The proposed $15,814,509 budget for the Town of South Boston was unanimously adopted Monday night by the South Boston Town Council.
On a 3-0 vote, the 1998-99 budget marks the first full year of the recent boundary adjustment issue. The new budget goes into effect on July 1.
Councilman C.W. "Corky" Rorrer made the motion to approve the budget which was seconded by councilman H. Radford Trent. Also voting in favor was councilman W.C. "Buddy" Wilborn. In accordance with council procedure, Mayor Glen Abernathy refrained from voting.
Council members Josephine P. Marshall and Deborah P. Morris were not present for Monday night's meeting. Former councilman Bill Starke, who has moved from the town, had earlier resigned from the position.
Despite the lack of an apparent numerical majority vote, the vote was officially a "quorum" since the town code states that three council members and a mayor "shall constitute the quorum," McLawhon pointed out.
In a companion vote, the council approved a 1998 tax rate resolution which calls for a real estate tax rate of 21 cents per $100 of assessed value, a decrease from the previous rate of 42 cents per $100 of assessed value. That rate was set prior to the boundary adjustment which went into effect on January 1, 1998.
However, town residents must also pay a real estate tax rate of 31 cents per $100 of assessed value to Halifax County, resulting in a total real estate tax rate of 52 cents per $100 of assessed value.
The 1998 tax rate resolution also called for a $1.42 rate per $100 of assessed value on tangible personal property, except for exempted household goods and personal effects. The approved tax rate for machinery and tools was set at 31 cents per $100 of assessed value.
In other matters,the council approved a formal agreement with the Virginia Electric and Power Company for municipal electricity purchases from July 1, 1997 to June 30, 2000.
The prices charged will be about four percent lower, which will result in refunds to the town for any additional amounts of funds collected since July 1, 1997, officials explained.
Council members also agreed to hold their council retreat on August 14-15 at the Banister River lake home of newly-elected council member Tom Raab.
Forty years ago Barbara Cage walked onto the tennis courts at the Country Club of Virginia and walked away at the end of tournament play with the Virginia State Women's Singles championship as well as a doubles championship.
That was the Halifax resident's last tournament play.
Until the end of May when she walked onto the courts at the College of William and Mary - carrying her wood racquet - and won a silver medal in her 70-74 category in the 1998 Virginia Senior Games.
She also earned the right to play for Virginia in the senior nationals competition in Florida next year.
She plans to make it a date.
"I can't loaf anymore," she added with a smile. But the truth is, she had only four weeks to prepare for the Virginia Senior Games after she entered this year ... and walked away with the silver medal.
A lifelong tennis player and the daughter of one of the nation's first tennis professionals, Cage said she simply "played for fun" or taught others during her 40-year tournament lapse.
Now the Halifax resident plans to enter additional tournaments to get mentally tuned for the fall 1999 nationals.
Cage, who considers her ground stroke her strongest game strength, cannot remember not playing tennis.
Her father, Harvey Snodgrass and his partner won the National Clay Court Doubles Championship in 1925 in California. He also served as the pro at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California well into his seventies. And recently a friend in Philadelphia discovered an old racquet with her father's signature endorsement at an estate sale. It is now one of Cage's prized possessions.
Tennis continued to play its fun role in Barbara Cage's life until her retirement four or five years ago. "Then I let it drop," said Cage.
But now her renewed tennis interest has her in even better physical shape and on course for at least a year of tournament play.
Playing four matches back to back, Bob Cage took home the gold medal in singles tennis at the Virginia Senior Games last month and the right to represent the state in his division in the 1999 nationals.
He considers his "intensity and focus" the strength of his game. "And the willingness to try something different in order to win."
An avid player, the South Boston man has won state championships in one division or another 20 times. He has also earned Mid-Atlantic and national honors.
It is a game he loves.
"Tennis is so demanding," he explained. "It demands integrity. No matter how well you hit the ball, if you are not physically fit you will not win.
"It is the best way to keep your body in good shape," he continued.
Why tournament play?
"I like it because it can prove your excellence. You are on the line in every match in a tournament," he explained. "Very few things make me feel any better than knowing you played the very best your can play, whether you win or lose. Of course it is always better to win," he added.
Keeping it together during tournament play is key.
"Tennis at a certain level is all in the mind, not in the strokes," said the champion.
Since he was about 14 years old Cage has been playing tennis, even playing for the Marine Corps, but he too was sporadic about tournament play during his lifetime.
It was only when his children began playing tennis in school that he renewed his own tournament competition. Since then, tennis has been a major interest for the tobacco auctioneer and artist.
He plans to continue play in the Middle Atlantic competition this year as he looks forward to the 1999 nationals in Orlando, Florida.
Thieves struck Good's Lawn and Garden Center in broad daylight for the third time this year, according to the South Boston Police Department.
Two push lawn mowers were taken Friday morning from a sheltered area built onto the north side of the facility which is located at 4007 Halifax Road near the intersection of Rt. 129, SBPD Lt. H.B. Rice said.
One mower was valued at $499 and the other was valued at $299, Lt. Rice said.
The lawn mowers were stolen at 10:35 a.m. A store employee happened to notice a hatchback-type vehicle leaving the scene which had the two mowers in its open rear section, according to the investigation.
On April 24 of this year, thieves stole a rotary tiller from the store parking lot, then returned to steal a second rotary tiller on April 27, police said. No suspects were observed at the first two thefts, which also occurred during daylight hours.
Anyone with information should contact SBPD at 575-4271 or the Crimestoppers at 575-8477 or 476-8477.
A bag of illegally-discarded medical waste was discovered in the Town of South Boston's landfill last Thursday, prompting an investigation by town officials.
Inside a red bag which read "Biohazard" was a quantity of used medical gowns and a towel which had several stains of dried blood, according to South Boston Town Manager Ken McLawhon.
The source of the materials has not been officially and positively verified, McLawhon added.
"We have contacted every doctor's and home health office, the hospital and any similar organization that would have such materials," McLawhon explained.
"We have spoken with all of them to make sure that they all have programs in place that will make sure such items are properly disposed of," he said.
By-products of the medical profession are taken to special regional landfill sites which have approved incinerator systems for disposal, officials said.
Dean Oakley Lowery, 46, of Rt. 2, South Boston was arrested Tuesday night after a police chase in the Virgilina-Red Bank area, according to the Halifax County Sheriff's Department.
Lowery was charged with misdemeanor counts of attempting to elude police, driving under the influence, and possession of marijuana, according to Major Ray Link.
Lowery was driving a 1984 Chevrolet Blazer when he was observed weaving in the roadway by Deputy R.C. Lipscomb at approximately 10 p.m.
Lipscomb stopped the vehicle on Buckshoal Road, but when he walked up to Lowery to ask to see his operator's license, Lowery refused and then sped off, Major Link said.
"The truck went down a dead end road (Rt. 1622) to the end of state maintenance and continued through a field," Major Link said. "Lowery jumped from the vehicle and ran into a wooded area."
Deputies Stanley Britton and Sheldon Jennings and other law enforcement officers arrived on the scene and located Lowery about 15 minutes later, Major Link said.
Police found a quantity of marijuana valued at approximately $50 in Lowery's truck, according to the investigation.
He was taken into custody and placed in the Halifax County Jail. Lowery was released on bond Tuesday morning pending his trial in the Halifax County General District Court on August 8.
In another arrest, Lawrence Eugene Ashworth, 46, of Crystal Hill was arrested Monday on a misdemeanor count of assault and battery of Patricia Ashworth, a household or family member, police said.
He was released on bond pending his trial in the Halifax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on June 17.
Richard Fitz, nationally known high school journalism-publications specialist, has been selected for induction into the Virginia High School Hall of Fame.
The induction will take place at the Omni Hotel in Charlottesville on Wednesday, October 14.
Fitz is one of nine people who have made outstanding contributions to Virginia high school athletic and activity programs chosen for this honor this year.
Fitz was nominated in the "Contributors" category, one of three so honored.
While advising the trendsetting student newspaper, "The Star," and yearbook, "Haliscope," at Halifax County High School for 37 years, Fitz developed a national reputation as a clinician in yearbook design.
His publications won top honors consistently from the Virginia High School League as well as from regional and national press associations.
He was a founding member of VHSL's Scholastic Publications Advisory Committee and a presenter at VHSL workshops from 1970 until 1994.
Upon retiring from his position as publications advisor here, Fitz was sought regularly as a consultant at schools and seminars throughout much of the country.
He continues in that capacity today.
Named with Fitz as contributors are Charles F. Kurtz of Staunton and Robert E. Sandell Jr. of Charlottesville.
Named to the Hall of Fame as athletes are Paul Given of Gar-Field High School and Barty Smith of Douglas Freeman High School.
Named as coaches are I. Glynn Carlock of Graham High, Nancy Fowles of Frank Cox High, Ann Lockett of Gar-Field High and Roy Mack Shupp of J. J. Kelly High.
Sponsored jointly by the Virginia High School League and the Virginia High School Coaches Association, the Hall is dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of outstanding achievements by students and adults in the realm of sports and activities within Virginia's public high schools.
Contributors are described as those who have rendered significant services in some capacity other than athletics, including administrators, media, officials and VHSL academic activities coaches or participants.
The Lining-Bar Gang, a group of retired railroad workers from Buckingham County, will entertain with three performances during the Southern Heritage Festival in South Boston next week.
The workers will recreate the "way things used to be done" before heavy machinery took over the duty of keeping steel rails aligned.
Before the mid-1950s, crews of 16 would men would align the track using heavy steel "lining bars" and sheer strength - and song was crucial in coordinating their combined efforts.
The Saturday, June 27, performances are slated for 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on the grass beside the new CEC building adjacent to Constitution Square.
Wirt Johnson worked with the C&O for almost 40 years, and for part of that time was caller for track-lining crews. With a strong voice and a talent for recalling and inventing verses, he would call out lyrics that set the rhythm for the work: "I got a gal in Baltimore/ Streetcar runs right by her door." Crew members would respond by heaving against their lining bars, in time with the song, until the foreman gave the signal that the rails were aligned.
Johnson and 16 of his companions, all veterans of the railroad maintenance crews, will re-create their work traditions for education and enjoyment of the community.
Since the group first reunited in August of 1990, for a film documentary project funded by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, the Lining-Bar Gang has caught the attention of railroad history buffs and the general public locally, nationally and internationally.
The group was invited to perform at Railfair '91 in San Francisco and by all accounts stole the show. Invitations came pouring in, including a request to participate in England's national railroad fair in 1993.
We are tremendously excited that the group has agreed to perform at this year's festival," said Festival chairperson Avaris Terry. "Now we just hope that people will mark their calendars and take part in this historical and educational performance."
The performance is being underwritten with the support of the Halifax County Medical Society, First Rate Mortgage, and Oval Engineering.
The Southern Heritage Festival is being co-sponsored by the Community Arts Center Foundation and the Museum of Fine Arts and History. The all day event on Saturday, June 27, runs from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m., and will include an art market, pottery, weaving, African art and jewelry, canning, basket making, gospel music, rug hooking, wood carving, honey making, quilting, bluegrass music, an antique tractor display and tobacco auctioneering, among others.
BBQ plates for sale and a homemade ice cream contest will also be part of the fun.
The Prizery, Constitution Square and the Museum of Fine Arts and History will all contain displays. The festival is open to the public and both organizations hope the community will come out and celebrate their Southern Heritage.
By LAURIE KELLMAN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Clinton and Senate Republican leaders agree on one thing about tobacco policy: It's time to stop talking and vote on legislation aimed at curbing teen-age smoking.
But nearly a year after the industry and state attorneys general struck a historic deal to cut teen smoking, the politicians can't agree on the terms of a tobacco policy that could pass the legislative hurdle.
Clinton wants a final vote on a sweeping bill sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. ''Every day the Senate delays play into the hands of the tobacco industry, which wants desperately to kill this bill,'' Clinton told a group of presidential scholars at the White House Monday as the Senate began its fourth week of debating the bill.
''I don't see how any senator can now stand in the way of a bill that fights drugs, cuts taxes and protects people from a habit that kills,'' Clinton added.
Impatient that the debate is delaying appropriations bills, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott has been less clear about how it should be resolved. He has made clear, however, that the bill's fate should be decided this week.
Its $516 billion price tag for the industry, Lott, R-Miss., said Monday, is ''too high,'' and should be scaled back more to the level of the $368 billion settlement struck last June 20.
''This bill needs to be much smaller than this, probably at least $100 billion less than it is,'' Lott told reporters. ''This bill has been gorged. ... We can't seem to stop the insatiable feeding opportunity on this bill.''
Lott spoke during the day to Erskine Bowles, White House chief of staff, but there was no indication the two found common ground on how to resolve the debate. He also met with McCain Monday evening, but McCain emerged saying no decisions had been made about how to scale back the bill.
''I always thought it could happen, but I thought it would happen in conference'' between the House and Senate on two versions of the bill, McCain said outside Lott's office.
McCain's bill would charge the tobacco industry $516 billion over 25 years partly by raising cigarette taxes by $1.10 a pack by 2003. The measure also would grant the Food and Drug Administration power to regulate nicotine and severely restrict tobacco companies' ability to advertise.
The bill has been revised by amendments to use some of the money for tax cuts and to strip the bill of the legal protections the companies demanded.
The Senate wrestled inconclusively Monday on yet another amendment that would deny tax deductions for advertising, promotion and marketing expenses for tobacco companies that advertise to children unless they obey FDA rules designed to curb sales pitches to underage smokers.
In a sequence as muddled as the tobacco bill itself, lawmakers tentatively adopted the advertising proposal by Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., by voice vote after an attempt to kill it failed on a tie. Moments later, though, McCain served notice he will call for another vote, likely to occur today.
Also scheduled today was debate on an amendment by Sen. Slade Gorton, R-Wash., that would cap the fees of attorneys who litigated state lawsuits against the tobacco industry at between $500 and $4,000 an hour, depending on how long they worked on those cases.
On the Senate floor, Reed fought for his amendment.
''If they market to kids, then they lose their tax deductions,'' he said. The Rhode Island Democrat brandished a direct mail advertising brochure distributed to smokers that touts the Kool brand of cigarettes, made by Brown & Williamson Tobacco.
The company built a mailing list from attendees at a rock concert it staged several months earlier, he said.
In rebuttal, Gorton said it was unconstitutional to condition ''a privilege available to everyone else in the United States on its abandonment of its First Amendment rights. ... We can and we should limit advertising of cigarettes,'' he said, but he added that can only be done ''with the agreement of those who are asked to give up their rights to advertisement.''
Frances Satterwhite Yancey, 79, of Sandy Fork Road, Buffalo Junction, widow of Harry Preston Yancey died Sunday, June 14, 1998 in Duke Medical Center in Durham, NC.
Mrs. Yancey was born in Durham and was a graduate of Durham High School. During WWII she worked at Wright Machine Shop, later becoming a homemaker. She was a member of Union Chapel Baptist Church.
Funeral services were held Tuesday, June 16 at 11 a.m. at Union Chapel Baptist Church with Revs. J. Gregory Lawson and Cam Ford officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery.
Survivors of Mrs. Yancey include one daughter, Linda Milton of Oxford, NC; two sons, Harry Yancey of South Boston and Larry Yancey of Richmond; one sister, Jean S. Everett of Rocky Mount, NC; five grandchildren and one great-grandson.
William Edgar 'Bill' Sears, 84, of Cleveland, GA died Monday, June 8, 1998 at his home following an extended illness.
Mr. Sears was a native and lifelong resident of White County. He was of the Baptist faith, and was a retired self-employed scrap iron hauler.
Survivors include his wife, Inez Sears of Cleveland; one son, John Henry Sears of Cleveland; nine daughters, Frances Stahorn and Verdell Fowler, both of Gainesville, Brenda Ann Clay of South Boston, Doris Jean Terrell, Edna Lou Nell Castillo and Carolyn Gail Cornelius, all of Monroe, Nellie Lee Kunauf of Dahlonega, Linda Faye Jones of Pine Mountain, and Bonnie Lou Ellis of Cleveland; one sister, Fannie Lou Holman; 34 grandchildren; and 17 great-great-grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mr. Sears were held at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 11 in Alexander's Gateway Chapel Funeral Home chapel with Rev. Dave Fortner officiating. Burial was in Alta Vista Cemetery.
Selma Campbell Anderson of 1513 Moore Street, South Boston died June 15, 1998 at Halifax Regional Hospital at the age of 84.
Mrs. Anderson was born in Damascus on March 1, 1914 to Z.R. Campbell and Carrie Flener Campbell. She was married to Edward Kerns Anderson and was a member of the Main Street United Methodist Church.
Her survivors include a son: William Edward Anderson of Asheville, NC; grandchildren: Mark Edward Anderson of Troy, MI and Cheryl Marie Wiltsee of Christiansburg and sisters: Margaret C. Anderson of Damascus and Annabelle C. Harmon of Fayetteville, NC.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, June 17 at 2 p.m. at the Main Street United Methodist Church with the Rev. George Gravitt conducting the service. Burial will take place in the Union United Methodist Church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at her home.
Annie Wynn Myers of 1241 Beale Lane, Nathalie died June 15, 1998 at Halifax Regional Hospital. She was 88 years of age at the time of her death.
Mrs. Myers was born in Halifax County on May 11, 1910 the daughter of Judie Wynn and Ada Mae Jones Wynn and was married to Sydnor D. Myers. She was a member of Liberty United Church of Christ.
Survivors include two sons, Winston Myers of South Boston and William Myers of Hurt; seven daughters, Margaret M. Francis of Altavista, Frances M. Anderson, Edna M. James and Hilda M. Waller, all of Nathalie, Virginia M. Hunter of Brookneal, Betty M. Booker of Naruna and Helen M. Angel of Gladys; one sister, Kathleen Talbott of Alton; 24 grandchildren; 34 great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren; two nephews, Arvin Wynn of Alton and Kenneth Wynn of Nathalie; two nieces, Dianne Gillispie of Nathalie and Martha Thompson of Roanoke. She was preceded in death by two sons, James S. and Carl B. Myers.
Funeral services for Mrs. Myers will be held Thursday, June 18 at 2 p.m. at Liberty United Church of Christ with Revs. Dwight Moore and Shelton Miles conducting the service. Burial will take place in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends tonight, June 17 from 7:00 until 9:00 at Powell Funeral Home and other times at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Anderson, Highway 757.