Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 4, 1993 TAG: 9310040049
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Ray Reed
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A: These politicians have one thing in common: None was born in Virginia.
That's not unusual, though; roughly 25 percent of the General Assembly's 140 members were born outside the state.
To say where each of these five grew up would take awhile, but: Warner was born in Washington, D.C., and has degrees from Washington and Lee and the University of Virginia; Robb was born in Phoenix and has degrees from the University of Wisconsin and UVa; Goodlatte was born in Springfield, Mass., and has degrees from Bates College in Maine and W&L; Cranwell was born in West Virginia and has degrees from Virginia Tech and the University of Richmond; Allen was born in Whittier, Calif., and has two degrees from UVa.
No seat belts on trains
Q: Why doesn't Amtrak provide seat belts for passengers the way automakers and airlines do? J.H., Roanoke
A: Amtrak has never been asked by the Federal Railroad Administration to install seat belts, a spokesman for Amtrak said.
At the Federal Railroad Administration, an official said there has been some study of seat belts for passenger trains, but the results did not produce a recommendation for the belts. "That speaks for itself," the official said.
`Rejected' scale accurate
Q: Kroger in Christiansburg has new computerized scales at the checkout counters, and every one of them has a "rejected" sticker put there by the Virginia Department of Weights and Measures. But they still weigh your produce and ring up your sale. What does that "rejected" sticker mean? K.T., Christiansburg
A: The scales are accurate and approved for use, even though they had some minor problems.
The "rejected" stickers meant two of the scales were mounted improperly on platforms. Two others showed weak readouts on their liquid crystal displays.
Neither problem affected accuracy, said Kroger spokeswoman Joann Boone. Three of the four scales have been repaired; the fourth was waiting for parts last week.
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by CNB