Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 9, 1995 TAG: 9502090082
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
D.R., Roanoke
A: Sure is. Failure to clean a sidewalk by 9 a.m. or within two hours after a daytime snowfall is a misdemeanor carrying a fine up to $250 for the occupant.
Don't call the Police Department about a slick sidewalk, though. Most city officials can't remember anyone being fined for letting his snow lie.
There are a number of reasons for the kinder and gentler approach, one of which is that some homeowners are physically unable to shovel.
Also, the city has opted for education over citation. It sometimes reminds people of the need to clear sidewalks.
Let's put aside the misdemeanors and technicalities for a moment, and consider growth and self-reliance. Is there a chance that children might benefit from learning to cope with the weather?
Why no plates?
Q: Recently I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles to order a Persian Gulf War veteran's tag. I was told they had been suspended until a study of their feasibility was done. Who made this decision and why?
B.C., Buchanan
A: The General Assembly stopped the DMV from issuing new specialty plates last year, before a Persian Gulf tag had been OK'd.
The study apparently concluded that new specialty plates should be issued only with the assembly's approval, because a bill to this effect has passed the House and awaits Senate action.
Virginia offers 27 military plates among its 200 specialty tags. One is an Assault Forces plate, approved in 1991, and Persian Gulf veterans probably qualify for this one.
Old cemetery
Q: I wonder about a cemetery on the north side of Orange Avenue and east of Interstate 581. Many of the headstones are turned over, and it seems almost neglected. Is it historic?
M., Roanoke
A: The cemetery dates to the days Roanoke was known as Big Lick prior to 1872.
The cemetery was called Old Lick then. Later it became the cemetery of First Baptist Church on North Jefferson Street.
Few of the oldest headstones are legible, and those that are readable date to about 1900, according to ``Roanoke County Graveyards Through 1920,'' a historical society publication.
Many graves were moved when the interstate was built in the early '60s, and the remains were reburied in the city cemetery at Coyner Springs or in Washington Park.
Although time has taken its toll on the headstones, the grass is kept mowed during the summer.
The cemetery almost certainly was the resting place of some early settlers, but much information was lost when the tombstones faded.|
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