DATE: Saturday, October 25, 1997            TAG: 9710250408

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:  157 lines

HAMPTON ROADS

SUFFOLK

Change smoke alarm

along with clocks,

fire department says

This weekend, when you reset your clocks, install new batteries in your smoke alarm. And push the test button to make sure the device is working, fire officials advise.

Any Suffolk resident who can't afford a smoke alarm can get one free from the Suffolk Fire Department through a program sponsored by Lowe's of Suffolk. A firefighter will come to your home and install the life-saving device.

An average of three children a day - about 1,100 children under the age of 15 - die each year in residential fires nationwide, local fire officials said. Ninety percent of the fire deaths occur in homes without smoke alarms.

A working smoke alarm cuts the risk of dying in a home fire nearly in half, said Capt. Jeffrey T. Messinger, fire spokesman. The local department has joined the International Association of Fire Chiefs and Energizer brand batteries in the ``Change your clock, change your battery'' campaign.

For more information, call the fire prevention bureau of the Suffolk Fire Department at 925-5745.

PORTSMOUTH

Voting locations changed to

better accommodate voters

Three Portsmouth voting locations have been changed for the Nov. 4 general election.

Registrar Deloris Overton said the changes were made to better accommodate voters who had complained about a lack of parking and difficulty in accessing some polling places.

Precinct No. 1 has been moved from Monumental United Methodist Church to Emanuel A.M.E. Church, 637 North St., in Olde Towne.

Precinct No. 5 has been moved from Wesley Community Center to Portsmouth Community Health Center, 664 Lincoln St.

Precinct No. 11 has been moved from I.C. Norcom High School to Mount Hermon Village Center, 2400 Cutherell St.

For more information, call the registrar's office at 393-8644.

REGION

Caucus votes against

eliminating property tax

Local quality of life, education and job creation will suffer if personal property taxes are eliminated, area mayors and county chairmen said Friday.

Both major gubernatorial candidates have proposed dramatic changes to the much-hated personal property taxes on cars and trucks. But the Hampton Roads Mayors and Chairs caucus, meeting in Williamsburg, voted 13-2 against the elimination of the tax, saying the region has tremendous spending needs for education, transportation and health care that could not be met without the tax.

The top officials in York and Gloucester counties did not endorse the resolution, signed by the mayors of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson and Williamsburg; and the county chairmen of Isle of Wight, Southampton and James City counties.

VIRGINIA BEACH

Program offered to explain

prepaid tuition program

Virginia Beach residents can learn how to save money on college tuition and mandatory fees through the Virginia Prepaid Education Program by attending a public meeting Monday at 7:30 p.m., at Larkspur Middle School.

VPEP enables parents and others to prepay college tuition and mandatory fees at community colleges, and four-year colleges and universities. The program is open to children in the ninth grade or younger if the child or purchaser is a resident of Virginia.

The deadline for VPEP's 1997 enrollment is Dec. 15. For more information, call toll-free at 1-888-567-0540.

CHESAPEAKE

Drive-through diabetes

check was huge success

Nearly 150 people last week were screened for diabetes at Chesapeake General Hospital - from the comfort of their cars.

The hospital's first drive-through diabetes screening was a ``huge success'' - in spite of driving rain, said marketing director Mindy Hughes. Of the 149 people who braved the elements Oct. 22, nurse educators found 26 people with blood sugar levels indicative of diabetes.

Nurses advised those at risk for diabetes to see a physician, Hughes said.

The free screenings lasted about two hours.

The screening was scheduled during rush hour, so patients didn't need to make an extra trip.

``Half of those with diabetes don't know they have it, so it's so important for people to be screened,'' Hughes said. ``We wanted to make it as convenient for people as possible.''

Patients simply parked, rolled down their windows and extended an arm to allow nurses to prick their fingers for a blood sample, Hughes said. Patients also filled out forms on clipboards and received results while they waited - about five to 10 minutes.

Home superstore, market

planned in Western Branch

A new home product superstore for Western Branch and a supermarket with a bakery and deli for South Norfolk have been approved for development by the city's Planning Commission.

The 130,060-square-foot Home Depot superstore on a 16-acre site with 650 parking spaces will be located in the Stonebridge Landing Planned Unit Development at the southeast corner of Hanover Lane and Raintree Road at Dock Landing Road.

Though the plans were approved unanimously by the commission at a meeting Wednesday, Home Depot has also applied for a conditional use permit to build the structure at 40 feet in height. Scheduled to be reviewed at the commission's Dec. 10 meeting, that permit would exceed the 35-foot-limit and require City Council's approval.

The Planning Commission also approved the first full-service, 33,000-square-foot supermarket, to be built by South Hampton Roads' largest corporate chain, Food Lion. Developers agreed to neighbors' request to protect a cluster of trees on the property, seek approval from the city to build a six-foot security fence on one side of the building and restrict construction and delivery times for the shopping complex.

Developers have said they hope to open the Food Lion, to be located at the northern corner of Chapin Road and Bainbridge Boulevard, by the summer of 1998.

Used book sale continues,

will benefit public library

The Friends of the Chesapeake Public Library will continue its annual used book sale today and Sunday at 1412 Greenbrier Parkway (next to the Old Country Buffet) in the Crossways Shopping Center, across from Greenbrier Mall.

The sale will be open to the public today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 until 5 p.m.

The sale, the organization's biggest fund-raiser of the year, offers paperback books for 25 cents and hardback books for 50 cents.

Funds from the sale will be used for Chesapeake Public Library events, children's summer reading programs and the purchase of items not included in the public library budget.

For more information on the sale or organization, call 421-9784 or 436-2109.

ALSO. . . Norfolk - SHARE is offering holiday packages that can be donated to families who might not otherwise have a holiday meal. The cost of each package is $14. The deadline for ordering the Thanksgiving package is Nov. 10. The deadline for ordering the Christmas package is Dec. 8. For more information, call 627-6599.

COMING UP. . . TODAY

Chesapeake - The Great Bridge Jaycees will hold their 21st annual oyster roast from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Chesapeake City Park. A $25 ticket purchased at the gate buys all the oysters - roasted, raw, steamed or fried - you can eat, plus barbecue, clam chowder, hush puppies, baked beans, coleslaw and drinks.

Lewis McGehee & Dharma will perform. MEMO: Staff writers Karen Weintraub, Susie Stoughton, Ida Kay Jordan,

Matt Dolan, Liz Szabo and Eric Feber contributed to this report.

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