Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 7, 1994 TAG: 9407070138
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
R.L., Radford
A: Bond, conductor of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, has never lived in Roanoke full time.
Information gathered for Parade by Cathryn McCue, its Roanoke correspondent, listed Bond's address as Roanoke part time and New York City permanently.
Bond composes music for clients around the country and even in China, although conducting Roanoke's symphony orchestra remains her primary job.|
Beer variables
Q: I think there was some confusion in either the question or answer in Tuesday's column about low-alcohol beer. The term low-alcohol was used, but there also was a reference to a beer product containing 0.5 percent alcohol. I don't think a person can get drunk on the 0.5 percent alcohol content.
S.M., Blacksburg
A: Right you are-almost.
There was confusion, as several folks called to point out.
Low-alcohol beer is not the same stuff as the 0.5 percent alcohol content, of which two popular brands are Sharps and O'Douls.
Low-alcohol beer ranges around 3 or 3.2 percent; LA Beer is an example of this type. A few of these can put a person over the 0.08 percent limit for DUI; nobody argued about that.
As for the 0.5 percent alcohol drink, it would take more than most humans could down to get a buzz .
Recovering alcoholics should never drink the 0.5 product, though, according to alcohol counselors. Even the tiniest amount of alcohol can wreck the recovery of a person who has this illness.
Veterans' plates
Q: I received a letter from the Division of Motor Vehicles that said everyone who has a disabled veteran license plate is required to exchange plates so they can park in a handicapped space. Who sponsored the Senate bill that produced this requirement, and why?
J.S., Roanoke
A: This change leads to some paperwork and hassle, but it protects the right of the disabled person to continue parking in spaces reserved for handicapped people.
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that the international wheelchair symbol be displayed on any vehicle parking in a handicapped space.
The old plate for disabled veterans did not have that wheelchair symbol. Instead, it had the letter D over a V, followed by a number.
Virginia's law was changed to comply with the federal requirements at the recommendation of the state's Department for the Rights of Virginians with Disabilities.
The change also means disabled veterans must give the DMV a physician's certificate of disability, along with one from the Veterans Affairs Department, to claim the DV tag and a new license number.
Several legislators sponsored the bill, and it passed unanimously.
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