ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, May 28, 1996 TAG: 9605280082
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: What's On Your Mind?
SOURCE: RAY REED
Q: Is it true that when you pull out one gray hair, two more come back in its place? Also, does hair turn gray halfway down, or does it come from the scalp gray? L.L.A.
A: The serious answer from experts who know their follicles is: not likely. Pulling out a gray hair doesn't cause two to take its place.
But: it can happen. If a hair splits in the follicle when it's pulled out, two hairs can emerge, said Linwood Locklear of the Virginia Hair Academy in Roanoke.
Basically, hair turns gray because the hair follicle's coloring system ceases to produce color, according to Locklear and some dermatologists.
For that reason, you may find a hair shaft that has color near the end, but is gray near the scalp. That means the coloring function in that follicle has shut down recently.
Usually, this happens as age progresses.
Based on personal experience, I can say that if a gray hair is pulled out, it will be replaced - and probably multiplied. It may not happen overnight, but eventually there are too many gray hairs to pluck and not enough time to justify keeping up with them.
Fishing for support
Q: Is trout fishing the only sport directly subsidized by the Commonwealth of Virginia? How much does it cost to breed trout and stock them in streams?
O.A., Radford
A: Trout hatcheries and the stocking program are financed entirely by the $12.50 trout stamp purchased by fishermen. The total last year was $1.3 million.
In fact, the state's Department of Game and Inland Fisheries operates entirely on user fees: hunting and fishing licenses, boat registrations, and the watercraft sales and use tax.
None of the state's tax dollars go for trout fishing, but other sports get some state help.
This year's General Assembly provided a total of $550,000 for the Olympic-like Commonwealth Games in Roanoke, the Virginia State Games in Richmond and Hampton, and the Special Olympics.
The assembly also gave $250,000 to the Virginia Baseball Stadium Authority to study the feasibility of building a major-league park in Northern Virginia.
Rough-cut alleys
Q: Who's responsible for maintaining alleys in Roanoke? I drive through a downtown alley to park, and it's a slalom course of potholes and broken glass.
M.L., Roanoke
A: Alley surfaces are maintained by the streets and traffic department. Call 981-2218 to report potholes.
The city says it responds within five to 30 days, depending on the extent of the problem and amount of traffic using the alley.
Probably the best measure of priority given to alleys is this: The city's street maintenance budget is just more than $2 million; the portion designated for alleys is $200,000.
On the broken-glass problem, the number is 981-2236.
Have 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. Or, e-mail RayR@Roanoke.Infi.Net. Maybe we can find the answer.
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