THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 4, 1996 TAG: 9608020218
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: 87 lines
Municipal Parking Lot, North Saratoga Street, Suffolk
The woman is walking through the lot when she spots a large white cat stretched out underneath her car.
Oh, the woman laments, the pitiful creature - lying on its back and with its head tilted at a weird angle, eyes shut and mouth hanging open - must have succumbed to the heat.
She eases slowly and carefully out of the parking space to avoid running over the animal. When she looks back, the cat is gone. The noise of the engine apparently has driven the poor thing two cars down, where it is again stretched out, taking a siesta in the heat of the day.
``Faked you out,'' the feline seems to be saying as the woman smiles and drives away.
- Jo Joynes Wednesday, July 24
11:30 a.m. - Municipal Building, Suffolk
There was a big stink in the Commonwealth's Attorney's office on the second floor last week.
And no one has been able to figure out what caused it, says ``Fox'' Urquhart, an assistant Commonwealth's Attorney.
At least it wasn't a disgruntled defendant, mad at one of the prosecutors.
Firefighters came rushing down the street in several trucks, with all their equipment and gear, to check out the strange smell emanating, it seemed, from one of the light fixtures.
Perhaps it was a faulty ballast. Marjorie Arrington, another staff prosecutor, had reported the problem.
``We all kept trying to accuse Marjorie,'' Urquhart says, ``because she was the first one to notice it.''
- Susie Stoughton Saturday, July 27
Morning - In the car, between Suffolk and Franklin
The little girls in the back are 4 and 5. They discuss ``The Hunchback of Notre Dame,'' Disney's latest kid flick and commercial blitz, in amazing detail, but they are cloudy on some facts.
The 4-year-old calls him the ``Hunchbag,'' and the 5-year-old corrects her, one painstaking syllable at a time, lest she be misunderstood.
``No, he-is-the-Hunch-back-of-Mot-re-Dame, Foz-zy-mo-to.''
- Carole O'Keeffe Saturday, July 27
Afternoon - In the car, between Franklin and Suffolk
The little girls in the back are 4 and 5. They are tired of discussing the Hunchback and tired of riding, too.
``I'm not your friend, anymore,'' says the 4-year-old.
``Well, then, I'm not your cousin anymore, either,'' says the one who is 5.
- Carole O'Keeffe Wednesday, July 31
2:30 p.m. - Nansemond Parkway, Suffolk
Ever wonder how to pick the perfect cantaloupe? The friendly blonde manning the Mansefield Farms produce stand cheerfully unravels the melon's mysteries.
Take a close look at the crevices that segment the cantaloupe's rind. If they are green, the melon needs to stand for a few days. If they appear to be almost the same color as the rind, the melon is ready to eat, but if they have a browner hue, buy it only if you like really ripe melons.
- Phyllis Speidell Friday, July 19 at 6:30 p.m. - Military Road and Gittings Street, Suffolk
The old poplar tree in the Lakeside section has withstood the strong winds of Hurricane Bertha just one week earlier and numerous other strong blows before that.
But on this humid, windless Friday, the old tree has fallen gently, almost quietly, across Military Road, blocking it to all but pedestrian traffic.
As neighbors and children gather to witness the sight, two Suffolk police cruisers pull up. One officer opens the trunk, removes a chain saw and begins cutting the limbs and tossing them toward the sidewalk.
Four children get off of two bikes and begin throwing the growing pile of logs to the side of the road.
As neighbors cradling babies watch and talk, the four kids and two police officers clear the road - in less than 30 minutes.
All that remains of the tree is the broken stump, Military Road just behind the Sentry Mart on West Washington Street.
- Michael Kestner ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
Kids log time helping officers clear road by CNB