ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 3, 1997 TAG: 9704030023
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?
Q: How many accidents have occurred on Brandon Avenue in the construction zone where it is being widened? It's especially difficult with people making left turns. There has been one fatality, but most of the accidents have been fender benders. The situation is horrible. B.W., Roanoke
A: The left-turn problem you mention has been noted by others.
The accident factor is less clear.
City police keep records on accidents, but the data are keyed to the intersection closest to the wreck site. The information cannot be used to answer your question, because you're asking about Brandon Avenue alone.
We're left with some off-the-cuff reactions by police and the city traffic engineer, who think the number of wrecks hasn't increased.
Bob Bengtson, the traffic engineer, said it's possible different kinds of accidents are occurring because there's no longer a center lane for making left turns.
Bengtson said he's heard a few comments about backups that occur when cars wait for oncoming traffic before turning left into businesses and private property along the route.
Police said their investigation showed that the fatality last summer probably was not related to the construction.
The project will widen Brandon to five lanes, and it should be complete this summer, the engineers say.
Mismatched benefits
Q: I recall an article in the AARP Bulletin in November about hundreds of thousands of people being owed back benefits. I haven't been able to learn much about this by calling Social Security. Where does that stand? A.M., Roanoke
A: Social Security says the problem involves benefits paid into the system under wrong names and other kinds of errors.
These payments have been building up since 1937, but apparently most of them have occurred since the early '70s and add up to $230billion - the approximate amount of benefits Social Security pays out in eight months.
Fred Ayscue, Roanoke district manager for Social Security, said the agency is working on matching things up correctly, and some people will receive corrected benefits.
A bill has been introduced in Congress calling for Social Security to develop better ways to match payment records to contributors' names.
Mismatched payments have occurred over the years when people changed their names - when they got married, perhaps - and didn't notify Social Security of the change.
Other mismatches occurred because of typos in records.
The problem apparently started getting much worse in the early '70s, when many people with Latin surnames began paying into the system.
Spelling errors contributed to the confusion. So did the Latino custom of using both parents' surnames.
Someone named Jose Goya y Morales, for example, is formally known by the last name Goya y Morales. Those extra spaces confused the agency's computers, which couldn't decide whether the last name should be Goya or Morales. Payments frequently were matched incorrectly.
The congressional resolution to fix this problem is sponsored by Rep. George Brown (D-Calif.), whose state has about one-third of the mismatched names.
First lady in Africa
Q: Who paid for the African jaunt of Hillary Clinton and her daughter? H.M., Roanoke
A: The trip by Hillary Clinton and Chelsea, which ended Sunday, was a goodwill mission to the continent of Africa, according to the first lady's media office.
It was suggested by the president and the secretary of state.
The Clintons visited six countries and their leaders - and produced safari-style video for the media entourage, among other results.
Who paid? The U.S. taxpayer picked up the official expenses, because it was a goodwill mission.
Got a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Maybe we can find the answer. Call us at 981-3118. Or, e-mail RAYR@Roanoke.com
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