Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 4, 1995 TAG: 9505040074
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
G.A., Roanoke County
A: That was a directional sign for airplane pilots in the days before radios and instruments became the standards of flying.
The Market Building's roof was painted in the building's 1985 face lift, and the sign was covered. That paint job is fading now, and the aviation marker can be seen by people in the First Union Tower, which overlooks the Market.
If the paint peels a little more, you'll see an arrow pointing to the airport, says Wes Hillman, Roanoke's pioneer aviator.
Hillman estimates the Roanoke sign first was painted soon after 1945.
Many small towns had their names on a building or water tower - invaluable markers to lost pilots crossing mountains in bad weather. Hillman especially recalls one in Boone, W.Va.
The signs originally were painted by the state's Division of Aeronautics, and the Air Force Reserve maintained and repainted them.
Maybe the 1985 paint job would have lasted longer if the same kind of paint had been used.
Webber fines
Q: Where does the revenue go when the fines are collected for all the speeding tickets in the 45 mph construction zone along the Webber Highway in Roanoke? Does it go to the state, city or federal government?
G.M., Roanoke County
A: It depends on whether the ticket is issued by a state trooper or Roanoke police officer.
Troopers issue tickets citing a violation of the state traffic code, and revenue goes to the state. City officers cite Roanoke's version of speed laws, and the revenue stays here.
One detail of interest: Most fines for the Webber citations in Roanoke traffic court are the same as speeding infractions elsewhere: $3 per mile over the limit, plus a $24 fee, according to the clerk's office.
The state code allows a maximum fine of $250 for speeding in a work zone, but the court apparently isn't routinely imposing the maximum.|
Seedless creations
Q: Now that planting season is here, I've always wondered how seedless fruits procreate.|
|T.C., Roanoke A: Seedless fruits and vegetables, lacking the essentials, don't reproduce naturally.
They produce their kind with human help, either in a laboratory or from a green-thumbed gardener.
Seedless cucumbers come from laboratories and special greenhouses. That's why they're expensive compared to other varieties.
Grapes that lack seeds usually come from cuttings. Growers and neighborhood gardeners stick a piece of vine in a wet soil mixture and, with proper care, produce a seedless seedling.
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