South Boston Town Council has heeded the recommendations of its Current Issues Committee and Police Chief to purge Berry Hill Road from use by heavy trucks.
At its regular May meeting Monday night, Council voted to take the action.
Charles Phillips, a Berry Hill Road resident and the only person to speak on the subject, told Council that little in the way of maintenance had been done there in a number of years.
"Trucks are starting to tear it all to pieces," Phillips said of the road's condition.
Terming the condition "dangerous," Phillips said, "I'd like to see through trucks stopped."
And stop them Council did. With Council's action, Berry Hill Road is added to the list of streets where "the use of trucks, except for the purposes of receiving loads or making deliveries, shall be prohibited."
"Trucks" are defined as vehicles having gross weight in excess of 7,500 pounds, excluding school buses.
In another matter, Council transferred $5,800 from Reserve for Contingencies to play for new signage on North Main Street, Sutphin Road and other areas.
Town Manager Ted Daniel reminded Council that this year's traffic control budget for supplies has been depleted.
At the behest of the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority, Council designated May 16-22 as "Business Appreciation Week."
And Town Council and the South Boston Garden Club thanked each other for each organization's effort and cooperation in planting and tending the median strip of Route 501 north with day lillies and crape myrtle.

A preliminary inquiry into the Department of Environmental Quality's toxic monitoring program and database as it relates to the Staunton River and other state rivers and streams is underway.
The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission unanimously approved the inquiry during its Monday meeting.
"It is a disturbing pattern of non- disclosure," said Del. W.W. "Ted" Bennett yesterday. "And we need to know the why and how of it."
The review was requested by Bennett following a Roanoke Times report which said DEQ had refused to let anyone see the pollution data for five years.
JLARC is expected to file a preliminary report in July to recommend whether or not it warrants a full-blown investigation, Bennett said yesterday.
The Environmental Protection Agency discovered polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish tissue in the Staunton River in the late 1980s.
However, scientists seeking information from the DEQ database were told the data was old or of poor quality or not accessible through the computer program, according to the Roanoke Times report.
The hot spot focus on the Staunton River is between Brookneal and Altavista, according to Bennett.

Rumors abound but confirmation is often elusive as candidates test the political winds prior to local and state elections this November.
A county Republican meeting scheduled Tuesday, May 25, at 7 p.m. in Halifax is expected to confirm a field of candidates.
Sheriff Jeff Oakes and Supervisor Earl Watts Sr., Election District 5, already have announced they will seek re-election as Republican candidates.
Late yesterday James Russell Dismuke announced he will challenge Sheriff Oakes. The Clover native said he would run as an Independent. The challenge marks Dismuke's second, the first coming against Oakes' predecessor. Dismuke works with the Sheriff's Department in Richmond.

Commonwealth's Attorney John Greenbacker had not formally announced his intentions as of yesterday. However, South Boston attorney Robert Meeks tossed his hat in the ring early in his bid for the commonwealth's attorney post. Meeks is running as an Independent.
Delegate W.W. "Ted" Bennett has announced he will seek re-election as a Democrat. Dr. Gerald Burnett of South Boston is expected to make a final decision this month on a bid for the 60th District House seat.
Candidates have until June 8 to file and submit petitions to the registrar's office, however, those candidates nominated by party simply have their names submitted to the registrar by the party chairman.

Halifax County and South Boston students will enjoy an extra week of vacation this summer.
That's because local schools won't open their doors to pupils until September 7, the day after Labor Day.
And, while school won't open until later, schools will be closing later with a June 14 closing date designated on the calendar.
The later school opening date is one of the larger highlights of the 1999-2000 school year calendar adopted by the county school board Monday night.
By state law, the day after Labor Day is the earliest date that schools across the state can open - unless they have obtained a waiver from state officials allowing them to open early.
Halifax County has been successful in efforts to obtain a waiver from the state based upon the average number of days of school missed as the result of inclement weather and has opened school the last week in August for past three years.
Recent mild winters have sliced into Halifax County's average number of days missed, resulting in the school system's average being too low to obtain a waiver this year.
Teachers as well as students will get a little extra vacation time as a result of the later school opening. But, teachers won't get quite the extra time that students will.
With the county school board having recently voted to add two additional teacher inservice/workdays, teachers will have seven workdays prior to the start of the school year instead of the five days that had been the norm for a number of years.
As a result, the first teacher workday prior to the start of school will be Thursday, August 26. Teachers will also work Friday, August 27 as well as the entire week of August 30-September 3.
The 1999-2000 school calendar, a calendar developed by a committee of teachers, administrators, and two school board members, contains one other highlight - that of Spring Break being held the week preceding Easter.
Spring Break will begin on Monday, April 17 and will continue through Monday, April 24, which is Easter Monday.
However, if needed, Easter Monday will be used as a makeup day.
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Bobby Hall told the school board that when the proposed calendar devised by the calendar committee was sent out to the teachers and administrators of each school for review, the majority of the staff at three of the county's 15 schools were opposed to the move.
But, Hall said, because the overwhelming majority of schools were in favor of moving Spring Break, no changes were made to the proposed calendar.
School board member Patricia Nelson stressed that she was not making an issue out of it but noted that the local school system's Spring Break will be in conflict with Spring Break of the Governor's School.
"Halifax County's Spring Break will be one week and the Governor School's Spring Break will be the next week," she pointed out.
As a result, local students will be out of school for the county's Spring Break for one week and those high school students that attend Governor's School will get a vacation from that venue the following week.
"I suggest having it (Halifax County's Spring Break) at Easter but I'm not going to make an issue out of it."
School board member Steve Anderson, who served as one of the two school board representatives on the calendar committee, pointed out that one of the reasons for moving Spring Break up was due to SOL testing.
If Spring Break were to be observed at its routine time, if Standards of Learning (SOL Tests) were administered the same time next year as they are this year, students would start taking SOL tests on their first day back from Spring Break and have no preparation time immediately before taking the tests.
In another move, when schools close for the Thanksgiving holiday on November 24, it will be an early release day with students getting out of school at 1 p.m. that day.
Christmas holidays will begin a day earlier this year with students and teachers getting out of school at the end of the day on Tuesday, December 21. Schools will reopen on Monday, January 3.
Hall said that there was opinion in some corners that the school system should not open that day due to apprehension over the Y2K.
"The state suggested that there not be school on January 3 as a result of the Y2K problem," Hall told the school board.
"But, it was almost unanimous of the committee that there be school on January 3."
In other matters:
The county school board voted 6-1 Monday night to include a maximum $10,000 appropriation to the county Mentor/Role Model Program.
Money will be paid at the rate of $50 per mentee for the school year with a maximum amount to be paid out set at $10,000.
The money would be included as part of the other instructional costs line item in the county school budget.
"If it (the Mentor/Role Model Program) didn't exist in the county, it would be one we would desire to have in the schools," said county school superintendent Dennis Witt.
"This community has done a wonderful job supporting the program. I think this will be some of the best dollars we could spend."
School board member Carl Furches cast the lone negative vote.
"I'm not against it," Furches said.
"But, if we start giving to one program we must give money to all programs such as SADD and the X-Cel after school tutorial program."
Witt told Furches he understood the point being made but that the Mentor/Role Model program is a little different than the programs Furches mentioned.
"This program is administered almost entirely through the schools," Witt pointed out.
"This is more tightly woven into the school curriculum and that's the difference I see."
The school system's Federal Projects Director, Valdivia Marshall, announced Monday night that Sydnor Jennings Elementary School has been named as a recipient of a $150,000 School Reform Demonstration Program Grant.
Marshall said that $50,000 will be coming to the school within the next week or two and that on or just after July 1 a second $50,000 payment would be received. And, on July 1, 2000, the school system will receive the final $50,000 installment.
The money will be used to implement the Breakthrough To Literacy Program in Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and first grade at the school and to implement the Lightspan Program in the second and third grades.
Also Monday night, Debbi Kipps-Vaughan was promoted to the position of Supervisor of Psychological Services for the school system.
Witt pointed out that the move is a promotion and will result in an increase of responsibilities as well as a title change.
Rutherford Insurance Agency, which has offices in Richmond and other areas of the state, was chosen to manage the school system's Local Option Retirement Trust Account.

The Halifax County School Board will take a month to mull over a series of proposed guidelines for the promotion and retention of students in Grades K-8.
"Most of this is a real compromise," said school system official Morris Bryant after unveiling the proposal outlining specific subjects and Standards of Learning Tests that students must pass in order to be promoted to the next grade.
The guidelines, which, if passed, will go into effect at the start of the 1999-2000 school year, basically mandate that students who do not meet the requirements set forth for promotion attend Summer School for remediation.
Bryant pointed out state officials are mandating that the school system set up a policy and that the Standards of Learning Tests (SOL Tests) are to be part of a multi-criteria promotion and retention policy.
Bryant called the proposals, which were drawn up by a committee of teachers, principals, and school system administrators, "reasonable, fair, and achievable."
"Our goal," Bryant said, "is to provide remediation to all children at risk and for those who do not meet the criteria set forth in the guidelines."
Board member Carl Furches asked county school superintendent Dennis Witt if the school system is prepared to use the courts to pursue action in the cases of parents who, for no valid reason, refuse to send their children to Summer School to get the help they need.
" We may," said Witt.
"I think that will depend upon the individual case. If we think it is a neglect situation we will pursue it."
Furches pointed out that mandated remediation will result in the school system having to operate a much larger Summer School program, a matter that will require a good deal of funding to pay teachers, operate schools, and expand the operation of the school system's Summer School bus transportation program.
"This request may be a 'tiger by the tail,' Witt said, pointing out that the number of students affected will be the determining factor on the expense side.
While the school board decided to take a month to review the promotion and retention policy proposal, it okayed a pair of items that it tabled last month from among a series of policy revisions offered by Halifax County High School principal Larry Clark.
The first of the high school policies that were okayed dealt with the weight that End-Of Course SOL Tests would carry in determining a student's final grade.
It was a unanimous vote of the school board that students passing end-of-course SOL Tests will be excused from final major tests in those specific courses.
Students who have failed classes in which end-of-course tests are required but who pass the SOL tests for those courses will have their final course grade raised to the lowest passing grade which is 75.
Also, revised promotion requirements to be implemented for the 2000-2001 school year will require that a student earn four credits including English 9, with one of the credits to be a verified credit in order for a student to be promoted from the ninth grade to the tenth grade.
Ten credits, including English 10, Algebra I, Algebra I-Part A or Part B, a science, and social studies, three of which must be verified, will be required for promotion from the tenth grade to the eleventh grade.
Fourteen credits including English 11, geometry, two sciences, and two social students, five of which must be verified, will be needed for promotion from the eleventh grade to the twelfth grade.
Clark also noted that 22 units will be required for students who graduate with a Certificate of Program Completion which will be implemented at the start of the 2000-2001 school year.
In that program, the number of required units in English was increased from three to four.
Other requirements include the following:
Math - two units including Technical/Applied Math I and II or higher;
Science - two units;
Social Studies - three units including Geography, U.S. History, and Government;
PE-Health - two units;
Vocational - six units including keyboarding, Finance, Life Planning, and a vocational completer program; Fine Arts - one unit and;
Electives - two units.
Instruction in the core course areas in the last two years of high school will be focused on preparing the student for the GED Test.
Witt called the high school policy "a good place to start."
"This is a very sound policy. Everybody needs to know what the score is and this is where you start."

The next week will be especially busy one for Halifax County tobacco growers as it is the peak time to set tobacco transplants out in the field, according to Halifax County Extension Agent Larry McPeters.
"There are some farmers who have been setting their plants during the past two weeks, but this is peak planting week. Most everybody that has tobacco plants will have them in the ground before Saturday night," he said.
Approximately 6,700 acres of tobacco will be planted in Halifax County this year, McPeters said, and so far the greenhouse transplants have looked excellent. However, he added that farmers need to be aware of two problems that have cropped up this year in some of the greenhouses.
"We basically have an excellent set of transplants in all the houses, but there are two problems in a lot of houses that producers need to be aware of," he said.
The first is known as Target spot. A first cousin to rhizotonia, this disease causes a brown lesion to form on older, bottom leaves and will stunt the plants in the field.
"You definitely don't want that to happen," McPeters said.
To avoid this problem McPeters encourages farmers to be sure the nitrogen level is appropriate in the bay water.
"Get it up to about 200 parts per million," he said.
Once this disease enters a greenhouse, McPeters said it is very important to ensure that it doesn't move any higher in the plant or spread to other plants.
"Once the plants have the disease, it's important to spray and knock it out so it doesn't spread. I recommend spraying Dithane D.F., and do it behind the mower, which will allow the spray to get down there at tray level," McPeters said.
He instructs farmers to repeat the spraying every five to seven days until transplanting is completed.
He also recommends this process for the second disease, commonly known as collar rot, that has been reported in local greenhouses.
This bacterial soft rot disease makes the stem rot at the media level and will spread throughout the entire greenhouse if not treated properly, McPeters warned.
But while the Dithane spray treatment will keep the problem from spreading, it does not knock it out.
"The only thing to do is to remove the infected trays and dump them in a green box away from the house because they produce spores that will get in the air and spread through the house," he said. "Once they're removed, drop the curtains and get a lot of air drainage through the house."
This disease, McPeters said, is caused by poor sanitation, and it is very important that all clippings are removed after plants are mowed.
"If you leave the clippings in the greenhouse, you are going to have a lot of plants to die. These old clipping that lay there start this disease," he said.
While there have been no more reports of blue mold since it was seen in Florida and Georgia earlier last month, it doesn't hurt to take precautions. McPeters said the previously mentioned Dithane program also provides blue mold protection.
Sanitation also plays an important role in setting the transplants in the field.
"We always have several farmers in the county that do not wash out their tanks that they haul their transplant water in very well. It's very important to clean these tanks out very well every year to make sure there is no residue remaining that could hurt or kill the plants," McPeters explained. "I also recommend that getting transplant water from wells or springs. In the past we have had some tremendous problems with water that came from ponds or streams that may have been contaminated with something that got in them a year or two ago."
McPeters also recommends that those farmers who add things to the transplant water never put more than one solution.
"There are a lot of products available for farmers to add to their transplant water for pests, but we recommend that you never put more than one thing in there, if anything, to avoid problems with coagulation, settling, and separations," he said.
Due to the unusually cool spring this year, there will be a bumper crop of flea beetles hungry for tobacco.
"Newly set tobacco will have some pest problems, normally flea beetles and cutworms. You need to control them, because flea beetles are always bad after a cold spring," McPeters said. "While there are ways of controlling flea beetles, don't wait until they eat your crop up. If you haven't planted yet, use Orthene or Admire as a preventative for both pests. Admire is a wonderful product, but don't use them both together."
There isn't much that can be done to control cutworms, McPeters said, expect rescue treatments.
"The way we control them is through rescue treatments. Monitor your fields, and when you see plants going down the best thing to do is spray Orthene over the top of the plant late in the day or at night, when the worms are active," McPeters said. "Use a minimum of 30 gallons of water per acre. You really have to get the product down around the bottom of the stem and the root."
With all the tobacco activity, some farmers may not be giving much thought to hay issues, however, after the dry fall and cool spring, it is important that they do, McPeters said.
He said because wheat prices have been so low and the hay crop has been so poor, farmers may want to consider cutting their wheat for hay this year.
"If it is cut at the proper time it makes excellent hay, but it needs to be cut now, at the boot stage. Right now most all of our wheat is at or past this point," McPeters said. "From here the stalk becomes woody so it can hold the grain head up and the nutritional value goes down fast, by the hour.
"I know farmers are thinking about a lot of other things right now like planting tobacco, but they need to cut this wheat now. Future prices for wheat in July are so low, they should consider cutting it for hay. That way they put some hay back in the barn and avoid having to seed something like sudax, soybeans or millet for hay. These are summer annuals, and they are expensive to grow and fertilize, and the wheat is already there."
The hay crop itself, fescue and orchard grass, is not as pressing a matter. In fact, due to the cool spring, it will be shorter than normal and head out earlier. But rather than cutting it now during the bloom stage, McPeters recommends allowing it to grow for another two weeks.
"We have to compromise between quality and yield. This year the hay will head out shorter and sooner, and we don't want producers to get in a big hurry and cut it before it's ready," he said. "When you have a cold spring, sure the plant will put out a head, but if you allow it to grow it will also put out additional leaves. That means more and better hay. Delay cutting a week or two and try to reap the higher yields. Quality should not go down because the pants are putting out more leaves. Don't worry about the head and stalk."

Marcello Tripodi of Clover died Sunday, May 9, 1999 at Halifax Regional Hospital. He was 73 years of age at the time of his death.
Mr. Tripodi was born October 25, 1925 in New York, NY the son of Alfonso Tripodi and Natalla Carino Tripodi and was married to Margaret Clay Tripodi. He was a Coast Guard veteran and a retired clammer.
A funeral for Mr. Tripodi was held Monday, May 10 at 2 p.m. in the family cemetery at Virgilina.

Survivors include his wife; two sons, Peter Tripodi and Thomas Tripodi, both of NY; two daughters, Natalie Robinson and Diana Hernandez, both of NY; three brothers, Peter, Ecolie and Theodore Tripodi; five sisters, Mary, Louisa, Katie, Lena and Antonette; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Deaconess Ruby Ferrell Jackson of Vernon Hill died Thursday, May 6, 1999 at Twin Oaks Convalescent Home in South Boston. She was 76 years of age.
Mrs. Jackson was born in Halifax County on December 18, 1922.
Her survivors include two daughters, Susie Stephens of Danville and Dorothy Moore of Clinton, MD; two sons, Edward Jackson Jr. of South Boston and Willie Jackson of Vernon Hill; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and one brother, Albailey Ferrell.

Funeral services for Mrs. Jackson were held Sunday, May 9 at 2 p.m. at New Vernon Baptist Church with Revs. Roger Ford and Arthur Crews officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Taurence DaSean Davis of Brookneal, son of Camilla Clements and Terrence Davis, died May 7, 1999 at the age of four.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by one sister, Imoni Davis; one brother, Montel Davis, both of Brookneal; his maternal grandmother, Carolyn Williams of Lynchburg; paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Billy Davis of Brookneal; four great-grandmothers, Daisy Waller of Brookneal, Clarice Hubbard of South Boston, Dorothy Clements of Arlington and Nancy Whitfield of Gretna.

Funeral services for Master Davis will be held today, May 12 at 3 p.m. at New Second Buffalo Baptist Church in Nathalie. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

Frank Lloyd Elder of 3537 Old Well Road, died Monday, May 10 at Southside Community Hospital at the age of 82. He was the husband of the late Melba Elder Elder.
Mr. Elder was born in Campbell Co., May 7, 1917, son of the late Samuel B. Elder Sr. and Lula Elder Elder. He was a member of Midway Baptist Church.
He is survived by sons, David K. Elder of Phenix, Michael R. Elder and his wife Amy of Phenix, Randall S. Elder and his wife Mary Jane of Phenix; daughters, Cora E. Ferguson and her husband Jim of Sanford, NC, Patsy, Gilliland and her husband James T. of Nathalie; brothers, Bennie Elder of Farmville, James Elder of Lynchburg; sisters, Flora E. Vassar of Richmond, Nore E. Wilson of Brookneal, Thelma E. Wingfield of Lynchburg. He was preceded in death by brothers, Raymond Elder, Sam Elder Jr.; sister, Rose Stevens; grandson.
A funeral service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 13 at Midway Baptist Church by the Rev. Joey Anthony and Rev. Patrick Collins with burial to follow in church cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 7 - 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Henderson Funeral Home and will be at the residence other times.

Mary Mills Glasscock of Clarksville died Monday, May 10 in the Halifax Regional Hospital. She was the wife of Wesley "Dick" Gordon Glasscock.
She was born in Mecklenburg County and a graduate of Clarksville High School. She was a member of Buffalo Baptist Church.
She is survived by daughter and son-in-law, Shelby Talbott and Pete Talley of Clays Mill; sisters, Lila Rinehardt of South Boston, Gladys Mill Newton of Clarksville, Mildred B. Hicks of Buffalo Junction; sister-in-laws; Nancy Mills and Betty Mills both of Clarksville; granddaughter, T. J. Talbott; and great-grandson, Caleb Talbott.
Graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. today at the Gravel Hill Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the residence.