From Staff and AP Reports

S. Vance Wilkins, who resigned as the state's first Republican Speaker of the House last month amid reports of sexual misconduct, told constituents in a letter Tuesday he will end his 25-year legislative career in August.
"It's the end of a sad chapter for the Virginia House of Delegates," Del. Clarke Hogan, R-Halifax, said yesterday.
"I would like to think that 10 years from now, people will remember the job he's done for this state, not the way he resigned."
Wilkins said in the letter, dated Tuesday, that he had mailed notice of his intent to retire effective August 15 to House of Delegates Clerk Bruce Jamerson.
''This has been a very difficult decision; made more difficult by the many calls and letters I have received urging me to hold my seat. Even though serving the Commonwealth has been my focus and my life for over a quarter century, there is life for me after the General Assembly,'' Wilkins wrote.
''There comes a time to move on, and now is that time,'' he said.
Wilkins admitted in his June 13 resignation as speaker that he had paid $100,000 last fall to a 26-year-old woman to settle her claim that he sexually harassed her.
Wilkins was the first speaker in Virginia history to resign from the post under pressure.
He said at the time he would make a decision about relinquishing his seat in the House within a few weeks.
"I don't think it comes as any great surprise," Hogan said.
"Now we have to fill the void that his resignation has created," he added.
Hogan was quick to point out that Wilkins' resignation left some big shoes to fill.
Wilkins wrote in his letter that he set his retirement for mid-August so Gov. Mark R. Warner will be able to schedule an election to fill the seat during the Nov. 5 general election, sparing the cost of a special election.
Gov. Warner issued a statement yesterday on Wilkins' resignation from the House.
"I have not received a letter from or spoken with the former Speaker about this decision, but I wish him and his family well.
"My hope is that his resignation closes a difficult chapter in Virginia's political life," the governor said.
"I look forward to working with the new leadership in the House to keep Virginia moving forward," he added.
The Republican caucus is scheduled to meet on Saturday to nominate Del. William J. Howell of Stafford as Wilkins' successor.
Hogan said he fills sure Howell will be up to filling Wilkins' shoes.
"I have a whole lot of confidence in Bill Howell," Hogan said.
"I think he will do a great job."
Howell can't be formally appointed speaker until January when the legislature convenes for its annual session.
Del. Lacey E. Putney, a conservative independent from Bedford who caucuses with the GOP, serves as interim speaker until then.
Wilkins entered the General Assembly in 1978, when Republicans held only a handful of the 100 House seats. He played a peerless role in the next 20 years recruiting and mentoring Republicans statewide to seek House seats and raising money for them.
He became speaker after the GOP took a slim majority for the first time in history in the 1999 legislative election. He saw the Republican caucus, counting Putney, expand last year to 65 seats.
He lost the confidence and support of the caucus he helped build, however, after The Washington Post, citing unidentified sources, disclosed the alleged sexual harassment of Jennifer L. Thompson and the $100,000 payment.
Subsequent to the revelation in the Washington Post, Hogan announced in the Gazette-Virginian that he knew of others who alleged sexual harassment by Wilkins.
Wilkins resigned from his position as speaker last June.
In his 300-word letter to constituents, Wilkins thanked them for allowing him to serve ''in the oldest and greatest legislative body in America.''
''Thank you for all the kindnesses you have shown me and thank you for including me in so many of your activities, parades, dinners and lives. I am proud to have represented such a beautiful district that has so many good and decent people,'' he wrote.
Telephone messages left for Wilkins on Tuesday were not immediately returned.

Several Halifax County waterways, including the Banister, Staunton and Dan rivers are listed as 'impaired' in a recent report released by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
Four stretches of the Dan River in Halifax County, totaling 31.73 miles of waterway are listed as contaminated with fecal coliform and PCBs, according to the DEQs 2002 Water Quality Assessment and Impaired Waters Report.
The Banister River is affected in four separate stretches in Halifax County, totaling 30.22 miles of waterway.
Among those listed as 'impaired waters of concern' are eight stretches of the Staunton (Roanoke) River flowing from Campbell to Halifax County.
The report lists the affected areas as in both Campbell and Halifax Countys.
The eight separate stretches of the Staunton total 32.31 miles of waterway.
The report lists the Staunton as being contaminated with fecal coliform and PCBs, with a Virginia Department of Health advisory issued on PCB contamination.
PCBs are polychlorinated biphenyls, a chemical once used in heavy electrical equipment. The chemical is an oily substance that does not break down when exposed to water.
Certain fish will ingest the chemical, which could then be passed on to humans.
"Exposure to PCBs may cause intestinal or stomach illnesses," said Bill Hayden, spokesman for the DEQ.
The report lists both agriculture and urban non-point source pollution as the source of the contamination.
The report lists the source of the fecal coliform in the Roanoke River as unknown.
Both Buffalo Creek and Difficult Creek are listed as 'impaired' in the report due to the presence of fecal coliform.
Aarons Creek, Coleman Creek, Little Coleman Creek and the Hyco River are also listed as 'impaired' due to the presence of fecal coliform.
The presence of fecal coliform bacteria indicates that the water has been contaminated with the fecal matter of man or other animals.
It may present a health risk to individuals who are regularly exposed to the water.
According to the DEQ, significant exposure to fecal coliform bacteria could carry the risk of waterborne pathogenic diseases such as typhoid fever, viral and bacterial stomach illnesses and hepatitis A.
Hayden suggested that agricultural activity could be the cause of the fecal coliform contamination.
"Fecal coliform is a bacteria found in human or animal waste, and some amount of it in a body of water is normal," Hayden said. "The presence of the bacteria is most often the result of runoff from agricultural areas."
Hayden said unless a person is exposed to large amounts, the bacteria is generally harmless.
"This isn't something people need to panic about," he said.
The DEQ spokesman said he wouldn't recommend swimming in polluted waters or ingesting large amounts of untreated water.
The classification of 'impaired' covers a broad range of pollution levels, and may not mean the water is particularly harmful.
"When we classify a river or lake as 'impaired,' it may just be contaminated enough to be included, or it may be really polluted," Hayden said.
"Anything above the minimal levels set by the DEQ is considered polluted," he added.
Anyone seeking more information about the report can contact the Department of Environmental Quality at http://www.deq.state.va.us

Berry Hill is expanding its operations and opening the facility as a Historic Destination bed and breakfast.
The historic mansion's dining room is also open to the public for dinner reservations on Friday and Saturday nights.
The antebellum mansion, beautifully situated on 700 acres, has been serving as an executive conference center since 1999.
"We are delighted to offer the leisure visitor the renowned charm and hospitality of this magnificent property that our corporate clients have been enjoying privately," said Greg Poirier, general manager of Berry Hill.
"Adding the bed and breakfast component is another step toward our goal of making Berry Hill a centerpiece attraction for Southside Virginia."
In its South Boston setting, Berry Hill is located near several other significant historic attractions, such as Ayr Mount, circa 1815, in Hillsborough, Poplar Forest, circa 1812, in Bedford and Prestwould, circa 1794, in Clarksville.
Other tourist attractions include Virginia International Raceway and the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway.
Berry Hill guests will enjoy the facility's pleasurable amenities, including the indoor pool, sauna, fitness room, billiard room, tennis courts, mountain bikes, hiking trails or just strolling through the beautifully landscaped grounds and flower gardens.
The 92 guest rooms are furnished with Italian hand-crafted canopied beds on hardwood floors and decorated with antiques and period reproduction.
The room rate is $169 per night, single or double. Breakfast is served in Berry Hill's formal dining room.
In another new development, Poirier noted that the dining room at Berry Hill is now open to the public for weekend reservations on Friday and Saturday nights.
Seating is from 6-8 p.m. with a prix fixe dinner at $45 per person.
For more information about Berry Hill, see www.berryhillcenter.com.

Two area residents were convicted Monday in Halifax County Circuit Court of possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony following separate bench trials.
Jason Thomas Sizemore, 24, of Virgilina was convicted of the firearm possession charge by Judge Leslie M. Osborn.
Judge Osborn remanded Sizemore to custody prior to a sentencing hearing in the September term of court.
Christy Gail Lloyd, 28, of South Boston, was convicted Monday of possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony.
Judge Osborn ordered a sentencing date in the September term of court for Lloyd, and set her bond at $10,000.
After another Monday bench trial, Jay C. Stauble Jr., 26, of Alton, was convicted of the destruction of property valued at less than $1,000, a misdemeanor.
Judge Osborn fined Stauble $100 and court costs.

Investigators in the June 18 shooting deaths of Donald Carter Rickman, 41, and his estranged wife Juanita Kirkman Rickman, 35, say only one weapon was used in what they are ruling as a murder/suicide of the Vernon Hill couple.
Initial reports following the incident that took place in the parking lot of Tractor Supply in South Boston alluded to a possible second weapon in the shooting.
Captain J.W. Binner told a reporter at the scene that witnesses to the shooting had given police conflicting reports. Binner said that police were investigating the possible origin of what may have been a fourth shot .
According to a medical examiners report, Juanita Rickman was shot twice by the same .357 Magnum revolver that shot Donald Rickman in the chest.

Lieutenant B.K.Lovelace said that preliminary findings by the State Medical Examiner have lead police to rule out a possible second weapon or a third party.

Police say Donald Rickman produced the weapon used in the killings that followed an argument between the couple.

Cameron James Dabbs

Cameron James Dabbs, one month-three days old, of Callands, died July 15 at Duke University Medical Center.
He was born in Danville on June 12, the son of Raymond Dabbs and Michelle Moore Dabbs.
Graveside services will be held today, July 17 at 11 a.m. at Mountain View Cemetery in Danville with the Rev. Randy Williams officiating.
Survivors other than his parents include one sister, Ashley Dabbs; grandparents, Quain and Gale Moore, all of Callands, and Raymond K. Dabbs of Danville; great-grandparents, Henry and Claudine Owen of Alton and Ruth Gauldin of Danville.