Monday, March 1, 2004

Card Game Ends In Tragedy
Paris Antwan Barnes Charged With First Degree Murder Following Friday Night Fight

A 35-year-old South Boston man has been charged with first degree murder following the Friday night beating death of Harold Dwayne Hamilton, 49, of South Boston, according to Lt. B.K. Lovelace of the South Boston Police Department.

Paris Antwan Barnes, of North Main Street, was arrested and charged Sunday without incident, according to police.

Sgt. R.E. Redd and Officer L.Kozlik of the South Boston Police responded at approximately 10 p.m. to a Suggs Street residence Friday after a citizen reported the discovery of Hamilton lying in the driveway.

"During the investigation, it was discovered that Hamilton had been assaulted at a location on Kendrick Street," Lovelace said.

Investigators C.L. Carswell and T.M. VanAernem were dispatched to the Kendrick Street address, where witnesses told police that Hamilton had been assaulted by Barnes after an argument over a card game, Lovelace added.

Hamilton was transported to Halifax Regional Hospital, where he was subsequently airlifted to MCV Hospital in Richmond.

While at MCV, Hamilton died from his injuries, Lovelace reported.

"We think (the cause of death) was head injuries sustained as a result of repeated blunt force trauma," Lovelace said.

The investigator said yesterday that police believe the incident occurred between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Friday.

Barnes is currently being held in the Halifax Regional Jail without bond, according to police.

Tax Relief For Elderly, Disabled On Supes’ Agenda
Tax Relief Public Hearing Is Set For Tonight At 8 p.m.

Supervisors will take public comment on an ordinance for tax relief to "certain elderly and disabled residents" during tonight's Board meet.

The Board will meet at 7 p.m. in Mary Bethune Complex in Halifax, with the tax relief public hearing set for 8 p.m.

The ordinance is based on a model from Campbell County, one with a household income limit of $22,000 for those 65 years and older, among other provisions.

Also, the net combined financial worth of owners, and of the spouse of any owner, cannot exceed $60,000.

That figure includes the present value of all equitable interests as of Dec. 31 of the preceding calender year, but excludes the value of the dwelling and its one-acre or less site.

A three-step sliding scale for exemption is proposed based on total income, with a maximum annual exemption on any one property of $500.

Campbell County has been utilizing an elderly and disabled tax exemption, and neighboring Pittsylvania County has put one into practice, according to Joe Morgan, county administrator.

A second public hearing is scheduled for comment on Danny Lamberth's application for plat vacation for an unopened, unnamed street, 30 feet wide and 400 feet long, in the Charles Brookes Farm Subdivision on the west side of Route 501 about 1.2 miles south of South Boston.

In other business, supervisors are expected to engage legal counsel to collect county delinquent taxes.

County Treasurer Linda Foster has estimated that on a 17-year basis all delinquent taxes are approximately $235,000.

She said that the rate of collection is around 96 percent collected.
Tonight, supervisors also are expected to hear status reports on the King Village Trail Rural addition, as well as an update on historic Clarkton Bridge's preservation.

VDOT is holding a Clarkton Bridge transfer review with Halifax and Charlotte county officials on March 10 in Farmville.

Regarding King Village Trail, Stephen Kesler, Boating Access manager, and James Adams, Capital Outlay manager, Va. Dept of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF), visited the county Feb. 12 to explore potential access points for boating on the Banister River.

Inclement weather prevented DGIF officials from visiting the site, but they did review maps and other information which led them to support paddle sports boating access at several sites along the Banister, including downstream of the Banister Lake near Cowford Road and King Village, at U.S. Route 360, according to a report submitted to supervisors by County Administrator Joe Morgan.

However, the capacity of the river to handle motor boating access from the King Village area was questioned, with studies to continue.

For paddle sports access, the county would have to provide funds for construction and maintenance of an access road, while access for motor boats may draw funding from several government agencies, according to the report.

The county is exploring a Banister River boat access, with funding, as it pursues a King Village Trail improvement plan.

Supervisors and town officials are expected to hear an update on out-of-town water and sewer service from their staff at the March 15 joint county/towns' session.

Del. Hogan Calls For Warner To Take A Stand
He Says There Will Be No Compromise On Senate’s Proposed Tax Increases

"We will shut the government down before we cede to their budget or split the difference with the Senate," Del. Clarke Hogan, R-60th, said yesterday.

In the midst of a contentious budget battle between House and Senate Republicans, the Halifax County delegate said the House proposal closely resembles the plan submitted by Gov. Mark Warner and called for the governor to "stand up and be a leader."

"I can assure you that the House caucus isn't going to move from what we consider a responsible position to one that's totally irresponsible to try to pacify a bunch of people getting ready to retire and looking for a legacy," Hogan said. "The governor has to stand up and be a leader. Right now.

"If the governor doesn't show some leadership, we won't have a budget," he added. "Where does he stand on these issues and is he interested in having a budget or not?"

Hogan called on Warner to contact his allies in the Senate and tell them "that the game is up and we need to work together and work out something reasonable."

"This is no joke," he said. "It's not a political game. There is no money without a budget."

A spokesman for Warner's office said yesterday that the governor was remaining involved in the budget negotiations, but at this point it is the responsibility of the General Assembly to reach a compromise.

"The governor confers every day with lawmakers from both parties in both chambers. He is engaged in this discussion," Warner's spokesman Kevin Hall said. "The legislature jealously guards it's prerogative when it comes to the budget process and the ultimate compromise will come from a committee comprised of representatives from both the House and Senate.

"The governor doesn't have his feet at that table," he added.

Hall said Warner is concerned with both the House and Senate proposals.
"Lest anyone claim that we're not engaged in this process, I would remind them that (Warner's office) started this discussion when he laid out a comprehensive budget and tax reform proposal," he added.

With the exception of transportation expenditures, the House plan and that proposed by Warner are "within a few pennies" of one another, according to Hogan.

"At the end of last year, Gov. Warner laid out his plan and called it the essential ingredients to address the Commonwealth's needs, maintain our AAA bond rating and meet our core obligations," Hogan said.

The plan submitted by the House accomplishes those goals, he added.
"His plan provides for $215 million in the state's rainy day fund, our plan is $230 million.

"The governor's plan puts $722 million into public education, the House plan is $810 million.

"In higher education, the governor's plan is $134 million, ours is $131 million," Hogan said.

"The big area where we didn't match the governor's plan was transportation," he said.

A plan currently on Warner's desk to outsource VDOT's maintenance expenses and save the state around $120 million along with question of matching federal monies totalling around $150 million annually influenced the House decision, according to Hogan.

"Until these two matters are clarified, it seems rash to dump hundreds of millions more dollars into transportation," the delegate said. "We have transportation problems, but at this point it seems unlikely that spending more money on transportation to address those issues will help.

"With that major exception, we've matched the governor dollar for dollar in terms of funding core services," he added.

Hogan said that if the Senate had adopted Warner's plan, a compromise could have been reached by the March 13 end of session.

"Unfortunately, they've chosen to go the route of political gamesmanship, which at best is irresponsible and at worst could cost the state its AAA bond rating, create a nightmare for local government and damage a slowly-recovering economy," he said. "The question I have for the governor is where does he stand, where he said he was two months ago - for a compromise - or has he joined the Senate in deep left field?" Hogan asked.

"We would split the difference with the governor's plan, but not with the Senate.

"If we are to have a budget in time to divert a tremendous amount of harm to the Commonwealth, the governor has to stand up and show some leadership," he added. "We're close enough to the governor on the revenue side to be able to work out a compromise.

"I think there is a spirit of compromise in the House and if the governor will adopt a similar spirit, we can have a budget in short order.

"Where it comes from is negotiable, but we need the governor to stand up and identify himself on the original position he took and encourage the Senate to set aside their irresponsible position and move us toward closure," Hogan said. "Or are we tilting at windmills here?"

Steele To Be Guest Speaker For Hall Of Fame Banquet
The Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet Will Be Held Saturday, April 3

By JOE CHANDLER | G-V Staff Writer

Longtime High Point (N.C.) University mens basketball coach and North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame member Jerry Steele will be the guest speaker for this year's Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet.

The annual Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be held Saturday, April 3, at 6 p.m. at C.H. Friend Elementary School in South Boston.

Advance tickets will be sold for $20 each.

Tickets may be purchased at Waskey Cleaners, the office of Dr. James Priest, Gravitt & Gravitt PC, Electric Service Company, Halifax Pharmacy, Edmondson Cleaners and the Gazette Virginian.

Tickets may also be purchased by calling Addison Marable at 572-3031.
Only 250 tickets will be sold.

If any tickets are available after advance sales have been completed, they will be sold at the door for $25 each.

John Burton, Les Dillard and John (Buddy) Yancey have been selected as this year's inductees into the Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame.
Their induction will bring the total number of inductees into the Sports Hall of Fame to 52.

Steele retired from his position as head mens basketball coach at High Point University after the 2002-2003 season.

When he retired, he had completed 31 years as the head coach at High Point University mens basketball team and his 39 years as a collegiate head coach.
He spent eight years as head basketball coach at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C. before moving to High Point.

While at Guilford College, his teams made four trips to the national tournament and achieved a number one national ranking.

Steele was the youngest coach to be inducted into the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame when he was enshrined in 1987.

He became one of a handful of college basketball coaches to reach the 500-win plateau in January, 1995.

Entering the 2002-2003 season, Steele was ranked among the top 30 on the all-time list of active coaches with 621 career wins.

Heading into the 2002-2003 season, Steele's teams had won eight conference titles, qualified for postseason play 15 times, advanced to the NAIA National Tournament on five occasions and made a pair of appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament.

A native of Elkin, N.C. Steele played basketball for three years at Wake Forest where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1961.

That same year, Steele, along with North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame member Billy Packer and Len Chappell, helped Wake Forest win their first Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

After having earned his Master's Degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1962, Steele became the head coach at Guilford College.

Following his tenure at Guilford College, Steele left the college game to join his Wake Forest coach and North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame member Bones McKinney as an assistant coach with the Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association.

Steele ended the 1971 season as the Cougars' head coach and became the team's director of player personnel the following year.

During his coaching career, Steele has coached a number of notable basketball standouts including University of South Carolina head coach Dave Odom and University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith.

Steele's wife, Kitty, was elected to the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1992 after coaching the High Point University tennis team for 14 seasons.

Obituaries

William Gravely Davis

William ‘Bill’ Gravely Davis of Franklin County died at his home February 27.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Russell Lewis Davis and Winifred Skinnell Davis.

Mr. Davis graduated from VMI and the University of Richmond Law School and served in the United States Army. He served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia; as Commonwealth’s Attorney of Franklin County, and later joined the family law firm.

Survivors include his wife, Karen Webb Davis; a son and daughter-in-law, William Pearson Davis and Caroline Cooper Davis; a granddaughter, Isabelle Cooper Davis; a brother and three sisters and their spouses, Russell Lewis Davis and Betsy Naff Davis, Emily Davis London and Dean Londos, Julia Davis Tye and Thomas Tye, and Katherine Davis Rand and Michael Rand.

A memorial service for Mr. Davis will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church in Rocky Mount today, March 1, at 11 a.m.

Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider “The Giles and Davis, Class of 1964, Scholarship,” VMI, c/o The VMI Keydet Club, P.O. Box 932, Lexington, 24450, or the charity of your choice.

Slobadan Joncic

Slobadan Joncic of South Boston died February 27 at The Woodview.

He was born on October 10, 1914, in Yugoslavia, the son of Syvja Joncic and Marija Joncic and was married to the late Evelyn Fiore Joncic.

Mr. Joncic was a member of the Eastern Orthodox Faith, a Veteran of the US Merchant Marine Coast Guard, and a member of the American Legion.
Survivors include three grandchildren, Laura Olson of Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Buster D’Armato of Halifax, and Julie Labarbera of Holtsville, N.Y.; eight great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

A memorial service for Mr. Joncic was held February 29 at Powell Funeral Home Chapel at 7 p.m. with the Rev. Dr. Melvin Bradshaw officiating. Burial will follow at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery.

Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Halifax County Cancer Association, P.O. Box 875, South Boston, 24592.

Berniece Booher Hoskins

Berniece Booher Hoskins, 86, of 7109 Oak Level Road, Halifax died February 26 at Berry Hill Nursing Home.

Mrs. Hoskins was born in Danville on March 11, 1917, the daughter of Frederick Booher and Renie Hamm Booher, and was married to Howard Steven Hoskins. She was a member of Oak Level Presbyterian Church where she was also a member of the Annie H. Henderson Circle.

Survivors include her husband; one daughter, Joyce Faye Walk and husband, Larry, of Williamsburg; two sons, Steve D. Hoskins Sr. and wife, Elaine, of Halifax, and Randy E. Hoskins and wife, Susan, of Halifax; six grandchildren, Rhonda Hoskins and Steven Hoskins Jr., both of South Boston, Melanie and Miriam Hoskins, both of Halifax, Mary-Lyons Hanks and Larry Walk Jr., both of Williamsburg; five great-grandchildren; and one sister, Maggie Cooper of Danville. Mrs. Hoskins was preceded in death by three sisters and two brothers.

Funeral services were held February 29 at 2 p.m. at Powell Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. David Kilpatrick officiating. Burial took place in Oak Level Presbyterian Church cemetery.

Lois Slavin

Lois Slavin, 76, of Montgomery, Ala., died Saturday, February 28.
She is survived by one daughter, Patricia "Mz. Pat" Crew of Halifax, one sister, Ida Mae Wright of Monroeville, Ala., and one brother, Ralph Berry of Decatur, Ala.

She was preceded in death by her husband William Slavin.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, March 3, in Montgomery, Ala.
Memorials may be sent to the American Cancer Society or the Humane Society.