Mushrooming interest

EXPLAINING SHIITAKE MUSHROOM PRODUCTION — Andy Hawkins of Virginia State University led a lecture on growing shiitake mushrooms for a large crowd at The Prizery on Thursday afternoon. The event was arranged by Kazuko Yamasaki, the Japanese Outreach Initiative Coordinator who has been living in the United States for the past two years. (Danny Lamberth photo)

Supes relax terms on M&S lease commitment

Halifax County Supervisors, meeting in a specially called meeting last Thursday evening, spent most of their time in closed session. They took action on several items following the executive session, including lifting a restriction on the $400,000 loan they had promised the Industrial Development Authority last year.

QUESTION: How much does dual enrollment cost the Halifax County school division?

At first blush, the answer would seem to be very little. The two providers of dual enrollment courses at HCHS, Danville Community College and Southside Virginia Community College, last year billed the Halifax County Public Schools for total tuition costs of $872,392.75. But the community college system also provided a rebate of $854,944.90. That left a net bill of $17,447.85, or about 2 percent of the total tuition, said Finance Director Bill Covington.