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

DATE: MONDAY, April 19, 1993                   TAG: 9304190005
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Ray Reed
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

VA. WESTERN 4-YEAR PLAN JUST A RUMOR

A: That kind of talk scares legislators because of the expense, and rings warning bells with educators because it departs from the original purpose of two-year colleges.

Virginia has no four-year community colleges, and none is planned.

The talk you refer to stems from the recently renewed call for a four-year public college in Roanoke; someone advocated basing the school at Virginia Western.

Roanoke probably needs a public four-year school, but the chance of it happening is so remote it doesn't get discussed much among the college's teaching staff, a faculty member said. It simply would cost too much.

Virginia Western has important missions as a two-year community college, but expanded programs with other colleges could make education more accessible - by televised lecture, for example.

Roanoke Valley students can now receive an engineering technology degree from Old Dominion University by taking all their classes at Virginia Western, and there's a similar program with Radford University in social sciences.

Look for these kinds of programs to expand, based on recent surveys and recommendations.

30 mph on 4-way flashers

Q: During the recent blizzard a lady from the Virginia Department of Transportation talked about traffic running too fast on the interstate because no one was using flashing lights. At what speed should people use flashers? R.S., Roanoke

A: Only during breakdowns, apparently, or maybe for traffic jams of parking-lot proportions.

Flashers are not to be used above 30 mph, says the Department of Motor Vehicles, which found the rule in the state code.

Under 30 mph, flashers are the driver's option.

Always use flashers if you're stopped, but that should be for emergencies only. Pulling onto the shoulder to change drivers doesn't qualify as urgent.

National forest stamp

Q: In the national forests in Virginia, hunters and fishermen are required to buy a national forest stamp through a cooperative program between the state and federal government. Why isn't that the case in all national forests? In the Western United States you're not required to have that stamp. B.T., New Castle

A: That cooperative program began in Virginia about 50 years ago. Close to half the states have adopted it, said Larry Mohn of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' Staunton office.

The $3.50 stamp helps pay for better management of wildlife and fish populations through research (such as a turkey study the past three years); roads for hunter access; fish stocking; surveys of what hunters want from forest management, and acid rain programs.

States that do this research without the stamp probably finance it through other fees. The reasons most likely can be traced to their political climates.

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.