DATE: Friday, October 17, 1997              TAG: 9710170677

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:   98 lines

HAMPTON ROADS [BRIEFS]

NORFOLK

More than 11,000

were without power

Thursday morning

A widespread power outage forced many residents to get ready for work in the dark Thursday morning.

Charles Taylor, Virginia Power spokesman, said that about 11,900 customers lost power about 7:30 a.m. when a substation switch leading into Norfolk Industrial Park failed.

Those outages were spread across the Military Circle area to Azalea Garden Road, Lafayette Boulevard, Tidewater Drive, Sherwood Forest and Fairmount Park.

Police spokesman Cpl. Larry Hill said power was lost at the city's Emergency Operations Center, but a backup generator kept service from being disrupted.

Shortly after the switch failed, a fire atop a power pole at 7th Bay Street and East Ocean View Avenue knocked out power to about 800 customers. That outage affected residents of Cottage Park, Bayview Beach and parts of Ocean View and Cape View Colony.

Customers who lost power when the switch failed were restored by 8:30 a.m. Those affected by the fire were restored by about 10 a.m., Taylor said.

Hill said police worked at least 11 car accidents during the outages, blaming the high number on malfunctioning traffic lights and rain-soaked roads.

Domestic-violence class will

examine abuse psychology

A domestic-violence class examining the new laws, old stereotypes and the psychology of the abuser and the abused will begin Monday at the Norfolk campus of Tidewater Community College.

The three-hour class will be taught by Virginia Beach police Sgt. Ray Greenwood, supervisor of that city's Domestic Violence Unit and a nationally known authority on the subject. The evening class is open to students, police, victim advocates and all others interested in the topic.

The class will be taught on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Same-day registration is available by calling 686-5100. The course number, needed for telephone registration, is ADJ 195 93D. For more information, call Greenwood at 427-4101.

City cautions residents

about water-testing calls

Citizens in the Roosevelt Gardens section of Norfolk have recently received calls from a man claiming to represent ``the water department'' assigned to test their drinking water. The Department of Utilities warns that such callers do not represent the city and should not be admitted into the home as representatives of the city.

Rick Saul, water production manager, said the department does not set up appointments to test water and only responds by sending a worker out when a citizen requests it. Utility workers will arrive in a white truck clearly marked with the blue Norfolk city seal and the words ``Department of Utilities'' on the side.

The city encourages citizens with questions about water testing procedures to call 441-5678.

PORTSMOUTH

Community service center

celebrates 60th anniversary

The Wesley Community Service Center will commemorate its 60th anniversary with a series of events Saturday in Portsmouth.

The center provides social services to lower-income people, including pre-school and after-school programs, nutritious meals for the elderly, and emergency assistance in paying rent and utilities.

On Saturday, staff, supporters and people helped by Wesley will return to the vacant grounds of the old Newtown neighborhood where the center began. The neighborhood was demolished for redevelopment in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Events will begin at 10 a.m. with speeches on PortCentre Parkway near where the old Wright Memorial United Methodist Church once stood.

Then the group will move to Third and Henry streets where the Wesley center stood for many years. Next, the group will gather at Fifth and Lincoln streets, where Wesley once provided child care.

Activities will conclude with lunch at the current Wesley center, 1701 Elm Ave. Lunch will cost $4.50.

In case of heavy rain, all events will be at the Elm Avenue site. For details, call 399-0541.

COMING UP TODAY

Portsmouth - A garage sale and car wash to raise money for the Combined Federal Campaign for the United Way will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. today in front of the parking garage accessible through the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center's main gate at the end of Effingham Street. The items for sale have been donated by those who work at the hospital. Food also will be sold. All proceeds will go to the United Way. MEMO: Staff writers Mike Knepler, Cindy Clayton, Mike Mather and Nancy

Lewis contributed to this report. KEYWORDS: POWER OUTAGE ACCIDENT TRAFFIC

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