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

DATE: SATURDAY, January 22, 1994                   TAG: 9401220138
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IN BUSINESS

The union vote this week at Lewis Gale Hospital in Salem upheld the often repeated electoral maxim: Every vote counts.

Nineteen of 20 building maintenance workers eligible to vote cast their ballots Thursday, but it was the one who didn't vote who could have influenced the outcome. By a vote of 10-9, the building maintenance workers voted to become part of Operating Engineers Local 387.

Ron Yost, a supervisory examiner with the National Labor Relations Board, said there were no challenges to the election, so next week a representative for the local will be appointed. The union and hospital then can begin negotiating a contract. - Staff report

Bankruptcy court gets 2 petitions

Two petitions with business connections have been filed in U.S. Bankruptcy District Court for the Western District of Virginia at Roanoke:

Northgate Plaza Associates and Christiansburg Associates of Christiansburg asked for reorganization and protection from creditors. The partnership owns and operates the Northgate Plaza Shopping Center at Christiansburg.

The petitioner estimated assets and liabilities at between $100,000 and $999,000.

Gayle Booth is general partner of the group and president of Northgate 1994 Inc. of New York, which is the mailing address of the partnership.

John Peter LaTempa and Debra Leigh LaTempa of Roanoke also asked for protection and reorganization, listing assets of $34,780 and liabilities of $47,232. John LaTempa is a self-employed carpet installer. - Staff report