DATE: Tuesday, October 21, 1997             TAG: 9710210283

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:  100 lines

HAMPTON ROADS [BRIEFS]

SUFFOLK

Candidates vying for 76th District to gather at forum

The Democratic and Republican candidates for the 76th District House of Delegates seat are scheduled to appear together at the educational complex of Tabernacle UCC at 1401 E. Washington St. on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Suffolk-Nansemond NAACP.

Republican candidate S. Chris Jones and Democrat Michelle Degnan will discuss their campaign platforms and answer questions from residents. The 76th District includes most of Suffolk and parts of Chesapeake and Isle of Wight counties.

For more information, call the office of the Suffolk-Nansemond NAACP at 538-0991.

Public invited to meeting on school rezoning plans

A meeting to review the school rezoning process and to hear parents' concerns will be held Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Nansemond River High School.

With the opening of the Mack Benn Jr. Elementary School scheduled for fall 1998, rezoning is possible for all elementary school attendance zones.

The rezoning committee will present its recommendations to the School Board in February, with board action expected in April. Residents also will be given an opportunity to voice opinions in March.

CHESAPEAKE

Hickory High wins big at marching band festival

Hickory High School's marching band was the big winner at the 25th annual Tidewater Festival of Marching Bands Saturday at Indian River High School.

The competition drew participation from 23 high schools including Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach. Bands came from all areas of Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland.

A panel of 10 music educators and band directors rated each school on the basis of music, marching and overall effect. High schools competed in categories based on the size of the school.

The Hickory High School Marching Hawks took first place in every category, including first place in its AAA division, making them the grand champions of the competition.

Prepare for flu season with a free vaccination

Chesapeake General Hospital will provide free flu shots in Center Court at Greenbrier Mall Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon.

Although this year's influenza strain does not appear to be as severe as in past years, Dr. Ronald W. Atwood of Chesapeake said local doctors are predicting an earlier than usual flu season.

Atwood recommends a yearly flu shot for senior citizens, people with diabetes or heart disease and others who are in the high risk category to catch the flu. He advises people with medical concerns or those who have had a previous reaction to the vaccine seek a doctor's advice before being vaccinated.

For more information about the flu shots call 482-6132.

HAMPTON

City celebrates Mayor's D-Day Against Drugs

The city of Hampton will celebrate the 12th anniversary of the Mayor's D-Day Against Drugs in a special ceremony Oct. 28.

Youth representatives from school and community groups will gather at Bethel High School from 7 to 8 p.m. to present Mayor James Eason and the City Council with signatures of those who pledge their commitment to lead a life free of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. Last year more than 17,000 signatures were presented.

As a symbolic gesture, the youth will bring containers of dried beans representing the number of signatures collected. The beans will be donated to either the Peninsula Food Bank or Sandy Bottom Nature Park.

Anyone wishing to sign the scroll in support of the youth may do so from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday by visiting the ``Just Say No'' booth at Coliseum Mall.

The Mayor's D-Day on Drugs is held during National Red Ribbon Week, which honors the men and women who protect U.S. borders from drugs and celebrates those who choose to be drug-free.

Portsmouth to discuss state of school system

The state of the city's school system will be discussed by Portsmouth Public Schools Superintendent Richard D. Trumble at an 8 a.m. breakfast Oct. 29 at the Holiday Inn-Portsmouth Waterfront.

The meeting is sponsored by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce and is one of a series that encompasses the school systems in all five of the core cities in South Hampton Roads. Breakfasts are scheduled in Suffolk on Wednesday, Norfolk on Nov. 5 and Chesapeake on Nov. 12. A similar session was held in Virginia Beach last April.

Tickets for the Portsmouth breakfast are $13 per person or $91 for a table of eight. Reservations must be made by Monday. Call the Chamber's reservation line at 664-2558.

Simon has back-to-back shows at Little Theatre

On the tracks of ``London Suite,'' the Little Theatre of Norfolk is producing the musical ``They're Playing Our Song.''

Neil Simon, who won a Pulitzer Prize for ``Lost in Yonkers,'' and Marvin Hamlisch, the Tony award-winning composer of ``A Chorus Line'' collaborated with Carol Bayer Sager for this musical, directed by David L. Burton.

Performances begin Oct. 31 and end Nov. 23. Tickets are $12 for adults; $9 for senior citizens, military and students; and $7 for children under 12.

Call the theatre at 627-8551 for dates and reservations. MEMO: Staff writers Eric Feber, Susan Smith, Ida Kay Jordan and Louis

Hansen contributed to this report.

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