Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 22, 1993 TAG: 9302220011
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Ray Reed
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
GORE'S ROYAL TIES FORMED WAY BACK
Q: President Clinton entertained Prince Charles at a private dinner at Vice President Gore's home in Arlington. Two questions: Why didn't Clinton do the usual state dinner at the White House that visiting dignitaries usually get? Also, why do the Gores live in Northern Virginia instead of the vice president's mansion at the Naval Observatory on Massachusetts Avenue? J.L., RoanokeA: There's a longtime connection between the Gores and the royal family, possibly established when the vice president's father was a senator from Tennessee in the '60s.
The Gores invited the prince to spend a private evening in their home, along with the Clintons. Prince Charles' public appearances were few, though one was in Williamsburg.
That official residence at the Naval Observatory is under renovation. The home of Navy admirals for years, it was renovated in the mid-'70s for the vice president. Nelson Rockefeller then moved in.
Dan and Marilyn Quayle were the first couple to bring children into it, and they started reworking the bedrooms. Details on the remodeling are sketchy, but presumably the Gores' four children will get an extra bathroom or two.
The vice president expects to move into the building the taxpayers have paid for when the renovations are complete, in late spring.
Pickup's repairs rusty
Q: My pickup, which was well-cared-for in the five years I owned it, was damaged in an accident and the box was replaced with a used one from a salvage yard. Nine months later a hole rusted from the inside.
Why does the Virginia Bureau of Insurance permit used parts when neither the repair shop nor insurance company can accurately determine whether rust is present? L.Z., Huddleston
A: Major bummer. You got hit twice - by another vehicle and by hidden rust.
Two ways to avoid this kind of defect are: Buy a more expensive insurance policy that guarantees new and authentic manufacturer parts, or demand that your insurer let you pay the difference between genuine and "after-market" parts.
Choices like these can leave a bad taste in the mouth. They're a price we pay to keep insurance premiums from going even higher.
The Virginia Bureau of Insurance, the state agency that regulates insurance companies, makes sure they do what their policies promise.
If the policy says parts from cheap sources can be used, count on it. A top-of-the-line policy, on the other hand, should guarantee new parts from the manufacturer.
A policy or repair estimate with such words as "parts of like kind and quality" probably means they won't be factory goods.
Remember that spring?
Q: My husband dug up an old green bottle, tall and thin, with "Virginia Etna" in raised script letters. It says "1938, Vinton, Va., 10 ounces" on the bottom. Someone said it once contained mineral water. Know anything about it? T.B., Roanoke
A: Virginia Etna Springs Co. was a water distributor in Vinton from about 1938 through 1966, operated by John A. Peck, so that bottle is something close to a first edition.
History on the spring goes back at least 85 years, when it was known as Virginia Etna Lithia Spring. A highway took the spring in the late '60s.
Got a question about something that might affect other people too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.