EVMS IS STILL AT ODDS WITH NORFOLK ON AIDS CARE SCHOOL SAYS CITY OFFER SHORTCHANGES PATIENTS.(LOCAL) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)

Byline: LIZ SZABO THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT\

NORFOLK -- Doctors at Eastern Virginia Medical School have rejected the city's latest offer for treating indigent AIDS patients.

Norfolk officials, who administer AIDS-treatment money in the region from the federal Ryan White CARE Act, cut off the medical school's funding under that program April 11. The action followed months of wrangling with EVMS over billing methods and other issues. Funds from Title I of the Ryan White program pay for the care of AIDS patients with no other insurance.

EVMS officials described the city's most recent offer, which they received Monday, as unworkable.

Dr. Edward C. Oldfield said that Norfolk's plan would dismantle the medical school's system of 11 clinics, which had allowed AIDS patients to get ``one-stop shopping'' and obtain medical care and social services in one appointment.

About 350 patients formerly treated at EVMS under the Ryan White program must

now find new primary-care doctors. Medical school doctors treat about 1,000 other AIDS patients in the area, including those served by Medicare and Medicaid.

``I've treated AIDS patients for 21 years, and I've suffered through many deaths, but I've never suffered through the death of a comprehensive system of care,'' said Oldfield, director of the EVMS division of infectious disease.

``It's hard enough to fight AIDS in a community as a team, but when you have another group of people trying to sabotage your work, it's impossible.''

Norfolk City Manager Regina V.K. Williams said she regretted that the city and medical school couldn't reach an agreement. In an April 16 letter, the city had offered EVMS about $750,000. The offer would have allowed EVMS to resume seeing patients even before a formal contract was signed, Williams said.

``I thought we were headed in a pretty good direction,'' Williams said. ``Having personally intervened in this, I think I have been responsive to Dr. Oldfield and wish he would have met us halfway. . . . I hope to get back to the table.''

She said she hopes to involve Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim and EVMS' president, Dr. J. Sumner Bell, in future talks.

In a letter to Williams, Oldfield complained of ``inordinate administrative burden and lack of customer service'' caused by the city.

Patients say they're already having trouble.

A local AIDS patient who used to go to EVMS said she has been referred to the Norfolk Health Department. But the public health clinic can't see her until the end of May, she said. In the past, EVMS doctors or nurses never made her wait more than a day or two.

``I can't imagine this is being done to so many lives,'' said the woman, who asked that her name not be used. ``I know it's political, but this is unbelievable.''

In his letter to Williams, Oldfield said those who run the Title I office in Norfolk have failed to recognize ``the true costs of delivering HIV and AIDs care'' and have no ``plan to improve customer service.''

In rejecting the city's offer, Oldfield cited several examples of critical problems. For example:

The latest plan provides for no outpatient care in James City, Williamsburg and York County.

Physicians are no longer allowed to treat AIDS patients for sexually transmitted diseases or perform PAP smears, Oldfield said. Instead, patients would have to seek care at the health department.

City officials have not yet found a replacement for an experienced nutritionist, whose Ryan White funding recently was eliminated.

Ryan White patients may receive prescription drugs from only one pharmacy, which is closed nights and weekends, Oldfield said. That pharmacy does not deliver outside of Norfolk, making it difficult for patients on the Peninsula to obtain critical drugs, especially if they lack private transportation.

Williams said many of Oldfield's complaints are not directly related to EVMS funding.

Williams said part of the philosophical gulf between Norfolk administrators and medical providers stems from different interpretations of the purposes of the Ryan White program.

The act's stated intent is to meet the ``unmet health needs of persons living with HIV disease by funding primary health care and support services that enhance access to and retention in care.''

Williams said Ryan White funds were intended to provide emergency medical care only and to serve as a last resort, not a lasting provider of health care. She sees the goal of the program as largely serving short-term needs.

``We need to find the funding for a comprehensive medical system, but I don't think that Title I is it,'' Williams said. ``We have to step back and say, `Are we trying to do something with these grant funds that they were never intended to do?' ''

Reach Liz Szabo at 446-2286 or lszabo@pilotonline.com

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Dr. Edward C. Oldfield of Eastern Virginia Medical School says Norfolk's funding offer would dismantle EVMS' AIDS-treatment network.

Fact Box

your letters. - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)

One role was omittedfor Chamber of Commerce

Dear Editor:

City Historian Peggy Haile McPhillips and your correspondent did not mention that the former Chamber of Commerce building was, during WWII, a Navy school (Theater group gets a new home downtown, Page 1, 11/22/09).

I attended that school circa 1942-43. We were attendees of the Navy School of Sanitation Inspectors, and our job was to perform inspections on ships galleys, dining and mess decks, Navy food handling establishments and STD examiners.

Our school hours were Monday to Friday for six weeks in the basement of the building. We were taught by Norfolk Health Department representatives and sanitation personnel.

John H. Peck, Norfolk

Harry S. Wise.(Local) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)

NORFOLK -- NORFOLK - Harry Stephen Wise, M.D., 91, of East Arden Circle, passed away on Oct. 25, 2005 at home with Polly, his beloved wife of 67 years. Born in Kirksville, Mo., he was the son of the late Shirley Gorrell Wise and Claude M. Wise. He is the widower of Dr. Pauline 'Polly' Kopp Wise.

Dr. Wise received his undergraduate degree in Speech and Education and later received his medical degree in 1948 from Louisiana State University. He then joined the U.S. Public Health Service and served as an intern at the U.S. Public Service Hospital in Norfolk. During his career, he served in the Indian Health Service in Arizona with the Navajo and Hopi Tribes. He later returned to Norfolk in 1963 to serve as the Medical Officer in Charge at the same hospital that he served as an intern. He later served with the U.S. State Department in their A.I.D. division in Vietnam as acting Chief of Surgery in DaNang. In 1968, he received his master's degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University. He returned to Norfolk for the third time to become the director of the Norfolk Health Department, and retired from that position in 1984. During his tenure, he accepted two assignments with the World Health Organization to eradicate smallpox in India and Somalia.

Dr. Wise was a board member of the Norfolk Generic Theater, was one of the founders of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and continued as an honorary board member. He was a member of the World Affairs Council, the Retired Sanitarians Association, The Ghent Venture and the Great Books Group. Dr. Wise also loved to travel and had been to all 50 states and over 86 countries.

Left to cherish his memory are his daughter, Martha W. McCaffrey and her husband Joseph of Slidell, La.; his son, Michael T. Wise and his wife Brenda of Norfolk; a sister, Margaret Ruth Schendel of Suwanee, Ga.; a brother, Paul Wise of Hickory, N.C.; five grandchildren, Christine M. Burks and her husband Brian, David McCaffrey and his wife Robin, Timothy McCaffrey, Helen McCaffrey and her husband Michael O'Neil and Tracy Bumgarner and her husband Dallas; five great-grandchildren, Sean and Kyle Burks, Elizabeth McCaffrey and Emma and Alison O'Neil; and a number of nieces and nephews.

ADDITIONAL EXPOSURES REPORTED TO RABID CAT. PUBLIC URGED TO REPORT EXPOSURE. - States News Service

NORFOLK,VA -- The following information was released by the city of Norfolk:

Norfolk Department of Public Health investigation of a rabid stray cat reported on July 7, has identified four additional human contact and one of a domesticated dog. The rabid cat - which was caught and tested positive for rabies -- was an orange, short-haired adult. The known exposures occurred on Vimy Ridge Avenue, West Tanners Creek Drive, Bapaume Avenue, and Dunkirk Avenue. All known victims have been contacted and Rabies post exposure treatment has been initiated. The Norfolk Department of Public Health strongly encourages anyone that may have had contact with this animal; please contact the health department immediately. 'An animal exposure is a serious medical event for which prompt evaluation and complete treatment is critical. Rabies is highly preventable if vaccine is given early and as recommended. Unfortunately, without preventive treatment, by the time someone develops symptoms of rabies, there is no cure and the disease is fatal in almost 100% of cases' reports Demetria M. Lindsay, M.D., Health Director for the Health Department. 'An animal's behavior may be a key indicator that it is rabid,' she adds. 'This might include unusual behavior or a change in behavior. A domesticated pet might become aggressive, without provocation or appear very weak or lethargic. It is important to note that a rabid animal may not be foaming at the mouth.' The Health Department strongly emphasizes the following recommendations to help residents protect their families and their pets from rabies: * Report stray or unvaccinated animals to Animal Control at 757-664-7387. * Report all animal or human exposures to the Norfolk Health Department at 757-683-2712. * Be sure dogs and cats are up-to-date on vaccinations. * Keep pets confined to home and yard. * Keep yards free of food that could attract wild animals. * Do not handle, touch or take in stray or wild animals. * Warn adults and children to report any animal bites or scratches. For further information about this media release after 5:00 pm, please contact John Monroe on his digital pager at 757-669-2775.

RABID RACCOON FOUND ON MEADOW LAKE COURT, NORFOLK. - States News Service

NORFOLK,VA -- The following information was released by the city of Norfolk:

On June 25, 2012, a domestic dog encountered a raccoon, in the backyard of its home on Meadow Lake Court, near Norfolk International Airport and Lake Whitehurst. When the dog's owners responded to the barking, they found a bloody raccoon. The dog was unharmed.

On June 28, 2012, an Environmental Health Specialist Sr. collected the raccoon for testing at the Virginia Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services. Results received this afternoon confirmed that the raccoon had tested positive for rabies. There were no human exposures and the dog was current on its rabies vaccine. It was also examined by a veterinarian who administered a rabies booster shot.

It is important to note that, in the event of any exposure, all animal bites and scratches should be reported to local health departments. Incidents occurring in the City of Norfolk should be reported to the Environmental Health Division of the Norfolk Department of Public Health at 757-683-2712 or Norfolk Animal Control at 757-664-7387. The following precautions are recommended to reduce rabies exposure:

Be sure dogs and cats are up-to-date on vaccinations.

Keep pets confined to home and yard.

Keep yards free of food that could attract wild animals.

Do not handle, touch or take in stray or wild animals.

Warn adults and children to report any animal bites or scratches.

Report stray or unvaccinated animals to Animal Control at 757-664-7387.

Report all animal or human exposures to the Norfolk Health Department at 757-683-2712.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES WESLEY PAUL WAITES FOUND A NEW LIFE; NOW HE WORKS TO HELP OTHER FATHERS FIND THEIRS.(LOCAL) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)

Byline: VANDANA SINHA, STAFF WRITER

VIRGINIA BEACH -- Six men stand in a close circle, singing a soulful melody in the Department of Social Services third-floor waiting room.

They're telling a story, through song, about a man struggling to rise above his weaknesses and build better relationships with his children and their mother. A man who learns patience, compassion and love for himself.

Each day I pray.

That you're okay.

In every way.

Being all that you can be.

Before your life slips away.

They're more than just words to the verse's soloist, Wesley Paul Waites. The music is his life story, and how he turned it around before it slipped away. Now, the 35-year-old Lake Edward resident spends his days working for various community organizations such as Virginia Beach's Seton House boys' home, teaching other young men the importance of fatherhood.

And he tries to uplift his neighborhood by putting together its largest annual basketball tournament, which starts today.

It's the second year for the tournament, in memory this time of Brenda Williams, a neighborhood mom who died last week of cancer. Waites expects to recruit 24 teams of adults and kids this year and raise $1,500 to pay for the equipment, catering, T-shirts and booths. Last year, about 1,200 people showed up to watch and play. This year, he hopes it will be 1,500.

It's a long way from where Waites came, growing up in the Park Place section of Norfolk.

In high school, Waites hung with the bad crowd, the ones who draped themselves across the street corners and sold drugs for a living.

He slacked through school, earning a diploma only to take a string of dead-end jobs detailing cars. He said he was nowhere near marriage material for his girlfriend, whom he's been dating for 12 years now.

But he's changed all that. Slowly, he's learned how to confront his problems, with support group sessions and song writing - two of his biggest means for free expression. Now, clean of the drug scene for six years, he wants to teach what he's learned to others, and help his struggling neighborhood by organizing events such as the basketball tournament.

``I want to inspire others to take control of their lives,'' Waites said.

Back at Social Services, the group of men throw out song ideas for an educational show for fathers across the region, which is scheduled to debut next month. Something more contemporary comes to someone's mind, and Waites jumps on it, singing it for the rest of the room.

I believe the children are our future.

Teach them well and let them lead the way.

Show them all the beauty they possess inside.

Give them a sense of pride. . .

For Waites, his three children have been his pride, spurring him from a downward spiral to an upward turn. The birth of his first son, Chauncey, thrust a mirror in front of his face six years ago. It showed him he needed to become the kind of father his son could look up to.

He started on the basketball courts three years ago, coaching young players for the Central Bayside Athletic Association.

``He has an impact in their lives, and it gave him more value on himself,'' said Loliest D. Breckenridge, a close friend and a coach for the Bayside Athletic Association. ``So he kept going.''

Two years ago, Waites walked into a Fathers-in-Training seminar, hosted by Social Services to help fathers gain parenting skills. There, Waites slowly started sharing past ordeals and future hopes for his children.

Now, out of 700 men who've participated, he's one of only two original graduates who still goes to meetings.

``Fathers, we got the best job in the world, but we take it so lightly,'' he said. ``You're molding the future.''

The seminars helped Waites turn a dead end into a one-way street toward the future - reaching fathers to help children.

Waites was one of the first participants to take the fatherhood skills he's learned into his Lake Edward community, into the homes of guys who can't fit the seminars into their schedules, and onto the basketball courts to recruit more men.

He's also working for such community organizations as Seton House. He's an outreach worker for the South Hampton Roads Fatherhood Coalition, four parent-oriented groups, and the Norfolk Fatherhood Initiative Healthy Start, run by the Norfolk Health Department.

``He wants to make a difference in his life, and in the life of his loved ones,'' said Brian S. Hawkins, coordinator for Fathers-in-Training. ``And he wants to make a difference in the community.

``He wants to show people that even if you hit rock bottom, that you can still make it up top,'' Hawkins said.

Last year, with the support of Beach Social Services, Waites fathered his own community creation - the now-annual Street Ball Classic basketball tournament.

But his real babies are his three sons, Chauncey, 6, LaQuan, 3, and Montrell, 2. They keep him loyal to the right path, working to overcome problems that still plague him.

But that's okay.

He sings the next song with his choral group, his voice melting in with those of the other men.

I believe I can fly.

I believe I can fly.

I believe I can fly.

CAPTION(S):

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MOTOYA NAKAMURA/The Virginian-Pilot

Wesley Waites with his children, from left to right, Chauncey Andrews, 6, Montrell Andrews, 18 months, and LaQuan Andrews, 3.

Graphic

WANT TO GO?

VINDICATION OF OFFICERS WAS EXPECTED BY SOME RESIDENTS.(FRONT) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)

It was news that seemed to surprise no one.

Told Thursday that a police investigation into the death of Raymond C. Chandler while in custody of officers had resulted in official vindication, none of more than a dozen people interviewed said they expected anything different.

``It's like letting a murderer be his own judge,'' said Curtis Roberson of Norfolk, who said he believes the officers involved should be tried on criminal charges.

``They did what they are supposed to do,'' said Steven O. Edwards, a Pittsburgh native stationed in Norfolk with the Navy. ``If the police just let everyone go when they resist arrest, no one would let themselves be arrested.''

Almost everyone agreed on one thing - that the incident, deservedly or not, has reinforced the stereotype of the aggressive police officer.

``I would be scared if I saw a police car with its lights on behind me'' flashing blue and red, said Rich Othello of Norfolk.

While several people were clearly pro- or anti-police, others said that even if officers used excessive force, they never intended harm to Chandler.

``I don't think the police investigation'' vindicating the officers ``is justified given the autopsy report,'' said Brenda Thompson of Virginia Beach, who works for the Norfolk Health Department.

Noting references in the autopsy to suffocation, she asked: ``How did he suffer that if they didn't use excessive force? It's kind of sad.''

Yet she does not believe this case is representative of police work in general.

She hopes better training will follow ``with more careful selection in the choice of officers.''

Pearl Anthony of Norfolk said police need to use more common sense and have better training. ``This shouldn't have happened,'' she said.

Richard Marshall, a Norfolk plumber, said he was pleased with the police report and placed all blame on Chandler.

``He shouldn't ought to have been fighting police,'' Marshall said. ``Even if they are wrong, you don't fight. Let the judge sort it out.''

Marshall was especially critical of Councilman Paul R. Riddick, who has been vocal in his criticism of police actions. ``He should resign. He should be ashamed. Using this man's death for his politics. He's not interested in healing, just votes.''

Marshall, who is black, said the African-American community needs the police because so many blacks are crime victims. ``Riddick should be helping bring peace,'' he said.

Concerned about a lack of public trust in police, City Manager Regina V.K. Williams met last month with a few dozen community leaders to discuss how to close the gap between officers and the residents they serve.

NORFOLK AIMS TO KEEP A LID ON SEWER PROBLEM CITY URGES RESIDENTS TO HELP COMBAT ITS GREASY DILEMMA.(LOCAL) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)

Byline: MEREDITH KRUSE THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

NORFOLK -- Don't act surprised. You know what happens when you eat all that delicious fried food. The fat congeals in your system, forming a big greasy clog, and sooner or later, disaster strikes.

No, not in your arteries - in your city sewers. The result: overflows of raw sewage that can poison local waterways and threaten residents' health.

In Norfolk, which is under state order to stop overflows, city officials estimate that 70 percent of sewer backups are due to grease. This holiday season, they're urging residents to stop pouring kitchen grease down the drain.

Utility officials are mounting ``Fight the Fat'' displays in city buildings, sending letters to their 67,000 customers and appealing to civic groups. Starting this week, they're also handing out plastic ``fat can'' lids at department headquarters at 400 Granby St. They hope the bright yellow lids will remind residents to pour grease into an empty metal can, pop it in the freezer and toss it in the trash when the can is full.

The lids are Norfolk's way of combatting a problem that plagues the rest of Hampton Roads, as well as cities from Miami to New York. Nationwide, sewers overflow at least 40,000 times each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Once grease goes down the drain, it's fiendishly difficult to flush out, said Stacy Passaro, municipal program engineer with the Water Environment Federation, an Alexandria group that promotes water quality.

It takes a long time for bacteria to break down

grease and in the meantime, the sticky substance can coat sewer pipes and trap other objects making their way through the system. Add some chilly weather and grease congeals even faster. In neighborhoods where pipes are 6 to 12 inches in diameter, it doesn't take much to form a clog.

It all happens underground, leaving residents blissfully unaware - until the toilet backs up or the manhole down the street belches a noxious brew.

With a problem so invisible, it's hard to persuade people to change their habits, Passaro said.

She's worked in wastewater her entire career and even today, when faced with a frying pan full of grease and a kitchen drain beckoning, she said, ``It's still tempting: `Boy, this little bit's not going to hurt anything.' So I know if I feel that way, most people won't even think about it.''

Publicity campaigns such as Fight the Fat face another problem, Passaro said: Residents aren't the only culprits.

Restaurants, apartment and condominium complexes and other places that produce a lot of sewage also contribute to grease problems.

Locally, nearly all restaurants must have grease traps in their drains. The problem is ``everybody has them but nobody's been monitoring them'' to make sure they're pumped out regularly and functioning properly, Passaro said.

Restaurant inspectors usually don't ask a restaurant to open its grease trap for inspection unless they see something that suggests a problem, said Jeff Graves, an environmental health supervisor with the Norfolk Health Department.

Some cities now require regular cleaning and inspection of grease traps, but Norfolk does not.

Graves said health inspectors work closely with utility officials to scrutinize restaurants in areas with chronic grease problems. The regional sewage treatment agency also requires restaurant owners who don't control grease to pay more for treatment.

Norfolk utility officials say residents can help their pocketbooks when they fight the fat problem. Grease clogs household pipes as well as sewers. And every time a sewer crew has to clean a clog, sewer customers throughout Norfolk foot the bill.

Utility spokeswoman Peg Nelson said she hopes residents will soon be as accustomed to putting grease in the trash as they are to putting their recyclable items in a blue bin.

Ultimately, many of Norfolk's antiquated sewers will need to be replaced, she said.

``Once we fix the sewers, we don't want to years down the road be back in this position,'' she said. ``We would really like people to get used to the fact that you don't put stuff down the drain.''

Reach Meredith Kruse at 446-2164 or mkruse@pilotonline.com

CAPTION(S):

Color Photo

MARK P. MITCHELL/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

Steven Latchut, a city employee, shows large pieces of solidified grease that he dug out of the Norfolk sewer system Friday. The city hopes its ``Fight the Fat'' campaign, which starts this week, will encourage residents to stop pouring grease down their drains.

Photo

MARK P. MITCHELL

THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

City employee Steven Latchut uses a vacuum truck to suck grease out of the sewer system at 21st Street and Monticello Avenue in Norfolk on Friday. City officials estimate that 70 percent of sewer backups are due to grease.

Fact Box

SAVING THE SEWERS

Utility officials urge Norfolk residents and businesses to prevent sewer backups by:

Pouring cooled grease into a ``fat can'' and disposing of it in the trash;

Using a basket or strainer in the sink to catch food scraps and other solids. All food scraps, even those processed with a garbage disposal, can block plumbing and sewer lines;

Checking sinks and toilets to make sure they're draining properly;

WEST NILE WORRIES CITY OFFICIALS ALLOW OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES TO GO ON DESPITE POSITIVE TESTS.(LOCAL) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)

Byline: JANIE BRYANT AND LINDA MCNATT THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT\

PORTSMOUTH -- City officials will allow outdoor events at recreational facilities to go on this weekend, despite the discovery of the West Nile virus in mosquitoes in the Churchland area.

School officials canceled outdoor athletic events on Thursday, after learning that a mosquito pool near Churchland High School had tested positive for the virus.

The mosquitoes were collected on Oct.8. A staffing shortage at the Norfolk Health Department lab may have held up the results, according to Dr. Demetria Lindsay, director of the Portsmouth Health Department.

``As of today, there's been 180 pools that have tested positive in the state,'' City Manager C.W. ``Luke'' McCoy said Friday. ``This is the only one that has tested positive in Portsmouth.''

School Superintendent Sidney J. ``Skipper'' Duck said school officials will talk to health officials early next week and make a decision about lifting the school system's ban.

``The reaction that I got from parents is that they were very appreciative that the school system has been proactive,'' Duck said.

David Joyner, vice chairman of the School Board, said school officials wanted to be cautious to protect students.

``There's a lot that we weren't sure of. We are not experts on this. We had to depend on people to tell us what the parameters are,'' Joyner said. ``We wanted to err, if we err, on the safe side.''

The city planned to spray areas over the next two nights.

Although this has been a busy year for West Nile in the state and the area, the

threat of contracting the virus has diminished with the colder weather, health officials said.

Mosquitoes don't typically fly when temperatures are below 55 degrees, according to Dr. David Gaines, the entomologist for the state Department of Health.

Many species are night fliers, and temperatures in Hampton Roads this time of year are mostly below that threshold after dark. The virus multiplies very slowly when temperatures are low.

And children aren't as susceptible to the virus as people over 50, said Gaines.

``So really I don't think that the measure of alarm is warranted,'' Gaines said.

But some people who have been battling the mosquitoes didn't mind the school system's caution.

Cheering for football games this fall has been an ordeal, said Laura Boone, a Churchland High School student. The cheerleaders had to apply mosquito repellent every quarter during the game.

``We've been getting eaten up and didn't know there was West Nile out there,'' said Boone, a 17-year-old senior. ``If you walked outside for just a few minutes, they'd be all over you.''

It's obvious to many students that Churchland High School was built on a swamp, said senior Jonah Lampkin, 17. And when the weather is hot, the mosquitoes swarm.

Lampkin said he thinks the school system did the right thing.

``It's a necessary precaution,'' he said. ``A lot of people have really gotten nervous about it. We haven't seen so many mosquitoes lately because it's been cooler, but it looks like it's going to get warm again. They'll be back.''

Churchland has had a mosquito problem for years. The nearby Craney Island, a huge peninsula of dredge spoils, is a natural breeding ground.

A task force is studying how to combat the problem. The task force includes citizens, city and health officials and representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Navy.

``We know the virus is going to continue to become more established,'' Gaines said. ``We're doing our best to educate the public. I don't know what the weather will bring. If it's hot and dry next summer, we'll see a repeat of this year. If it's a rainy year, it will probably be worse.''

Reach Janie Bryant at 446-2453 or jbryant@pilotonline.com

Reach Linda McNatt at 222-5561 or lmcnatt@pilotonline.com

CAPTION(S):

Anthony Smith passes some standing water Friday afternoon during his daily four-mile jog on Portsmouth's Cedar Lane. He plans to wear long sleeves to keep the mosquitoes from biting.

MIKE HEFFNER PHOTOS

No one came to soccer practice Friday - except Scott Wells, who

brought his two sons to Churchland Park but was soon bitten on the hand by a mosquito. He took Logan, 4, left, and Jake, 2, back home.

PHOTOS

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

A Mississippi Department of Health worker holds one of the Culex mosquito species that has been identified as the primary carrier of the West Nile virus in the South.

``There's a lot that we weren't sure of. ... We wanted to err, if we err, on the safe side.''

David Joyner, vice chairman of the Portsmouth School Board

VP GRAPHIC

CHART

WEST NILE VIRUS

(cases reported in Virginia)

(cases reported in Hampton Roads)