The tired but happy faces were evidence of a job well done
as Battery C, 1/246 Field Artillery of the Virginia National Guard
came home Wednesday for a couple of days of refitting before moving
on to Ft. Pickett.
For First Sergeant Ricky Hunt, a 20-year veteran, it was his first
long-term deployment.
Coming home was a godsend to Hunt.
"I can't describe how it feels," a delighted Hunt said
Wednesday.
"When we crossed the state line into Virginia...even the
humidity felt good.
"It was a lot of hard work, a lot of long, long hours, but
the guys did a good job."
Hunt said that the battery would take a couple of days to download
and prepare for training at Ft. Pickett.
Then it's on to Ft. Dix, New Jersey, he added.
Hunt, a retired school principal, said the unit had "stood
down" Sunday morning at Aberdeen, after training another
unit to take over.
Stephanie Fore and daughters, Mallory and Emily, hand-painted
signs and all were on hand Wednesday to greet Sergeant Michael
Fore.
Fore arrived with the main convoy a little later than expected,
but on time to greet his family with hugs, smiles and a few tears.
The Halifax County Board of Supervisors have set a tentative
date to meet with the Halifax County School Board, but Chairman
Patty Nelson said the supervisors weren't on their formal agenda.
Supervisors are expected to ask the School Board to revisit the
closure of Virgilina Elementary School in the wake of a public
outcry from the community.
According to school Superintendent Dennis Witt, the supervisors
will meet with the board at 5:30 p.m. on June 23.
The meeting, set for the cafeteria of Halifax County High School,
comes just prior to the School Board's budget hearing at 7 p.m.
Supervisors want to meet with the Board to revisit the Virgilina
issue, and unanimously voted last week to ask the board not to
alter VES in any way that would "reduce the option of re-use
of the school facility."
During last Monday's meeting of the Supervisors, VES supporters
told supervisors that they feared the school would be rendered
unusable if they didn't take some action to prevent the stripping
of the school.
School Board Chairman Patty Nelson said yesterday that the Virgilina
issue was not on their formal agenda for the meeting.
"I don't know what the Board of Supervisors is going to present
to us," she said. "We are there to pay the bills."
But Nelson did say the School Board would listen to what the supervisors
have to say.
Virgilina Mayor John Youngk said that members of the community
would be in attendance to voice their support for the school.
"We'll be there en force to hear what they (the School Board)
have to say to the supervisors," he said yesterday. "The
last I heard, they wanted to look at some cost numbers and I think
we need to be there to present our side of the story."
Youngk said that VES supporters were continuing to get signatures
on a petition supporting the school.
"I think they (the School Board) would want an update on
that," he said.
During last Monday's meeting, Youngk presented the supervisors
with a petition with over 1,100 names supporting keeping the school
open.
Youngk said he would contact Witt in an attempt to get on the
agenda of the meeting.
David Martin, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said yesterday
that the supervisors wanted to get a better picture of the School
Board's financial reasons for closing the school.
"We want to try to see if we can come to some understanding
as to why they want to close the school," he said.
"I think the School Board knows how we feel and we know how
they feel, but we need to be able to discuss it," Martin
added.
Martin said he understood that some members of the Board of Supervisors
are "prepared to consider the (School Board's) decision to
close VES when looking at their county funding."
"As I understand it, according to the county administrator
(Joe Morgan), they have the money to operate VES," he said.
"There is money in their budget to operate the school both
last year and next year if they wanted to."
Former Wellspring Academy counselor Lisa Grant has filed a
$1.5 million lawsuit against founder and CEO of the school Bob
Gluhareff, according to court records.
In the suit, Grant alleges that Gluhareff made statements in the
media and in a document circulated to former parents at the school,
former staff members and the press that damaged her reputation.
Contacted yesterday, Grant said money wasn't the driving force
behind the action.
"The reason I'm doing this is not necessarily looking for
monetary gain," she said. "It's to put a stop to the
things this man is doing. He's out of control.
"The thing that upsets me is he's (Gluhareff) down in Raleigh
with a practice...
"I want to say 'stop' to this man for all the families he's
harmed," Grant added.
She is suing Gluhareff for defamation (spoken and/or written words
that falsely and negatively reflect on a living person's reputation),
libel (written defamation) and slander (spoken defamation).
"The libelous document entitled 'The Closure of Wellspring
Academy - A narrative' by Defendant (Gluhareff) and dated May
29,2003, complained of in the above numbered case has created
damages by the misstatement of facts, false statements and fabrication
of information," Grant wrote.
"He's making accusations that are completely false in order
to put the focus on me and take it away from the things that happened
at the school," she said.
In the document, Gluhareff blames Grant for the closure of the
school, charging that she went so far as to access his bank accounts,
telling other staff members "Look, he has no money. He's
going under."
Wellspring closed its doors on April 20 after Grant took four
students off the property and had them call their parents.
The phone calls set off a string of conversations between parents
that resulted in so many withdrawals that Gluhareff said he couldn't
afford to keep the doors open.
He said that he and other officials made the decision to close
the school due to the number of students withdrawing from the
school, the school's financial situation and an increasingly "riotous"
atmosphere at the school.
"That woman (Grant) turned this school upside down,"
Gluhareff said during an earlier interview.
The founder acknowledged that the school had been experiencing
financial difficulties for some time, but he blamed the regional
economic downturn and his own generosity for the school's financial
difficulties.
Gluhareff charged in the May 29 document that actions by Grant
had caused the student body at the school for at-risk boys to
become dangerous.
"Lisa Grant had incited a riotous mind-set within the student
population by spreading rumors that the school was closing,"
he wrote.
"(During an April 20 meeting at the school) I expressed my
fears about the safety and well-being of everyone on the property,
as Miss Grant's behavior had led directly to a most dangerous
way of thinking within the student body."
Grant is suing Gluhareff for loss of employment opportunities
due to allegations made by him, loss of income because his statements
have "lowered (Grant's) reputation and kept others from association,"
emotional distress caused by comments "so reprehensible and
false that they affect (Grant's) reputation" and emotional
distress to Grant's children.
"These damages are hereby construed as willful and malicious,"
she alleges.
Grant contends that the statements written by Gluhareff are "a
retaliation for reports by this Plaintiff enumerating and disclosing
misconduct and potentially criminal actions on the part of the
Defendant."
In a letter written to Craig Jarvis of the Raleigh News &
Observer and dated June 2, Gluhareff dismisses the claims made
by Grant as a disgruntled employee close to losing her job.
"What I do know is that the president of the school... was
planning to fire Miss Grant on April 19, the day after graduation,"
Gluhareff wrote. "Knowing your job is in jeopardy incites
anger and fear. Miss Grant may have lashed out because of this."
"That is absolutely untrue," Grant said yesterday. "The
president of the school, Cindy Thomas, begged me right up to the
last day to not leave.
"I have many staff members who will attest to that,"
she added.
Contacted yesterday, Gluhareff directed inquiries about the suit
to Halifax attorney W.W. "Ted" Bennett.
Bennett is out of town until Monday and was unavailable for comment.
Grant said she is representing herself in the action.
"I have no choice," she said. "I can't afford an
attorney.
"I can't find a job and I've applied for anything I'm even
remotely qualified for."
A Nathalie man has been arrested and charged
with a carjacking that allegedly occurred in Johnson City, Tennessee,
according to the South Boston Police Department.
Investigator T.M. VanAernem said that Calvin Eugene Watkins was
arrested at his Lenning Road residence without incident Wednesday.
Watkins is alleged to have committed the Tennessee carjacking
in April, according to the investigator, and has "been hiding
out in the Halifax /South Boston area since the incident."
The South Boston Police Department received a tip from a concerned
citizen about Watkins' whereabouts, VanAernem said.
"With the assistance of the Halifax County Sheriff's Office,
he was taken into custody without incident," he added.
Watkins is currently being held in the Halifax Regional Jail without
bond while awaiting an extradition hearing.
In other police business, the South Boston Police Department is
investigating a breaking and entering that occurred late Monday
night.
VanArenem said that at approximately 11:40 p.m., officers responded
to a report that the front window had been broken out of the DPC
Pawn Shop on Main Street.
"Officer C.L. Carswell arrived at the business within minutes
to confirm the report," the investigator said.
Once entry was gained into the business, the thief or thieves
took an undisclosed amount of merchandise from the business, VanArenem
said.
He added that police had no suspects at this time, and asks that
anyone with information about the crime contact the South Boston
Police Department at 575-4271 or Crimestoppers at 575-TIPS.
Raymond Elmer Sims Jr., 75, of 1433 Stebbins
Street, South Boston, died June 10 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Sims was born in Halifax County on November 7, 1927, the son
of Raymond Elmer Sims Sr. and Barbara Street Sims. He was a member
of Piney Grove Baptist Church and was a retired employee of Southern
Railroad.
Survivors include one daughter, Carolyn Sims of Halifax; one grandson;
one sister, Mary Coleman of Virgilina; two brothers, George and
Willie Sims, both of South Boston; and two sisters-in-law, Dorothy
Sims and Alice Sims.
Funeral services for Mr. Sims will be held tomorrow, June 14 at
11 a.m. at Jeffress Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Whitfield
Scott officiating. Burial will follow in Piney Grove Baptist Church
Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the home of Mary Coleman, 3131
Virgilina Road, Virgilina.
Douglas Tucker, 81, of Hartford, Conn.,
formerly of Halifax County, died June 10.
Mr. Tucker was born in Halifax County on September 25, 1922, the
son of Charlie Tucker and Emma Coleman Tucker. He was a member
of Five Forks Baptist Church. Upon moving to Conn., he joined
Hopewell Baptist Church.
Survivors include two brothers, Charlie P. Tucker of Halifax and
William Toot of Philadelphia, Pa.
Funeral services for Mr. Tucker will be held tomorrow, June 14
in Hartford.
William Riley Welcher Sr., 60, of 7148 Bill
Tuck Hwy., Virgilina, died June 11 at his home.
Mr. Welcher was born in Halifax County on June 5, 1943, the son
of Floyd Calvin Welcher Sr. and Hallie Flemming Welcher, and was
married to Cynthia Barnett Welcher. He was a member of Grace Baptist
Church and was a delivery driver for Riverdale Auto Parts.
Services will be held tomorrow, June 14, at 11 a.m. at Grace Baptist
Church with the Rev. Jack Stewart officiating. Burial will follow
in the church cemetery.
Survivors of Mr. Welcher include his wife; his mother of Virgilina;
one son, W.R. 'Chip' Welcher Jr. of Virgilina; one stepson, Craig
Bray of Lynchburg; two stepdaughters, Stacy B. Snead of Virgilina
and Kelly Bray of Danville; one sister, Peggy W. Grey of Burlington,
N.C.; one grandchild, Randi Welcher; and two step-grandchildren,
Kenny and Klint Snead. He was preceded in death by one brother,
Calvin Welcher.
The family will receive friends this evening between 7:00 and
8:30, at Brooks Funeral Home, and other times at the home.
Anyone wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Midway
Volunteer Fire Department, 11007 Bill Tuck Hwy., Virgilina, 24598,
or the American Heart Association, PO Box 5216, Glen Allen, 23058.