By Staff, AP Writers
Halifax County is among a half dozen Virginia localities that may petition the government for relief from a civil rights act that requires the locality to get approval for every change made in its voting regulations.
Local officials have said that they have spent thousands to conduct hearings, hire consultants and divert electoral tasks to local workers who should be doing other jobs.
And after more than three decades of having to clear every election rules change with the federal government, officials in some Virginia cities and counties say enough is enough.
Since 1965, the Voting Rights Act has required localities throughout the South to get permission from the U.S. Justice Department before making any change affecting voting and elections. The law is intended to prevent discrimination against blacks at the polls.
But now some localities are petitioning the federal government for relief from the VRA rules.
Officials in those localities say the VRA requirements, especially those dealing with such minor actions as moving a registrar's office or holding a registration drive, are no longer necessary. They're also expensive and time-consuming for local administrators who spend countless hours filling out and mailing VRA notification forms, they say.
''This is really costing taxpayers across the United States a lot of money,'' former Fairfax registrar Kevin Dunn said Thursday. ''The bigger picture is the federal intrusion into local government.''
Fairfax is already partially exempt. In April, Shenandoah and Frederick counties filed bailout requests with federal courts. Other localities considering whether to seek bailouts include Danville, Bedford and Lynchburg, along with Campbell, Halifax and Pittsylvania counties.
Some local leaders, though, believe the rules still help ward off racial discrimination.
''The South has more work to do before the Justice Department lifts its oversight,'' said Sherman Saunders, a black member of the Danville city council.
Before the Civil Rights Movement, some localities - particularly in the Deep South - used literacy tests, poll taxes and a variety of other methods to deter blacks from voting. Those areas are the ones held to Voting Rights Act restrictions.
In 1982, Congress amended the VRA's ''bailout'' provision. The new rules made it easier for local governments to be exempted from federal pre-clearance requirements if they could prove they had been free of discrimination for a decade.
Fairfax is the only local government in the country that has been exempted from having to receive federal approval before changing its election rules and procedures, Justice Department spokesman David Slade said Thursday.
A U.S. District judge in Washington declared Fairfax exempt in October 1997.
Danville's city council will vote July 6 on whether to proceed with the bailout process.
J. Gerald Hebert, an Alexandria lawyer who helped Fairfax with its bailout, pitched the idea to the Danville council last week. Hebert said Danville has sent 121 voting changes to the Justice Department in the past 15 years at an administrative cost of about $12,100.
Councilman Charles Scott said getting the bailout might be a source of civic pride, and electoral board chairman Jerry Williams said it would remove an unnecessary level of bureaucracy.
But Saunders and three other council members opposed the move.
Saunders said having the VRA is like having the police patrol his neighborhood: The area may be crime-free, but he's not ready to ask them to stop the patrols.
''While I'm extremely pleased with the progress Danville has made in race relations, lifting the restrictions at this time may not be a good idea,'' he said. ''There is a potential for violations here and anywhere in the South.''
Willie Thornhill, a member of the local NAACP branch, said the organization is worried that an exemption would mute minorities' voices in the county.
Dunn, who left his Fairfax post in March, said there was opposition to the bailout there, too, from people who thought the city was taking ''a step backward and diluting the Voting Rights Act.
''This is not the case,'' he said. ''We wanted to prove to everyone that we've moved forward.''

Halifax County businesses and industries were honored during the Fifth Annual Business and Education Partnership Recognition Luncheon Friday in South Boston.
For nearly a decade now the Southside Virginia Business and Education Commission has been focused on creating a working partnership between the schools and local businesses and industries in order to produce a well-trained, well-educated work force and promote the Southside.
"Our number one need here in Southside Virginia is education," said keynote speaker Virginia Delegate W.W. "Ted" Bennett. "The perception of the Southside from the outside mirrors reality, and we need to invest in our people."
Bennett, who served as the chairman of the Southside Economic Development Commission's Task Force on Education, Training and the Work Force and was a key leader in the creation of SVBEC, told the group of representatives from local colleges, SVBEC, and regional businesses who gathered at Ernie's Cottage Friday to remember that those who help themselves are the ones who are helped the most, and that it was up to the community business leaders to come forward and do everything in their power to make the local school system excel and promote the area.
"My vision for this community is to remember that we're on watch. We want people to look back on us in 20 years and see what we did to help," Bennett said. "We need to attempt to stir the blood, to be an influence on the Southside."
In order to achieve these aspirations, Bennett said, schools must have qualified, inspired teachers, and they must be paid fairly.
"Ask yourself, 'Am I doing what I can to make our schools competitive and to make our children return home?' We must pay our teachers competitively and raise the level of dignity and economic attractiveness of a career in teaching," Bennett challenged.
He also said that Southside students need to be provided with alternatives during their educational careers.
"Right now the choice they have is college prep or getting a , and this is not articulate with the real world. We need to recognize that this sort of curriculum is too narrow, and students should have access to college prep courses as well as instruction on workplace skills and other alternative curriculums," he said.
That is why the Business and Education Partnership is so important - because the participating companies provide local students with hands-on experience in the workplace and invaluable instruction.
"That is our responsibility," said SVBEC Executive Director Dr. Elaine Fogliani. "We must inspire and facilitate, cultivate and support, recognize and celebrate, and take the best models and share their accomplishments and methods with the other 23 districts."
The SVBEC Partnership Recognition Program was established nearly a decade ago to acknowledge communities that are effectively addressing these previously mentioned issues by recognizing the "integral relationship between education and the economic development of a community."
There are three graduated levels of recognition, and this year the Halifax County Business/Education Partnership Program was awarded the highest level (Level 3) for effectively addressing the issues of quality schools and a quality work force through collaborative activities among education, business, and community groups.
To qualify for Level 3 Recognition, a community must have all of the standards for both Level 1 and 2 in place, as well as numerous other requirements.
Current partnership projects include the creation of a Work Force Endorsement Agreement where employers work with educators to send a strong message that academics and a high school diploma do count. Employers have agreed to request high school transcripts from applicants who attend or graduate from Halifax County High School.
For the second summer, Halifax County employers will open their workplaces to host teachers for a five-day shadowing experience in the Educators in the Workplace Program.
It was for these and other accomplishments that Halifax County was recognized this year, and a plaque was presented to commend those local businesses, industries, community leaders and the Halifax County School Board for all they have done over the years to promote education and to prepare local students for a successful future in today's business world.

Another milestone in the renaissance of Staunton River Battlefield State Park took place Saturday with the groundbreaking for the Roanoke Station Depot at Randolph and dedication of Civil War Trail Markers at both Randolph and Clover.
"This is another grand occasion in the evolution of this state park," said Del. W.W. "Ted" Bennett.
"This puts this battlefield, Randolph, and Clover on the Civil War Trails Map. More people will be able to find us. The tourism and visitations to this park have been extraordinary. It's exceeded a number of parks far older and more developed than this one."
Bennett said moving the old Roanoke Station Depot to its original site at Randolph and restoring it for use as a historical site will bring yet another piece of the area's history into being.
"We hope within a year we will have the depot here on site and operational," Bennett stated.
"This piece will be a multi-dimensional piece and I think it will be quite an asset to Charlotte County and Randolph."
Mitch Bowman, Executive Director of Civil War Trails for the Virginia Department of Tourism pointed out that the marker placed at Randolph side of the battlefield is the 180th marker that the organization has placed with little or no interpretation.
"We have over 200 markers across the state," Bowman explained.
"But, this marker represents what our program is all about."
At the Civil War Trails Marker dedication ceremony at the Clover site Bowman told the audience that the battlefield is "where the past, present, and future come together."
"It really wasn't that long ago that men stood this ground to protect the bridge and they did so on principle. Nor was it very long ago when men attacked that bridge and they did so on principle."
"I think in the future it's most important that we remember that and we commemorate that by allowing visitors to stand exactly where this event happened."
Bowman reminded the handful of youngsters that attended the ceremony "don't forget the day this marker was unveiled because it's your marker and your site, and you're going to be the custodians of it in the future."
Douglas Powell of Halifax, a trustee and member of the Historic Staunton River Foundation and one of the key individuals involved in the evolution of the park and getting it on the Civil War Trails Map, called Saturday's unveiling and dedication of the markers "a great day for me."
"We are one of the few Civil War Trail locations that has two markers because we have two counties and two entrances."
Lottie Nunn, a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, was pleased with the events that included the marker dedications.
"I think it's a big day," Nunn said.
"This is a wonderful facility and I'm glad Halifax County has a share in it."
Park Manager Tim Vest joined the other program participants in lauding the major milestone that Saturday's unveiling of the Civil War Trails Markers represented for the park and pointed out what a real treasure area residents have in the park.
"This probably the most unique park in Virginia," Vest said.
Not only do we have the Civil War site but we also have a Native American site."
Vest pointed out that the park is noted on The Burning Trails if Virginia map and that the state's second largest manmade wetlands are located in a portion of the park.
"Usually, it takes seven to ten years to see a park develop from the first phase to the end," noted Vest.
"This park really came into being in about three years."
Phillip Staten, who represents the Randolph community on the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors, told the audience at Randolph that the dedication of the trail marker and groundbreaking for the Roanoke Station depot marks a milestone event for his community.
"I'm so glad that this idea that was discussed around a table has become a reality," Staten remarked.
"This is a great day for Charlotte County and this a great day for the people of Randolph. Without the volunteers and everyone participating together this park would not be a reality."
Charlotte County Administrator R.B. Clark admitted that in the beginning some of the Charlotte County officials did not have the same enthusiasm about the park as the volunteers and those trying to develop it held.
"Truthfully, we had to be educated a lot," Clark said.
Clark said that now that everyone has witnessed the work that has been done and the real potential of the park can be seen, the park now has the full support of the governing body.
"We can promote this area and you will see a lot of that in the future," Clark noted.
"We are on board. We are your partners and we are your friends. We are very proud of this."

Gentle breezes and an occasional light sprinkle helped keep things cool while people of all ages enjoyed the Second Annual Southern Heritage Festival in South Boston Saturday.
The festival, which celebrates traditional southern living, featured numerous exhibits from blacksmithing and tobacco stringing to quilting and bee keeping.
The Prizery was a sea of rich color, sound and talent as the various artisans concentrated over their work.
A small but steady flow of people filtered through the historic building which, when it was constructed along the Dan River in the 1890's, was were the "prized" tobacco was processed.
Several quilters bent over their fabric artistry and shared their love for quilting with curious onlookers, occasionally inviting someone to pick up a needle and join them for a spell, while just a few feet away Spencer Hayden explained the magic behind his Raku pottery.
Across the way, intricate stitch-work resulted in breathtaking smocking, which adorned the bodices of children's dresses and other items.
Children flocked around the face painting booth closely studying the hundreds of different designs while waiting for their turn, while other studied an active bee hive with rapt attention.
Toward the rear of the building, woodworkers created beautiful pieces from simple boards and sticks to the delight of all ages.
On the stage, Folk Salad entertained the crowd with a collection of folk and bluegrass music played on traditional instruments.
Others walked slowly through the maze of student artwork.
Outside, the clang of the blacksmith's hammer reverberated through the air as he pounded red hot iron pieces into delicate works of art.
Just beyond him, the sweet smell of tobacco hangs in the air around the tobacco stringing display.
Candy apples, hot dogs, soft drinks, "bloomin' onions", french fries, and snowcones could be found in sticky children's (and adults') hands around Constitution Square, where people gathered for a bite to eat or to take time to chat with old friends while admiring antique John Deere tractors, vintage cars, and Mark Steven's bright yellow ultra-light.
And while the adults rested in the shade or basted in the sun, the children stayed busy bouncing through the moon walk or riding the tractor-train around the festival.
"It really went very well," said Jennifer Mackintosh, with the Community Arts Center Foundation, who organized the event, which was a celebration of Southern Heritage.

Community involvement was the theme as the Halifax County YMCA celebrated its 25th Anniversary with three days of food, fun and fellowship this past weekend.
"Community was the name of the game," said YMCA Executive Director Bill Harris Sunday. "There was a good crowd, and I think everyone had a good time."
From the opening pitch of the softball tournament to the drawing for the go-cart Sunday, the celebration of the YMCA's 25th Anniversary of its incorporation in the state of Virginia was a big hit, Harris said.
Visitors were given the opportunity to tour the freshly erected modular unit that was donated to the YMCA by Bret and Dorothy Berneche, owners of Cardinal Homes, while several volunteers from the community and local churches worked inside.
"This building is a perfect example of community involvement," Harris said. "Because of it, we will be better able to provide programs to the public that we didn't have space for before.
"We're going to call it the YMCA Cardinal Community Center. The Cardinal will represent not only Cardinal Homes, who donated it, but the cardinal efforts of the community."
This building will provide the YMCA with space it needs for conducting roll model/mentor instruction, teen programs, child care, educational programs, bridge games, and more.
Harris believes the YMCA's growth, not only in facility size but membership, is plays a vital part in its ability to serve the community by providing funding to reach out and do things for the community.
Harris said work on the 5,600 square-foot expansion to the existing facility should begin within the next two weeks and span a four-month period, which will eventually enable the YMCA to hold aerobic dance classes, cardiovascular exercise classes, and install a larger weight training room.
"We were all pleased to see the public come out and celebrate with us," Harris said. "That's what we're here for, is the community."
Of all the weekend activities, the softball tournament appeared to bring in the largest crowds. Cheers could be heard down the street when the community team known as the Renegades brought home the Tournament Title.
The industrial BHK & Huber Team placed second, while ABB came in third place.
Due to a last-minute cancellation, the swim meet, which was scheduled for Saturday morning, became more of an exhibition, and the volleyball action was all free-play, rather than a tournament, as had originally been planned.
"I think it went really well, actually. The parents and some visitors seemed to enjoy the exhibition, and there were several informal volleyball games," Harris said. "We're looking forward to doing something similar next year."
While the South Boston/Halifax County YMCA incorporated with Virginia back in June, 1974, it has actually been a strong presence in the community for nearly a century.
"Back in the beginning, the YMCA was usually located in a tall building equipped with a beacon to guide newcomers to its doors," Harris said. "Back then, the purpose of the YMCA was to provide an area for people new to the community to come and get help finding food, shelter and employment."
Through the years, the YMCA evolved into any number of things, all of which were centered around the community and run by volunteers.
"The goal of our YMCA is to make a difference in human lives by fostering personal growth," said Harris, who is also celebrating his one-year anniversary as the local director of the YMCA. "Our mission is to put Christian principals like honesty, responsibility, and respect into practice through programs that build healthy body, mind and spirit in a safe atmosphere. As the YMCA mottos states, 'We build strong kids, strong families and strong communities.'
"Proceeds from this event, and the continued growth of our membership, will allow the YMCA to better serve the entire community by offering improved programs and services to our diverse population," Harris said. "We want to continue to focus our efforts on community needs and this event will help fund the start or Teen and Youth Fitness Programs, expand our Adult and Active Older Adult Programs, better support existing programs such as the YMCA Bridge Club. Our future growth will help us to focus on other community needs, such as Before and After School Child Care and programs for positive parenting, teen leadership, oral and written communication, and many other educational efforts needed in our community."
Raffle tickets for the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado are still available at the YMCA, Harris added.
"We sold a number of them over the weekend, and we have about 150 left," he said.
Only 500 $100 chances will be sold, Harris explained, to give people a better chance at winning.
The drawing will be held by December 31 or as soon every ticket is sold, whichever comes first.

Magnolia's sweet fragrance caressing "Redfield's" guests, an almost full July moon scattering its gentle rays across plantation grounds, and guests dancing in the 19th century carriage house or perhaps partaking of a treasury of gourmet delicacies, all beckon July 31 during the Halifax Woman's Club-sponsored War Memorial Park gala.
Invitations to the "black tie optional" event were issued last week.
Inside the mansion house English musician Graham Preskett will delight guests with his original compositions for American film as well as offering a variety of classical and popular selections.
"Redfield" is the plantation home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Holt Edmunds.
The Halifax Woman's Club is raising funds to purchase land extending the courthouse green in Halifax as a site for a war memorial honoring all county residents killed while in service to their country. The land will be given to the county.
The Menu
In the dining room guests will enjoy country ham biscuits, curried chicken salad in pita pockets, fresh melon wrapped in proscuitto and marinated asparagus.
Lemon shortbread with berries and whipped cream and six cheese pate with apple slices will be found there.
Outside at the grille station, skewered filet mignon tips, skewered chicken with pineapple, assorted sausages with herbed mustards, shrimp and scallop kabobs and assorted rolls and spreads await the strolling guest's pleasure.
At Sautee Station corn and crab pancakes, sauteed mushrooms in garlic thyme butter and shrimp and pork dumplings with dim sum sauce.
A second table will offer fruits, vegetables with dips, spreads and breads.
A dessert table with assorted desserts, berries and fruits will also invite guests' to linger.
Invitations were issued last week to the Halifax Woman's Club War Memorial Park gala fund-raiser. Tickets are $75 per person. Interested parties may contact club president Mrs. George Bagwell.

The call every parent prays will never come sliced through the pre-dawn hours into Eddie and Shelby Hatchers' hearts.
It was Sunday, June 6, and their 18-year-old son Kevin had been seriously injured when his car overturned in a curve along Terry's Bridge Road.
Kevin was declared brain dead at Duke Medical Center two days later, two days before his dad's birthday.
It was then, overwhelmed with grief, that the Hatcher family chose life for others.
"We asked the organ donor organization people to come see us. Knowing that boy," said his dad, "I know that's what he wanted to do.
"Three people were helped," he added softly. "It brings a little peace to us knowing he is helping someone somewhere."
"When Kevin died...," his mother began. "God wasn't selfish when He gave him to us and we didn't want to be selfish when He took him home," said Shelby Hatcher.
"We had cried so much," recalled the teenager's mother. "Other families would have tears of joy because they had a second chance."
Duke officials called the Hatcher family the following morning to tell them the heart and kidney transplant operations were completed.
Kevin's heart and one kidney stayed in North Carolina. The second kidney went out of state, according to his dad.
"I would like to know one day who was helped," added Hatcher.
The family will receive some information about the recipients in the next few weeks. Later, the Hatchers plan to write a letter which the organ donor organization will forward to organ recipients, if they wish to receive it.
"I want to meet the people," said Hatcher. "I understand that someone might not want someone to come into their lives, but I would like to meet them."
Eddie and Shelby Hatcher also plan to have the organ donor symbol affixed to their driving permits.
The state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is anxious to help with the organ donation program. They began asking customers about organ donation in February of this year.
So far this year nearly a quarter of a million DMV customers have said 'yes' to organ donation, according to DMV records. That compares to 78,000 positive responses during the same time in 1998.
There is no charge to have the organ donor status displayed on the driver's license or identification card if it is done at the regular renewal time. If requested prior to renewal, there is a $5 charge for the card.
Kevin's parents remember their son as someone who would always help people.
He was working at D-Scan and talking about going to college prior to the accident, according to his dad.
"He wanted to do something with wildlife. Maybe a game warden," said Hatcher.
"He loved to hunt deer, turkey, ducks, everything you could hunt," continued his dad. "He had every hunting license."
Since Kevin was an honor roll student, his dad said he would let him miss school the first day of hunting season.
It was a point Kevin's senior government teacher, Mrs. Hodges, recalled when she joined hundreds here paying their final respects to the Scottsburg teenager.
"She said she knew when Kevin wasn't at school it must be the first day of hunting season for something," recalled Hatcher.
"Of all things, it kind of put a smile on my face at a pretty grim time," said Hatcher of the teacher's comments.
Silence prevailed, perhaps harboring its own sweet memory, before Kevin's father continued.
"If it is humanly possible to help someone in need...," began Hatcher. " Our time with Kevin was over. It was time to help someone else," said the teenager's dad. "It could have been worse, we could not have had him."

Several people face drug charges resulting from a routine traffic check set up on Route 40 Friday night.
According to reports from the Halifax County Sheriff's Office, Jacquelin Barksdale Davis, 48, of Leda Road, Nathalie, was ticketed for failing to display a county decal on her vehicle when she went through the traffic check near Robert's Quick Stop shortly before 10:30 p.m.
Upon further investigation, Davis was also charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Also arrested on controlled substance possession charges were Lewis Earl Miller, 38, of Cherry Creek Road, Nathalie, and Alvin Eugene Crews, 35, of Turkey Track Lane, Nathalie.
Two men were also charged with driving under the influence during the traffic check.
Leroy Tucker, 53, of Cody Road, Nathalie, was charged with driving under the influence at 10:24 p.m., and James E. Haley, 38, of Brookneal Road, Gladys, was arrested on drunk driving charges at 11:45 p.m.

Richard Thomas Adams, 89, of Brookneal died Thursday, June 24, 1999.
Mr. Adams was born in Halifax County on July 7, 1909 the son of Jesse T. Adams and Loulie E. Booker Adams and was married to Geraldine Scott Adams. He was a member of Childrey Baptist Church, President of Adams Lumber Company, Inc. and a retired farmer.
In addition to his wife he is survived by three sons, Richard Thomas Adams Jr. and his wife June of Garner, NC, James Edward Adams and his wife Peri of Brookneal and Robert Clark Adams and his wife Denise of Rockville; one granddaughter, Virginia S. Adams of Garner; one brother, William Booker Adams of Nathalie; two nieces, Grace G. Anderson and Louise Scott Steele; one nephew, Dr. R.F. Burk Steele Jr.; and a caretaker, JoAnn Davis.
A funeral service was held at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 26 at Henderson Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Wickliffe Cemetery in Brookneal.

Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Brookneal Volunteer Fire Department or Childrey Baptist Church.

Donald Monroe New of 306 Summit Drive, South Boston died Thursday, June 24, 1999 at his home. He was 65 years of age.
Mr. New was born in South Boston on October 11, 1933 the son of Walter David Ne and Easter Belle Pulley New and was married to Lois D. New. He was a member of the VFW and the American Legion.
Survivors include his wife; four daughters, Sharon N. Powell of Roxboro, NC, Carol N. Walton of Keeling, Pam N. Perkins of Nathalie and Kim N. Ferrell of Vernon Hill; two granddaughters, Lisa P. Loflin of Mebane, NC and Samantha Brooke Ferrell of Vernon Hill; and one brother, Darrell New of Winter Garden, FL.

A graveside service for Mr. New was held Sunday, June 27 at 3 p.m. at Halifax Memorial Gardens with Military Rites. Revs. Bob Watts and Harper Davis conducted the service.

Mrs. Shirley Mayo Ferrell of Inwood, N.Y. and formerly of Halifax passed away Wednesday, June 23 at South Nassau Community Hospital in Oceanside, N.Y.
Mrs. Ferrell was born in Halifax County on February 27, 1936 and was 63 years old at the time of her demise.
Survivors include her four sons, Gary Howerton of Fayetteville, N.C., James Howerton of Capital Heights, Md., Rick Howerton of Far Rockaway, N.Y. and Reginald Ferrell of Inwood; one sister, Linda Mayo of Inwood; one brother, John Mayo of Ettrick; and her step-mother, Mary Mayo of Halifax.
Funeral services for Mrs. Ferrell were held Saturday at Mountain Grove Missionary Baptist Church in South Boston, with interment in the church cemetery.
Family will receive friends at the home of Mary Mayo, 4184 Mountain Rd., Halifax.