Predictions that the Dan River at South Boston might crest at 325.5 feet above sea level late yesterday were probably 1.5 feet higher than what actually occurred. It was the third time in four weeks that flooding, or the threat of it, prompted warning statements by the Virginia Department of Emergency Services and in each occurrence, the event has fallen short of expectations.
Not just the forecasted elevations but the time of occurrence may have been 12 hours earlier than predicted. The river at South Boston probably crested early Thursday morning at 323.5 feet.
The peak at South Boston came about eight hours after a crest at Paces which was measured at 322 feet.
"Lots of variables" says South Boston Town Manager Ken McLawhon whose reasoning was echoed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Wilmington. Although the Corps is no longer charged with the task of issuing flood warnings, many Halifax County flood plain dwellers believe hydrologist in Wilmington, N.C. do the best job of hitting the numbers.
And the hitting the numbers in this game of chance is something some Riverdale merchants can't afford to miss. "That's vital to us," Ratliff Grocery owner Bunny Propst said yesterday as she addressed both the elevation and the time the river crested at South Boston.
Had flooding actually occurred and perhaps 12 hours sooner than predicted, some merchants may found themselves in the middle of the mess. That actually happened in 1987 when hurricane Fran came through sooner, and with more rainfall, than emergency service officials had warned of.
"You can't live with that two and a half, three feet," South Boston Fire Chief and Emergency Services Coordinator William Murray said. Murray blames the discrepancies in part on the weather and a storm that sort of fizzled at the end. Forecasters had thought another full day of rainfall would occur.
"The weather changed and who you gonna argue with about that?" he added.
Murray believes that those persons responsible for issuing warnings tend to predict on the high side. Riverdale merchants are apparently savvy to the same liberal forecasts and are not always moving out when the warnings are issued.
That too is part of the game of chance for those who have flood insurance. Should they disregard warnings and experience losses related to flooding, claims would likely be rejected by insurance companies.
Murray believes that there may be too many forecasters all using inconsistent data. "There's a way to get four different readings," he explained, "and with as much as a foot of difference."
Murray relies on a "flood monument" positioned on the east side of the Tucker Watkins bridge at Riverdale for his readings. But move to the west side of the four-lane bridge and the reading might vary as much as a foot.
The National Weather Service obtains its data on the Dan River from a point about 50 yards upstream from the railroad bridge. Within an abandoned U.S. Geological Station wellhouse instruments are linked to a float and counterweight in the river that can sense changes as slight as .100 inch.
The information is logged onto a computer chip and fed by telephone to the NWS office in Blacksburg.
During flooding events, the NWS retrieves data at the station every 30 minutes and that information is used to issue flood warnings when needed.
Do these NWS warnings ever conflict with other issuances? "Quite likely!" Mike Gillen told The Gazette-Virginian yesterday.
Gillen says the NWS issues warnings in "feet" rather than elevation. Often times, the two figures are used together but Gillen finds too few people understand mean feet above sea level (MSL) figures.
"When it reads 20 feet, we forecast 20 feet." he added. Gillen said he was not surprised that the Dan River had crested at 23.5 feet yesterday even though his office had forecast 24.5 feet on its last warning.
"I feel good when we hit it within a foot."
And speaking of more variables, snow melt in the higher elevations are impacting current flooding forecasts. Compounding further the problem of predicting flooding is the elevation in Buggs Island Lake which is expected to reach 315.5 feet above sea level by Saturday.
"South Boston is one tough place to forecast!"
Otis Lance Briggs, 23, of Halifax was extradited from the New Jersey State Penitentiary this week on two felony counts of distribution of cocaine.
Two Halifax County Sheriff's Deputies traveled to New Jersey to take Briggs to the Halifax County Jail where he is currently being held without bond, police said.
Briggs was indicted by a grand jury of the Halifax County Circuit Court on testimony presented by narcotics investigators of the Tri-County Regional Drug Task Force.
His arrest stemmed from the 18-month undercover drug investigation which preceded last fall's "Operation Fall Harvest." During the sweeping arrests, over 120 suspects were charged with various drug offenses.
The two distribution charges against Briggs stem from undercover buys made in July and August of 1996, according to Major Ray Link of the Halifax County Sheriff's Department.
Briggs allegedly sold crack cocaine in the Ball Park Loop Road area, just off Rt. 360, west of Halifax, Major Link said.
Four days after being charged for malicious wounding and assault and battery, a Ball Park Loop Road man filed an assault charge against one of the initial victims.
Shernita Renee Mosley, 27, of South Boston was charged Thursday with a misdemeanor count of assault and battery of her estranged husband, Lonnie Donnell Mosley.
Lonnie Mosley allegedly assaulted Shernita Mosley and her friend, Jerome Mosley, during an argument which occurred Monday, according to the investigation.
Lonnie Mosley filed the assault charged against his wife on Thursday, police said.
Both have been released on bond and are scheduled to appear in the Halifax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on March 4 for their trials.
Shernita Mosley was arrested by Sgt. T.E. Logan of the Halifax County Sheriff's Department.
Two teenagers were injured during a single-vehicle wreck Tuesday evening on U.S. 501, one-tenth of a mile south of Rt. 775.
Bryant Dean Lowery, 16, of South Boston was injured after he lost control of a 1991 Ford, ran off the left side of the road, and struck a tree, according to the Virginia State Police.
A passenger in the vehicle, Dustin Lee Lowery, was also injured during the 5:45 p.m. wreck, police said.
Damages to the vehicle were estimated at $5,500, according to the investigation.
Charges are pending and the incident was investigated by Virginia State Trooper L.G. Perkins.
Patients at Halifax Regional Hospital emergency room will receive two bills for services rendered in the future, one for physicians' care and one for technical or hospital fees.
The change comes as the result of a new private practice formed by emergency room doctors, Halifax Emergency Physician Associates. The new billing became effective last week.
"We do not anticipate the charges generated from the two bills will be higher than the one before," said hospital administrator Chris Lumsden yesterday.
Insurance coverage in the ER is slated to remain the same as the hospital's.
"It was explicit in the arrangement that emergency room doctors will participate in third party payment contracts the hospital has," said the administrator.
Currently there are four ER doctors, director Dr. Gaylord Ray, Drs. Charles Devine, Robert Ah and Sun Lee. Both Ray and Lumsden said yesterday the doctors hope to add a fifth doctor to the emergency room group for additional coverage.
The local ER staff treats about 20,000 patients annually.
Prior to the formation of the private practice, the hospital had a relationship with Coastal Physicians Service. The hospital paid Coastal a fee based on a per-hour rate for the doctors plus a fee to the company, explained Lumsden. Doctors were independent contractors through Coastal.
If there is a downside to the move, Lumsden said it is the fact there will be two bills rather than one.
"But there are a lot of good sides as well. One, I think it shows more permanency and commitment from the doctors as opposed to being a per-hour physician. Now they will be billing and acting as a group. When you have good people who want to form their own group, it is better than shifts and hours," added Lumsden.
The hospital administrator also anticipates the move will enhance recruitment and retention of emergency room doctors.
Dr. Ray said most ERs are going to new systems. "Most now have evolved to integrated groups or some kind of private practice," he said.
Ray sees several positive aspects in the new arrangement.
One is physician ownership in the practice and the feeling that they are captain of the ship, explained Ray. But he noted that in private practice the patient must also feel they have received good service and want to return.
Ray said "the pricing will stay in line" and described the local ER as in the middle on charges. "Certainly not on the high end," he added.
"Patients should get as good if not better care," continued Ray.
The ER director called the "waiting issue" for patients seeking emergency service a continuing problem ...and one that will have to be continually solved.
Identifying the problem, he said, sometimes led to areas out of ER's control, particularly if patients need a variety of tests outside the department.
"Physician extenders have been of great help and we appreciate that the public has been receptive. These extenders, or mid-level providers, are seeing a significant number of patients. The bottom line, they have been a great big help in having physicians get to patients faster and in helping patients get through the system faster," said Ray of the one full-time physician assistant, one part-time physician assistant and three part-time nurse practitioners.
"We needed to do something different from what we were doing. We were out of step with everyone else," said Ray.
"We are both going to monitor charges," summed up Lumsden. "We have to be competitive. We will monitor billing and collections and participate in the same third-party payment programs. We have double coverage at heavy times (in the emergency room) now and even with that some patients are delayed. But it happens," said the hospital administrator.
Of the private practice, Lumsden said, "We see it as very positive. You don't get better by standing still."
The administrator described the new arrangement "as one of many things we are implementing to improve the emergency department," including recruiting a fifth physician, double coverage on certain ER shifts, and the renovation of the department to make it more functional. "So this new arrangement is one of many things as we focus on the issues."
An attempt to elude police Wednesday night resulted in an Alton's man arrest on numerous traffic charges, according to South Boston Police Chief Jim Hall.
James H. Jones, 26, was arrested on three misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence, attempting to elude police, and driving with no operator's license, Chief Hall said.
The incident began in Riverdale at 9:30 p.m. when South Boston Police Department Officer Stuart Comer saw Jones allegedly spin the tires of a vehicle he was driving at the stoplight of U.S. 58 and U.S. 501.
Jones, driving a 1986 Toyota owned by Lela Mae Jones of South Boston, turned from U.S. 58 north onto U.S. 501 towards town, according to the investigation.
Comer was headed south on U.S. 501 at the time and turned around to stop Jones, Chief Hall explained.
"When Officer Comer activated his blue lights, Jones sped away," Chief Hall said.
The pursuit went across the Tucker Watkins Bridge into the downtown district, along Short Street, through a parking lot and northwards onto Watkins Avenue, according to the investigation.
Jones drove to the Fairmont Apartments where Lela Mae Jones lived, stopped the vehicle and then ran on foot through a wooded area adjacent to the railroad tracks at the end of Poplar Creek Street.
The Virginia State Police K-9 team of Trooper L.G. Perkins and "Chief" were called to the scene and later tracked down Jones who was found hiding in a prone position in thicket of brush, Chief Hall said.
Also assisting in the search and apprehension of Jones were Sgt. D.L. Blanks and Officer Ronnie Edmonds of the South Boston Police Department.
"This was more than just a good example of police work on the behalf of Officer Comer and Trooper Perkins," Chief Hall reflected. "It is an example of just how well different law enforcement agencies can work together."
Jones was released on bond Thursday from the Halifax County Jail pending his trial in the Halifax County General District Court.
In another case, Officer Edmonds arrested James Lloyd Coles, 46, of Riverdale on an outstanding felony indictment for distribution of crack cocaine, Chief Hall said.
The arrest occurred at the McDonald's in Riverdale at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the investigation.
The alleged incident occurred on June 3, 1997. The case against Coles stemmed from the 18-month undercover drug operation conducted by the Tri-County Regional Drug Task Force.
Coles was released on bond pending his trial in the Halifax County General District Court.
Thomas Clinton Ward of Route 1, Gladys died Wednesday, February 18, 1998 at Virginia Baptist Hospital.
Mr. Ward was born in Richmond on January 3, 1919 the son of Tom Clark Ward and Gracie Cumby Ward and was married to Lillie Mae Smith Ward. He attended Brookneal Church of God of Prophecy, was an employee of Burruss Lumber Company for 40 years and retired from Allen Morrison Sign Company.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Edward 'Gene' Ward and wife, Judy of Brookneal, Wayne Thomas Ward and wife, Donna of Nathalie; one daughter, Nancy Stevens of South Boston; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a brother, Earl Ward.
A funeral service for Mr. Ward will be held at 2 p.m. today, February
20 at Henderson Funeral Home Chapel by Revs. Clyde Crowder and Harry Moser
with burial to follow at Mt. Carmel Methodist Church cemetery.
Charles Edward Strickland of Richmond died Saturday, February 14, 1998.
Mr. Strickland was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Strickland of Nathalie. He was a member and trustee of First Pentecostal Church of Richmond.
Survivors include his wife, Shirley D. Strickland; one daughter, Tammy Giovannetti; one son, Nathaniel Strickland; five sisters, Linwood Guthrie, Spotswood Davis, Alice Strickland, Jean Oakes and Elizabeth Saunders; three brothers, Alvin, Thomas and Lee Strickland; five step-daughters; and two step-sons; seven grandchildren.
Graveside services were held at 2 p.m. February 17 in Dale Memorial Park.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider First Pentecostal
Church of Richmond Building Fund.
Mary C. Buster died Sunday, February 15, 1998.
Mrs. Buster was born in South Boston on December 12, 1915 the daughter of Johnnie and Maggie Rogers Carrington and was married first to Alex Tucker Sr. and after his death she married Alfred Buster. She was a member of First Baptist Church.
Funeral service will be held today, February 20 at 1 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Ferry Street, South Boston with Rev. James M. Crowder, eulogist and Dr. Allan G. Smith, pastor. Burial will follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
Mrs. Buster is survived by two sons, Alex and Samuel Tucker, both of South Boston; six daughters, Christine T. Scott of Rego Park, Long Island, NY, Mary T. Tuck of Hyattsville, MD, Grace T. Roberts and Frances T. Vass, both of South Boston, Nancy T. Walker of Brooklyn, NY and Lucille B. Tuck of Virgilina; one step son; 35 grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; and a number of great-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by one son, David Tucker.
Mattie Torian Smith of 4050 Dryburg Road, Scottsburg died Sunday, February 15, 1998 at Berry Hill Nursing Home at the age of 87.
Mrs. Smith was born in Halifax County on March 23, 1910 the daughter of Jacob Torian and Alice Carden Torian and was married to Archie Smith. She was a member of Spanish Grove Baptist Church.
Survivors include one son, Clyde Smith of Scottsburg; four grandchildren; one sister, Florence T. Green of Scottsburg; one daughter-in-law, Rosa Smith; and other relatives and friends.
Funeral services for Mrs. Smith will be held Friday, February 20 at 2 p.m. at Spanish Grove Baptist Church with Rev. Freddie Jeffress officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the home.