THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 18, 1996 TAG: 9609180433
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: 82 lines
Virginia should stop regulating small bingo operators because new rules are too burdensome for civic groups that run the games, the chairman of the state Charitable Gaming Commission said Tuesday.
Edward J. Fuhr's recommendation drew applause from operators at a hearing before a legislative subcommittee. Fuhr suggested deregulation for groups grossing less than $5,000 a year - about a quarter of the state's 2,700 operators. ``That's just not where we think the problem is,'' Fuhr said.
The assembly created the commission in response to bingo corruption in Henrico County.
Virginians spend about $200 million annually on bingo games, which must benefit charities. After operators pay prizes and overhead, only about 2 percent of the money goes to charities in Virginia, Fuhr said. The new regulations set minimum percentages based on annual receipts. Major changes in the regulations would require the General Assembly's approval. Thousands seek aid
RICHMOND - About 2,500 Virginia residents and businesses affected by Hurricane Fran have sought federal disaster aid, and 41 local governments also are eligible for help, officials said Tuesday.
A spokesman for the The Federal Emergency Management Agency said 2,461 applicants had asked for grants or low-interest loans as of Monday. The agency is receiving about 250 applications a day.
FEMA is offering emergency housing assistance, which pays disaster victims' short-term housing needs while their homes are repaired or rebuilt. FEMA will pay emergency housing costs for up to 18 months, DeCarlo said.
Money is also available through the Small Business Administration.
NORTHERN VIRGINIA
Close 95? No way
WASHINGTON - Filmmakers will have to settle for a rest area on I-95 to shoot a scene for a remake of ``The Day Of the Jackal.''
The state film office had asked Virginia highway officials to close I-95 near Kings Dominion for five hours Wednesday. But federal officials said that would cause massive backups on the East Coast's busiest north-south highway.
David R. Gehr, Virginia's transportation commissioner, said he simply forwarded the request to the feds and there never was a serious plan to close the highway.
``The Day of the Jackal'' stars Bruce Willis, Richard Gere and Sidney Poitier. The original centered on a plot to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle, but producers won't say who the target is in the remake. EASTERN SHORE Launch no near-miss
ATLANTIC - NASA's Wallops Flight Center did nothing wrong in the Aug. 29 launch of a rocket that passed close enough to a commercial jet for the pilot to see its trail, federal officials say.
Wallops engineers ``issued all the appropriate notices before launching the rocket,'' said Shelly Hazel, a National Transportation Safety Board spokeswoman.
Hazel said the unmanned, suborbital rocket, carrying a classified Defense Department experiment, passed the American Airlines Boeing 757 at a distance greater than five miles. The minimum required is three miles, she said. Also...
STERLING - Two construction workers renovating America Online's new headquarters were hurt Monday when a wall collapsed. One was removed immediately with minor injuries; the other was trapped for about an hour. He was flown to Fairfax County Hospital with ``crushing injuries'' below his waist.
PRINCE GEORGE - A woman who kept 48 dogs on her property was sentenced to 22 days in jail for animal cruelty. Authorities discovered the 48 dogs on Leokadia Wharton's property July 22 after a small fire. Health officials said the house was full of garbage, and its floor covered with a layer of dog feces. Coming up
TODAY - Labor department hearing on federal laws affecting farm workers and growers, 7 p.m., Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Painter. MEMO: Compiled from reports by the Associated Press. by CNB