By NANCY BENAC
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Trying to salvage landmark tobacco legislation, President Clinton accused members of Congress of standing in the way of saving children's lives and declared: ''The American people will not stand for it.''
''This is a critical moment of truth for Congress,'' Clinton said Saturday in his weekly radio address.
Speaking directly to legislators, he said: ''You are not just trying to kill the tobacco bill. You are standing in the way of saving one million children's lives.''
Countering Clinton, Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., said it should be up to parents, not the government, to discourage children from smoking. Sponsors of the legislation ''think that they are going to accomplish something they absolutely are not going to accomplish,'' Helms said on CNN's ''Evans and Novak.''
Clinton is trying to breathe new life into the sweeping bill sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that would raise cigarette taxes and more closely regulate tobacco. The legislation is bogged down in the Senate as Republicans and Democrats point blame at one another.
Clinton said the legislation has broad bipartisan support but is being held up by a few unspecified members of Congress who have ''done everything they could to protect big tobacco by putting off a vote.''
''The delay has gone on long enough,'' Clinton said. ''The Senate should do nothing else until it passes tobacco legislation, and it should pass it this week.''
Republican opponents contend punitive payments the legislation would assess the tobacco industry amount to nothing more than hidden taxation of people who smoke. The bill establishes ''the biggest tax increase in history,'' said Helms, whose state is the nation's largest tobacco producer.
''In the first place, I don't think the bill is going to pass,'' Helms said. ''I have not thought from the beginning that the American people will swallow that, and the evidence is piling up that they don't favor it.''
In his radio address, taped Friday, Clinton said the bill is ''reasonable, bipartisan and in the best interests of our children.'' He called it the most important issue before the Congress.
McCain's bill would charge tobacco companies at least $516 billion over 25 years, raise taxes on cigarettes by $1.10 a pack and grant the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate nicotine.
Helms and other conservatives say the proposal would undercut their drive for lower taxes and smaller government. Others say a sweeping bill is the only way to discourage teen-age smoking.
Relations between congressional leaders soured Friday after parliamentary maneuvering ended without agreement on how the bill should proceed.
With the good will that helped get the legislation this far now virtually gone, some congressional aides predict that legislators will enact instead a less inclusive bill to discourage teen smoking and illicit drug use.
Clinton taped his radio address at the Boston home of Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-Mass., on the 30th anniversary of the assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, D-N.Y.
''The distance of three decades cannot silence the strength of his words or lessen the impact of his actions,'' Clinton said.
By JIM ABRAMS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - A day after President Clinton urged Congress to move quickly on a giant tobacco bill, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott declared the bill ''dead in the water'' Sunday and said it may never come to a vote.
The ''real addiction'' is the Congress' compulsion to find more ways to tax Americans and spend money, Lott, R-Miss., said on CNN's ''Late Edition.''
''Right now it's dead in the water unless the attitude changes,'' he said. ''It has become a cookie jar, and every vote that's taken it gets worse.''
Senate Republicans and Democrats hit a wall over the bill on Friday, with Lott saying its chances for passage were ''over'' because of what he said were Democratic ''games.'' Democrats, objecting to Lott's decision to allow votes on GOP amendments they don't like, have filed motions to limit debate and move to final passage.
Lott said votes would be held this week on a GOP plan to discourage teen-age drug use and on another Republican priority, a measure to eliminate tax law that makes some married couples pay more in tax than they would if they lived together without being married. Both are in the form of amendments to the tobacco bill.
But Lott said the 60 votes needed to cut off further amendments and end debate probably aren't there, and a vote on passage this week is ''not very likely.''
Clinton said in his radio address broadcast Saturday that debate has gone on long enough on the bill, which would cost tobacco companies $516 billion over 25 years and enforce more controls over tobacco content in a bid to reduce teen smoking. ''The Senate should do nothing else until it passes tobacco legislation, and it should pass it this week,'' he said.
Lott and other opponents of the legislation, sponsored by Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, say the bill, which would raise the price of a pack of cigarettes by $1.10, is nothing more than a hidden tax on people who smoke. They have advocated more modest legislation aimed at reducing teen smoking and drug abuse. ''The problem is greed has set in,'' Lott said.
But White House counsel Paul Begala, also on CNN, warned that if Republicans block a bill now, Democrats are going to use it as an election issue this fall.
''They are either going to have a bipartisan accomplishment, which is what the president prefers, or they are going to have a partisan election-year issue,'' Begala said. ''We'll resolve this from the voters, to see who is on the side of Big Tobacco and to see who is on the side of our kids.''
Fifty-four years after the June 6, 1944 invasion of France, six widows of deceased area veterans accepted the Normandy medal forwarded to them from the citizens of the Normandy region through their president, Rene Garrec, and the 29th Division Association this weekend.
The ceremony was held at Saturday, June 6, at the Virginia Army National Guard Armory on Hamilton Blvd.,
The medals recognize the late veterans' contributions in freeing France from Nazi oppression.
Receiving medals were Mrs. Janie C. Bradshaw Nickols, widow of Harvey M. "Mac" Bradshaw; Mrs. Velma W. Ferrell, widow of Robert L. "Lansing" Ferrell; Mrs. Caroline C. Matze, widow of Mervin L. Matze; Mrs. Grace Wilborn, widow of Walter R. "Curly" Wilborn; Mrs. Arlene P. Grimes, widow of Orlando T. "OT" Grimes; and Mrs. Shirley A. Carmichael, widow of Samuel T. "Sam" Carmichael.
Brigadier William E. Haymes (Ret)., and Colonel Charlie Y. Talbott (Ret)., both former members of local F Company, presented the medals.
In addition to the medal, two certificates, one in the original French and the other in a correct translation to English was also be presented to the widows.
Designed and minted by Monnaie de Paris, the medal features an engraved flame of Liberty on one side. On the reverse side a map of Lower Normandy with the code names of the D-Day landing operation (Overlord) and the beaches, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Utah and Sword, together with the flags of the Allied nations are detailed.
All WWII veterans who took part in the landings or the battle of Normandy are eligible to receive a medal by applying to their military association or writing directly to the Association Debarquement et Bataille de Normandie 1944 (ABDN 44, Abbaye-aux-Dames, place Mathilde, BP 311-14015-Caen Cedex, France, enclosing documentary proof of service, according to one of the coordinators of this ceremony, Buddy Thaxton.
This proof of service is normally found on the reverse side of WWII discharges and will indicate a Statement of Service. Families of those killed in this fighting may apply for a medal to be awarded posthumously, according to event coordinator Thaxton.
By Beth Robertson
Unconscious at Duke Medical Center for weeks last summer, Christie Rogers could not walk, talk or eat when she finally came to.
No one thought she would be able to walk down the aisle with her classmates during graduation ceremonies this week.
But the medical experts did not know Christie.
Sheer will and determination, plus a lot of love and support from family, friends and teachers, turned the tide.
This week the 18-year-old senior will march down the aisle with the HCHS graduating class of 1998.
Today, Christie Rogers is all smiles.
Since the July automobile accident last year, Christie's progress has been amazing.
A passenger in a single car accident in the Volens community, she suffered traumatic brain injury as well as a broken pelvis in the crash.
It was early afternoon - following summer school - when the wreck occurred.
"It was terrible," said Christie's mother Connie Rogers. "She lost about six weeks in the hospital."
When Christie finally came to she had no idea where she was, but it also signalled the beginning of rehabilitation and the long road back home.
Learning to walk, talk and eat followed.
She left the hospital September 5, 1997 and began her senior year the same month.
The courageous senior was on track.
However, there would be one complication.
"When Christie came out of the hospital, there were no tremors in her hands," explained her mother. But tremors did begin, first in her right and then her left hand.
"Although the tremors got worse, the teachers never complained," added Connie Rogers. Teachers even allowed other students to help Christie when necessary, allowing them to take her dictation.
There is also a mother's obvious pride when she notes Christie made the honor roll this school season.
"Halifax County High School has been wonderful," said Christie's mother. "We expected them to call anyway and say we would have to remove her, but the teachers were understanding and supportive. And the students backed her."
Unable to write or drive a car, Christie is currently being treated for the tremor problem, treatment includes biofeedback.
There is one surprising plus in Christie's recovery, however.
"A teenager can still remember how to dial the phone even with a brain injury," laughed Connie Rogers.
Christie's big brown eyes seemed to silently laugh along with her mother, not even bothering to deny.
Next on the senior's agenda, Christie plans to wait a semester before trying college. Prior to the accident her plans had been to go into the Navy. "I wanted to be an officer in communications," said the senior.
Now she is hoping to get a computer she can activate by voice rather than typing.
Her collegiate goal? "To be a speech therapist," replied Christie, who was particularly impressed with a therapist she met at Duke.
But it is her senior year that looms most in her mind today.
"Class work was hard when she returned to school," recalled the senior. "But I missed everyone and really wanted to graduate and see my friends."
The family particularly remembers teachers Benita Gauldin, Patrick Davis, Paula Bruce and Connie Manning and their help.
"My parents really stood by me and pushed me, and I love them to death," said Christie of her parents, Mark and Connie. "And prayer and the Lord," she added.
The senior's mother also credits the fact her daughter can be "pretty hardheaded" to her determined recovery.
"Everyone has been so nice, Revelation Baptist Church, friends, the whole wonderful Republican Grove community, and the Ronald McDonald House in Durham ," recalled Connie. "Christie is a walking miracle."
Three people were injured during a Saturday night crash on U.S. 58 near the Halifax County Industrial Park.
Joseph Daniel Crawley III, 54, of South Boston was headed westbound when he lost control of a 1990 Chevrolet Camaro, ran across the median strip, and struck an eastbound pickup, according to the Virginia State Police.
That 1979 Chevrolet pickup truck was operated by Michael Owen Featherstone, 37, of Alton. Both drivers were injured and both vehicles were declared total losses, according to the investigation.
A passenger in the pickup truck, Queen Vanessa Henderson, 30, of Alton, was also injured, police said.
The 9:30 p.m. incident occurred on U.S. 58, about 300 feet east of Rt. 939, according to the investigation.
The front passenger side of Crawley's vehicle struck the driver's side front quarter of the pickup, causing both vehicles to run off the right side of the road, police said.
Crawley was ejected from the Camaro upon impact and thrown forwards. Meanwhile, the pickup truck struck a tree head-on and ended up on top of Crawley's legs, according to the investigation.
Crawley was flown by helicopter to Duke University Hospital in Durham, N.C. He was listed in serious condition Sunday afternoon in the hospital's ICU unit, according to a Duke hospital spokesman.
Featherstone and Henderson were treated at the Halifax Regional Hospital.
Charges are pending and the incident is still under investigation by Virginia State Trooper L.G. Perkins.
Mrs. Bertha Coleman Johnson of Columbia, Md. and formerly of Halifax County died Tuesday, June 2 in Columbia at the age of 74.
She was born in Halifax County October 31, 1923 and was the daughter of the late Mr. Joseph Coleman and Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson Coleman. She was married to the late Mr. Charles R. Johnson.
Mrs. Johnson is survived by three daughters, Mrs. Cynthia Y. Crayton of Beacon, N.Y., Mrs. Charlene Savoy of Columbia and Ms. Faith Johnson of Columbia; four sons, Mr. Alfred Leon Coleman of Alton, Mr. Richard C. Johnson of Broadalbin, N.Y., Mr. Wayne S. Johnson of North Palm Beach, Fl. and Mr. Paul J. Johnson of Baltimore, Md.; two sisters, Mrs. Gladys McEddy of Seat Pleasant, Md. and Miss Viola Coleman of Alton; one brother, Mr. Joseph Coleman of Turbeville; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held today at 11 a.m. at the Mason Chapel Baptist Church with the Rev. Ronald Claiborne officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Mrs. Thelma Maxey Rogers of Alton died June 6 at Halifax Regional Hospital. She was born in Pardee, Va. on September 15, 1915 and was 82 years old.
Mrs. Rogers was the daughter of Thomas Edward Maxey and Vincie Snead Maxey and was married to Will Arvil Rogers. She was a member of Alton Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Will Arvil Maxey of Alton; two daughters, Zelda R. Guill of Alton and Jean R. Reynolds of Callands; four sisters, Geneva Authur of Maryville, Tn., Veda Overton of Knoxville, Tn., Jeanette Spangler and Virginia Moore, both of Andrews, N.C.; three brothers, Frank Maxey of Tell City, In., Ron Maxey of Marble, N.C. and Keith Maxey of Ohio; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be held today at 11 a.m. at Alton Baptist Church Cemetery with the Rev. Doug Spurlock conducting.
The family will receive friends at the home of the deceased, 1249 Paradise Rd., Alton.
Rachel Adams Crews, 51, of Nathalie died Saturday, June 6 at Halifax Regional Hospital. She was the wife of Charlie Eugene Crews.
She was born in Halifax County January 10, 1947, daughter of the late Odell B. Adams and Nannie Calvin Adams. She was a member of Childrey Baptist Church. She was retired from Creative Cake Shoppe.
She is survived by one son and daughter-in-law, Chuck and Yvette Crews of Nathalie; one daughter and son-in-law, Velvet and Long McCall of Nathalie; step-mother, Bertha Adams of Nathalie; one sister, Ruby Adams Fisher of South Boston; one half-sister, Cathy Adams Worsham of Level Run; step-sister, Barbara Waller of Gladys; three grandchildren, Shaun McCall, Jessica McCall and Trace Crews, all of Nathalie. She was preceded in death by a sister, Brenda Adams.
A funeral service will be conducted at 2 p.m. today at Childrey Baptist Church by the Rev. Shelton Miles with burial following in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the residence on State Shed Rd., Nathalie.