ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 16, 1996 TAG: 9605160169
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
Hammocks involved in dozen deaths recalled
WASHINGTON - About 3 million lightweight mini-hammocks are being recalled after reports of a dozen children strangling while using them, including one in Roanoke.
Made without spreader bars to hold them open, the hammocks resemble a thin rope and can wrap around the necks of children climbing in or out, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday.
At least 12 children aged 5 to 17 have become entangled and died since 1984 while using the hammocks, the agency said.
Numerous retailers, including sporting goods, outdoor equipment, Army and Air Force Exchange Service, department and drug stores, have sold the hammocks since the 1970s.
Consumers should return the hammocks to the place of purchase for a full refund or replacement. Individuals who cannot identify the manufacturer or seller should destroy them, Brown said.
``I can't imagine anybody keeping one around after they know about it,'' said Tom Jarvis of Roanoke, whose 9-year-old son, Timothy, strangled in this style of hammock in 1984.
The 10 manufacturers and importers participating in the recall agreed to sell only mini-hammocks with spreader bars, Brown said. |- Associated Press Coal company
set for Richmond
RICHMOND - The Pittston Co., one of the nation's largest coal companies, has bought the former headquarters of Figgie International Inc. for $3.75 million.
Pittston, a Fortune 500 company, announced earlier this year that it would move its 100-person corporate headquarters from Connecticut to Richmond.
The 20-acre suburban site has been vacant since 1988 when Figgie returned to Ohio. It includes two buildings with a total of about 100,000 square feet. Pittston chairman Joseph Farrell has said he hopes to have the Richmond headquarters operating by September. Renovation work will start immediately. Pittston also owns Brink's armored car company and Burlington Air Express. The company is number 424 on the Fortune 500 list of the country's largest public companies.
It will be the eighth Fortune 500 company with its headquarters in Richmond and the 15th in Virginia. |- Associated Press
Central Fidelity to
sell title insurance
Central Fidelity Banks Inc. said it is forming a partnership with Lawyers Title Insurance Co. to sell realty title insurance in the bank's branches.
The bank's spokeswoman, Susan Lawrence Mistr, said the new program should be rolled out in mid-June statewide, including the Roanoke Valley and Western Virginia.
Applicants for a mortgage with Central Fidelity will be given the opportunity of buying title insurance with Lawyers Title as part of the same package, Mistr said.
Lawyers Title agents may work in some selected branch banks, Mistr said, but in most cases the title insurance will be sold by bank employees. Some details are yet to be finalized, she said.
Frank McCormick of Richmond, who is in charge of the program for Lawyers Title, declined to comment on the program and John Renick, head of the company's Roanoke office, said he was aware of the plan but had no information about it. |- Staff report
Store to repair
antique glassware
The Packaging Store, 3916 Brambleton Ave., said it has become a service center for the D & J Glass and Art Clinic, a national glassware repair service. The store will arrange for repairs and appraisals of broken glassware, collectibles and antiques. |- Staff report
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