Winchester Star (Newspaper) - January 10, 1998, Winchester, Virginia WEEKEND EDITION C Wearing the Badge Women officers are taking their place alongside C More Daring Actor Denzel Washington gets tough on his view of race and The Winchester Star 102nd Year 160 44 SECTIONS VIRGINIA SATURDAY JANUARY 1998 6673200 50 CENTS The third time was either three strikes youre out or three times is a And we got the Hodgson whose wife Debra gave birth to twins 21 after her third attempt at an in vitro pregnancy Tenacity Leads to A Mothers Miracles By SHELL NOBLE The Winchester Star Abigail Marie and Robert Sherwood Hodgson III wouldnt be here today if it werent for the dogged persistence of their Without the twins would be little more than a since 21 they have been held and kissed and loved each day by their Debra and Robert Hodgson II of To the numerous Winchester churches that prayed for their twins are considered miracle As early as age their mother had been told she had little chance of having children she had lost an ovary to surgery that year after doctors discovered she had ovarian They didnt have the technology to save the like they do Debra they told me the technology was and there might be a chance for me with my one That gave me That little bit of hope is what she clung to for more than a Soon after marrying Robert in July Debra was told a tube leading to her one re maining ovary was Thats when her lit tle bit of hope got even If you want children and someone tells you you its probably the most devastating thing that you can Debra she clung to that last little and decided to do whatever it That whatever turned out to be a complex See Miracles Page A7 Star Photo by Scott Mason Debra Hodgson holds her son Robert Hodgson III at Winchester Medical Robert and his twin sister Abigail Marie were born on Storm Cripples Canada with Ice Millions Without Power By DAVID CRARY Associated Press Writer TORONTO Canadas worst ice storm on record wreaked havoc across five eastern provinces Fri halting air shutting down the nations busiest rail cor ridor and forcing 3 million people to endure another frigid day with out The death toll from the onslaught rose to The three latest victims were all from hard hit Montreal an elderly couple killed in one of many house fires and a 90yearold woman who died of hypothermia after refusing to leave her unheated Across eastern resi dents were finding ways to cope with the storm that v Francine Allaire cooked on a barbecue in her south of to use up freezer food that would otherwise Pete a dairy farmer southeast of shared a generator with a neighbor to ensure their animals were cared Linda Ford packed up children to wait out the weather at a friends heated Its just plain You cant do anything but sit there and she told The Canadian Press from 20 miles south of Ot It was fun for a little while but its just not fun Ford wasnt alone in seeking Hundreds of Montreal residents abandoned their homes to take shelter at community cen ters and schools with Its a said Colette who was staying at a makeshift shelter in Robert Bourassa Ive lived all and its the worst ice storm Ive ever The Insurance Bureau of Cana da predicted that damage claims See Ice Storm Page AS Allen Stands Firm On Liability Insurance By LARRY ODELL Associated Press Writer RICHMOND George Allen has rejected a request from the chairman of the House Ap Committee to cancel plans to pay liability insurance premiums for the states Earl D had accused Allen of doing an end run around the General which has twice refused to pay for the In a letter last Dickinson suggested Allen had exceeded his authority and asked him to drop the million The Republican governor as sured Dickinson his action was legal and scolded him and other legislators for opposing the cover I continue to find it hard to understand why anyone in the legislature would work so long and hard to deny this liability protection to our public school Allen wrote in the let released I must say that I have yet to hear a single credible reason why a handful of legislators are so fer opposed to providing cover age to protect our public school teachers from frivolous and sive lawsuits when those teachers See Liability Page A8 Handley Library Defends Size of New County Library By SHELL NOBLE The Winchester Star Because the impressive Handley Regional Library building was paid for by Judge John Handley 90 years neither Frederick County nor Win chester has ever had to shell out public money for a new Until The Board of Handley Regional Li brary has asked Frederick County to spend million dollars on the and equipment for a new library in Lakeside Estates that would expand the librarys regional The county is incurring 100 percent of the capital costs for the new The City of Winchester has the same respon for the million renovation to Handley Two weeks some members of the Frederick County Public Works Commit tee questioned whether million was too much to and whether square feet was too The committee felt those questions could best be answered by the Board of Supervisors at its 14 In the Library Board has dis a Questions and Answers pam detailing the reasoning behind its During an interview this Library Director Trish Ridgeway pointed out that if the new library was open was the original plan when it was first pro posed six years building would be at full On busy Handley Library draws as many as people from Winchester and Frederick and Clarke In planning for the the Library Board looked at current library usage and the areas projected It found that square feet is the min imum size for the new I think it would be false economy to See Library Page A7 Pilots Balloon Sails By MATT MYGATT Associated Press Writer Two balloonists parachuted into a pasture Friday after a tear doomed their roundtheworld quest just an hour after The laden with explosive floated off over Texas at 110 The Federal Aviation ordered all aircraft to stay clear of the 170foot which was drifting east at feet during the The military ordered chase planes to keep watch on Dick Rutan and Dave who parachuted in 45 mph landed a apart about 13 miles southeast of the town of Rutan hit cactus and suf bloody puncture wounds all over his nose and cheeks Melton hit the only wire fence in the He was curled up on the He was in said Vaughn Police Chief who saw the pair He cussed us out saying it was hospitalized in See Balloon Page A8 INDEX I 48 Dear 9 A Higan Cherry Tree from Japan blooms Friday on Capitol as balmy weather continued throughout the Washington Associated Press The warm weather hasnt brought out any of the peach according to local Peach Crop Not in Peril By PAUL SANDEFUR The Winchester Star Despite what you may have overheard at the local super recent warm tempera tures have not endangered this years peach Unseasonably warm tempera tures over the past week or so have fueled rumors that peach buds might start blossoming this exposing the tender flowers to the inevitable cold winter According to Ross di rector of Virginia Techs Alson Smith Agricultural Re search and Extension Center in Frederick peach buds in the area dont appear to be They remain as they should be this time of Byers is quick to point out that growers are not out of the woods While the warm weather has not prompted visible growth in See Peaches Page A10
