Compiled from reports by staff writers Leef Smith, R.H. Melton, Maria Glod, Karlyn Barker, Cheryl W. Thompson and Desson Howe and the Associated Press.
Friday, August 7, 1998; Page B03

VIRGINIA

Piranhas Reportedly Found in Pond

Prince William County animal wardens are investigating reports that four piranhas, a dangerous South American freshwater fish, were caught Monday and Tuesday by anglers in a pond on Williamson Boulevard in Manassas.

Officials said yesterday that they were still trying to determine whether the fish, which ranged in size from 13 to 18 inches long and weighed as much as five pounds, were in fact piranhas. One of the fish was left with an animal warden, who is hoping an expert can identify it.

Betty Norris, 25, and her neighbor Jessica Little, 15, said they reeled in the fish using worms, hot dogs and meat as bait. Unable to identify the catch, Norris said, she took the fish, which she described as having orange bellies, soft lips and sharp, human-like teeth, to a taxidermist, who told her they were piranhas.

Norris said the fish were strong and used their powerful jaws to bite several hooks in half. She said several people had to work to reel them in.

Commission to Tackle School Violence

Virginia Gov. James S. Gilmore III (R) urged his new anti-crime commission yesterday to act swiftly in proposing new ways to combat youth gangs and school violence.

"This commission is unlike any other in public safety," Gilmore told the inaugural meeting of the New Partnership panel, a 33-member board that includes police, crime victims, students and others concerned about crime in schools.

"You can make immediate recommendations for immediate assistance from state government," the governor added.

Commission member Gregory Carter, a Richmond teacher who was wounded by a teenager at a high school in June, said violence is a nagging problem.

"The situation is bad in the sense that you need more discipline," said Carter, who was shot in the abdomen.

Chicken Parts Blamed for Home Odor

Fowl play is being blamed for a persistent stench that plagued a newly built house in Loudoun County.

About 30 plastic bags containing decomposed chicken parts were found this week inside the walls of a house in the 100 block of Bridgette Place, said Sgt. Claggett Moxley, a Leesburg police spokesman. "The odor was just getting worse and worse and worse until it was unbearable," Moxley said.

The homeowners, who moved in in December, had complained of an odor since the spring, said Peter Thompson, president of Richmond American Homes, which built the house. The builder checked the insulation and carpeting for noxious odors. But it wasn't until this week when workers removed some siding that the bags of chicken parts were discovered, he said.

Thompson said the company believes the bags were left as an "act of random vandalism" and is working with the homeowners to make sure all the chicken has been removed.

Moxley said police have no idea where the bags came from or who put them there. The bones and meat were badly decomposed, but investigators believe it was commercially packed chicken.

"We haven't had any reports of missing chickens," Moxley said.

THE DISTRICT

Marijuana Petitions Lack Needed Signatures

Efforts to put a medical marijuana initiative before District voters appear to have come up short.

The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics has determined that petitions gathered do not include enough verifiable signatures of registered voters. Supporters collected more than 1,800 pages of signatures in support of the measure. Those petitions contained more than 17,000 signatures of eligible voters. Although that was more than required, the measure failed based on statistical sampling because nearly 100 percent of the signatures sampled would have had to be validated for the measure to make the ballot. Organizers of the measure, known as Initiative 59, said they plan to challenge the board's determination in court.

Hawaiian Prayer Vigil to Be Held Today

About 2,000 Hawaiians and their supporters will be in Washington this weekend for a prayer vigil and "Aloha March" to mark the 100th anniversary of the annexation of the Hawaiian Island. Organizers of the demonstration say they hope to focus attention on the plight of native Hawaiians whose lands were seized and to urge the return of Hawaii to an independent sovereign government.

The demonstrators will gather on the U.S. Capitol grounds at noon today for a 24-hour prayer vigil. Tomorrow, they will march to Lafayette Square for a Hawaiian Rights Movement rally.

Police Union Committee Endorses Brazil

A Fraternal Order of Police committee that represents the city's corrections employees has endorsed D.C. Council member Harold Brazil (D-At Large) for mayor.

Union leaders announced their decision to back Brazil at a news conference yesterday at the Central Detention Facility in Southeast Washington.

The labor committee, which represents more than 2,500 correctional officers assigned to the D.C. jail and the Lorton Correctional Complex in Fairfax County, said Brazil is committed to improving social and economic programs for District residents.

The union also endorsed George Augustus Stallings Jr. for Ward 6 council member. Stallings ran unsuccessfully against Sharon Ambrose last year for the seat.

MARYLAND

Proposal Would Honor Slain Officer

Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D-Md.) said yesterday that he would introduce a bill to name a Prince George's County post office after slain U.S. Capitol Police Officer Jacob J. Chestnut.

Wynn said through a spokeswoman that the bill would rename the United States Postal Service building in the 11000 block of Livingston Road in Oxon Hill as the Jacob Joseph Chestnut Post Office Building. Chestnut and fellow Officer John M. Gibson were killed July 24 when Russell Eugene Weston Jr. allegedly entered the U.S. Capitol building and shot them.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"It's the road to hell. No matter what time of day or night you go, you run into these delays. . . . You always let out the expletives when you hit it."

-- Neil Shpritz, on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, which he drives regularly and which police call the most congested and accident-prone federal thoroughfare in the region.