started laying tobacco on the ground, an old-fashioned method which tends to protect the tobacco under the first layer, explained Ward.
Anne Ward, no stranger to farming's hard demands, will always remember the day this way: "I have never spent a day like that and not regretted a minute of it. I had a lot of respect for those people and was proud of Chuck and Penny for having such friends."
"Very fortunate," said Chuck Ward.
A South Boston man is facing felony armed robbery charges in both the Town of South Boston and the City of Danville, according to South Boston Police Chief Jim Hall.
Murray Druvell Sanford, 28, of College Street began the spree Tuesday night with the armed robbery of the Jiffy Food Store located at the intersection of Wilborn Avenue and Webster Street, police said.
He allegedly entered the convenience store at 10:46 p.m., pulled a handgun on the clerk, and demanded money. Sanford then escaped on foot to the rear of the building, according to the investigation.
While conducting a search of the area for the suspect, a report of a male running across the U.S. 501 bridge in lower South Boston resulted in the detention of a possible suspect in Riverdale.
He was brought back to the Jiffy Food Store and released after it was determined that he was not involved in the robbery, police said.
SBPD Lt. Hubert B. Rice, in the course of the investigation, entered the report of the armed robbery into the computerized Virginia Crime Information Network.
Meanwhile, Sanford traveled alone to Danville in a Chevrolet owned by Latisha Sanford who also lives at the College Street, police said.
At 2:09 a.m., he allegedly entered the front office of the Stratford Inn on Riverside Drive, pulled a handgun on a night clerk, and demanded money, according to Major B.C. Elliott of the Danville Police Department.
While Sanford fled the scene with $175, a description of the vehicle was given to police. A "be on the lookout" was then issued over police radio frequencies by the Danville Police Department.
Several minutes later, DPD Officer R.B. Thomas spotted a vehicle matching the description and made the traffic stop. Murray Sanford was then arrested without resistance, Major Elliott said.
Murray is being held without bond in the Danville City Jail pending his series of preliminary hearings in both jurisdictions.
Lt. Rice went to Danville on Wednesday and officially charged Murray with felony counts of armed robbery, use of a firearm while in commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm after previously having been convicted of a felony.
Sanford was also charged by the Danville Police Department with a felony count of armed robbery of the Stratford Inn. Additional charges against Murray from Danville authorities are forthcoming, Major Elliott said.
Sanford is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in the Halifax County General District Court on December 8.
In a related matter, Latisha Sanford reported on Wednesday afternoon the theft of a $400 cellular telephone from her vehicle which had been returned to her from Danville authorities, Chief Hall said.
She stated that she did not know whether the telephone theft occurred in South Boston or Danville during the alleged use of her vehicle by Murray Sanford, Chief Hall said.
The investigation is continuing.
During the first 24 hours of "live" domain, The Gazette-Virginian's new internet web site registered over 1,000 hits from 85 users, an "impressive" showing according to the internet service provider Kelly Shaw with Halifax.com. The Gazette announced its online site in the Wednesday, November 5, edition. Web server statistics show, among a multitude of particulars, just how many visits the newspaper home page had, their origin, what they read, how long they stayed and the activity level by hour of the day which peaked between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. Internet web sites are being created by a growing number of newspapers around the world. In Virginia alone, as many as half the approximate 100 Virginia Press Association member publications are online. Ray Hall with the VPA said this week that the exact number of state newspapers online has not been determined because so many are in the process of creating web pages. The Gazette site was designed by staff photographer and graphic artist David Conner II who spent almost three months at the controls of a Macintosh computer. Support and assistance in the effort came from Shaw with Halifax.com. Halifax.com was the first internet service provider in the Halifax County/South Boston area and in the three years since opening, about 15 commercial web sites have been created. Those include industries, real estate, insurance and construction companies, and even a hair stylist to name but a few. According to Kelly, Halifax.com gets about 6,000-7,000 hits daily, a figure that continues to increase as more and more persons discover the internet. A hit, by the way, is any activity on a site and thus, one user can account for numerous hits. Not just an information source, newspapers are finding the internet an added revenue source. Newspapers in particular, said Kelly, have a built-in audience advantage. "They want to see what you've got!" The Gazette web site currently provides selected front page news and sports stories plus features along with a color photo, and links to obituaries, the weather, staff columns, circulation, advertising and more. It's updated at least three times a week and while not providing cyberviewers everything the printed version offers, the online newspaper has a uniqueness all its own. The site is still under construction and local, nonprofit organizations wanting to have their site considered for a link are encouraged to Email their title and a brief description to gazette@gazettevirginian.com. |
Gazette Cybereaders had this to say:What a treat to see you online. It was just a few short years ago you went and bought a fax machine, now look at you "home page" and all...Good for you? I love your new site!. Careful though-our backwards southern town reputation may be jeopardized!I saw Gazette Virginian Online today. Very nice web site.Your new web page is a welcome addition to our communty's resources. The design is outstanding... |
The Halifax County School Board will hear another round of discussion concerning block scheduling Monday night.
Halifax County High School principal Larry Clark said that the Academic Affairs Advisory Committee at the high school has been discussing the feasibility of moving away from the traditional six period school day and implementing an alternative form of school day schedule.
And, after a good deal of work and discussion, the committee has come up with a recommendation which will be made to the school board Monday night.
Clark declined to outline the committee report yesterday, saying that it is a matter that the school board and the public should hear simultaneously during Monday night's school board meeting.
The high school principal did say, however, that "there will not be a lot of specifics. It will be general conceptual information, information that will let the board know what direction is being recommended."
Clark said that he has discussed the committee's recommendation with county school superintendent Dennis Witt and that "we felt it is now time to update the (school) board on the question of implementing a different scheduling format for the high school."
"There are obvious impacts on the budget, personnel, and a number of other factors involving the operation of the high school," Clark said.
"We felt that for those reasons it is time to update the board and let them start thinking about what direction they would like for us to go."
Clark said that the high school's Academic Affairs Advisory Committee has examined a number of options including a seven period school day, a 4x4 Block Schedule format, an Alternating Day schedule, and a unique 3x3x1 block schedule format that he offered for consideration.
He also pointed out that the two individuals who chaired the committee, assistant principals Gail Bosiger and Leon Johnson, have attended block scheduling workshops and have been researching various things pertaining to block scheduling and that they have come up with a lot of good information.
Clark, who was recently honored for being chosen the 1997 Virginia Principal of the Year by the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals and MetLife, said that when he attended the State Principals of the Year Symposium in Washington, D.C. in October, an event attended by the top school principals in the United States, a majority of them stated that they no longer used the traditional six period school day.
"Over 60 percent of the principals of the schools that were represented indicated that they were doing some kind of innovative non-traditional scheduling," he pointed out.
In other matters that will come before the school board Monday night, Witt will present information to the school board concerning the pupil-teacher ratios at the county schools, a report will be made on a the committee that will be working on the school system's Six Year Improvement Plan, and Cluster Springs Elementary School principal Beverly Crowder will present information on the school's Literacy Passport program.
Trustees will also hear various routine reports on such matters as school attendance figures, personnel, athletic and educational field trips and fund raising activities, and financial reports.
A pair of major capital improvement projects will be on the table for discussion Monday night when the Halifax County School Board holds its November meeting.
Monday night's Halifax County School Board meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the public meeting room on the second floor of the Mary M. Bethune Office Complex in Halifax and is open to the public.
A couple of months ago, the school board voted to sell a third of its 38,818 shares of Trigon stock (12,939.3 shares) with proceeds from that sale being estimated at $284,000.
Half of that money had to be earmarked to increase the school system's contribution to its employees' group health insurance premiums. School trustees made that move and upped the school board's contribution from $143 per month for 10 months to $163 per month for 10 months.
The remaining half of those funds, school system officials said, would be used to fund capital improvement projects. A project that received quick approval from the school board was the construction of a computer lab at the old agriculture building that is located on the Mary M. Bethune Complex site, a building that is used for nighttime Alternative Education and Adult Education programs.
That computer lab, which will be used for teacher and school system employee inservice training in technology was estimated to cost $48,000.
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Bobby R. Hall said yesterday that the construction work is expected to be completed within the next two weeks and that it is anticipated that the lab will be up and running in early December.
Now, school system officials are proposing an estimated $110,000 expenditure to install Wide Area Network service which will link the computers at all of the county's schools and school system buildings together in one network.
That move will also create a situation in which all of the county's schools could be connected to the Internet.
"This is something that will help every school from an instructional, technology, and administrative standpoint," Dr. Hall said.
"It's a great step for us from a technology standpoint. The technology at one school could be linked with the technology throughout the system."
Dr. Hall noted, however that the cost for that project could end up being quite a bit less - especially if school trustees will allow school system administrators to apply for funding through the Universal Service Fund.
According to Dr. Hall, the rate at which the school system could receive funding is based on the percentage of the school system's children that are eligible for free and reduced price lunches.
"We believe we could get up to 70 percent support," said Dr. Hall.
If that would be the case, the school system's expenditure would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000 to $33,000. That money, Dr. Hall said, could be used to cover regular and long distance phone bills incurred as a result of the use of the system.
The federal program has $2.25 billion in funds available, Dr. Hall explained, and is setup for a four year run.
"We have already developed a technology plan," stated Dr. Hall.
"We will submit our technology plan and our proposal to the Universal Service Fund. And, if it is approved, they will appropriate funds to help pay for this project."
Dr. Hall pointed out that one of the great things about the federal program is that once the school system learns what monies it will receive, the vendors will bill the school system for its share of the costs and will bill the administrative agency that will be handling the federal dollars for the rest.
If school trustees approve that project, it cannot be started until after January 1, 1998.
A second capital improvement project that the school board will consider is an estimated $77,000 expenditure for the installation of a digital control system for the heating and air conditioning systems at Halifax County High School.
School system officials told the school board at a previous meeting that the controls on the system are outdated, inadequate, and do not provide a good balance of temperatures in the school building.
School system officials noted that in terms of energy cost savings at the high school, there is potential that the expenditure would be recouped in a year or so.
Another high school football season will draw to a close for the Comets tonight, and hardly anyone will be unhappy to see it go.
What has been feared for a long time will finally come true at about 9:30 this evening at J. T. Christopher Stadium in Danville:
This is the worst season ever for a Comet football team, measured in terms of wins and losses.
As for victories--there were none, and the record is not expected to change in tonight's game against George Washington.
As for losses--there have been nine of them going on ten.
Only a few would predict any final record other than 0-10.
There has been, of course, one other 0-10 season, that occuring just four years ago, but what sets 1997 apart from 1993 is the manner in which the teams scored themselves and gave up points to the opposition.
The '93 team scored 132 points, or about two touchdowns a game on average. That wasn't good enough to translate into any victories, but it did make the Comets competitive at times.
That team gave up points by the bushel, though, yielding 321 total for an average of 32 a game. The only team to give up more was the 1966 team, 322.
That is, until now.
This year's Comet team already has broken the record for points given up--an astronomical 337 in nine games. That's 37.4 on average, and if GW attains that average tonight, the Comet final yield will be in the 375 range.
To compound the misfortune of the present season, it looked for all the world until a couple of weeks ago that the Comets were headed toward a record low scoring season as well.
But they scored twice against Cave Spring last week to hike their total on the season to 38 points.
The most unproductive year before this was more than 40 years ago, way back in 1955, when a Comet team registered only 35 points in its 10 games.
This has been a season of strife and turmoil for the George Washington Eagles also, but nothing to compare with the Comets' bouts of misfortune.
The Eagles were discovered to have used an illegal player in three games and were required to forfeit those three games. But GW lost some big games on the field also, to the extent that the Eagles will bring an official 2-7 record into tonight's contest.
For example, GW lost to William Fleming, 36-27; Thomas Dale, 34-20, and E. C. Glass, 13-6.
Glass also had its share of troubles, chief of which was another ineligible player.
The bottom line of all the shuffling of victories and defeats was that Albemarle has emerged as the district champion.
But it needs to be pointed out, also, that Albemarle did indeed win, on the playing field, the game it had to win to be the champ.
Last Friday night, the Patriots defeated Glass in a thriller, 23-22.
That verdict not only sealed the district crown, but it earned Albemarle the best overall record in the league, 5-5. The Pats finished their regular season last week
The kickoff for the Comets at GW tonight will be 7:30.
Marvis Granville Henderson of 3062 Burnley Station Road, Charlottesville died November 6, 1997 at Martha Jefferson Hospital. He was 77 years of age at the time of his death.
Mr. Henderson was born in Halifax County on January 29, 1920 the son of Edgar R. Henderson and Harriet Powell Henderson and was married to Maggie Jones Henderson. He was a member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Charlottesville.
Survivors include his wife; three sons, Ronald Henderson of Amherst, Tommy Henderson of Lynchburg and Daniel Henderson of Wilmington, DE; one daughter, Joan H. Pease of Exton, PA; two sisters, Claire H. Walton of South Boston and Vernelle H. Fulp of Richmond; two brothers, E.R. 'Buster' Henderson of Halifax and Bob Henderson of Charlottesville; and eight grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mr. Henderson will be held Sunday, November 9 at 2 p.m. at Powell Funeral Home chapel with burial in Asbury United Methodist Church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at Powell Funeral Home Saturday, November 8 from 7 until 8:30 p.m., and other times at the home of his sister and brother-in-law, Claire and W.G. 'Jiggs' Walton, 2500 Halifax Road.
Grover Wilson Conner of 1137 Coleman Avenue, Clover died Thursday, November 6, 1997 at his home at the age of 56.
Mr. Conner is survived by his wife, Linda Clay Conner; seven daughters; two sons; five sisters; one brother, and 17 grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete at press time and will be announced later by Brooks Funeral Home.
Anita Womack Throckmorton of South Boston died Tuesday, November 4, 1997 at Halifax Regional Hospital. She was 88 years of age at the time of her death.
Mrs. Throckmorton was born in Halifax County on November 28, 1908 the daughter of Robert Lemuel Womack and Pattie Roberts Womack and was married to William Buford Throckmorton. She was a member of Dan River Baptist Church.
Survivors include two daughters, Frances T. Hilliard of Warrenton, NC and Carolyn T. Blanks of Hampton; five sons, Leonard Throckmorton of Nathalie, Billy Throckmorton of Hampton, Davis Throckmorton of Windsor, Roger Throckmorton of Vernon Hill and Cecil Throckmorton of Halifax; one sister, Alice W. Blanks of South Boston; 13 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mrs. Throckmorton will be held Saturday, November 8 at 1 p.m. at Dan River Baptist Church with Rev. Dr. Dennis Knight conducting the service. Burial will take place in Halifax Memorial Gardens.
The family will receive friends at Powell Funeral Home tonight, November 7 from 7 until 8:30, and other times at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Throckmorton, 184 Craddock Street, Halifax.
Louise Mary Martin Stevens of Volens died Wednesday, November 5, 1997 at Halifax Regional Hospital. She was 83 years of age.
Mrs. Stevens was born in Halifax County on May 20, 1913 the daughter of Felix D. Martin and Mary Powell Martin and was married to William Garland Stevens. She was a member of Faith Baptist Church of Brookneal.
Survivors include two sons, Ronnie L. and wife, Gaye Stevens of Appomattox and Donnie G. and wife, Sandra Stevens of Lynchburg; two sisters, Essie M. Wade of South Boston and Hallie M. Puckett of Volens; one brother, William Thomas Martin of South Boston; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mrs. Louise Mary Martin Stevens will be held today, November 7 at 1 p.m. at Powell Funeral Home Chapel with Revs. James Keys and Rudolph Jacobs conducting the service. Burial will take place in First Baptist Church of Millstone cemetery.
Alice Chalmers Woody of Petersburg died Friday, October 31 at Waverly Health Care Center in Waverly at the age of 92.
Mrs. Woody was born in Halifax County.
Survivors include one son, Emanuel Woody of MD; four sisters, Gloria Smith of New York, NY, Mary Veney of Petersburg, Alease Britton and Pauline Johnson, both of South Boston; and other relatives and friends.
Funeral services were held Thursday, November 6 at 1 p.m. at Williams Temple CME Church in News Ferry with burial in the church cemetery. Rev. George Brown officiated.
Ronald Darnell Gee of 2305, Sutphin Road, South Boston died Wednesday, November 5, 1997 at his home. He was 49 years of age.
Mr. Gee was born in Halifax County on August 13, 1948 the son of Willis Alphonso Gee and Rosa Short Gee. He was a member of Mount Olive Baptist Church and a Vietnam Army Veteran.
Survivors include one daughter, Monica Nealous of Raleigh, NC; one son, Nicholas Hughes of South Boston; his mother of South Boston; one grandson, Michael D'Andre Nealous of Raleigh, NC; four brothers, Mike Faulkner, James Gee and Ralph Gee, all of South Boston, and Willis Gee of Richmond; one son-in-law, Andre' Nealous; a devoted companion, Mable Meadows, and other relatives and friends.
Funeral services for Mr. Gee will be held Saturday, November 8 at 1 p.m. at Mount Olive Baptist Church in South Boston with Rev. James Crowder officiating.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider the American Cancer Society.
The family will receive friends at the home.