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

DATE: THURSDAY, September 16, 1993                   TAG: 9309160007
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Ray Reed
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ALL BUGGED, BUT NOBODY TO LISTEN TO ,18.75I

A: Called "the best-bugged building ever built" by ex-CIA Director James Schlesinger, the structure erected by Soviet workers in the early '80s continues to sit vacant while the United States tries to think of a use for it.

That's the word from a State Department official.

In Washington, meanwhile, the embassy we built for the Soviet Union on a reciprocal basis likewise sits vacant - not because we're keeping anybody out, but because the new owner, Russia, doesn't need it. "Their mission is decreasing in size," the State Department official said.

The U.S. mission in Moscow, however, is growing and needs more space, according to a recent "Washington Merry-Go-Round" column that cited an unreleased 60-page State Department report. It described our old Moscow building as antiquated, ugly and a communications nightmare.

Forgotten lottery tickets

Q: My friend occasionally buys Lotto and Cash 5 lottery tickets but invariably forgets to check numbers after drawings, and now has quite a stack of unchecked tickets. How long are tickets good, and is there an easy way to check old numbers? A.H., Roanoke

A: Your friend is not alone.

About $17 million in lottery prizes have gone unclaimed, including a $1.9 million Lotto ticket that expired Aug. 9 and a couple of other big prizes.

A Cash 5 ticket worth $100,000 died on the vine Aug. 30. Another Cash 5 winner, purchased March 29 in Chesapeake, quits waiting for its owner in two weeks. A third, purchased in Richmond, evaporates in early October. They're worth $68,000 after taxes.

Other unclaimed prizes have been worth from $26 to $50,000.

All Pick 3, Pick 4, Cash 5 and Lotto monetary prizes are good for 180 days after the drawing.

After that, unclaimed winnings go into the state Literary Fund, which helps with the teacher retirement plan and provides low-interest construction loans for schools. The Literary Fund gets the whole prize because it's not a taxpayer.

To see if your friend is holding a winner, call the lottery public information office at (804) 367-3111, or write Public Information Office, P.O. Box 4689, Richmond 23220. You can receive a list of past winning numbers.

Buckle those young 'uns

Q: I'm wondering about a provision of the seat belt law. If I'm driving and I've got my seat belt hooked, am I responsible for seeing that passengers have theirs fastened, too? A.D., Roanoke

A: If the passenger is in the front seat and under 16 years old, the driver is responsible for making sure the passenger is buckled in.

The law requires front-seat passengers 16 and older to buckle up on their own.

That's from the state traffic code, section 46.2-1094.

The only other requirement in this area is child-restraint seats for children under 4, who must be belted in whether they're in the front seat or back.

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.