<b>Police Seize Million Dollar Mangoes</b>
Arlington narcotics detectives seized approximately 50 kilograms of cocaine discovered in a trailer parked in Crystal City last Friday. The cocaine, valued at approximately $1.25 million, is the largest drug seizure in the department's history.
While on routine patrol with his canine partner, Cpl. Thorpe Lichtenburg discovered the trailer, parked in the 1000 block of S. Clark St., shortly after 1:30 p.m. Given the proximity to the Pentagon and the current heightened state of alert, Lichtenberg used police dog Rico, trained to sniff out explosives, to search the vehicle.
The dog reacted as though there were explosives in the trailer, and Lichtenburg called in the county Fire Department’s bomb squad. Bomb squad members found no explosives in the trailer, but did find several suspicious packages among the boxes of mangoes that filled the trailer.
Narcotics detectives were called to the scene, examined the packages and determined that they contained cocaine. No arrests have been made at this time, and the investigation is continuing. As a result of the seizure, police donated hundreds of boxes of mangoes to local food banks.
<b>Sept. 11 Memorial Recommended</b>
Saturday, the county’s Sept. 11 memorial task force gave County Board members its recommendations for the type of memorial service appropriate for the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks, along with a proposed site for the construction of a memorial.
Arlington should hold a memorial concert on the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2002, at the Netherlands Carillon, near the Iwo Jima memorial.
The concert would include music from the Arlington Symphony and other local musicians, as well as readings selected and read by prominent Arlingtonians. Planning for the event is already underway.
Task force members also recommended that the county erect a monument to the victims of the terrorist attacks on a site south of the Navy Annex, between Columbia Pike and 395 – land that is slated to become part of Arlington National Cemetery. The site would overlook the crash site and the section of the Pentagon that was destroyed, as well as offering a view of the District and monuments along the Mall.
The land is not owned by Arlington County, and under already enacted Congressional legislation, the land will be included in the Cemetery. The task force report acknowledged that, but encouraged the county to seek agreement with the departments of Defense and the Army, as well as the National Park Service and Cemetery officials, to acquire the site for the Arlington Sept. 11 memorial.
The memorial should include the names and faces of the victims of the attack, but the actual design would be selected after a national design competition, which could cost the county $500,000 alone.
In addition, the task force report also recommends that the county plant a memorial grove of 184 trees, one for each of the victims killed in the Pentagon attack, along Route 50, between Washington Boulevard and 10th Street North.
<b>Correction</b>
The story "School Chairs Don’t Affect Elections" (July 2) should have said that current school board member David Foster won his seat in a 2000 race against Sharon Davis, after former board chair Darlene Mickey decided to step down from her position on the school board.