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

DATE: THURSDAY, July 28, 1994                   TAG: 9407280075
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

$400,000 PUT TOURISM ON TRACK

E.K., Blacksburg

A: That moving billboard was purchased this year with $400,000 in state funds budgeted for tourism.

The TV exposure so far is worth $600,000, figures Bruce Twyman, advertising director for the state Department of Economic Development.

The big red heart logo is owned by Virginia, and putting it on a race car seems almost as big a hit as the logo itself was in the mid-1960s. No other state is a full sponsor of a car.

Sadler, of Emporia, was Grand National rookie of the year in 1993, when the state paid $200,000 to sponsor the car, and he stands second in the points race this year.

The Grand National races are carried on the TNN Network in the Southeast, which is a key market for Virginia tourism.

After half a racing season, Twyman says, Virginia has been mentioned in TV coverage often, and it would have cost almost $600,000 if the state had paid for the time.

Registration, please

Q: Where is the correct place to keep a car registration? Should it go in the glove compartment, which poses a problem if the car is stolen, or in the wallet, which is difficult when a car is shared by two drivers?

C.C., Roanoke

A: Two copies are provided each year by the Department of Motor Vehicles, so a couple can slice that long, skinny registration into two wallet-size cards.

Two is the limit, though. Duplicating a card on a copying machine isn't acceptable, the DMV says.

A family with a third driver-a teen-ager, perhaps-might opt to leave the card in the glove compartment. The registration must be available any time the car is used.

Grand jury on air

Q: A special grand jury impaneled in September 1993 continues its investigation of factory emissions in the Roanoke Valley. How many times has this jury met? How many more meetings are anticipated? How much compensation do the jurors receive?

D.U., Wytheville

A: The special grand jury convened Sept. 7, 1993, and has met eight times. Another session is scheduled Sept. 21. The five jurors are each paid $20 per session. The cost so far: $800 plus a couple of van trips to factory sites.

The result: Two companies, Roanoke Electric Steel and Howard Bros., have started construction of two shell buildings to contain dust that billows up when the steel plant's furnace waste is dumped at Howard Bros., which recycles the slag.

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.