Four municipalities will choose new council members and two will select a mayor when polls open tomorrow.
Polls open at 6 a.m. in South Boston, Halifax, Clover and Virgilina and close at 7 p.m.
In Halifax there is a race for the mayor's office with A.W. "Sandy" Mosby III challenging incumbent Dennis K. Osborne.
Virgilina also features a contest for mayor with Lessie R. Hughes challenging incumbent J. Stover Long.
In the race for council, nine are seeking seats on the six-member Virgilina governing body. Vying for office are: Rufus Edward Chandler Jr., Kate T. Cosner, R. Michael Glasscock, Mary Helen W. Gravitt, Lois Tuck Long, Sue N. Long, Beverly S. Murray, Thomas Keith Tuck Jr. and John E. Youngk.
Virgilina voters will cast their ballot at the fire station. There are 99 registered voters in Virgilina as of April 11.
In Halifax, the four ward seats are up with all four incumbents seeking re-election with no opposition.
The 469 registered voters - as of last month - in Halifax will vote in their wards.
Ward A - Cabell Walton Daniel, location, Christ Episcopal Church, 545 No. Main St.
Ward B - S.H. "Sam" Thompson, Municipal Building on Main St.
Ward C - S.J. "Jack" Dunavant Jr., Halifax Elementary School.
Ward D - David F. "Buddy" Guthrie Jr., Beth Car Baptist Church.
In Clover, incumbent Mayor Deborah J. Griles is seeking re-election and is unopposed. Only four candidates are seeking places on the five-member Clover Town Council. Seeking council seats are Roosevelt Garrett Jr., Shelby D. Newcomb, E. Ray Nichols and Robert Leo Noblin. Voters may determine the remaining council slot through a write-in campaign.
Clover voters cast their ballots at the fire station and, as of last month, Halifax County Voter Registrar Judy Meeler said the town had 89 registered voters.
In South Boston five candidates are seeking three open seats on town council. Candidates are Josephine Prince Marshall, Edward "Ed" Owens, Eula P. Payne-Williams, Thomas S. Raab and W.C. "Buddy" Wilborn Sr.
All South Boston voters will cast their ballots at the new National Guard Armory on Hamilton Blvd.
The five South Boston Town Council today answer the final, in a series of questions that were posed to them by The Gazette-Virginian.
Today the candidates explain why voters should vote for them.
Candidates seeking the three open Council seats are W.C. "Buddy" Wilborn, Thomas S. Raab, Eula P. Payne-Williams, Edward "Ed" Owens and Josephine Marshall.
Why people should vote for me.
Marshall
Of all the candidates in the race for the South Boston Town Council, I feel that I am the best qualified because of my long term, broad and varied experiences in local government. I bring to the table regional, private/public, multi-dimensional perspectives.
I am a veteran council person having served on the South Boston City Council for 12 years with one term as mayor, and two years on the Town Council. When I considered running for a council seat, I considered all of the positive things I could offer. First of all, I am a retired educator who has the time and the energy to attend to the business that is required of a council person; secondly, I am a people person and I am always most interested in the well being of all the people in the community; and thirdly, I have the vision, the ability and a proven track record to be a good council member.
I do not owe allegiance to any special groups. I am my own person. My primary goal in wanting to remain on council is, as always, for the betterment of the community and improving the quality and the basic standards of life of our citizens. I have demonstrated my investment in the quality of life, high standards of living, education, and safety for each individual by my services to the community.
I serve on the board of directors of the Halifax Regional Hospital, vice chair of the Department of Social Services Board, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Halifax Community Action Agency. I have chaired the board of Habitat for Humanity and I am still actively involved. I have been chairman of the Recreation Advisory Committee, the United Way, and Cornerstone. I also serve on the Board of the Lake Country Development Corporation and Planning District 13.
If elected I promise to continue my involvement in community affairs; to listen to you, the citizens; to learn of your concerns and address them. I promise to study all available information about the issues; and to cast my vote always based on what is in the best interest of the community at large.
I am inspired and motivated by the words of George B. Shaw; "I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die for the harder I work, the more I live! Life is no' brief candle' for me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have got a hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible."
South Boston residents, if you want to keep a viable, forward looking community, then I humbly ask you to vote for me. I need your vote and your support. Thank You.
Wilborn
I am a Life Long resident of South Boston. I try to represent the citizens' wants and needs. I am a small business owner and can relate to the struggles it takes to be successful. I have carefully researched, studied, and put in a great deal of time to provide the best possible decision to benefit the People and to make South Boston a desirable Community to Live in. In my opinion, we as citizens have very little impact on our Federal and State Governments. We should be able to control our Local Government. I have a very conservative attitude in any decisions I make. I have learned much in the last three years that I have served on Council. I have not taken this position lightly. I have dedicated myself as a council member whole heartedly. I am also known as being "semper fidelis et semper paratus."
Owens
The citizens of South Boston should vote for me because I am an informed, involved, interested, and committed candidate. I am prepared to serve this community in an elected capacity and have had significant work experiences which enable me to truly represent the constituency well. Someone once said that "in order to lead you must first serve." I have been a servant in South Boston and Halifax County for a long time and in many capacities. As a native of South Boston, I grew up with or in front of many of you. My long-term extensive involvement in this community demonstrates my personal commitment to South Boston, my hometown. I have and will continue to do all that I can to make our community a better place to live, raise our families, work, and play. My pledge is to listen to the voices and hear the viewpoints of the people. I will value the opinions and input of all the citizens of South Boston. My decision-making will be based on what is most reasonable for South Boston. With the support and vote of the citizens, I pledge to be a voice of reasoning on the South Boston Town Council.
Raab
A citizen should vote for me on May 5 because I have the experience and background to make a common sense difference on Town Council. I moved to South Boston in 1974 at the age of 21. I have enjoyed being a part of this community for 24 years. Shortly after arriving, I joined the South Boston Jaycees and served as their president in 1977. I have served as chairman of the Halifax County-South Boston Republican Party. I am a member of the South Boston Rotary Club, Cornerstone where I serve as secretary, and the Downtown Business Association where I am a past president. I served on the South Boston Planning Commission for eight-years. Currently, I am serving on the U.S. 501 Regional Coalition which is seeking to four-lane U.S. 501 from South Boston to Lynchburg. I am also a member and past director of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree from Ohio State University and a Master of Science in Management degree from Duke University. For the past 18 years I have owned and managed Electric Service Company in Downtown South Boston where I retail furniture and appliances. I am a member of First Presbyterian Church where I served as the treasurer for eight years.
My community involvement and experience working with the people of South Boston and Halifax County will guide me in making the decisions that will lead our Town into the next century. I believe South Boston has a dedicated work force. We have strong fire, police and public works departments which I support.
I ask for your support and vote on May 5. I pledge to do what I believe is best for our community. I want to remind everyone that all town residents vote at the new National Guard Armory on Hamilton Boulevard.
Special thanks to the Gazette-Virginian staff for giving me the opportunity to address these questions. Be sure to vote on May 5.
Payne-Williams
Our Town needs someone that has an open mind to new ideas. There are some old problems that need new input. I am willing and able to assist with the old problems and have the ability to confront the challenges of the new ones. I pastor a local church, and have worked with the pubic for the past 25 years.
As I move through our neighborhoods I find that there is a lack of trust in government. Many have disconnect themselves from government. They are saying "What's the use, I don't count". THIS GAP BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE MUST BE CLOSED.
In an attempt to bridge this gap I will establish Town meetings quarterly to solicit input from the people to take to Council and in turn relay information from the Council to the people. I strongly believe in education and I would do whatever is necessary to decrease that 17% drop-out rate.
I'll work for the best, most efficient consolidation of services, while strongly supporting our local Police Department. I believe in the values of Openness, Fairness and Honesty in government. I WANT TO REPRESENT YOU! !
So I ask for your prayers, support and vote on May 5.
South Boston recorded its first traffic fatality of the year Friday when a young South Boston man whose motorcycle slammed into a car Wednesday afternoon on College Street died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident.
Timmy Leroy Miles, 25, of College Street, died Friday at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. from injuries he sustained when the 600cc Honda motorcycle collided with a car driven by Ercelle E. Martin, 59, of South Boston on College Street near the intersection of Howard Avenue.
Miles was initially treated at Halifax Regional Hospital and later flown by emergency medical helicopter to Duke University Medical Center where he received further treatment.
South Boston Police Officer Chris Carswell's report stated that Miles was headed east on College Street when his motorcycle crashed into the driver's side door of Martin's auto as Martin was attempting to make a U-turn.
Martin's auto had been parked on the south side of College Street before Martin had attempted to make the U-turn.
Damage to Martin's car was estimated at $3,000.
South Boston Police arrested a Hyco Road Community resident early yesterday morning and charged him with the sodomy of a 16-year-old girl.
Sgt. D.L. Blanks said yesterday that 32-year-old James A. Gooch has been charged with a felony sodomy count and a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Officers D.W. Barker and B.K. Lovelace made the arrest at 3:38 a.m. yesterday.
The alleged offense occurred May 1.
A hearing date for Gooch in Halifax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court on the felony charge has not been set.
Also over the weekend, 26-year-old Tony Ezra Cunningham was arrested by Trooper M.S. Roark, Jr. early Saturday afternoon and charged with hit and run driving in connection with an incident that occurred less than two hours earlier in the Halifax Regional Hospital parking lot.
Sgt. Blanks stated that Cunningham, driving a 1984 model van owned by his father, allegedly backed into a parked vehicle belonging to Martha Jane Hubbard in the Halifax Regional Hospital parking lot at approximately 11 a.m. Saturday and left the scene.
South Boston Police issued a bulletin to local law enforcement officers to be on the lookout for the van. At approximately 12:40 p.m., Trooper Roark spotted the van on Halifax Road near the Church of God, stopped the vehicle, and arrested Cunningham on the hit and run driving charge.
Cunningham was later charged with a felony charge of operating a motor vehicle on the public highway after having been declared an habitual offender.
Damage to the Hubbard vehicle was estimated at $250. An estimated $50 damage was done to the van driven by Cunningham.
A hearing for Cunningham on the charges has been set for June 8 in Halifax County General District Court.
Also, South Boston Police Officer G.D. Slaughter arrested 19-year-old Jesse Jerome Hendren Thursday on a shoplifting charge.
Hendren was charged with taking a raspberry fruit drink valued at 25 cents from the Jiffy Store on Wilborn Avenue.
Todd Curtis Clark, 23, of Nathalie was charged Saturday with a misdemeanor count of assault and battery, according to the Halifax County Sheriff's Department.
Clark allegedly assaulted a juvenile during a disturbance which occurred on April 9, according to the investigation.
He was released on bond pending his trial in the Halifax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on May 15. Clark was arrested by Deputy K.B. Tribble.
In another case, Gary Lamont Carrington, 23, of South Boston was charged with a felony count of driving a motor vehicle after previously having been declared a habitual offender, police said.
The alleged incident occurred on March 4. He was released on bond pending his preliminary hearing in the Halifax County General District Court on June 5. Clark was arrested by Deputy S.A. Jennings.
By KARREN MILLS
Associated Press Writer
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - ''Smoke as many as you want,'' the ads for Camel cigarettes proclaimed in 1934. ''They never get on your nerves.''
A year later, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. was telling customers to smoke Camels because ''They don't get your wind.''
And by 1948, Reynolds was proclaiming that ''More doctors smoke camels than any other cigarette.''
Cigarette ads with quasi health claims proliferated from the 1930s until the mid-1950s, when they were pulled by tobacco companies as evidence grew linking smoking and disease.
Just how far those early health claims went is outlined in ''A Review of Health References in Cigarette Advertising 1927-1964,'' a document from Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. introduced in Minnesota's tobacco trial.
In 1938, Camel cigarettes were touted as a digestion aid, and 11 years later an ad said, ''Not one single case of throat irritation due to smoking Camels!''
Camel wasn't the only brand being hyped for health reasons.
- ''Old Gold cigarettes - better ... smoother ... not a cough in a carload,'' Lorillard Tobacco Co. said in a 1927 ad. Eight years later, the pitch was, ''Ask your dentist why Old Golds are better for the teeth.''
- ''Many prominent athletes smoke Luckies all day long with no harmful effects to wind or physician condition,'' said a 1929 ad.
- ''Philip Morris - a cigarette recognized by eminent medical authorities for its advantages to the nose and throat,'' the company advertised in 1939.
- ''No other cigarette approaches such a degree of health protection and taste satisfaction,'' Lorillard said of its Kent brand in 1952.
- And, in 1953, Liggett called its L&M cigarettes ''Just what the doctor ordered'' and B&W was saying its new king-size Viceroy brand ''gives double-barreled health protection.''
At the same time cigarette makers were making the flashy health claims for their products, scientists were turning up increasing evidence linking smoking and disease.
The research was published in The Reader's Digest - probably the most widely circulated news magazine of the day - and other popular magazines, including Time, Life, Look, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report.
Faced with increasing pressure on health issues, the tobacco industry formed the Tobacco Industry Research Committee in 1954, saying the organization would conduct independent research into smoking and health issues.
The competing health claims by cigarette companies ended, for the most part, with the formation of the TIRC, later renamed The Council for Tobacco Research.
Hill & Knowlton, a public relations firm, worked with the tobacco companies to create the TIRC. Plaintiffs in the Minnesota case claim the decision to form the TIRC was the beginning of an antitrust conspiracy not to compete on smoking and health issues, including research and advertising.
The defense, however, says health-based advertising was ended because cigarette makers knew the Federal Trade Commission was preparing regulations that would limit the ads.
The state and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota are seeking
$1.77 billion they say they've spent treating smoking-related illnesses,
plus punitive damages. If antitrust conspiracy is proved, damages could
be tripled.
NEW YORK (AP) - Two nonprofit tobacco groups that have fought efforts to brand cigarettes a health hazard lost control of their daily operations after New York's attorney general accused them of promoting propaganda and trying to ''addict our kids.''
A lawyer was appointed Friday to take charge of the Tobacco Institute and a former judge was selected to take over operations of the Council for Tobacco Research following Attorney General Dennis Vacco's petition seeking to dissolve the groups.
Vacco is seeking to strip the trade groups of their tax-exempt ''not-for-profit'' status because they allegedly violated their charters. The Washington-based groups are incorporated in New York.
Vacco accused them of ''fraudulent and illegal'' acts by posing as nonprofit research and information groups while feeding the public ''a pack of lies in an underhanded effort to promote smoking and addict our kids.''
Tobacco Institute spokesman Thomas Lauria said his group has not violated its charter and will challenge Vacco's motion.
''Evidently Mr. Vacco does not believe we should participate in the process of addressing government-public issues,'' Lauria said, The Washington Post reported Sunday.
Lauria said the institute's purpose ''is to articulate the tobacco industry's point of view before the public andgovernment bodies.''
Council for Tobacco Research officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
State Supreme Court Justice Stephen Crane appointed former judge Walter Schackman, 71, to take control of the Council for Tobacco Research. Lawyer Milton Gould, 88, was put in charge of the Tobacco Institute.
Crane ordered each group to file a $500,000 bond and provide a statement of assets and liabilities, names of creditors and claimants and all other information relevant to proceeding to dissolve the groups.
Both groups were to be shut down under the agreement several state attorneys general reached with the tobacco industry last year, but that agreement has not yet be ratified by Congress.
The judge also authorized Vacco to issue subpoenas, a move Vacco's office said will place the burden on the tobacco industry to produce further documents on whether it manipulated research data regarding tobacco use and health.
Crane has scheduled a June 8 hearing on whether the appointments of Gould and Schackman should be made permanent.
By LAURIE KELLMAN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Fighting back against tobacco company attacks, Senate Democrats and the Clinton administration accused the industry of fueling a black market for cigarettes. They called for increased enforcement to stop the problem.
''Haven't the tobacco companies been shown to be complicitous in some of the smuggling efforts?'' Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., asked during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting Thursday. He held up news reports saying that American tobacco companies and employees were involved in smuggling.
''In some cases, there was complicity,'' replied Lawrence Summers, deputy secretary of the Treasury. ''There is no way in our judgment that substantial smuggling of tobacco products could take place without the complicity of those in the industry.''
The accusation came as the tobacco industry ratcheted up its anti-Washington advertising campaign with new television spots in 40 cities accusing Congress and the White House of fostering a black market that would increase teen smoking and crime.
The industry plans to add full-page ads in Friday's national newspapers to their campaign, industry spokesman Scott Williams said.
Williams denied that tobacco executives were instructing their companies to boost a black market.
''They wouldn't support or condone breaking the law,'' Williams told reporters. ''The black market hurts the tobacco companies. They lose sales.''
The fight stems from the industry's rejection three weeks ago of Congress' leading tobacco bill, which would require companies to pay $516 billion over 25 years, leading to sharply higher cigarette prices.
The bill grew out of a proposed settlement last year between 40 states, smokers and cigarette makers that would cover some costs of medical care for smokers and limit the tobacco industry's liability in civil lawsuits.
Despite the harsh words, President Clinton asked the companies to come back to the negotiating table so the two sides might agree on a way to reduce teen smoking.
''I would hope that before this is over, they would come back and rejoin the negotiations,'' Clinton said. ''I think it would be better if they were at the table.''
He also said lawmakers and political parties should not accept contributions from tobacco companies.
''Until we get this matter resolved with the teen smoking, I think it would be better if none of us did,'' he said.
Having failed to persuade Congress to reject what it sees as unreasonable legislation, the industry now wants to convince the general public that lawmakers risk creating a black market that would make cigarettes more easily available to children.
Congress' leading tobacco bill, sponsored by Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain, would raise cigarette prices by $1.10 by 2003. That would mean a price of about $3.50 per pack, not enough to encourage a black market, the administration says.
But the tobacco industry and some Wall Street analysts contend the price is far more likely to rise to $5.00 a pack under McCain's bill. They argue that such a high price would force companies into bankruptcy and set off a chain reaction that would fuel a black market, crime and teenage access to cigarettes.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, agrees that $1.10 is too high. He chastised Summers for basing his opinion on ''pathetic'' analysis and said more details were needed.
To be on the safe side, Summers said, any bill passed by Congress should include funding to beef up enforcement of cigarette sales to ''close the chain'' of illegal distribution.
He offered no estimate of the cost of increased enforcement and didn't say where the money would come from.
Under the enforcement proposal, which likely will be offered on the McCain bill when it comes to the Senate floor this month, every link in the distribution chain of tobacco products would be licensed. Manufacturers, wholesalers, exporters and importers would receive federal licenses, while retailers would be licensed by states.
The proposal also would require that tobacco products be marked for domestic distribution or for export, to prevent them from being diverted around excise taxes.
Critics, such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., called the proposal naive, saying other areas of the law already are too weak to prevent Mexican cigarettes from crossing the border into her state.
And Williams said the administration's proposal gives credence to the industry.
''The administration just admitted that the threat of a contraband problem is real,'' he said.
Elsie Moore Chappell of 3026 Ball Park Loop Road, Halifax died Thursday, April 30, 1998 at Halifax Regional Hospital at the age of 67.
Mrs. Chappell was born in Halifax County on October 11, 1930 the daughter of Clarence Cornelius Moore Sr. and Annie Ruby Jennings Moore. She was a member of Union United Methodist Church.
Survivors include one son, Theron Allen 'T.A.' Chappell III of Nathalie; two daughters, Patricia Chappell Wiley of Powhatan and Barbara Mickles of Richmond; five grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; two sisters, Agnes Moore Seamster and Jean Moore Hazelwood, both of Halifax; three brothers, Harold G. Moore and Clarence C. Moore Jr., both of Clarksville and Douglas Lee Moore of Keswick. She was preceded in death by one brother, Riley Claiborne Moore.
Funeral services for Mrs. Chappell were held Sunday, May 3 at 2 p.m.
at Powell Funeral Home chapel with Rev. Carl Hudson conducting the service.
Burial was in Union United Methodist Church Cemetery.
Mrs. Shirley Jackson Randolph of Cavalier Apartments, South Boston died Thurday, April 30, 1998 at Halifax Regional Hospital, in South Boston at the age of 52.
She was born in Brooklyn, NY, on June 22, 1945 and was the daughter of Julio Dela Cruz and Margaret Jackson. She was a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jeohovah's Witnesses.
Mrs. Randolph is survived by six daughters, Mrs. Angela Boney, Mrs. Cheryl Gooden, Mrs. Felicia Martin, Ms. Precious Randolph and Ms. Emily Randolph, all of South Boston, and Mrs. Sheila Miller, of Augusta, GA; two sons, Jerald Randolph, of South Bston and Richard Randolph, of Brooklyn, NY; and eleven grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mrs. Randolph will e held Monday, May 4 at 10:00 a.m. with services at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, with Brother Byron Chappell, officiating. Burial will follow in the Halifax Memorial Gardens cemetery.
Timothy LeRoy Miles of 2108 College Street, Suth Boston, died Friday, May 1, 1998 at Duke University Medical Center, in Durham, North Carolina at the age of 25.
He was born in Halifax County, on May 31, 1972 and was the son of Mr. Jackie Owen Miles and Mrs. Serita Beard Miles. He was a member of the Dan River Bethel Baptist Church.
Mr. Miles is survived by one daughter, Toi S. Tuck, of South Boston; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jackie Miles, of South Boston; one sister, Ms. Angela Beard, of Edgewood, MD; one brother and sister-in-law, Roger and Nakita Miles, of Edgewood, MD; his maternal grandmother, Mrs. Lucy Beard, of South Boston; his fiancee, Ms. LaQuisha Winfield, of South Boston; and a devoted friend, Michael Jeffreys, of South Boston.
Funeral services for Mr. Miles will be held Wednesday, May 6 at 2:00 p.m. with services at the Dan River Bethel Baptist Church with the Rev. James L. Thomas, officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the chapel of Jeffress Funeral home on Tuesday evening from 7 until 8 p.m. and at all other times at the home, 2108 College Street, South Boston.