Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 14, 1994                   TAG: 9412150010
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IN VIRGINIA

SPOTSYLVANIA - A Spotsylvania County elementary school kitchen has been sealed off indefinitely after several cafeteria workers complained of respiratory problems caused by noxious fumes.

Five workers at Brock Road Elementary School were treated and released from a hospital late last week after one collapsed and others complained of violent coughing, headaches, burning eyes and breathing difficulties.

The gas apparently was hydrogen sulfide, a sewer gas that can cause burning of the eyes and mucous membranes, bronchitis and other respiratory problems.

County Emergency Services Coordinator Doug Boggs and an official from the state Department of Emergency Services detected no signs of the fumes after testing later that day.

The school has had trouble with foul odors since it opened two years ago, and the cafeteria was closed for several days last month because of similar problems.

Air-quality testing then revealed small amounts of the sewer gas traced to faulty construction of a drain line, school officials said.

- Associated Press

1 verdict reached in murder-for-hire case

FAIRFAX - Jurors reached a partial verdict in a murder-for-hire case Tuesday, convicting a man of plotting the death, but deadlocking on a more serious capital murder charge.

Six men and six women deliberated for more than 12 hours over three days before finding Ralph Shambaugh Jr. guilty of conspiracy. But they could not agree on charges of murder for hire and using a firearm to commit murder.

Shambaugh, 34, could receive the death penalty if the jury finds him guilty of killing northern Virginia developer John Kowalczyk in exchange for $25,000.

Fairfax County Circuit Judge Richard Jamborsky accepted the conspiracy verdict and ordered the jury to resume deliberations on the other counts. The panel deliberated until about 5 p.m., at which point the judge sent them home for the night.

- Associated Press