ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, January 20, 1997 TAG: 9701200025
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: GENERAL ASSEMBLY NOTEBOOK
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE AND ROBERT LITTLE STAFF WRITERS
Roanoke Sen. John Edwards is seeking $897,000 in state funding to hire staff and order architectural drawings for the proposed Roanoke Valley Higher Education Center downtown.
Legislation that Edwards has before the General Assembly also would create a board of directors for the center and authorize hiring of a director.
If the project becomes what the Roanoke Democrat envisions, the center would include 37 classrooms in which students could take courses sponsored by state colleges and universities.
The former Norfolk Southern General Office Building North, a nine-story structure across from the Hotel Roanoke, would be renovated for the project.
Geared mostly toward people who already have two-year degrees, the center would allow students to continue their education without leaving the Roanoke area.
The final cost would be more than $12million, Edwards said. The state already has spent $200,000 to study the idea.
"We'll take it a step at a time, but if this goes through, everything will be on the right course," Edwards said.
Allen now backs Thomas bill
The political winds in Richmond can be fickle.
Just ask Roanoke Del. Vic Thomas.
Last year, Thomas pushed a small-business export bill through the General Assembly, only to have it vetoed by Gov. George Allen.
This year, the Allen administration is the No.1 supporter of the legislation.
What changed?
The official line is that Allen did not want to move forward with a special export loan program for small business until he got some broader trade policies in place.
Some Democrats suspect, however, that Allen did not want a Democrat like Thomas to get credit for a pro-business initiative.
Thomas declined to comment on possible motives behind Allen's change of heart. "I'm just tickled everybody's behind it this year," he said.
Marye grinding his teeth
The General Assembly rejects the idea of putting candidates' party affiliation on election ballots every year, but this year members ought to own up to the company they keep, says Shawsville Sen. Madison Marye.
"I've had to grit my teeth a few times, but I've never been ashamed of my party," said Marye, a Democrat, during a meeting last week of the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee.
"I was wondering why those teeth were ground down so much," responded Chesapeake Sen. Mark Earley, a Republican.
"That's only on the left side," Marye responded.
The committee will likely act on the bill this week.
Fishermen's rights
PETA's presence in Virginia has inspired more angler-protection legislation.
Del. Glenn Croshaw, D-Virginia Beach, is sponsoring a bill making it illegal for anyone to "willfully and intentionally" impede fishing. A bill passed last year made it illegal for boaters to bother fishermen.
Croshaw said the legislation would discourage disruptive actions by PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which moved its international headquarters to Norfolk last year.
A PETA spokesman said the law would not deter the group from peaceful demonstrations at fishing tournaments. Last year, PETA members showed up at the Bassmasters Classic in Alabama, led by a costumed character - "Gill the Fish" - carrying a sign that read, "Get Hooked on Compassion."
David Shepherd, PETA's campaign coordinator, said the proposed Virginia law is too vague to survive court challenge. He noted that a fisherman could press charges against a wife who kept him off the water.
"It could get as ridiculous as that," he said.
How to contact your legislators
Write in care of the General Assembly Building, Richmond, Va. 23219 or call:
HOUSE OF DELEGATES
*Ward Armstrong, D-Henry County, (804) 786-6817
*Tommy Baker, R-Pulaski County, (804) 786-6605
*Richard Cranwell, D-Vinton, (804) 786-6891
*Barnie Day, D-Patrick County (804) 786-7205
*Creigh Deeds, D-Warm Springs, (804) 786-6606
*Allen Dudley, R-Rocky Mount, (804) 786-6895
*Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, (804) 786-7296
*Tom Jackson, D-Hillsville, (804) 786-7301
*Lacey Putney, I-Bedford, (804) 786-6598
*Jim Shuler, D-Blacksburg, (804) 786-8425
*Vic Thomas, D-Roanoke, (804) 786-6900
*Clifton "Chip" Woodrum, D-Roanoke, (804) 786-2898
SENATE
*John Edwards, D-Roanoke, (804) 786-6702
*Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta County, (804) 786-6068
*Madison Marye, D-Shawsville, (804) 786-6986
*Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg, (804) 786-6595
*Jack Reasor, D-Bluefield, (804) 786-6695
*Roscoe Reynolds, D-Henry County, (804) 786-6067
*Malfourd "Bo" Trumbo, R-Fincastle, (804) 786-6884
Staff writers Warren Fiske and Laura LaFay contributed to this report.
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