ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 1, 1996 TAG: 9609030009
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV22 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
PULASKI - The proposed New River Valley Regional Jail has another local government participating in the 240-bed facility planned for construction in Pulaski County.
The Bland County Board of Supervisors voted last week to appropriate the money to join the regional jail along with Grayson, Giles and Pulaski counties and the city of Radford.
Wythe County is conducting a cost study to decide whether it would be best to expand its existing jail, which is aging and overcrowded; build a new one; or join the regional jail project.
However, it may be already too late to join the regional project, which is getting half its construction funding through the state. It will be easy to add Bland County because it has an average jail population of only four to five prisoners.
School clothing, money sought for children
CHRISTIANSBURG - The Christiansburg United Christian Aid, a community project supported by area churches to provide clothing for Montgomery County school children outside Blacksburg, is calling for donations of clothing or money, as well as for volunteers.
Clothing donations may be brought to St. Paul United Methodist Church, beside Duncan's Texaco, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays. Especially needed are small sized jeans and tops and all sizes of jackets, as well as all husky sizes.
Monetary donations may be sent to Osie Sowder, 945 W. Main St., Christiansburg, Va. 24073.
Volunteers are needed to help drive and help with fitting the children. Helpers also are needed to assist with sorting and cleaning the clothing. For further information, call Alice Alley, 382-3071. New River Trail signs requested
PULASKI - The Pulaski County Board of Supervisors is asking state transportation officials for help in placing signs along the New River Trail that would guide users around a two-mile section that is closed.
New River Trail State Park representatives are negotiating with landowners in Wythe County over the two miles of the former railroad track bed that are in dispute.
The owners contend that the land should have reverted to them when Norfolk Southern Corp. stopped using it for a railroad. NS removed its tracks years ago and gave the land to the state for a linear park. Area tourism fund has new chairman
RADFORD - Robert W. Thomas of Radford has been elected as chairman of Southwest Development Financing Inc., the $1.5 million revolving tourism loan fund established from grants obtained by Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon.
Christianne Parker, assistant Washington County administrator, is vice chairwoman; Jennifer Jones, executive director of the Wytheville-Wythe-Bland Chamber of Commerce, secretary; and Paul Kuczko, Lonesome Pine Office on Youth in Wise, treasurer.
Other executive committee members are Donnie Dowell, a Wise County supervisor; Tim Gubala, Roanoke County economic development director; Steve Carter, Craig County administrator; Leon Moore, Bank of Floyd; and Betty Scott, director of the Grayson County tourist information center.
They are appointed by governing bodies in the 19 counties and four cities in the 9th Congressional District. The corporation, organized in 1993, makes loans to selected tourism projects in association with conventional lending institutions but generally with lower rates.
Loan information is available by calling Jerry Brown, loan administrator, at P.O. Box 983, Marion, Va. 24354 or call 783-7624. Ex-Wytheville officer is suing town
WYTHEVILLE - A former Wytheville policeman is suing the town for $1.2 million in federal court, claiming his rights were violated because he was forced to resign from the Police Department to run as a candidate for sheriff in neighboring Bland County.
Steven Moses chose to resign and make the race, but lost last year to incumbent Sheriff Melvin Cox. Moses lives in Rocky Gap in Bland County.
The town has a policy that bans law enforcement officers from being candidates in elections. A similar incident occurred in Pulaski when Cmdr. Barry Buckner attempted to become a candidate for Pulaski Town Council earlier this year.
Buckner qualified as a candidate and got on the ballot, but had to withdraw because the town would have made him resign from his job if he had won.
An attorney for Wytheville has filed a motion asking that Moses' suit in U.S. District Court in Abingdon be dismissed. Town officials say the policy banning police officials from running for public office is to prevent conflicts of interest. Wythe, Pulaski set for magazine profile
PULASKI - Wythe and Pulaski counties are scheduled to be featured in the travel section of next year's May-June issue of Blue Ridge Country magazine.
Both localities had been interested in the exposure, but neither was large enough to attract the interest of the magazine's editors by itself. Together, however, there is enough material to bring the writing staff to the area.
Barry Matherly, economic development director for the town of Pulaski, and Kitty Grady, public information director for the town of Wytheville, are working together with magazine representatives on the article. Motorcycle safety course in Wytheville
WYTHEVILLE - Wytheville Community College and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles will offer a three-day motorcycle safety course on campus Friday through Sept. 8, starting with registration at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
The Friday class will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; times on the other two days are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuition is $40.
The course is open to anyone 16 or older. Those between the ages of 16 and 18 must have parental permission. Class size is limited to 12 students, and reservations can be made by calling 223-4712 or (800) 468-1195.
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