Friday, June 25, 2004

VDOT: Show Me The Money
Shucet Grants Counties One Week To Raise $1.5 Million In Repair Funds For Clarkton Bridge

During a private meeting in Halifax yesterday, Virginia Department of Transportation Commissioner Philip Shucet granted a one-week reprieve on the demolition of embattled Clarkton Bridge.

But there is a catch.

Following the passage of resolutions of support by both Halifax and Clarkton counties' Boards of Supervisors, the commissioner granted the two counties until the close of business next Friday to raise $1.5 million for repairs they deem necessary to make the bridge safe for pedestrian/equestrian traffic, according to W.W. "Ted" Bennett.

"The most Shucet will do is give the localities until next Friday to raise $1.5 million, either by letter of credit or by other means, to make the repairs he deems necessary to make it safe," he said. "If the bridge is to be repaired, it needs to be done by the localities.

"VDOT has to be able to put their hands on that money by the close of business next Friday," the Halifax attorney added.

Bennett said that while the funds represent a tall order for the two localities, he said it's now in the hands of the two Industrial Development Authorities and Boards of Supervisors.

"We simply bought them that much time," he said, adding that the demolition crews have been pulled off the bridge for a week.

"This is problematic," Bennett said. "There's the question of whether it's possible in that time frame to raise that kind of money."

On the eve of the beginning of demolition of Clarkton Bridge, the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors unanimously endorsed a proposed regional authority to oversee ownership of the historic span.

The move appears to have had little effect on plans to tear down the structure, at least until yesterday's meeting in Halifax, as demolition of the bridge got underway Wednesday morning with construction crews removing the wooden decking from the structure.

The Charlotte County vote comes on the heels of Monday's unanimous vote by the Halifax County Board of Supervisors to allocate up to $20,000 in an effort to save the bridge.

As the Charlotte County board was voting to support saving the structure, a small group of protesters gathered at the bridge to protest the impending demolition.

Tuesday night, members of the Virginia State Police guarded both the Charlotte and Halifax county entrances to the bridge, allowing the protesters to assemble but not allowing them access to the bridge.

Several bridge advocates had earlier urged a sit-in to try to block access to the site to contractors.

Virginia State Police Public Information Officer D.O. Cooper said the group was well-behaved toward officers.

"We didn't have any problems at all," he said. "They had around 12-15 people at the bridge Tuesday night.

"I went down there (Wednesday) morning when the workers got there to work and there weren't any problems," Cooper added. "(Residents who support saving the bridge) are really nice people - one lady even brought coffee for the troopers standing guard. It's a shame something couldn't be worked out."

But supporters of preserving the bridge said yesterday that although demolition work had begun, the battle to save the span isn't over.

P.K. Pettus, a driving force behind preservation efforts, said prior to yesterday's meeting that bridge advocates were looking at all avenues to preserve the structural integrity of the bridge.

"We're exploring a whole range of options," she said. "The fight is far from over."

As reported earlier, the first step in the demolition is to remove the wooden deck of the bridge.

Pettus said the two to three week process buys advocates more time to fight the structural demolition planned for the bridge.

"One of the first steps in refurbishing the bridge was that the deck was going to be replaced and handrails installed," Pettus said. "That's not a threat to preserving the bridge structure itself."

August 18 Execution Set For Hudson
James Bryant Hudson Is Sentenced To Death For the July 3, 2002 Murder Of Three Members Of The Cole Family

BY KEITH STRANGE | GV Staff Writer

Barring the granting of clemency by Governor Mark Warner, James Bryant Hudson will be executed on August 18.

Judge Leslie M. Osborn signed Hudson's execution order during a hearing in the Halifax County Circuit Court Judge's Chambers late yesterday morning.

During the hearing, Senior Assistant Attorney General Katherine Baldwin told Osborn that the window for Hudson, 57, to file a state habias corpus - which would have opened the door to appeals of the death sentence on the federal level - had passed.

"We're here to ask the court to set the execution date of August 18," she said yesterday.

Defense attorney Robert Morrison said that he had been instructed by Hudson not to attempt any delay in the execution of the sentence.

"I've been instructed not to file anything," he said.

"There being no objection, I'm going to enter this order which will set (the execution) date for August 18," Osborn said as he signed the execution order.

The order reads in part, "the court hereby orders that the death sentence of James Bryant Hudson be carried our the 18th day of August, 2004, at such a time as the director of the Department of Corrections shall fix."

The defendant pleaded guilty at his trial to the July 3, 2002 shotgun murders of Patsy Ayers Cole and her husband Thomas Wesley Cole, both 64, and Thomas' brother Walter Stanley Cole, 56, on Virgie Cole Road.

Each was killed by close-range shotgun blasts.

At his February 7, 2003, trial, Hudson was convicted of one count of capital murder, one count of first-degree murder and two counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of murder.

The capital murder charge stems from the murder of the two Cole brothers, while the first-degree murder conviction is the result of the shotgun death of Patsy Ayers Cole.

Following yesterday's hearing, Stanley Cole's wife, Linda, said she would be relieved when the ordeal is over.

"I'll just be glad when it's all over," she said. "I'm really happy it wasn't a long, drawn-out thing. I mean, it's been two years and a month, but I hope I'll be able to get some closure when it's done."

New Right Turn Lanes Are Now Open In Riverdale
The New Lanes Will Allow Free-Flowing Traffic Pattern

The new right turn lanes on U.S. 501 southbound between U.S. 58 and the Dan River Bridge and on U.S. 58 eastbound between U.S. 501 and the Route 744 intersection were opened to traffic yesterday.

The traffic signal at the intersection has already been switched to its new pattern, according to VDOT officials.

The lanes were constructed to allow for a more free-flowing traffic pattern in the heavily traveled area.

The turn lane project began in April of this year, and was slated for completion by July 1. Project funding included federal funds, as well as monies from the Town of South Boston.

J.D. Barkley II, P.E., Halifax Resident Engineer, said the project was on-time and on-budget.

"I am pleased this project was completed seven days early," said Barkley.

"The Virginia Department of Transportation is committed to completing projects on-time and on-budget.

"This is one such project."

Big Inning Fells Legion Post 8
Big Island Exploded For Seven Runs In The Seventh Inning To Break A 5-5 Deadlock And Downed South Boston American Legion Post 8 12-5

By JOE CHANDLER | G-V Staff Writer

Just when the South Boston American Legion Post 8 baseball team appeared to be on the verge of being able to pick up a win Wednesday night against Big Island, the cat got out of the bag.

Big Island Post 217 broke a 5-5 deadlock with a seven-run explosion in the bottom of the seventh inning and downed South Boston 12-7.

The loss was the third in a row for Post 8 who was in the midst of a busy four-game week against some of the district's top teams.

With the loss, Post 8 fell to 2-3 overall while Big Island upped its record to 3-1.

Last night, Post 8 faced Danville Post 325 which elevated its record to 4-1 with a 3-2 win Wednesday night over Lynchburg Post 16.

Post 8, which lost to Lynchburg Post 16 here Monday night, will face Post 16 again Saturday night in Lynchburg in a rematch.

South Boston had five hits in Wednesday night's game against Big Island with Bobby Owens leading the way with two hits and Blake Waller, Carlton Wazeka and Jason Vest each getting a hit.

Big Island hammered South Boston Post 8 for 16 hits with Brennan Thacker, Thomas Hayden and Keaton Brooks leading the way with three hits each.

The game was pretty evenly played through six and a half innings.

Big Island jumped on top early, using two hits and a walk to stake itself to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

The score stayed 1-0 until Post 8 took the lead in the top of the fifth inning on a two-run homer by Vest.

Owens led off the inning with a walk and scored on Vest's homer with one out.
Big Island answered Post 8's rally with a four-run outburst in the bottom of the fifth inning that gave it a 5-2 lead.

All four runs scored with two out as Big Island batters tagged Owens, the Post 8 hurler, for four hits that included a double to plate the first run of the inning, with two out.

Owens also gave up a walk in the inning .

Post 8, however, was not done at that point.

South Boston bounced back to produce three runs in the top of the sixth inning and deadlock the game at 5-5.

Carter led off the winning with a walk and advanced on a single by Waller. A walk to Justin Worsham loaded the sacks.

Carter scored when Owens flied out to right field for the second out of the inning.

Waller scored on a passed ball and a double by Wazeka scored Worsham to tie the game.

Then came the big inning for Big Island.

After opening the inning with back-to-back doubles, Big Island took advantage of four hits, a walk and a Post 8 error as it jumped to a seven-run, 12-5 lead.

Post 8 never recovered.

All three Post 8 batters in the eighth inning went down on strikes.

South Boston got a leadoff single from Owens in the top of the ninth inning but left Owens stranded as the next three batters went down on strikes.

Post 8 had an early scoring opportunity in the top of the second inning but was unable to scratch up a run.

Worsham went to first base with two out in the top of the second inning after being hit by a pitch.

Owens doubled and Wazeka walked to load the bases. Unfortunately, that was as far as Post 8 got as Vest went down on strikes to end the inning.

Post 8 stranded five runners in the game, three of them in second inning when they left the bases loaded.

Obituaries

Beatrice Medley Donaldson

Beatrice Medley Donaldson, 91, of Augusta, Ga. died June 22 at the Jennings Health Care Center.

Mrs. Donaldson was the daughter of the late Sterling Medley and Fannie Ywell Medley, born in 1912.

Survivors include three sisters, Rev. Effie L. Coleman of Clover, Carrie Nelson of Long Island, N.Y. and Barbara Spratling of Jacksonville, Fla.; one sister-in-law, Lucy Medley of Marietta, Ga.; and one brother-in-law, Fortson Spratling of Jacksonville.

Funeral services for Mrs. Donaldson will be held tomorrow, June 26 at 2 p.m. at Bell Terrace Presbyterian Church USA in Augusta.

Ellen Mills Dunn

Ellen Mills Dunn, 81, of New York, formerly of Halifax County, died June 20.

Mrs. Dunn was born in Halifax County on December 20, 1922, the daughter of the late Howard Mills and Fannie Edmunds Mills, and was married to the late Johnny Dunn. She was a member of New Vernon Baptist Church.

Survivors include two daughters, Mary Ella Newman of South Boston and Fannie Alice Mills of New York; three sisters, Ida Mae Williams of Halifax, Elizabeth Howerton of Danville and Minister Thalia Ragsdale of South Boston.
Mrs. Dunn was also preceded in death by three brothers, Jake, Thomas and Nick Mills.

Funeral services will be held today, June 25, at 1 p.m. at New Vernon Baptist Church with the Rev. Roger Ford officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

John Daniel Oscar Epperson

John Daniel Oscar Epperson, 68, formerly of Clover, died at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md.

Mr. Epperson was born September 1, 1935, and was raised by his grandmother, the late Betty Willie Jackson Epperson. He was a former member of Bethel Grove Baptist Church and was married to Valina Epperson.
His survivors include his wife; three daughters; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; one Goddaughter; and one sister, Betty Odessa Brown of Clover.

Funeral services for Mr. Epperson were held at St. Marks Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, N.Y. with Pastor Charles Persaud officiating. Burial was at Pinelawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Long Island, N.Y.

Alton Monroe Guthrie

Alton Monroe Guthrie, 79, of 16060 L.P. Bailey Memorial Highway, died June 24 at his home

Mr. Guthrie was born in Halifax County on January 28, 1925, the son of the late Dorsey Monroe Guthrie and Edith Abbott Guthrie. He was a member of Childrey Baptist Church and a retired farmer.

Survivors include five nephews, Alvin, Lewis, Ryland, Alton and Greg; three nieces, Nan, Leah and Teresa; and a sister-in-law, Phyllis Neal.

In addition to his parents, Mr. Guthrie was preceded in death by two brothers, Alvin Blake Guthrie Sr. and Hugh M. Guthrie; and two nephews, Kyle and Mike Guthrie.

A funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 27, at Childrey Baptist Church by the Rev. Rodney Barwick with burial to follow in the church cemetery.

The family will receive friends at the home

Elmer Maxey Yates

Elmer Maxey Yates, 74, of Saxe, died June 23.

Surviving are four daughters, Maxine Lloyd, Rhonda Hartley and husband, Al, Wanda Yates, Angie Bentley and Bobby Medley; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; one brother, Willie Yates; and one sister, Norma Snead.
Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow, June 26 in the Scott Family Cemetery.

The family will receive friends at the Browning Funeral Home from 7:00 to 8:30 this evening, June 25.