ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, August 12, 1996 TAG: 9608120092
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
Playboy sneaks get flashed
Students at Roanoke's William Fleming High School risk embarrassment if they try to take a sneak look at Playboy magazine's Web site on the Internet.
A bell will ding and the computer screen will flash red to alert teachers to the students' transgression.
School officials have instituted their own version of the V-chip to monitor students as they surf the Internet.
The school's effort to keep check on students' computer travels came to light recently when City Council and the School Board visited Fleming to see its latest technology.
Harvey Goodwin, head of Fleming's technology department, was preparing to explain how to get on the Internet when a bell rang and the computer screen began flashing red. He had stopped on the Playboy Web site.
Goodwin said computers also have been programmed to ring and flash if students stop at other "inappropriate" sites on the Web that might contain obscene or pornographic materials.
"We did a dirty-word search, including such words as 'nude' and 'sex', and programmed the computers so teachers would know if students went to inappropriate sites," he said.
Goodwin said students are encouraged to use the Internet as long as they stay away from Playboy and similar Web sites. The school has its own home page on the Internet and displays students' essays and other work.
Fleming also has a home page for its International Baccalaureate program and communicates with schools around the world with similar programs, Goodwin said.
- JOEL TURNER
Developer gets green light
Aviation enthusiasts in search of rental housing may be in luck.
Although airport officials raised concerns this summer about the possibility of another multifamily development at the end of their main runway, the sale of a 1.36-acre parcel on Carefree Lane was approved last week without opposition.
The parcel was purchased by developer Buddy Mason in Roanoke County's first judicial sale, held June 25. Airport officials and Bob Johnson - chairman of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors and a member of the Regional Airport Authority - warned that another development could result in future noise complaints.
All 21 parcels sold in the tax sale had to be reviewed by a judge last week, but Johnson said no formal objection was filed because the land already was zoned for up to 18 multifamily units. He said land headed for public auction will be scrutinized more carefully in the future.
There already are 18 town houses and three apartment complexes in the vicinity of the Carefree Lane parcel, and airport records indicate no complaints have been raised by current residents. One of those residents, Air Force veteran Marcus Elmore, said he enjoys sitting on his patio and watching the jets take off.
- CHRISTINA NUCKOLS
Liquor-by-drink drive cut off
Jerry Leonard worked for months to get a liquor-by-the-drink referendum on this year's ballot in Franklin County.
Leonard, owner of one of the county's favorite places to go - Jerry's Steakhouse on U.S. 220 - has always been frustrated that his restaurant is located in a dry magisterial district, but mixed drinks can be sold across the road in another.
This year, Leonard decided to try to do something about the situation.
He politicked behind the scenes to drum up support for the referendum, and he distributed petitions to get enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot.
All the while, Leonard was beginning to think more and more about the possibility of building a new lounge onto his existing restaurant.
However, construction won't be starting any time soon.
Leonard says his attorney, David Furrow of Rocky Mount, didn't get the petitions legally certified until more than 500 signatures already had been collected - an error that rendered them useless.
With only a month to scramble to collect another batch of names, Leonard decided to drop the campaign.
He says he'll try again next year.
- TODD JACKSON
Agency helps students move on
Jennifer Gonzales dreams of becoming a nuclear physician; Vida Harris, a chef and restaurant owner.
The Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority is helping each realize her dream by awarding them college scholarships.
Gonzales and Harris are residents of Roanoke public housing communities. Since 1983, the housing authority has offered scholarships to residents of public or subsidized housing who have been accepted to a college or university or are attending one as a full-time student.
Scholarship awards are based on transcripts, community service, future plans and financial need.
"Educational advancement is an opportunity not readily available to many of our residents," said Anita Lee, resident development director for the housing authority. "Scholarships are just one way we help people move up and out of public housing."
One-year $1,000 scholarships were awarded to: Gonzales, who attends Virginia Western Community College; Harris, who will attend Virginia Western in the fall and intends to transfer to the Art Institute of Atlanta; Brenda Dillon, who attends Virginia Western, where she is pursuing a degree in Mental Health; and Makia Pierson, who will enter Virginia Western's registered nurse program in the fall.
Kathleen Anderson, who attends Virginia Western and plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in horticulture from Virginia Tech, and Vonettia Webb , who plans to attend Ferrum College or Liberty University, will receive $4,000 scholarships - $1,000 for each of four years.
- LESLIE TAYLOR
LENGTH: Long : 109 linesby CNB