Daily Press from Newport News, Virginia • Page 1

1 lMjML.iAM A SSS mil Bill Final Edition FTH lister rip ttoroMglrii a 51-50 VOTE President Clinton's last-minute politicking and Gore's vote save the deficit-reduction proposal. Stories, A2-3 SOUND OFF 3 die near Petersburg; on Peninsula, trees and homes battered 'A By Matt Murray Daily Press TODAY'S QUESTION: Does the tax vote save thn Ointnn nmsirlfin- Off r.Al I 9A.7.7R7A tn respond. v. The fierce storm arid tornadoes that swept into Virginia Friday, killing at least three people and injuring 149 others in the Petersburg area, also tore off roofs, damaged cars and homes and knocked over trees and power lines rjn the Peninsula. No major injuries were reported local- ly- In Petersburg, what witnesses called a large tornado touched down about 1:30 p.m., hitting the Southpark shopping mall in Colonial Heights and trapping people inside a Wal-Mart department store, officials said.

The historic Old Town section also sustained heavy damage. Petersburg City 1 jA( v. i -w am Manager Valene Lemmie estimated age in the city at $10 million. Gov. Doug Wilder activated the al Guard Friday before heading from Rich SIBLING mond Dy neiicopter to survey tne damage.

Locally, several tornadoes were reported between 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at the northern border and near the Hilton section of Newport News, in the southern part of James City County and in the Bethel and Langley Air Force Base areas of Hampton. None of the sightings had been confirmed as tornadoes Friday night, said Robert Bottom, a weather forecaster with the National Weather Service in Norfolk. "We're still interviewing people and finding out what happened," Bottom said.

"Right now, it's impossible to tell." Virginia Power crews worked late Friday to restore damaged power lines, while RIVALRY'S Virginia stars Heidi and Heather Burge will play for opposite teams as they enter a professional women's basketball league in France. Sports, B1. CALL TO ORDSR Above: Firefighters and rescue personnel sort through the debris of a Wal-Mart store in Colonial Heights Friday after it was hit by a tornado. Three people were killed. Story, A6.

ap Below right: Ruth Bashlor carries a set of crystal glasses that survived the tornado that demolished her trailer Friday in James City County. Her boyfriend, James Marsh, searches through the rubble for other belongings. Kenneth D. LyonsDaily Press Please see TwistersA4 l. lUbJWW'JJ .1 ii i i.

iii -l ii I Twisters strike Peninsula In i The Poor Clares monastery in Newport News is a "powerhouse of prayer." Its 12 nuns live in obscurity, praying tor a world they rarely see. Lifestyles, D1. 4- Sklffe's Creek Trees downed, houses and cars damaged James City County Blow Flats Road: Business Langley: Two F-15s damaged, four trailers flipped over demolished, three trailers destroyed 4-j sni -V-' Regents Walk: Trees Man survives flood ordeal. A6. Arsonist turned in by father.

A10. Stowaway dies in jet's wheel. A10. Caribbean prepares for storm. A11.

vf Bethef Road snapped, fences chimneys toppled, cars damaged -Syr JHamaonJ 7 Mf (64) Hilton, Sedgefield: Eight injured, flea market smashed, homes damaged, trees toppled RADAR. NN Del. Phil Hamilton isn't happy with the response to his question about why real estate taxes keep rising on condemned property. Local, CI. 1 Ayffiy EasterDaily Press J.J""S...

'The train is coming': Scenes from the storm Partly cloudy and pleasant. High of 85, the low 67. For complete colorful details, see C10. as sounding like a train. He heard the twister coming from inside The Flea Market.

"I shoved these two other people against the wall, jumped on top of them, and shouted, 'The train is he said. "I've never seen anything like this," said Loviner. "You couldn't see nothing, because the rain was coming through the building. I've seen nor'easters. Lots of wind, breaking trees but never the train." the Farm Fresh, tree limbs." "It really does sound like a train," said 16-year-old Cassie Stallings.

"It kept hitting the house, pounding it." Stallings was at her aunt's Sedgefield-area home, babysitting her two preschool cousins and 8-year-old brother, when the storm struck. "I took them all to the bathroom and did my best to hold their faces to the ground," Please see ScensA4 Donna Jebson, an advertising representative for the Daily Press, was driving along Hampton Roads Center Parkway toward Big Bethel Road when she saw a funnel cloud. "I thought the wind was going to flip my car," she said. "All the drivers were just trying to stay away from each other. We didn't want to flip onto each other.

"I couldn't get out of my car. I was too scared. Everything was flying metal dairy crates from the hood of his Bronco. "I saw a flash," he said. "Something hit my window on the driver's side.

That's when I got out." He opened the door, stepped on the ground and got the shock of his life. "I got knocked on my butt," he said. Somehow, despite all the water and a live wire on the ground, he didn't get electrocuted. "It's just a miracle, that's all." Bob Loviner of Buckroe, like many others, described the storm By William H.McMlchael Daily Press George Porter of Hampton was parked in front of The Flea Market on Jefferson Ave. when he saw the tornado Friday.

It was coming right down the alley between the market's two buildings. Heading straight at him. "It was spinning, maybe 25, 30 feet wide," he said. "I was going to start my car and move." The battery was dead. Objects started flying.

A utility pole fell across Advice D7 Nation A2 Astrology D8 Obituaries C4 Baseball B4 Radar C1 Broadcast News D1 Real Estate E1 Business C5 Religion D3 Comics D7 Sports B1 Editorials A12 Stocks C7 Lifestyles D1 Survival Guide C2 Local TV D5 Lottery C2 World A11 Classified advertisements in Section To place Classified ad, call 247-4700. For home delivery, call 247-4800 or call toll-free at 1-800-543-8908. PRIVATE LIES. Love at first sight gets a second look when detectives check out lovers. Lifestyles.

1993 Dally PrM Inc. 96th Year, No. 219 I This news paper is i printed in part on recycled newsprint. It 6 can be recycled. Teresa Lewis, 10, looks at the remnants of a tree uprooted Mary Ellen Pillow stands outside her home after a tree land- A car, buried under debris, sits near a mobile home Friday in her back yard Friday at the Regent's Walk condominiums ed on her house.

Her 1 year-old son slept as the tree came after the storm swept through a trailer park near the Newport Off Big Bethel Road. Story, A5. Buddy NorrltDaily Press through the Ceiling. Story, A5. Dennla TennanVDaily Press News border.

Story, A5. Kenneth D. LyoneDaily Press.