ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 7, 1996 TAG: 9607080100
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
Two nuns die after van tire blowout
FRONT ROYAL - Two nuns were killed Saturday when a tire on their van blew out, causing the vehicle to flip several times, state police said.
The driver, Sister Mary Sylvia Vazhathara, 50, and Sister Mary Kateri, 41, also known as Nancy Jean Turo, died from injuries sustained in the crash, said senior dispatcher Joe White of the Virginia State Police in Culpeper.
Sister Vazhathara died at the scene, White said. Sister Turo died at 2:02 p.m. after being transported to Winchester Medical Center, he said.
The women, both from San Francisco, had recently been working with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Brooklyn, N.Y., White said.
A spokeswoman at the nuns' New York convent said they had been visiting a convent in Washington, D.C., and were on their way to one in Jenkins, Ky.
- Associated Press
Charlottesville buses to run on batteries
CHARLOTTESVILLE - City planners hope to have battery-powered buses on the streets of Charlottesville by early next year.
The Charlottesville Transit Service is developing specifications for the buses and expects to receive bids from manufacturers for four electric buses by September. Once the city accepts a bid, all that will remain is a four- to six-month wait for delivery, said Helen Poore, director of CTS.
``The earliest we could see the buses here is January or February, and the latest is April,'' Poore said Friday.
Poore said local officials have been discussing alternative fuels for the city's diesel-powered buses since the early 1980s. Other environmentally friendly options considered have included compressed natural gas vehicles.
The electric buses are powered by four large, 240-volt batteries, which require changing after 55 to 75 miles on the road.
Poore said CTS plans to add 10 reduced-emission diesel buses to its fleet within the next 18 months. The city operates 16 buses, 14 of which are scheduled to be replaced.
``We have been interested in alternative fuels for many years because of the negative environmental effect'' of fuel emissions, Poore said.
- Associated Press
Prince William Co. gets new computers
MANASSAS - Students in the Prince William County public school system are expected to have close to 1,000 new computers at their disposal soon after they return to their classrooms from Christmas break in January.
The county plans to put new computers in every school more than three years old, thanks to $2.4 million in technology funds provided by state and county governments. Most newer schools have computers.
Jenelle Leonard, instructional technology specialist for Prince William County Schools, said the state provided $1.7 million toward the program as part of a three-year initiative for technology improvements.
The rest of the money came from the county, Leonard said.
- Associated Press
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