DATE: Wednesday, April 9, 1997              TAG: 9704090470

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:  153 lines

HAMPTON ROADS [BRIEFS]

CHESAPEAKE New field office designed to increase local police presence

The Chesapeake Police Department will open a field office at 3821 Cook Blvd. in Cavalier Industrial Park Friday.

Browning-Ferris Industries donated office space and equipment for the police station, police spokesman Dave Hughes said. The police department decided to open the office after businesses complained about increased theft and other crimes in the area.

Police and local business people will meet at the new office for an outdoor luncheon at 11 a.m. Friday.

The closest police precinct to the industrial park was in Western Branch, approximately six miles away, Hughes said. The former third precinct, located in the Bowers Hill area, was the closest police station to the industrial park, but has since been converted to a fire station. Police hope that the field station will decrease crime by increasing police visibility, and by bringing law enforcement officers into the park every day.

The new field station ``will not take the place of a precinct,'' Hughes said. ``Officers will meet there once in a while. When officers are on patrol and are in that area, they will use the phones, do their paperwork there. They can come and go. The businesses will see a greater police presence, with police cars driving in and out all the time.''

WILLIAMSBURG

College of William & Mary hosts all-technology trial

Virtually every form of courtroom-related advanced technology will be tested and evaluated during a trial on April 12 and 13 at the College of William and Mary School of Law.

Computer animation, remote international televised testimony and digital audio/video testimony storage and retrieval will be integrated into the event.

U.S. District Judge Roger Strand of Arizona will preside over the fictionalized case, which is designed to help answer questions like: Are jurors likely to overload from visually presented evidence? To what extent does the use of imaged evidence save time and money? And what evidentiary objections are unique to technology-related evidence?

For more information, call 221-2624.

PORTSMOUTH

Father and son reunited with abandoned sailboat

A father and son have been reunited with the 31-foot sailboat they were forced to abandon off North Carolina during a severe storm on March 31.

The Coast Guard located the Lagniappe about 120 miles east southeast of Charleston, S.C., with a computer-generated plan predicting where it would drift.

Joseph Shawn Lemmond, 38, of Raleigh, N.C., who is the executive director of the North Carolina Boxing Commission, and his father, David R. Lemmond, 67, of Georgetown, S.C., were rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter after 40-knot winds and 10-foot seas threatened to sink their ketch-rig.

Their boat, registered in Norfolk, was found last Wednesday about 60 miles from the rescue point.

The two had left Georgetown March 30 for Cape Lookout Bight near Morehead City. The storm came on at 5 a.m. the next day, when the two were near the mouth of the Cape Fear River, 60 miles south of Wilmington.

Searchers found the boat about noon Wednesday, just after the search began, and then flew back to land and chartered a boat to carry them to it. The Lemmonds boarded Lagniappe early Thursday morning, finding it battered but with no serious damage.

SUFFOLK

Property height restrictions are not reason to panic

If you live near Suffolk Municipal Airport and received a letter from Suffolk's Planning Department about a public hearing on height restrictions, don't panic.

The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing April 15 at 2 p.m. in City Council Chambers of city hall, on imposing height restrictions on property near the runway.

The restriction, required by the Virginia Department of Aviation, was passed several years ago. Suffolk is trying to amend its zoning ordinance to adhere to those regulations.

The restrictions will vary from 1,180 feet - for those near the Carolina line - to 150 feet - for those close to the runway and downtown Suffolk.

Residents of the area already have height restrictions that are much lower than the new aviation requirements.

Most two-story homes are only 40 feet, and grown oak trees are around 80 feet. Television towers are about 1,000 feet, and they are all in the Driver section of the city.

VIRGINIA BEACH

City celebrates Arbor Day with ceremony, plant clinic

Arbor Day will be celebrated with a formal ceremony and the distribution of free tree seedlings at 10 a.m. on Friday at the Virginia Marine Science Museum, 717 General Booth Blvd.

Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf will accept the National Arbor Day Foundation Awards, Tree City USA, from the Virginia Department of Forestry.

The Virginia Beach Beautification Commission will donate a live oak tree, and the Council of Garden Clubs of Virginia Beach will host a reception after the ceremony.

Also, the Virginia Beach Master Gardeners will host a plant clinic and tree giveaway from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Central Library, Kempsville Library, Princess Anne and Bayside recreation centers. Call 427-4461.

NORFOLK

Businesses donate time, money to help Berkley club

Two businesses are working to raise money for the Southside Boys and Girls Club in Berkley, which may have to scale back services because of a budget shortfall.

Industrial Marine Service Inc. has asked area businesses to donate food and paper products for a picnic fund-raiser May 10 at the club. IMS has donated money, labor and equipment to the club and has recently challenged employees to make donations, which it will match dollar for dollar.

To donate funds or goods, call 543-5718.

Metropolitan Funeral Services has made a $2,000 donation to the club, and its president, Kenneth Cooper Alexander, is encouraging other funeral directors to make donations. Alexander, 30, joined Southside at age 6 and calls himself ``a product of the club.''

For information about making donations, call 545-5963.

Project will help disabled use regular TRT buses

Norfolk is one of 37 cities that will participate in a national training project on accessible transportation.

The training, by Project ACTION, will move people with disabilities from the specialized ``Handi-Ride'' system to Tidewater Regional Transit's regular buses. Of the TRT's 145 buses, 97 are now lift-equipped.

``This training provides a real opportunity to improve the full integration of people with disabilities into our community,'' said Kathy Prendergast, executive director of the United Cerebral Palsy of Southeastern Virginia Inc.

The training will be held Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Norfolk Scope exhibit hall.

ALSO. . .

National Crimes Victims' Rights Week is April 13-19. If you or someone you know has been a victim of crime, help is available. Call Norfolk Victim/Witness Assistance at 664-4850 for help.

COMING UP

SATURDAY

Norfolk - The Waterside's third annual spring health and wellness fair will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event will include aerobic and health demonstrations and representatives from health organizations.

Virginia Beach - The first ``Walk Against Drugs and Violence,'' sponsored by the Southside Hampton Roads D.A.R.E. Association, will be from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Mount Trashmore. Proceeds from the walk will be used to enhance D.A.R.E. programs. Anyone may join in the walk for a minimum donation of $10. A special prize will be awarded to individuals and teams who raise the most money. Call 427-3784 or 573-1006.

Suffolk - The Suffolk Chapter of Links Inc. will sponsor a community employment workshop from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the East Suffolk Community Center, Sixth Street. Topics will include completing applications, interviewing techniques, resume writing, and careers for the future. For information, call 539-1088.

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