<sh>APS Welcomes Katrina Survivors
<bt>Arlington Public Schools is preparing to enroll students whose families were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. These students will be enrolled under the provisions of the federal McKinney-Vento Act which addresses homeless students. The Louisiana Department of Education estimates that more than 135,000 students will be unable to return to their schools because of the destruction caused by the storm. The Mississippi Department of Education estimates that about 35,000 students have been displaced. For more information, call 703-228-6005.
<sh>Homeowner Shoots Burglary Suspect
<bt>At approximately 5:30 a.m. on Aug. 28, a homeowner shot and wounded a burglary suspect who broke into his residence in the Leeway Overlee neighborhood, according to police. The 18-year-old suspect, David Jeovavy Valdivia Dominguez, entered the residence through a first-floor window, said police. The homeowner was alerted to the intruder, whom he located in his daughter's bedroom. A physical confrontation resulted and, fearing for his and his daughter's life, he shot the suspect, who fled the residence and was later located at a local hospital, police said. The suspect was treated and released into the custody of the police. An arrest warrant has been issued charging Dominguez with burglary. The homeowner was interviewed by detecives with the Homicide/Robbery Unit.
<sh>New Restrictions on Cold Medicine
<bt>Gov. Mark Warner (D) signed an executive order Thursday that requires legal medications used in the manufacture of methamphetamine be kept behind pharmacy counters.
Warner's action also requires customers to produce identification before purchasing cold medicine that contains ephedrine or pseudoephedrine — key ingredients in meth production.
"We can and must restrict access to these precursor materials before more horror stories make us realize we've acted too late," Warner said in a statement.
Once considered a problem primarily for Southwestern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley, meth has started to creep into Northern Virginia in recent months.
While some Virginia pharmacists already impose voluntary sales restrictions on the medicine, Warner's executive order makes the limits mandatory. If the General Assembly approves legislation on meth during its session early next year, it could make the new limits permanent.
Several states, including West Virginia, have also made it more difficult to purchase the cold medicine.
In Oregon, the legislature passed a law banning certain cold medicine sales without a prescription. Oregon's anti-meth measures are considered the most stringent in the nation.
<sh>Rotary Exchange Program
<bt>The Rotary Club of Rosslyn/Ft. Myer is seeking qualified applicants to participate in the Group Study Exchange Program with Poland, Ukraine and Belarus from May 1-30, 2006. The Group Study Exchange (GSE) program of The Rotary Foundation is a cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for young business and professional men and women between the ages of 25 and 40 and in the early years of their professional lives. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits between paired areas in different countries. Team members experience the host country's institutions and ways of life, observe their own vocations as practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.
For each team member, The Rotary Foundation provides the most economical round-trip air ticket between the home and host countries. Local Rotarians in the host area provide for meals, lodging and group travel within their district. Completed applications are due Sept. 30. For more information about Group Study exchange or about Rotary, contact Chris Zabriskie at 240-346-4237 or czabriskie@ix.netcom.com.