DATE: Thursday, May 29, 1997                TAG: 9705290445

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

TYPE: Briefs 

                                            LENGTH:   57 lines

ALBEMARLE [BRIEFS]

COROLLA

FIRE RATING REDUCES INSURANCE PREMIUMS: Corolla Fire and Rescue recently received an improved fire rating of 6/9 which will reduce residents' fire insurance premiums by 25 to 30 percent in subdivisions that have fire hydrants. Those subdivisions without fire hydrants do not qualify for the reduction.

A national independent inspection service determined the rating.

Corolla Fire and Rescue recently began using a new 19-foot skiff which will be used in search and rescue operations in the Currituck Sound. The skiff was purchased with private donations. It will enable Corolla Fire and Rescue volunteers to quickly respond to incidents in the Currituck Sound.

DARE COUNTY

NEW NUMBER FOR CANCER SOCIETY: The American Cancer Society has established a new local telephone number, 261-4686, to provide Dare County residents with information about cancer treatment, support groups and memorial donations.

There is no long distance fee and no area code to dial.

DARE SCHOOLS SCORE WELL: Fourth and seventh graders in Dare County took state writing-proficiency tests in March, and the results were better than state averages.

Figures released by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction show Dare County fourth graders scored an average of 57.1 percent proficient - 8.5 percent higher than the state-wide average of 48.6 percent. Dare County fourth graders also showed improvement from last year's scores, a gain of 2.5 percentage points.

In Dare County, 76.9 percent of seventh graders are considered proficient in writing, 22 percent more than the state average of 54.9 percent.

Terry Jones, director of Testing and Exceptional Children for Dare County Schools, said, ``Fourth-grade or seventh-grade writing scores are a reflection of a student's writing experience since kindergarten. If you look at our scores, it is clear that the percentage of students proficient in writing increases. Our ultimate goal is to have an increasing percentage of students to score proficient as they move up through the grades. So far, that is happening in Dare County.''

AVON

DRUG ARREST MADE: Billy Cole, 44, a resident of Hopewell, Va., was arrested Friday near Avon and charged with felonious possession of cocaine, felonious possession of cocaine with the intent to sell and deliver, feloniously maintaining a vehicle for the purpose of distributing cocaine, felonious possession of marijuana with the intent to sell and deliver and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, Dare County Sheriff A.L. ``Bert'' Austin reported Wednesday.

Cole is in custody in the Dare County Detention Center under a $107,000 secured bond. KEYWORDS: STANDARDIZED TESTING TEST SCORES OUTER BANKS

DRUG ARRESTS COCAINE

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