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

DATE: MONDAY, June 14, 1993                   TAG: 9306140231
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Ray Reed
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ONE PERSON'S TRASH IS . . .

Q: I often see people put things out in their trash that I think might be good, like an old bike or washer that just needs a little bit of fixing. Is it legal for someone to just go and pick it up? If it ends up at the dump, does anyone look to see if there's any life left in it before it's put in the landfill? L.M., Roanoke

A: There's reason to hesitate before checking out someone's garbage - which happens more often now because of flea markets and homelessness.

Three solid waste managers and a police officer all recommend that you knock on the homeowner's door and get permission before hauling off that bike or sofa.

While the owner may not want the stuff anymore, he or she doesn't care for the yard's being littered after a scavenger goes through the trash, either. Sometimes this is seen as an invasion of privacy, as well.

Legally, it's a gray area but keep in mind the items at the curb are still on the owner's property.

As for salvage - someone reclaiming usable parts of an appliance - that isn't done. Appliances that can be recycled are stripped of parts that contain oil or refrigerants, and the reusable metal is sent back to steel mills.

Close election detail

Q: I think Lee Garrett's real name is Homer Holcomb. How can he run for office under a pseudonym? R.L., Radford

A: Lee Garrett barely squeezes in, by the rules.

State law allows nicknames on ballots, and says a candidate's entire name cannot exceed 25 spaces.

Garrett, a Roanoke County supervisor in the '80s, was listed on the ballot in 1989 as H.S. "Lee Garrett" Holcomb - a perfect fit.

Printers and word processors can fit periods (with initials) or quotation marks (around nicknames) into half a space, adding up to exactly 25 spaces in this case.

For anyone who doesn't remember Lee Garrett on TV, that was Homer S. Holcomb's on-air name for WSLS news and community affairs programs for 30-plus years.

Now he's bidding for a political comeback in the Windsor Hills district, known for keeping no supervisor more than four years.

This would never happen

Q: Recently there was a question about who has the right of way with four vehicles at a four-way stop sign. What you said was all right, but if a fire truck and ambulance and a police car and a post office truck are in that same situation, who has the right of way? (I think it used to be the post office truck, believe it or not.) G.G., Abingdon

A: The folks at DMV in Richmond want to know how people come up with these questions. This situation would never happen in real life, they're convinced.

The answer: same as the one you saw here recently. After all have stopped, the one who moves first gets the right of way.

In emergencies, the ambulance, police or fire vehicles have the right of way. With two or more emergency vehicles at an intersection, one driver usually waves another to go ahead.

Somewhere a city or state may have a law giving the postal truck the right of way. But that nugget most likely is an old joke, according to unofficial DMV and post office sources.

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.

by CNB