DATE: Thursday, May 22, 1997                TAG: 9705220543

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL  

SOURCE: Staff writers June Arney, Susie Stoughton, Ida Kay Jordan and

        Debbie Markham contributed to this report.

                                            LENGTH:  119 lines

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: ***************************************************************** Larry D. Willis has announced his candidacy for commonwealth's attorney in Chesapeake. A headline in the Hampton Roads section of Thursday's Virginian-Pilot gave an incorrect position. Correction published Friday, May 23, 1997. ***************************************************************** HAMPTON ROADS

SUFFOLK

Fishermen find body of Mack Benn Jr. in the James River

Virginia Marine Resources Commission officers recovered the body of former school Superintendent Mack Benn Jr. Wednesday from the James River.

Commercial fishermen spotted the body about 8:40 a.m., about 100 feet offshore from Eclipse in northern Suffolk, said Wilford Kale, Virginia Marine Resources Commission spokesman.

The body, which had been missing since Benn disappeared in a boating accident a week ago, was found in about five feet of water between Chuckatuck Creek and the Nansemond River - about six miles from the spot where Benn's boat overturned.

Benn's body was taken to the state medical examiner's office for a ruling on the cause of death.

Benn, 69, and his brother-in-law, Leon W. Armistead, had been fishing in the Nansemond, about two miles west of the Mills E. Godwin Jr. Bridge, when their 12-foot boat overturned. Armistead, who managed to cling to the boat, was rescued by a fisherman.

Virginia Marine Resources Commission and local game wardens had searched for the body daily since the accident May 14.

A memorial service was held Monday for Benn, who retired in 1988 as superintendent of schools, capping a 35-year career as a teacher, coach, principal and administrator.

CHESAPEAKE

Willis begins his campaign for city attorney today

Prosecutor Larry D. Willis has filed as a candidate for the position of Chesapeake Commonwealth's Attorney.

Willis has over 13 years of prosecutorial experience, which includes eight years as deputy commonwealth's attorney in Chesapeake and five as a prosecutor in Norfolk. The election will be held Nov. 4.

Willis is seeking to fill the position that will open when David L. Williams takes the bench as a General District Court judge on July 1.

An interim successor to run the office from July 1 through Dec. 31 has not yet been appointed by the Circuit Court judges. Willis said he hopes to be appointed to fill that position.

``I have eight years of experience as a prosecutor in this office and would be able to assure the continuity necessary to keep things running smoothly,'' Willis said in a written statement. ``I have a wide range of support from both Democrats and Republicans, and will work hard to maintain the high standards people have come to expect from our office.''

His campaign for Chesapeake Commonwealth's attorney will kick off today from 5 to 7 p.m. with a fund-raising party at Cara's Restaurant in Great Bridge. The party will feature endorsements by several elected officials and the Chesapeake Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 9.

NEWPORT NEWS

Anonymous donor buys new building for teen program

A good Samaritan has purchased a large professional building at 9296 Warwick Blvd. and donated it to the Mid-Atlantic Teen Challenge drug treatment program. The building is valued at over $360,000.

The new building is on property directly next to the Mid-Atlantic Teen Challenge center in Newport News.

Director Emory De Busk estimated that the cost of renovating the building will be $110,000; asbestos must be removed and repairs and structural changes must be made.

``We will need to ask the community for help in raising this money if we are going to get this project rolling anytime soon,'' said Development Director Lloyd Dunnavant.

Mid-Atlantic Teen Challenge is a nonprofit, residential substance abuse program for 13- to 17-year-old boys.

PORTSMOUTH

City fills three vacated management-level positions

Douglas L. Smith, a vice president of First Union Corp., has been named chief plans and policy officer for the city of Portsmouth, a job vacated by Steve Herbert, who recently was named Suffolk's assistant city manager.

Smith is one of three new management-level persons recently hired by Portsmouth. He will oversee development of the Vision 2005 plan and other economic and community development projects. Smith, a Portsmouth native, is a University of Virginia graduate.

Harry A. Thompson has been named recreation manager in the Portsmouth Department of Parks, Recreation and General Services. He formerly worked with the city of Richmond, where he was charged with reorganizing the Department of Parks and Recreation. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and is a graduate of the National Recreation and Parks Association/North Carolina State University Revenue Sources Management School.

Claudia Cox-Wynne, also a Portsmouth native, will be the coordinator of the Clean Community program. Cox-Wynne, a 14-year veteran of federal government employment, is an Old Dominion University graduate and has a master's degree in public administration from George Mason University.

Transitioning techniques taught to former inmates

Citizens Concerned with Virginia Prison System Practices will present ``Project Success: Bridging the Gap Between Incarceration and a Stable Lifestyle,'' a workshop for former inmates and their families, from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at Joseph E. Parker Center (formerly Mount Hermon Recreational Center), 2430 Turnpike Road.

The workshop will offer an inspirational message from a successful former inmate, a panel discussion on effective ways to transition, an opportunity to meet agencies and individuals specializing in assisting former inmates, and an opportunity to meet employers interviewing on the spot.

The workshop is free. For details, call 397-7079.

ALSO. . .

Virginia Beach - Beach Bully announced this week a year-long fund-raising partnership with the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation. Every time a customer purchases a Lean Generation smoked ham sandwich from the restaurant, a nickel will be donated to the foundation. The campaign begins today. ILLUSTRATION: Willis

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