By KEITH STRANGE
Commonwealth's Attorney John Greenbacker wonders why legislators
in Richmond would cut funding for the most popular anti-crime
legislation in the state, Virginia Exile.
"It's a horrible situation that will have a direct effect
on my staff," Greenbacker said yesterday.
"We're scheduled to lose 20 percent of my staff, including
the regional drug prosecutor, who works in several different counties,
one attorney and one secretary," the commonwealth's attorney
added.
As the budget is currently written, Halifax County will lose the
proposed $296,500 to fund the program in the 2002-2003 budget
years, a casualty of the General Assembly's zeal to wipe out a
$3.8 billion budget shortfall.
Halifax County isn't the only region affected by the Exile cuts,
funding for the program will be axed in all 10 regions receiving
the grants.
"The decision not to fund Exile caught everyone by surprise,"
Greenbacker said.
"At a time when the caseload of this office is increasing
by 30 percent, they want to take away a fifth of my staff,"
he lamented yesterday.
Virginia Exile, which began in 1999, is modeled after Project
Exile, former Gov. Gilmore's answer to increasing gun violence
in Richmond.
Project Exile started in 1997.
Under the program, people charged with crimes involving illegal
guns are denied bail, and are forced to serve a mandatory five
years in prison.
Virginia Exile works in a similar way, with people convicted of
crimes involving illegal firearms being sent across the state
to serve out their prison sentences.
Virginia Exile has been credited with reducing the amount of violent
crime across the state, Greenbacker said.
He feels that the Republican-led legislature is simply not standing
behind programs started by the republican former governor.
"First of all, I was extremely upset that they cut the funding
to begin with. I mean, here is a program that works," he
said.
Greenbacker didn't pull any punches when discussing what he feels
are the motives behind the cuts.
"Frankly, I think that they are treating any Gilmore-initiated
program as subject to immediate eradication," he added.
The goal for Virginia Exile is not only to prosecute offenders,
Greenbacker said.
"The whole concept of Exile is to make the public aware of
the consequences of having an illegal gun," he added.
The Commonwealth's Attorney said that the cuts in his funding
came as a shock, and unfortunately too late to apply for new funding.
"If I had known that they were going to welsh on their grant,
I would have applied for an alternative source of funding,"
he said, noting that Halifax County was the only rural jurisdiction
to receive the funding.
"Because of the amount of gun violence that we have historically,
we were able to get the money," Greenbacker said.
He did say that a group of affected prosecutors held a caucus
after learning that they would lose their funding.
"Prosecutors in the Virginia Association of Commonwealth's
Attorneys decided that although funding will cease to be available
on December 31, we want to be able to continue the funding through
the end of the fiscal year, which will be June 30 of next year,"
Greenbacker said.
He said that would leave them funded through another session of
the General Assembly, thereby giving them another swing of the
bat.
"That will allow us more time to find other sources of money,"
he added.
"Everyone in the affected areas is writing letters and expressing
their concern over losing this money," he noted.
Greenbacker said that he doesn't think that the $2.5 million being
cut state-wide for the program is that much money when looked
at as part of the big picture.
"If you talk about a program of this magnitude, that is doing
such a good job, the money is minimal," he maintained.
The effect of losing staff members due to budget cuts will have
a devastating effect, the prosecutor maintains.
"I'm terribly concerned that the effectiveness of this office
will be greatly affected because we won't have the staff to keep
track of things," Greenbacker said.
He is also surprised that Exile was one of the projects cut.
"I thought that the essential services- police, legal services
and the like- should be the last things cut," he said.
Although the governor still has to sign the bill, Greenbacker
feels sure that he will.
"He can add portions to the budget, that's what we're trying
to do right now, since this is such a relatively small amount,"
he said.
Greenbacker said yesterday that he is worried about what will
happen if he loses such a large part of his staff.
"We have four attorneys and myself," he said.
"If you take one-fifth of this office away, what am I going
to do?" he asks.
"Plea bargain? I don't want Halifax County to become like
other jurisdictions, where everything is pleaded out of court,"
he said.
"I wasn't elected to plea cases. I was elected to fight for
the public's interests."
Adrian Edwardo Slayton, an 18-year-old Long Island resident,
was convicted Monday in Halifax County Circuit Court of two cocaine-related
charges after a bench trial.
Judge William L. Wellons convicted Slayton of possession with
intent to distribute crack cocaine and also possessing a firearm
while possessing cocaine.
Wellons revoked Slayton's prior bond and remanded him to custody
to await sentencing in the May term of court.
· Robert Henry Green Jr., a 24-year-old South Boston resident,
was sentenced Monday to five years in prison for possessing a
firearm after convicted of a felony.
Judge Wellons remanded Green to custody following the sentencing
hearing.
· Gerald Clifton York Sr., 61, of Lynchburg, was convicted
Monday of one charge of credit card theft from Bennie C. Rogers
and four related charges, including two counts of credit card
forgery and two counts of credit card fraud.
Judge Wellons ordered York be evaluated for the Detention and
Diversion Center programs before remanding him to custody to await
sentencing in the May term of court.
· Lloyd Jasper Fuller, 34, of Roanoke, was convicted Monday
of driving after being declared an habitual offender.
Fuller is free on bond until sentencing in the May term of court.
· Parris Ronald Seeney, a 23-year-old Wilmington, Delaware,
resident, was convicted Monday of cocaine possession and misdemeanor
reckless driving.
The court remanded Seeney to custody to await sentencing in the
May term of court.
· Frances Ellen Newcomb, 28, of Clover, was convicted Monday
to a reduced charge of misdemeanor eluding police.
The court sentenced Newcomb to a 12-month suspended jail term
and a $500 fine, with $300 suspended. Newcomb's operator's license
was also suspended for six months.
· James Kent Fogleman, 59, of Durham, was convicted Monday
of a reduced charge of speeding 64/55 MPH zone.
The court sentenced Fogleman to a $42 fine and court costs.
Charges Nol Prossed and Dismissed
· Jeffrey Wallace Comer, 24, of Virgilina, had grand larceny
charges against him relating to the theft of a mandolin nol prossed
Monday in Halifax County Circuit Court.
Comer had been charged with the theft of the instrument, which
belonged to James A. Reagan Jr., on October 11, 2001.
· Mary Lynn Pulliam, 38, of Scottsburg, was found not guilty
Monday to an amended indictment of the grand larceny of a chain
saw belonging to Reese Farms Inc.
· Rodney Jabbar Tucker, 27, of Halifax, was found not guilty
Monday of breaking and entering the property of Joanna Barksdale
Ross with the intent to commit assault and battery, while armed
with a deadly weapon.
By KEITH STRANGE
A judge's ruling Monday paved the way for Flue-Cured Tobacco Cooperative
Stabilization Corp. to move forward with plans to operate a series
of 14 leaf auction warehouses this year, even though the plan
is being questioned by a lawsuit filed by a group of warehousemen.
An agreement reached Monday by both parties in the suit lifted
a temporary restraining order against the establishment of the
purchasing centers, said plaintiff Mac Bailey, CEO of S&M
Brands.
"It was set to expire Monday at 5 p.m., but was lifted Friday,"
Bailey said.
"What we were initially going to do was have the judge turn
the temporary restraining order into a preliminary injunction
which would stay in place until the final resolution of the case,"
said Edward Gee, general counsel for S&M Brands.
Gee said that both the warehousemen and Stabilization realized
that each has the desire to see the case settled before April
15, when the tobacco growers have to designate where they plan
to sell their leaf.
Now both parties are anticipating a judgement in the North Carolina
courts that will determine if Stabilization can legally establish
marketing centers.
"Plans are to have the case heard between the fourth and
ninth of April," Bailey said.
Bailey and the group of warehousemen contend that the establishment
of marketing centers by Stabilization effectively puts other warehousemen
out of business.
"They aren't charging a fee to the growers that sell their
tobacco there," Bailey said.
"You can't compete against a man who's not charging anything
for a service when you have to charge a fee," Gee said.
He added that in the plaintiff's opinion, the co-op was entering
the marketing business in a way that would effectively put other
warehousemen out of business.
The Co-ops General Manager Lionel Edwards said Monday that the
group has offered to change any practices that could be determined
by the warehousemen to be illegal.
"Stabilization continues to believe that the plaintiff's
complaints are without merit," Edwards said.
The co-op feels that the 14 warehouses are not putting the warehousemen
out of business, rather the rise in contracted sales.
"If it continued like it did last year, all of the warehouses
were going to go out of business," the general manager said,
adding that just because a warehouse was planning to open didn't
mean that it would have the sales to allow it to stay in business.
Last year, approximately 80 percent of tobacco sold by Halifax
County growers was sold directly to cigarette manufacturers.
"The way things were going it looked like contracting was
going to put the warehouses out of business anyway," Edwards
said Monday.
"We're doing what we think is the right thing to do to keep
the auction system alive," he added.
But the warehousemen feel that the motive behind the warehouses
is to reward certain warehousemen and put the others out of business.
"They're using farmer capital that should be used to support
the price support system to underwrite their favored owners of
the marketing centers that they choose," Gee said.
Stabilization feels that without the 14 centers, it wouldn't be
long before the cigarette companies have a monopoly on the leaf-purchasing
process.
"At contract stations, farmers don't have to pay fees,"
Edwards said. "That has already put a lot of warehouses out
of business, and the few that are left have seen their poundage
cut drastically. We were concerned that there may be so few warehouses
left that it wouldn't be feasible for the companies to supply
buyers for the leaf."
"In that case it would be the end of the auction system,"
he said.
Edwards said Monday that he understands the frustration of the
warehousemen.
"I will have to say that these fellows who have been put
out of business are in the middle of a bad situation," he
said.
"But I hope that they understand that it's not Stabilization
that is putting them out of business, it's contracted sales,"
he added.
Bailey thinks Stabilization's motives may be a little more than
just keeping the auction system alive.
"They say that now. But if the auction system makes a comeback,
then they have 14 warehouses...," he said.
Bailey said that he's glad that the judges understand the importance
of settling the matter quickly.
"We're still very hopeful that the judges will do what's
fair to the growers and warehousemen," Bailey said.
"Everybody wants to see this thing settled before April 15
so we can get back to work," he added.
"This county that we love is older than this great country
that we love," said School Board Chairman Steve Anderson
as county officials passed along a new symbol of that heritage
Monday.
"That is something we should all remember and be proud of,"
he added.
Halifax County was a growing frontier on its birthday, May 10,
1752, and county supervisors passed a bit of that heritage to
future generations Monday when they gave one of the county's newly
created flags to each school.
The ceremony took place at the Halifax County High School flagpole
and is part of the ongoing commemoration of Halifax County's 250th
birthday.
The flags bear the Earl of Halifax's coat of arms. He was the
First Lord of the British Board of Trade and was known as "the
Father of the American Colonies," explained. David Martin,
chairman of the Board of Supervisors.
The family's motto can be translated "Peace With Dignity"
or "Calm With Self Respect," Martin told the crowd.
"It encourages an outstanding quality of life for our citizens,
with a quiet tranquility that is worthy of grace and self respect,"
he added.
"The flag's (green) background emphasizes the county's past
and future prosperity has depended upon the successful trade of
farmers, businesses and industry," Martin noted.
"We are proud of the fact that the employees of the Annin
Flag Company made the flag here at their Halifax plant,"
added the Board chairman.
"While we celebrate the history of this county and we celebrate
250 years of Halifax County's past, it's also a place where we
can look forward to the future," Anderson said.
"Each one of these young people that are here today, each
young person that is in each building that has been presented
a flag this morning, represents the future of what Halifax County
is all about.
Anderson said that it is the responsibility of the School Board,
one they accept, to prepare these young people so that the future
of Halifax County is as bright as the past has been.
"As you ride by each school building always remember that
not only are we proud citizens of the United States, not only
proud citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia, but also we are
proud citizens of Halifax County," Anderson concluded.
The students and representatives of the county's schools that
participated in the ceremony were as follows:
C. H. Friend - Student Troy Hicks and SCA Advisor Mary Knupp;
Clays Mill - Student Luke Ligon and Principal Ricky Hunt;
Clover - Student Gabriel Aguilar and Principal John Courtney;
Cluster Springs - Student Taila Norwood and Principal Beverly
Crowder;
Halifax - Student Bryant Inge and Principal Tom McAdams;
Meadville - Student Janie Watkins and Principal Linda Maitland;
Scottsburg - Student Alexandria Dunnagan and Principal John Courtney;
Sinai - Students Michael Johns, Quincy Petty and Principal Michael
Wilborne;
South of Dan - Students Tyler Holt, Corey Williams, Jill Trickey
and Principal Lisa Long;
Sydnor Jennings - Student Jonie Fisher and Principal Jackie Yesalavich;
Turbeville - Student Billy Rice and Principal Barbara Tune;
Virgilina - Student Kyle Bowman and Principal Susan Bagbey;
Washington-Coleman - Students Matthew Ballou, Corey Rosche and
Principal Biddie Plaster;
Wilson Memorial - Students Tony Landrum, Eric Osbome and Principal
Annette McAdams;
Halifax Co. Career Center - Student Anthony Polk and Attendance
Counselor Joan Bowers;
Halifax County High School - Student Katherine Ramsey, members
of the JROTC Color Guard and Principal Albert Randolph;
Halifax County Middle School - Student Christopher Beale and Principal
Gail Bosiger.
It wasn't the start that Halifax County High School varsity
softball coach Melanie Saunders had imagined for her team.
The Comets played solid defense and got a good performance from
hurler Kristi Myer in Monday's regular-season opener on the road
against Randolph-Henry.
But the Lady Statesmen capitalized on a walk and a single with
two out in the bottom of the seventh inning to edge the Comets
1-0.
"We were even with them," said Saunders.
"Kristi did a good job on the mound, striking out nine batters,
walking two and allowing one hit.
"We got some hits, but, we could not execute offensively
when we had runners on base," she added.
When we hit the ball, we really didn't have anything on it.
The inability of the Comets to move runners when they came up
with the hits proved to be their downfall.
Halifax County had shut down Randolph-Henry at every turn through
the first six innings.
Then came the seventh inning.
Myer walked the first batter she faced in the inning. The runner
stole second base and scored the game-winning run when the second
batter in the inning came up with a base hit, the only hit of
the game the Lady Statesmen produced.
Halifax County had produced four hits in the contest, all in the
final three innings.
But the Comets were unable to put them together to produce a run.
Felicia Sprattley had two of the Comets' four hits including the
first hit of the Comets, a two-out triple in the top of the fourth
inning.
The next batter behind Sprattley, Jennifer Roller, grounded out
to the third baseman to end the inning.
Halifax County mounted its best threat in the top of the fifth
inning when Mashonda Dismuke reached base on an error with two
out in the inning.
Laura Gosney backed it up with a single which sent Dismuke to
third base.
Gosney stole second base to put runners on second base and third
base but the next batter, Erica Owen, popped up to the first baseman
to end the inning.
Sprattley got her second hit of the game with a two-out single
in the top of the sixth inning.
However, she was stranded again when Roller grounded out to third
base for the second time.
Emily Stolzenthaler came up with a base hit with one out in the
top of the seventh inning.
She stole second base with Dismuke at the plate.
Unfortunately, Dismuke popped up to the first baseman for the
second out of the inning and the next batter, Gosney, popped up
to the catcher.
The Comets are scheduled to return to action today when they travel
to Dinwiddie to face the Lady Generals in a non-district game.
A busy week for the Comets will conclude Thursday when they face
neighboring Person High from Roxboro, N.C. here in a game scheduled
for 5 p.m.
Bao Nguyen, 32, died March 11, at his home in Raleigh, NC.
Mr. Nguyen was married to the late Thu Nguyen, and was preceded
in death by his mother, Yen Nguyen.
He is survived by his family in Dalat, Vietnam; and locally by
his family: Mrs. Elsie Moore, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Compton, Mr. and
Mrs. Charles Edwards, and Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Moore.
Mr. Nguyen was a graduate of Halifax County High School, Old Dominion
University, and N.C. State University. He was employed as an engineer
with Bovis Lend Lease, Inc. in Raleigh. A memorial service will
be held Thursday, March 28, at 8 p.m. at Berry Hill Presbyterian
Church in South Boston.
Errthum Gardy Forlines, 81, of 901 Washington Avenue, South Boston,
died March 24 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Forlines was born in Halifax County on November 3, 1920, the
son of Mary Louise Forlines and was married to Betty Daniel Forlines.
He was a member of First Baptist Church where he was a member
of the Lacy Bible class, was a member for 55 years with the American
Legion Post 8 and was a lifetime member of the South Boston Fire
Company. Mr. Forlines was retired owner/operator of Forlines Refrigeration.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Clara F. Conner and
her husband, Chip of Greensboro, NC and Brenda Ann Forlines of
Jacksonville, FL; three grandsons, Chris Conner of Charlotte,
NC, Mark Conner and Tim Conner and his wife, Tonya, all of Greensboro;
and one great-grandchild, Nora D. Conner.
Funeral services for Mr. Forlines were held March 26 at 1 p.m.
at Brooks Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Robert M. Fox Jr.
officiating. Burial followed in Hitesburg Baptist Church Cemetery.
Anyone wishing to give memorials are asked to consider the South
Boston Fire Company or the American Legion Post 8.
James Joseph Jones, Jr., 59, of 2126 Jeffress Blvd., South Boston,
died March 23 at The Medical College of Virginia Hospital in Richmond.
Mr. Jones was born in Halifax County on December 18, 1942, the
son of Virginia Garland Jones and the late James Jones Sr. He
was a member of Memorial Baptist Church, was a former employee
of Kentucky Fried Chicken and was a Veteran of the US Marine Corps.
Survivors include his mother of South Boston; and one sister,
Daisy Turbeville of South Boston.
Funeral services for Mr. Jones will be held today, March 27, at
2:30 p.m. at Memorial Baptist with the Rev. Richard A. Terry officiating.
William Lawrence Marvin, 65, of 1733 Chamberlain Street, South
Boston, died March 25 at his home.
Mr. Marvin was born in Meadeville, PA on June 4, 1936, the son
of William Hugh Marvin and Mary Katherine Sackett Marvin and was
married to Shirley Carol Shelenberger Marvin. He was a member
of First Presbyterian Church, South Boston, and was active with
Habitat For Humanity.
Survivors include his wife of the home; one daughter, Karen M.
King of Charlotte, NC; four sons, Dr. Michael A. Marvin of South
Boston, Patrick W. Martin of Brooksville, FL, Stephen M. Marvin
of Cleveland, Ohio and Eric L. Marvin of Burlington, NC; one sister,
Janet M. Grayson of Saegertown, PA; two brothers, David Marvin
of Grove City, PA and James A. Marvin of Saegertown; and 10 grandchildren.
A memorial service for Mr. Marvin will be held March 30 at 2 p.m.
at First Presbyterian Church with the Revs. Dr. Russell Lee and
Melvin Bradshaw conducting the service.
The family will receive friends at the home.
For memorials, consider Halifax Regional Hospice, 2204 Wilborn
Avenue, South Boston.
Rosa Jackson Wood, 89, of 1537 Ridge Street, South Boston, died
March 25 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mrs. Wood was born in Halifax County on August 6, 1912, the daughter
of the late Willie Jackson and Amanda Watkins Jackson and was
married to the late James F. Wood. She was a member of Greater
Mayfield Apostolic Church.
Survivors include two daughters, Willie W. Wood of South Boston
and Mary Wood of New York, NY; one sister, Sarah J. Burns of South
Boston; seven grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and one
son-in-law, Raymond E. Wood of Montreal, Canada. She was preceded
in death by one son, James Lester Wood.
Funeral services for Mrs. Wood will be held March 28 at 2 p.m.
at Greater Mayfield Apostolic Church with Elder Bernard Wilkins
officiating. Burial will follow in Halifax Memorial Gardens.
The family is receiving friends at the home of Willie Wood, 917
Easley Street, South Boston.
Paul Nathaniel Greene, 56, of 1072 Neal's Corner Road, Clover,
died March 24 at The Veteran Administration Medical Center in
Durham, NC.
Mr. Greene was born in Halifax County on October 1, 1945, the
son of the late Willie Greene and Emma Lacks Greene and was married
to Freedy Scott Greene. He was a member of Bethel Grove Baptist
Church and was also a US Army Veteran.
Survivors include his wife; one daughter, Shawna of the home;
two sons, Stanley of Baltimore, MD and Sean of the home; three
sisters, Anna Lillian Greene of New York, NY, Jenny Vaughters
of Baltimore, MD and Dorothy Greene of Clover; one brother, Theodore
Greene of Clover; four grandchildren; one great-grandchild; one
daughter-in-law, Carolyn, his mother-in-law, Viola Scott; and
a godson, LaQuin Greene.
Funeral services for Mr. Greene will beheld March 29 at 2 p.m.
at Bethel Grove Baptist Church with Bishop Alan B. Graves officiating.
Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family is receiving friends at the home.. Burial will follow
in the church cemetery.