Richmond Times-Dispatch from Richmond, Virginia • B2

10823TDCM02B 822 B2 city 10823TDCM02B ZALLCALL 63 00:45:092304 B2 Monday, August 23, 2004 Virginia Richmond lime -Dispatch www.timctdapttcb.com Lovely to see, dangerous to cross BRIEFLY Collected from wikk services and Times-Dispatch resources sinking the poles. A lack of facts about the old days hampers all operations. Records that might tell which bombs were dropped where are classified, or in storage and nearly impossible to find. Cyrus Brame of the Fish and Wildlife Service oversees Plum Tree refuge. Brame said he hasn't had much hick prying into its past either.

The military worries that if they get too specific about whaf out there, some terrorist types might try to recover and reuse the explosives." Brame was one of the officers who discovered the exposed bombs in June. It was the service's first survey of the island since Hurricane Isabel. As they waded ashore, Brame said, the officers began to notice a pattern of humps in the shallows. They were about three feet long, and about a foot in diameter. It took us a minute to realize, "Hey, thafs not natural.

There's too many of A walk down the beach revealed more of the cylinders, tossed high and dry by Isabel. Some had rusted nearly through, their insides exposed. Others appeared well-preserved. "Believe me," he said, "we couldnt wait to get off that beach." In an odd way, however, the danger blankets the refuge with an unusual level of protection, Brame said. The marsh is rich in wildlife, and serves as an important halfway stop for birds migrating along the Atlantic coast "Most refuges have to tolerate a certain amount of human traffic," he said.

"Plum Tree doesn't, and probably never will. And that works in favor of the critters." Hurricane churned up leftover bombs from former practice range BY JOANNE KIM BERLIN The Vdigdgan-Pilot poquoson A breeze glides an unseen hand across the sage grass. Waves of golden tassels bow their heads its stroke. Birds soar. Crabs scuttle.

Fish jump. Bombs lurk in the shallows and litter the shore. These are the extremes of Plum Tree Island National Wildlife Refuge, a Penin-sula salt marsh buffering the small town of Poquoson from the Chesapeake Bay. The bombs went unnoticed until this summer, though if 8 likely they were churned up in September when Hurricane Isabel bulldozed across Poquoson. Bombs have been found in Plum Tree before but never so many at once.

Crusty with rust and barnacles, about 40 lOO-pounders and a handful of rockets were found in June along the southeast shoreline of an island marking the eastern edge of the refuge. They're the latest to surface from a long-buried arsenal of unknown size. Phim Tree absorbed tons of ordnance between 1917 and the mid-1950s, when the military used the marsh as a practice range, sharpening skills that would win two world wars. Some bombs exploded as intended during the practices. Others did not Duds that were easy to spot were removed before 1972, when the military gave the HYUNBOO LEO EDIrtBE VBOINMN-PILOTVIA IBS ASSOCIMH) PBflBS Plum Tree Island absorbed tons of ordnance between 1917 and the mid-1950s, when the military used the marsh as a practice range, sharpening skills that would win two world wars.

marsh to the VSS. Fish and Wildlife Service. Submerged or buried bombs were left behind. No one knows how many remain, which is why humans are not allowed in Phim Tree. There has never been enough money or manpower to enforce the ban, though.

Patrols are scarce. Warning signs fall prey to salt, sun, storms and theft And so people come, drawn by Plum Tree's snaking creeks and postcard stretches of dunes. Boaters. Teenagers. Families with small children.

They beach-comb, camp and party. They do it surrounded by bombs. In 1958, shortly after the bombs stopped falling on Plum Tree, three teenage boys stepped off a boat to explore the island. One kicked at a metal cylinder lying in the sand. It exploded, injuring another of the boys so seriously that his leg had to be ampu-tated above the knee.

No one knows if the passage of nearly five decades has made Phim Tree's bombs more stable or less. Over the years, they've come up in ones and twos, and have been removed by explosives experts from the Air Force or Navy. Suspect cited in Elkton case You need to know stuff complete or when an arrest may be she said, the suspect is being monitored be a fool" to flee the area. News-Record said Williams could not be comment on Oct 18, 2003, after socializing the parking lot of the Elkton Volunteer Adam Good, said Williams and often by cellular phone while they calling each other every day leading disappearance," Good said. Then after he never tried to call her cell placed on paid administrative leave 16.

The Associated Psess elkton A former police officer reportedly is suspected of killing a pregnant mother of three who has been missing since October. The Daily News-Record of Harrisonburg quoted a source close to the investigation as confirming that former Elkton officer Adam Williams is a suspect in the disappearance of Rachel Good, 20. Members of Good's family say investigators told them Williams is the suspect For months, the family has asserted that Williams, who is married, was dating Good before she disappeared. At a news conference Friday, Commonwealth's Attorney Marsha Garst announced that the search for the Elkton woman has been upgraded to a homicide investigation, although her body has not been found. Garst said she is uncertain when the investiga fermont pair caught after multistate chase ST.

JOHNS BURY, Vt. TWO people who had fled from poKce in fi ve states were arrested yesterday in their hometown, police said. Robert Somen, 23, and Barbara Burrington, 23, were last seen Wednesday when they checked out of a motel in Virginia, having bought a 1988 dark blue four-door Chrysler 5th Avenue. Police said they began to stake out the home of Burring-ton's father yesterday about 8:30 WGMT radio reported. The two were taken into custody just after 1 p.m after negotiations with police, the station said.

Somers and Burrington had led police in Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi on a 200-mile chase. Police said Somers fled St Johnsbury as he was about to be arrested in connection with several burglaries and other crimes. The pair showed up Aug. 15 in rural Virginia, where they crashed their car in Sussex County, police said. A good Samaritan stopped to assist the couple, and police said Somers assaulted the woman and stole her car at gunpoint The stolen vehicle was found Tuesday, about 7 miles from the scene.

Arlington emergency staff to help in FLa. Arlington Eight Arlington County emergency managers wiU contribute to hurricane-relief efforts in Florida. The managers were scheduled to arrive in Tampa Bay on Saturday night, county spokeswoman Diana Sun said. They will work in Florida's emergency center, as well as in local operations centers in Charlotte, DeSoto and possibly Hardee counties for the next week. Arlington's managers will relieve local emergency managers who have been working since Hurricane Charley struck Aug.

13. Hurricane Charley is blamed for 25 deaths and caused $7.4 billion in damage. Blue Ridge Parkway motorcycle deaths up sparta, n.c. The Blue Ridge Parkway has become the scene of an increasing number of motorcycle wrecks that rangers say probably are the result of inexperienced or inattentive drivers on the winding mountain highway. Ten people died on motorcycles from 1998-2000, the most recent years for which accident figures are available.

There were more than 149 motorcycle accidents on the parkway in 1998 and 1999, and for each of those years, four of those resulted in deaths. In 2000, there were 96 motorcycle accidents and two motorcycle fatalities, according to the National Park Service. The entire parkway averages about 55,000 vehicles a day over its 469 miles through Virginia and North Carolina. Restoration advancing for Culpeper theater culpeper The marquee on the old StatePitts Theatre posted a new message last week: "Coming Soon Info. 727-7979." Thaf 8 the phone number (in the 540 area code) for the newly formed State Theatre Foundation the local group that will lead the fund-raising campaign for restoring the circa-1938 movie house on South Main Street Last week, the foundation's board of directors named Raven Yates its executive director.

The group hopes to open its new office at 311 S. Main St, adjacent to the theater, this Restoration of the historic art-deco theater will cost between $2 million and $3 million and will take two to three years, said Yates, a Charlottesville resident Yates is the younger sister of Culpeper developer Greg Yates, who bought the State Theatre this spring for $300,000. Plans call for the 500-seat auditorium to feature movie showings, live theater, dance and music acts. Coming tomorrow State finances: The General Assembly's money committees receive a The military isn't interested in retrieving the latest batch. This job is too big for that," said Adri-ane James, a spokeswoman for the Army Corps of Engineers.

The corps, which is regularly involved in cleaning up former military sites, plans to hire a private contractor to remove the bombs. James couldn't say how long the process will take. In the meantime, the corps is warning people to stay away. There are plans to replace signs and install warning buoys, but few things are simple at Phim Tree. Someone could strike a bomb just Board of Visitors Rector Mona Albertine spoke of her days at the school nearly 40 years ago, when it was part of the University of Virginia and enrolled only women.

There have been many changes," she told the audience. The important things have endured," she added, mentioning small class sizes, a forward-looking administration, top-notch faculty and the school's honor code. Mary Washington officials sought university status as a means of providing an overall structure for the growing institution, which has a main campus in Fredericksburg and a graduate continuing-education campus in neighboring Stafford County. They have pledged to cap enrollment at the main campus at around 4,000 students. li Tf 4rfii'r "jffiv IBM HUH POUT JUTE.

WBIHWHD mm in tion will be made. Meanwhile, and "would The reached for Good vanished with friends in Fire Department Good's brother, his sister talked were dating. They were up to the the disappearance phone again." Williams was and resigned Jan. about your government Monday primer During the summer, "You Need to Know Stuff' will present activities for children and their parents. We hope that by completing the activities each week, children will keep up their reading and math skills.

We also hope that, as a family, you will enjoy doing the activities together. This week, you will learn more about the leaders of your city, county, state and country. You may need adult help for these activities. Have fun with it Following are activities for parents and children: IEach day this week, go through your newspaper and find as many of the following as you can: city or county leaders, state leaders, and national leaders. Use three pieces of big paper.

At the top of one, write "Local." On the other two, write "State" and "National." When you find a story or a picture of a leader, paste it on the correct sheet of paper. (Use each leader only once.) With an adulfs help, beside each write the leader's office. Beside that, write whether the leader is elected or appointed. If the leader is state or national, write which branch of government is represented (executive, legislative or judicial). Ask an adult to explain the difference.

2 Choose one of the leaders on any one of the sheets. Imag- ine that you are inviting that person to spend the weekend with you. Use the Thursday Weekend section to plan what you will da List 10 things you would talk about with the person. Three of the things must be related to government 3 Choose one leader that you admire. Use the Internet to see if you can find an address for the person.

Write a letter telling why you admire him or her. Don't forget to add to the scrapbook you started June 21! This feature for children and their parents appears every Monday. College FROM PAGE Bl Washington College" still adorn brick columns at the school's main entrance, though many other signs have been replaced with the institution's new name and logo. However, faculty and staffers have been instructed to answer telephones by saying "University of Mary Washington," and the school's stationery also reflects only the new name. "It will take some getting used to for some people," said Ronald E.

Singleton, Mary Washington's senior vice president for advancement and university relations. Speakers at last nighfs convocation all referred to the institution by its new name, without any slip-ups. 13 1 1 ii i www budget update. Krug, who graduated from Hermitage High School, said she chose Mary Washington because of its small size. The feminist in me also liked that it's the only public university named for a woman," she said, referring to the institution's namesake, George Washington's mother.

King's roommate, Jennifer Pierotti, who graduated from Henrico's Douglas S. Freeman High School, is already thinking of what her degree will say four years from now. "I like the name," said Pierotti, an 18-year-old philosophy and political science major. "I think 'university' will sound better when I apply to law school." Contact Kiran Krishnamurthy at (540) 371-4792 or kknnarnurthytirnesdispatchxorn VJIND0VJS! Double the Revalue of regular windows. Both sashes tJt in for easy cleaning.

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