DATE: Thursday, July 17, 1997               TAG: 9707170523

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HAMPTON ROADS [BRIEFS]

VIRGINIA BEACH

School Board OKs several changes in school leadership

The School Board approved changes in the leadership of several schools Tuesday evening.

J. Wylie French was moved from the Career Development Center, where he had been principal, to an assistant principal's post at Tallwood High School. Michael Bolton, an assistant principal in Tulsa, Okla., will become principal at CDC.

Cletus Griffin will become principal at Pembroke Elementary School, leaving Brandon Middle School, where he had been principal. Griffin will be replaced at Brandon by Marty Massey, currently an assistant principal at Tallwood High.

The board also approved several changes at the assistant principal level.

Dolphin spotted offshore could be from Florida

A dolphin with an identifying number on its dorsal fin was seen in Virginia Beach waters recently, and the Virginia Marine Science Musuem Stranding Center would like to confirm the sighting and photograph the creature.

If the two-digit number that was reported is correct, the dolphin is an older male whose fin was freeze-branded with the I.D. in 1979 by Sea World scientists in Florida. The scientists were conducting a population study of resident dolphins in Florida's Indian River area at the time.

Susan Barco of the stranding center said Sea World officials believe that this is the first time the big marine mammal has left home since he was branded.

This year, the dolphin, estimated to be more than 30 years old, has been sighted in northern Florida, in Georgia and just about a month ago, in Pamlico Sound, N.C.

The stranding center won't release the dolphin's grayish-white number, which is about 2 inches high. ``We want to make sure someone has seen the dolphin by having them tell us the number,'' Barco explained.

If you see a dolphin with a number on its dorsal fin, note the number and location and call the Stranding Center during the day at 437-6159 or after hours at 437-4961, the stranding hotline.

SUFFOLK

Health Department issues rabies alert after pet fight

A rabies alert has been issued by the Suffolk Health Department after a raccoon involved in a fight with a pet dog tested positive for the disease. It's the fourth rabid animal to be identified since Jan. 1.

The incident occurred on Dixon Road in the Eclipse section. The dog, which had a rabies vaccination, is confined for observation for 90 days.

The health department is also advising residents to:

Report all animal bites to the Animal Control Bureau at 925-6416 or the health department at 686-4966.

Avoid contact with wild animals, especially raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, cats and dogs.

Keep pets' rabies vaccinations current.

Confine pets to the home or yard.

Fine Arts Commission now taking grant applications

The Suffolk Fine Arts Commission is accepting applications for its 1997-98 grants.

The purpose is to increase community access to high-quality arts, including, but not limited to, visual and performing arts.

The commission will determine the number and amount of grants. Priority goes to applicants with projects serving a cross-section of the community and accommodating handicapped, elderly and disadvantaged residents.

Application forms are available from the Office of Management Services, Municipal Building, 441 Market St., Suffolk, Va. 23434. They are due by 5 p.m. Aug. 15.

For more information, call Mark Biberdorf at 925-6339.

PORTSMOUTH

Prostate cancer treatment being used at Maryview

Permanent Radioactive Seed Implant of the Prostate is now being performed at Maryview Medical Center, 3636 High St.

This is a procedure that can be used as a primary treatment for cancer or in conjunction with radiation or hormonal therapy. Radioactive seeds, titanium-covered capsules with radioactive properties, are implanted within the prostate gland to deliver radiation over a period of months.

Prostate Seed Implant is comparable to radical prostatectomy (removal of the prostate gland) in its success rate, and it is superior to conventional radiation therapy for selected patients. The advantages of the implant procedure are lower rates of proctitis, cystitis and incontinence; a 10 percent impotency rate (compared to a 60 percent rate with radical prostatectomy); and half the cost of a radical prostatectomy.

The entire procedure takes about two hours and is performed on an outpatient basis.

For details, call 398-2368.

CHESAPEAKE

Dominion Village seniors offered on-the-spot therapy

Dominion Village is joining with Genesis ElderCare Rehabilitation Services, a national provider of health care for seniors, in a pilot program to provide on-the-spot therapy care for seniors at the Deep Creek facility.

The test alliance will offer physical, speech and occupational therapy services to Dominion Village residents. Plans are under way to soon provide therapy services on an outpatient basis to non-residents.

Two resident rooms at the Forehand Drive facility have been converted into a therapy center, which will be able to provide physical, speech and occupational services five days a week. The center has had equipment installed including mat tables, weights, ultrasound and electrical stimulation units and hot pack machines.

If the program is a success, similar alliances with Genesis ElderCare will be set up at Dominion Villages in Poquoson and Williamsburg.

Commission offers free workshop on saving water

The Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce and the Hampton Roads Water Efficiency Team will present a free workshop, ``Saving Water, Saving Money,'' at 8 a.m. Aug. 21 at the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake.

Representatives from Virginia Power, Old Dominion University, Herons Point Apartments, Union Camp and Virginia Beach Hospital will discuss successful conservation programs used by local businesses. Workshop participants also will receive a 60-page water conservation guide.

To register or for more information, call 664-2572.

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