ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 30, 1996 TAG: 9605300068
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: What's on your mind?
SOURCE: RAY REED
Q: Although I've been reading the paper for months, I never see any mention of the Democratic presidential primaries. (There's been lots about the Republicans.) I don't know whether the incumbent is winning or losing or how many delegates have been chosen and whom they support.
C.J., Moneta
A: There's been no coverage of the Democratic primaries because there has been no contest.
President Clinton needed 2,146 delegates for nomination and has 3,841 committed to him.
No other candidate has won any delegates to the Democratic National Convention Aug. 26-29 in Chicago.
Six delegates are uncommitted, and 443 are yet to be chosen.
Lyndon LaRouche has been on the Democratic primary ballot in perhaps half a dozen states, always receiving fewer votes than the 15 percent needed to claim any delegates.
Sports geography
Q: One of the high school sports districts is called Three Rivers. What are they?
O.A., Radford
A: The Little River (Floyd County and Auburn high schools are within its drainage area), the New River (Radford and Giles high schools) and the Roanoke River (Shawsville and, starting this fall, Glenvar high schools).
I-81's white flowers
Q: What are the white flowers in the median of Interstate 81 between Roanoke and Salem? They're just beautiful.
J.B., Roanoke
A: Those are Shasta daisies, also known as oxeye daisies for the dark disk in the center. They should last another three weeks.
Those flowers can be a bit breathtaking if we recall another white scene that lined the roads about four months ago.
The Virginia Department of Transportation in 1994 planted five beds of these wildflowers along I-81 from the Roanoke area to Rockbridge County.
The Shastas are perennials and should return for three or four years, VDOT says. Multicolored poppies flowered in these beds last year.
The blossoms have two functions: beautification and breaking the tedium for drivers.
Vince Gill winners
Q: Who were the contest winners who received tickets from The Roanoke Times to the Vince Gill concert May 16?
G.B., Roanoke
A: Becky Wheeler of Salem won the grand prize: front-row seats, dinner and backstage passes.
Roanoke winners of two tickets were: Jo Curtis, Dee Haley, Gerard Mitchell, John Prokopovich, Barbara Shortridge, Barbara Stokes and Nicky Strock Sr.
Also receiving two tickets were Ann Dillon of Rocky Mount, Don Whitlow of Rocky Mount and Lucille Meador of Salem.
Got a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a phone call at 981-3118, or e-mail RayRRoanoke.Infi.Net. Maybe we can find the answer.
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