DATE: Saturday, November 15, 1997           TAG: 9711150830

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:  142 lines

HAMPTON ROADS - NEWS BRIEFS

REGIONAL

Friends of Hampton Roads scholarship fund-raiser is tonight

Friends of Hampton Roads is hosting its ninth annual scholarship fund-raiser tonight at the Omni Waterside Hotel. The black-tie event, ``An Evening of Winter Illusions,'' will feature an ethnic art sale and auction, dancing, live music and a casino from 6:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Admission is a donation of $50 per person.

Friends of Hampton Roads is a nonprofit organization. For ticket information or to make donations, call 549-2698.

VIRGINIA BEACH

Beach SPCA offers pet portraits with Santa

The Virginia Beach SPCA and Beach Images Portrait Studio are offering a pet photo session with Santa at the Holland Road shelter.

The tab is $16.50, which pays for two 5-by-7-inch and four 3-by-5-inch prints of the animals with St. Nick. Beach Images will donate $6 to the SPCA.

To have your pet's picture taken with the jolly old elf, bring it to the SPCA shelter on Holland Road today, Sunday or Nov. 22. Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday hours are 1 to 4 p.m.

For details, call 427-0070.

600 turkeys wanted for needy-family campaign

Mothers Inc. needs 600 turkeys for its 11th annual All Volunteer Thanksgiving campaign for needy families.

Turkeys can be dropped off any time until Thanksgiving morning at: Mothers Inc., 417 16th St., Virginia Beach, Va. 23451, or send a tax-deductible check to Mothers Inc. (Note: turkey), and volunteers will shop for you.

For more information, call Brenda McCormick at 491-2887.

SUFFOLK

NSU music professor, composer to speak at TCC

Dr. Adolphus Hailstork, professor of music and composer in residence at Norfolk State University, will speak at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Portsmouth Campus of Tidewater Community College.

His talk, part of the Provost Lecture Series, will be in the waterfront conference room.

Hailstork has written numerous works for chorus, solo voice, chamber ensembles, band, and orchestra. His opera ``Paul Laurence Dunbar: Common Ground'' was commissioned by the Dayton Opera and had its world premiere in 1995.

His composition ``Celebration'' has been recorded by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and performed by the Chicago Symphony.

Hailstork is to talk about his life and his music, and his evolution as an artist and composer.

For reservations, call 822-1122.

CHESAPEAKE

Urban renewal conference gives South Norfolk hope

South Norfolk is on the right track to economic revitalization, three community leaders said after they attended an urban renewal conference called ``Collaborate Approaches to Neighborhood Economic Revitalization'' in Baltimore last month.

Jane McClanahan, Anne Tregembo and Brenda Johnson toured struggling Baltimore neighborhoods as well as revitalized areas such as the Inner Harbor, Tregembo said.

One of South Norfolk's top priorities is to create a Main Street program, with a liaison linking the community and city officials, McClanahan said. That's the right first step, conference speakers said.

Community leaders brought home armfuls of instructions for applying for grants, Tregembo said. She was impressed with the number of banks, foundations and corporations that are willing to invest in urban renewal, she said.

NORFOLK

City gives private utility reading company trial run

Residents may notice an addition to the city's water meter reading team Monday. Bermex Inc., a private, Michigan-based company, has been contracted to read a portion of the city's water meters on a one-year trial basis. The Bermex meter readers will work side-by-side with the Department of Utilities readers. Bermex employees will carry photo identification, and their vehicles will be marked with Bermex signs. Recently, the utilities department lost half of its meter readers to retirement, promotion and attrition. Contracting Bermex on a trial basis will allow the city to evaluate the effectiveness of public and private meter reading.

Meeting on Lake Modoc dredging is Wednesday

Proposed dredging and other improvements to Lake Modoc in the Ocean View-Bayview area will be discussed at a public meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Ocean View Senior Center, 600 Ocean View Ave.

Representatives of the public works department will talk about the project and answer questions.

The 1.5-acre Lake Modoc is between Chesapeake Boulevard and Chesapeake Street.

For more information, call James E. Daman, storm water engineer, at 441-2408.

PORTSMOUTH

Woman dies at scene of automobile accident

A woman driving a station wagon was pronounced dead at the scene of an accident Friday afternoon in the 100 block of Elm Avenue.

Police have not released the woman's name pending notification of family.

The accident happened shortly after 3:30 p.m., according to police spokeswoman Amber Whittaker.

The woman apparently sideswiped several parked cars and hit two other vehicles at a dead-end before coming to a stop, Whittaker said. Police are investigating whether medical problems may have caused the accident.

NAACP sets scholarship application date for seniors

The Portsmouth chapter of the NAACP has set deadlines for Portsmouth public school seniors to apply for scholarships and visual arts awards.

Visual arts entries must depict the NAACP 1997 theme, ``Youth: Providing Leadership for the Next Millennium.'' The deadline for this contest is Nov. 20. Entries must be submitted to Third Baptist Church, 461 Godwin St., Portsmouth. A $100 savings bond will be awarded to the winner.

Scholarship applicants must submit an essay of no more than 350 words on the theme and must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. The deadline for scholarship applications is Nov. 30. Essays must be mailed to Portsmouth Branch, NAACP, Attn: Freedom Fund Scholarship Committee, Box 902, Portsmouth, Va. 23705.

Pre-Revolutionary church celebrates 225th year

Monumental United Methodist Church, a pre-Revolutionary congregation with a sanctuary at the corner of Dinwiddie and Queen streets in Olde Towne, will celebrate its 225th anniversary Sunday.

Bishop Joe E. Pennel Jr. of the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church will speak at the 11 a.m. service, which will be followed by a luncheon. The public is invited.

ALSO. . .

The 1997 Holiday Adopt-A-Family Project for Mental Retardation Programs in Virginia Beach needs individuals, organizations or businesses to sponsor needy people for the holiday season. Families will need sponsorship, but the largest need is for single adults who have no family. To donate food or gifts, contact Sheila Bogart, volunteer coordinator, at 437-6095. MEMO: Staff writers Bill Reed, Cindy Clayton, Liz Szabo, Ida Kay Jordan

and Eric Feber contributed to this report.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu