THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 30, 1995 TAG: 9504280161
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 137 lines
Thursday, April 20
5 p.m. - Independence Square townhouses.
John O'Rourke, 5, is eagerly discussing higher education with an adult neighbor.
``Mikey (his cousin who is a year older) goes to school. Then next year I go to school. Then Mikey will go to college and then I'll go to college,'' he says, pausing briefly to catch his breath.
``He'll always be a year ahead of me. I'll be 9 when I go to college.''
The neighbor gently tries to correct him, telling him that he'll probably have to wait a little longer to start college.
John is undeterred.
``Naw-ha,'' he says. ``My mom goes to college and she's 9.''
The neighbor smiles and shakes his head.
``Well, she wears a nine shoe,'' the boy says.
- Gary Edwards
5:05 p.m. - Holland Road.
An environmentally conscious driver spreads her message to other motorists. The license plate of her silver Ford Probe reads: ISAV H20.
- Holly Wester
Monday, April 24
6 p.m. - Newtown Road.
A woman driving a bright blue Chevy Corsica has a unique interest. Her license plate reads: JFK BUFF.
- Holly Wester
7:20 p.m. - First Colonial Inn.
Penny Dennisen, a member of the Mayor's Committee for the Disabled, is chatting with about a dozen residents in the chapel of the retirement community. Denissen, who uses a wheelchair, is speaking about handicapped accessibility in the city. Older restaurants happen to be the worst offenders, she says.
``A very good example of total accessibility is the Central Library,'' says Denissen, whose graying red hair is pulled into a bun and who is wearing her trademark ankle-length skirt. ``All the doors are wide, they're automatic, and you can't trip over the carpeting. The hallways and bathrooms are wide. Since 1990, anything new built has to be handicapped accessible.''
The residents agree with her and one asks Denissen how she feels about able-bodied people parking in handicapped spots. Denissen shakes her head with a derisive laugh.
``I think it stinks,'' she says. ``I'm very nasty sometimes. One day I saw two cars parked next to each other in van-accessible spots. Neither one had handicapped tags. You know what I did? I parked my van behind them and blocked them in.''
Denissen laughs with the residents, an impish gleam in her eyes.
``I did something else, too,'' she admits. ``I let the air out of someone's tire once. Just a little bit.
``I don't do that anymore,'' she quickly adds. ``But they deserve it. They shouldn't be parking in a handicapped space.''
- Pam Starr
Tuesday, April 25
4 p.m. - Virginia Wesleyan College.
In the ceramics studio, three females exchange funny thoughts while finishing up their final projects.
``What does it feel like to be pregnant?'' one asks curiously, while painting her teapot.
``Well, it's like this,'' explains an experienced mother of one. ``Imagine going to your grandma's house on Thanksgiving, eating two servings of everything on the table and then drinking a half gallon of milk.
``That's what it feels like to be pregnant!''
- Holly Wester
11:05 p.m. - Kempsville.
A man answers a late night phone call and a young, giggly teenage girl's voice says, perkily, ``Hi Marc!''
``Hello.''
``Whatcha doing?''
``Um . . . ''
``Are ya married yet?'' she asks with a giggle.
``Uh, yeah. For like 12 years.'' Pause. ``I don't think I'm the Marc you want.''
``Oh, oh, yeah. Bye.''
- Marc Davis
Wednesday, April 26
10:10 a.m. - Baker Road.
The black and white border around the license plate of a turquoise Dodge Colt sends this message: Go to church. Don't wait for the hearse to take you.
- Holly Wester
Noon - Red Lobster on Independence Boulevard.
Something is obviously very different in the popular eatery.
The front desk is staffed by a tall uniformed gentleman sporting a pair of eagles on his collar. Inside the restaurant, tables are being bused by particularly clean cut young men who appear to be a bit more mature than the usual serving assistants.
``It's the Police Department,'' the server explains. ``They're working for tips to support the Special Olympics.''
``There's one thing police officers never get hardened to,'' says Police Chief Charles Wall as he takes a brief break from his greeting duties, ``and that's kids.''
(Officials later say the day's take is close to $3,000.)
- Jo-Ann Clegg
Thursday, April 27
10:30 a.m. - Outside the Central Library.
A bomb threat has forced police to clear the Central Library. The threat is one of many phoned into authorities in Hampton Roads in the days following the disaster in Oklahoma City.
Leaning on the back of his truck is 24-year-old Doug Clarke, an art student at Tidewater Community College. He was inside when the word came to evacuate.
``Why would anyone call in a bomb threat to the library?'' Clarke says, shaking his head.
``It's not like it's a federal building. This is just a library, unless they had a report due and didn't want to do it, like me.''
Later, police arrest a 17-year-old boy and charge him with making the threat. No word on motive.
- Tom Holden ILLUSTRATION: Oh, no, it's the birds!!
Staff photo by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
A flock of roving flamingos has been roosting in yards all over
Virginia Beach this spring, most recently at the Princess Anne Hills
yard of Hall and Alice Snelling. Getting rid of the birds is no
problem though. For a small fee, a group of local teenagers -
including Jennifer Duberstein, 17, left, Thad Herron, 16, and
Christina Layden, 16 - will round up the pink birds and take them to
someone else's yard. The young people, members of the Virginia
Beach United Methodist Church ``Volunteers in Missions'' team will
use the donations for their trip to San Cosme, Mexico, this summer
to lead a vacation Bible school for local children and help with the
construction on a Methodist church there.
by CNB