Recently announced layoffs at O'Sullivan Industries may be
a prelude to even more downsizing at the manufacturing facility
located in the Halifax County Industrial Park unless some remedies
can be found.
Concerns were raised yesterday by members of Industrial Development
Authority of Halifax County who vowed to seek local, regional
and state assistance to find some solution.
O'Sullivan announced on May 15 that it would phase out its entire
second shift, approximately 210 workers, over the next 60 to
90 days to "better align the company's production levels
with the realities of the current economy."
But that may not fully explain why the South Boston production
plant was ordered to sacrifice 210 jobs while a similar Missouri
plant will only layoff 30 to 40 workers. The Missouri plant is
said to be three times the size of the South Boston plant.
Scott Morris, IDA executive director, said that he was told by
O'Sullivan officials that labor cost at the South Boston plant
are higher than in Missouri.
"If we (Halifax County) don't do something...we're going
to lose the rest of this," Morris lamented.
Morris said that real options, short of improving sales for O'Sullivan's
residential and office furniture, are few.
In Missouri, O'Sullivan benefits from a cogeneration facility
where production waste becomes fuel for the generation of electricity.
The electricity is sold and thus lowers the plant's cost of production.
South Boston, however, has no such need for a cogeneration facility.
In fact, an abandoned cogeneration plant is located within site
of O'Sullivan in the industrial park.
Morris suggested that the county make some efforts to work with
O'Sullivan through the shared investment of automation machinery.
Such an investment in mechanization would obviously cost jobs
but could help lower cost and perhaps, prevent a total closing.
"We need to do something. Maybe come up with a mousetrap
the O'Sullivan folks haven't thought of," Morris told the
board.
Since O'Sullivan will be idling some of its machinery and tools,
Carlyle Ramsey, IDA boardmember, suggested that the county provide
some relief in the taxes the company pays. As it is, that form
of tax relief would not come until next year.
O'Sullivan's workforce in South Boston now stands at approximately
240 persons. A year ago, it was near 600.
Virgilina's representative to the Halifax County Board of Supervisors
said yesterday that she feels betrayed by the Halifax County School
Board's closure of Virgilina Elementary School.
In a 5-3 vote Monday night, the School Board voted to close the
school and bus the students to South of Dan and Cluster Springs
Elementary schools.
"The fight isn't over," Lottie Nunn said. "We're
going to do everything in our power to keep this school open."
Mayor John Youngk said yesterday that the board engaged in outright
deception against the community.
"They (the School Board) breached the agreement and we believe
there were false pretenses by their side. They never intended
to honor their agreement," he said.
"I have been looking at the issue, and I found 18 incidents
that I believe violated our constitutional rights," Youngk
said. "To do that, with pretenses of closing us from the
start, leaves us in a position to reap enormous damages."
But the mayor was quick to point out that litigation would be
used as a last resort.
"I am hearing that others are seeking independent legal counsel
in addition to any we may retain," he said. "But this
issue can't go unanswered.
"It boils down to whatever means necessary were taken to
close our school. Their minds were made up.
"They should have told us from the start that they weren't
going to honor our agreement," Youngk added. "That's
where they are going to get into trouble."
Nunn said that county residents were justified in being upset
about the decision.
"The county should be up in arms about this," the supervisor
said. "And I think they are. They (the School Board) treated
people shabbily the other night. I was about ready to get arrested
myself because of the way we were treated."
Nunn said she was outraged by the thought of young children being
bussed three hours a day to and from school.
"It's an awful thing to happen to the children," she
said. "We need to be working together for the betterment
of our children."
She pointed out the perceived injustice between spending money
on the proposed improvements to the athletic facilities at the
middle and high schools and closing the Virgilina school.
"Those benefit just a few students," Nunn said. "How
many school children play tennis?
"But every child needs to learn how to read and write,"
she added. "They don't need to be piled up on top of each
other at a school. We weren't asking for any extras, we've only
asked for the necessities to keep the school open."
The supervisor said that the Virgilina community had complied
with every stipulation mandated by the School Board necessary
to keep the school open.
"What happened to us is not fair," Lottie Nunn said.
"We did everything they (the School Board) asked us to."
She said that she met with Superintendent Dennis Witt several
weeks prior to Monday night's vote.
"We asked him to let us know if there was going to be a problem
keeping the school open," she said. "We wanted to see
where we stood."
She said that the superintendent told her that the community was
"doing fine."
"He told us to just keep on doing what we were doing,"
she said.
Early in 2002, the School Board mandated a minimum of 120 students
registered in the 2003-2004 school year in order to keep the school
open.
The supervisor was adamant that her community had reached that
number.
"I can tell you we know how many students were turned in,"
she said. "We had over 124 pledged for the school signed
up. We kept our word. They didn't keep theirs."
Prior to voting on the issue Monday night, the School Board went
into closed session to address the viability of the potential
students.
During a Wednesday night meeting, approximately 75 county residents
voiced their concern about the decision to close the school.
"We have been gathering our wagons to see what we can do
about the closure," Nunn said. "County-wide, people
don't want to see any more schools closed or any more consolidated."
She said the fight wasn't over by any means.
"If anyone has any ideas how we can address this, we would
welcome them," she said. "I'm hearing from people that
have never gone to Virgilina saying it (the closure) should never
have happened."
Youngk said one thing was for sure. "There will be some county-wide
effort to bring in some integrity to the school board during the
next election."
Contacted yesterday, Witt declined to comment.
A 25-year-old Alton man was sentenced Thursday to 30 years
in prison for six drug-related felonies, with all suspended upon
completion of the Diversion and Detention Center Programs.
Sentencing for Kevin Wayne Talbott took place in Halifax County
Circuit Court.
Judge William L. Wellons sentenced Talbott to five years each
in prison for five counts of cocaine distribution, and to five
years for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Judge Wellons ordered the suspended portions of Talbott's sentence
be conditioned on Talbott's good behavior for 30 years, and ordered
him to be placed on probation for four years, effective immediately.
The court additionally ordered Talbott to abstain from illegal
drugs, to undergo random drug testing, and to pay restitution
in the amount of $2,600.
The court ordered a restricted operator's license for Talbott
for 36 months.
Judge Wellons ordered Talbott to return on a show cause warrant
and serve three years in prison if he failed to meet any of his
court-ordered obligations.
Talbott distributed cocaine on November 10, November 17, December
1, December 6 and December 22, 2000, while the conspiracy conviction
stemmed from a November 10, 2000 offense, according to court records.
· Gary Ed Barley, 26, of Alton, was convicted Thursday
of an amended indictment charging him with the unlawful wounding
of John Medley.
Barley is free on bond until sentencing in the July court term.
· Corey Maurice Chandler, 32, of Halifax, was convicted
Tuesday of an amended indictment charging him with the theft of
a car from Phillip Clayton, and felony eluding police.
Chandler's convictions came as the result of a plea agreement
with the Commonwealth.
Chandler is free on bond and under supervision of Halifax-Pittsylvania
Court Services (HPCS) until sentencing in the July court term.
· Draper Lamont Davis, 23, of Nathalie, was convicted Tuesday
of the theft of a Yamaha YZ80 dirt bike from Tina Crews and Howard
Eugene Crews III.
Judge Wellons revoked Davis' bond and remanded him to custody
to await sentencing in the July court term.
· Roy Orlando Hill, 25, of Halifax, was convicted Thursday
of driving after declared an habitual offender.
Hill is free on bond until sentencing in the July court term.
· Felix Cobbs III, 32, of Danville, was convicted
Tuesday of forging a public record (application for a duplicate
driver's license), and uttering the forged record.
The court additionally convicted Cobbs of the fraudulent use of
a Virginia birth certificate.
Judge Wellons revoked Cobbs' prior bond and remanded him to custody
to await sentencing in the July court term.
· Jeremy Deon Medley, 19, of South Boston, was convicted
Wednesday of an amended indictment charging him with the possession
of cocaine.
The court nol prossed an additional indictment charging Medley
with possessing alcohol under the age of 21.
The court convicted Medley of a capias charging him with a violation
of his conditions of supervision with HPCS, revoked Medley's bond,
and remanded him to custody to await sentencing in the July court
term.
Judge Wellons ordered Medley be evaluated for entry into the Detention
and Diversion Center Programs.
· Isiah Matthew Fuller, 18, of South Boston, was convicted
Tuesday of possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana.
Judge Wellons remanded Fuller to custody to await sentencing in
the July court term, and ordered Fuller be evaluated for entry
into the Detention and Diversion Center Programs.
· Jason Anthony Jackson, 21, of Halifax, was convicted
Tuesday of an amended indictment charging him with a third subsequent
offense of petty larceny.
Judge Wellons ordered sentencing for Jackson to take place in
the July court term.
· Thomas Michael Jackson, 25, of Halifax, was convicted
Tuesday of having carnal knowledge of a child age 13-15.
Judge Wellons ordered Jackson be evaluated for the Detention and
Diversion Center Programs.
Jackson is free on bond until sentencing in the July court term.
· Yvette Macilla Everette, 30, of South Boston, was convicted
Tuesday of an amended indictment charging her with misdemeanor
fraudulent removal of leased property.
Judge Wellons sentenced Everette to 12 months in jail, with all
suspended conditioned on her good behavior for 12 months.
The court ordered Everette to pay restitution in the amount of
$280, on a schedule of $50 per month until paid.
· Cristobal Urbina Alfan, 39, of South Boston, was convicted
Thursday of an amended indictment charging him with petty larceny.
The court sentenced Alfan to 30 days in jail, suspending all but
one weekend in jail, conditioned on Alfan's good behavior for
30 days.
· Eugene Titus Clark, 64, of Fieldale, Va., pleaded no
contest Wednesday to making a false statement to purchase/attempt
to purchase a firearm.
The court took the case under advisement and ordered the charge
against Clark be dismissed if Clark were of good behavior for
six months.
The court additionally ordered Clark to serve any sentence the
court seems fit if he should violate his court-ordered condition
of good behavior.
· Donald William Brown, 38, of Alton, had an indictment
charging him with misdemeanor improper driving dismissed Thursday
in Halifax County Circuit Court.
The former manager of the gift shop at Halifax
Regional Hospital has been indicted by a grand jury and charged
with 44 counts of embezzlement, according to court records.
Dana Foster, former manager of The Wishing Well, was arrested
on March 7, according to police.
She allegedly embezzled more than $9,000 from the gift shop, the
commonwealth's attorney said.
According to court records, Foster is charged with 11 counts of
grand larceny by embezzlement and 33 counts of petty larceny by
embezzlement.
The alleged crimes occurred between September 20,2002, and February
18, 2003, according to the records.
"She was using a credit card that was assigned to her to
purchase for the gift shop for personal use," Lt. B.K. Lovelace
of the South Boston Police Department said.
Commonwealth's Attorney John Greenbacker said that it was unclear
whether the credit card was in Foster's name.
"But it was entrusted to her by the hospital for use in the
business," he said.
According to a statement made shortly after Foster's arrest by
Chris Lumsden, CEO of the hospital , the gift shop is operated
by the hospital auxiliary and all money raised goes to help fund
the volunteer organization.
Greenbacker said that the indictment, handed down earlier this
month, alleges each incident identified by the victims as a separate
charge.
"The victims of the crimes are listed as the gift shop and
the hospital," he said.
Following her arrest on the charges yesterday, Foster was released
on an unsecured bond, according to Sheriff D.J. Oakes.
In other police business, Robert Lee Martin, 42, of Zion Hill
Church Loop in Virgilina, was arrested yesterday and charged with
breaking and entering with the intent to commit a felony.
The alleged offense occurred March 2.
Deputy P.C. Clayton was the arresting officer.
Daryl Dwayne Class, 30, of Green's Folly Apartments in South Boston,
was arrested yesterday and charged with third offense larceny
or theft.
The alleged offense occurred October 31, 2002.
Deputy P.C. Clayton was the arresting deputy.
Samuel Wayne Lancaster, 20, of Ball Park Loop Road in Halifax,
was arrested yesterday and charged with felony forgery/uttering.
The alleged offense occurred May 15.
Dr. Falcon Hodges 'Bunk' Guthrie, 71, of
VA Beach, died at his home May 20. He was the son of David Franklin
and Elizabeth Hodges Guthrie of Halifax County.
Dr. Guthrie, who was a dentist for 31 years, was a graduate of
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and was commissioned a 2nd Lt.
in the Army. He was a Veteran of the Korean War.
After his Army tour he graduated from the Medical College of Virginia
School of dentistry. Dr. Guthrie was a member of the American
Dental Society, the Virginia State Dental Society and the Tidewater
Dental Society. He was a member of Bayside Presbyterian Church.
He is survived by his wife, Joanne Armistead Guthrie; two daughters,
Anne Guthrie Berry and husband, Charles White Berry, and their
children, Carter Westwood Berry and Charles Hodges Berry, all
of Lynchburg, and Jen Lee Guthrie Nelson and husband, Louis Paul
Nelson II, of Richmond; one sister, Jen Lea Yancey and husband,
Scott, of Culpeper; and one brother, David Franklin Guthrie II
and wife, Edna, of Halifax.
A memorial service for Dr. Guthrie will be held at Bayside Presbyterian
Church at 11 a.m. today, May 23.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Bayside
Presbyterian Church, 1400 Ewell Road, VA Beach, 23455, the American
Cancer Society, or a charity of your choice.
Esther King, 95, of Baltimore, MD, formerly
of Halifax County, died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore.
Ms. King was born in Halifax County on June 14, 1907, the daughter
of the late John King and Lillie King. She was a member of First
Baptist Church of Virgilina.
Survivors include: Merry Lee Cromwell of Baltimore, Lottie Mae
King of Virgilina, Catherine Ragland of Atlanta, GA, Clara Smith
of Roxboro, NC, Wardale Walker of Person County, NC, Bernard King
of Henderson, NC and Gerald King of Philadelphia, PA.
Funeral services for Ms. King will be held May 25 at 1 p.m. at
First Baptist Church, Virgilina, with the Rev. Lorenzo Love officiating.
Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the church following the service.
Robert Eugene 'Gene' Owen, 67, of 2039 Scottsburg
Road, Scottsburg, died May 22, at his home.
Mr. Owen was born in Roxboro, NC on March 2, 1936, the son of
Robert A. Owen and Florida Allen Owen and was married to Nancy
Conner Owen. He was a member of Bethel Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Donna JoAnne Owen Compton
of Scottsburg, and Cindy Owen Wilborne and husband, Larry, of
Scottsburg; four grandchildren, Robbie and Kevin Compton, Crystal
Moore and Chad Wilborne, all of Scottsburg; one brother, Jimmy
Owen of Scottsburg. He was p receded in death by one brother,
George Owen.
Funeral services for Mr. Owen will be held tomorrow, May 24, at
2 p.m. at Powell Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Dr. Tony Brooks
and the Rev. H.V. Conner officiating. Burial will take place in
Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at Powell Funeral Home this evening,
May 23, from 7:00 until 8:30, and other times at the home of his
daughter, Cindy Wilborne, 2053 Burton Road, Scottsburg.
John 'Buddy' Wade Thaxton Jr., 80, of 1326
Terry Avenue, South Boston, died May 22, at his home.
Mr. Thaxton was born in Halifax County on April 25, 1923, the
son of John Wade Thaxton Sr. and Bessie Smart Thaxton and was
married to Ruby Farrar Thaxton. He was an Army Veteran of World
War II.
Survivors include his wife; one daughter, Brenda Platt of Madison,
NC; one son, John Wade Thaxton III of Greensboro, NC; one stepson,
Larry Propst of Chase City; two sisters, Janice Richlie of VA
Beach and Barbara Ann Yeaman of Danville; one brother, Gordon
Thaxton of Orlando, FL; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Funeral services for Mr. Thaxton will be held tomorrow, May 24,
at 11 a.m. at Powell Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Jack Stewart
officiating. Burial will take place in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at Powell Funeral Home this evening,
May 23, from 7:00 until 8:30, and other times at the home.
Waverly McDonald Wilkerson, 60, of Durham,
NC, formerly of Halifax County, died May 18 at Carver Living Center
in Durham.
Mr. Wilkerson was born in Halifax County on August 11, 1942, the
son of Fannie Wilkerson Watkins and was married to the late Thelma
Wilkerson. He was a member of Zion Hill Baptist Church and was
a Army Veteran.
Survivors include three sisters, Lottie Clauden, Carolyn Richardson
and Geraldine Faulkner, all of South Boston; and one brother,
Cedric Faulkner of Vernon Hill.
Funeral services for Mr. Wilkerson will be held tomorrow, May
24, at 1 p.m. at Zion Hill Baptist with the Rev. Thomas Bolden
Jr. officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the home of Nannie Owen, 1058
Cherry Hill Church Road, South Boston.