
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, June 23, 1990                   TAG: 9006270364
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BRIEFLY PUT

The Roanoke Valley has no rail passenger service, but it someday may have a garbage train. Under study is a rail spur to haul trash to the proposed Smith Gap regional landfill, and it could prove a good idea for both economic and environmental reasons. Next question: How can Roanoke - a railroad town with a railroad history - get Amtrak back?

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a law, enacted in the mid-'80s, that bars governors from blocking call-ups of state National Guard units for duty overseas. Congress may come to regret this. In the absence of a draft, the ruling could open the way for a president to wage war without legislative consent.

The people used to marvel at Mikhail Gorbachev's openess in the era of glasnost. well, he has a press secretary now. This may not be progress, but it's more like democracy as we know it.

For more than three weeks in September, Eastern Airlines will offer $99 one-way fares on its Roanoke-Atlanta jet flights. It's a temporary measure to drum up business in a new location, but it demonstrates marketplace power. Travelers out of Roanoke who have complained about non-competitive air fares should have something to look forward to.

Federal prosecutors agreed to release some frozen bank accounts so Gen. Manuel Noriega can pay his lawyers. But the arrangement was challenged in a Miami court by a lawyer pressing claims against Noriega by the Panamanian government. Gee, let's hope they don't invade us to get Noriega back.

Two welcome actions this week from the state Transportation Board: Designation of a route for a new limited-access road between Blacksburg and Christiansburg is a step toward easing congestion on U.S. 460 between the two towns. Protection from development the Virginia 641 corridor between Blacksburg and Interstate 81 is a step toward constructing a faster, more direct link between Roanoke and Blacksburg. keep moving down these roads, and eventually we'll arrive.

by CNB