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050723-N-9132D-026 Newport News, Va. (July 23, 2005) - William Sparks of Hampton, Va., a rigger for the Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipyard, assists in mounting a propeller to the number three shaft aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). The ship has four brass propellers that are 22 feet in diameter and weigh 66,200 pounds. Washington is currently undergoing a docked Planned Incremental Availability at the Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipyard. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Glen M. Dennis (RELEASED)

050725-N-0610T-048 Pacific Ocean (July 25, 2005) – The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) performs a high speed run during operations in the Pacific Ocean. Reagan and embarked Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14) are currently underway conducting Tailored Ships Training Availability (TSTA). U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class James Thierry (RELEASED)

050719-N-3799S-005 Beaufort, S.C. (July 19, 2005) – An F/A-18C Hornet, assigned to the “Marauders” of Strike Fighter Squadron Eight Two (VFA-82), climbs in altitude after departing Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort, S.C., on a routine training mission. VFA-82 recently unveiled a new commemorative paintjob which was featured on the squadron’s aircraft during their first deployment in 1968 to Southeast Asia flying the A-7 Corsair II. VFA-82 is stationed on board MCAS Beaufort, S.C., and will be decommissioned on Sept. 30, 2005. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Perry Soloman (RELEASED)

Headlines in today's paper http://www.tonawanda-news.com/story.asp?id=3170

GOP challenges Thompson's petition
Stacey Shepard
Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Rus Thompson’s bid for a seat on the Erie County Legislature has been a challenge in more ways than one.

The Grand Island contractor announced his intention last December to run against Republican incumbent Chuck Swanick in this year’s elections for the 10th District seat which covers Grand Island, Kenmore, the City of Tonawanda and parts of the Town of Tonawanda. At the time, Thompson was part of Primary Challenge, a group hoping to unseat all Legislature incumbents by taking them on in their party’s primary.

Then Swanick choose not to run and Thompson, a Republican, had his eyes set on the GOP’s endorsement. He was passed up two times by his party, which endorsed Bruce Kaiser. Its first choice, Bill Naab, declined their endorsement.

Still determined, Thompson went out and gathered more than 713 signatures over the past two months, enough to put him on the ballot for the Sept. 13 primaries.

But he faced another setback last week.

Thompson learned that Grand Island Republican Committee Chair Dick Planavsky filed a challenge with the Board of Elections against his petition.

“They’re saying I turned in false petitions ... even though they were hard-fought signatures and I probably knocked on three times more doors than they did,” Thompson said Monday. “There’s nothing wrong with one signature on there. We verified every one.”

Thompson and Democrat Thomas Troy of Kenmore are the only two in the race for the seat whose petitions have been challenged. Democrat Michele Iannello, who has the Conservative, Working Family and Independence parties endorsements, and Kaiser have no objections on file, Board of Elections officials said.

Great Navy photos, EMB.

That guy in the last photo with the new prop has a pretty easy job doing it in dry-dock.

We used to change props underwater alongside our ship...circa '66. That's the USS WHITEHALL (DD-634). She hit a whale and bent the tip of the port screw to the point that it was causing too much vibration to the shaft and hull. She came alongside the PIEDMONT at 1400 hr. We were in the water at 1410 and worked until 1830 in prep work to change the prop the next morning.

The Bos'n piped reveille at 0600. We wrapped three turns of primer cord around the shaft just fwd of the hub of the old screw. Qt 0601, we yelled "Fire In The Hole." The blast brought everyone on deck - most in their skivvies.

By 1500, we had the new prop installed, got the job order signed off and we went on liberty.