The Roanoke Times from Roanoke, Virginia • 1

CD CD 00 CD CD The Roanoke Times roanoke Virginia roanoketimescom single copy RIDAY JANUARY 12 2001 EXTRA Movie madness Surviving employees of downtown American Theatre felled by the ball in 1973 hope the vintage Grandin Theatre can avoid a similar fate VIRGINIA Drivers beware The speed limit on a portion of Interstate 81 in the Roanoke Valley is being lowered to 60 mph BUSINESS request denied A judge has refused to close the new practice of two former Lewis Gale Clinic surgeons accused of competing illegally with the clinic Page A7 Coming up Shall 1 A I fik A 'WgV' WMM How a song of the slaves became an anthem of the civil rights movement Sunday in Extra 931 3333 (800) 346 1234 ext 333 Online roanoketimescom GENERAL ASSEMBLY Read bills check their status or look up legislators' mail addresses Check our General Assembly 2001 site PHOTO GALLERY Updated weekly with the best pictures from our staff photographers Weather HIGH LOW TODAY: CLOUDY 48 33 Saturday Clear with a high of 50 Index A7 Business 01 Classified All Commentary E2 Crossword B2 Deaths AID Editorial Bl Local A2 Lottery Cl Sports E2 TV Listings A2 Weather I LOOK DOWN SAM DEAN ROANOKE TIMES i WStet If I jZ84 Stef w4wS ateWgwOliX MW MtaW 'r lOWa LMsteM 1i1m EIGHTY EET UP falling is not an option Steve Kessman a 22 year old recent Virginia Tech graduate makes his way up a big ice wall near Elkins WVa recently Near the top a buildup of lactic acid causes forearms to ache and each placement of an ice ax or boot requires concentration Cold weather has been a boon for ice climbers Story on C6 Virginia Tech star leaves school for lucrative future in the NL QB Vick calls an option or every pro football analyst who has Vick rated No 1 in the draft pool there is another who claims the redshirt sophomore ready for the NL By RANDY KING THE ROANOKE TIMES NEWPORT NEWS The feet that Michael Vick rode to national college football fame the past two years fail him Thursday As expected Virginia star quarterback took the money and ran In a packed gym at his old neigh borhood haunt the Newport News Boys Girls Club Vick officially announced he will forgo his final two seasons of el igibility at Tech to pursue the riches that await him in the National ootball League been a long tough Vick said I stuck to it I set my sight on a dream and here I am today making the decision to do something I wanted to do my entire Vick 20 is ex pected to be among the top three picks A look back at Virginia Tech career Sports Cl many pro football talent hounds have him No 1 in the April 21 Draft position is akin to having an un cashed lottery ticket especially if the first player chosen a status that could be worth a $50 million contract with a guaranteed signing bonus of ap proximately 15 million In tiie end Vick said he turn down an opportunity to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing in the NL not to mention securing himself and his family financially for the rest of their lives has been one of the hardest decisions ever had to make in my Vick said day in my life going to have to grow up and mature and be a man" Vick said opportunity was there and was presented for me I just said to myself a man not a boy and take advantage of the ASSOC1A TED PRESS 1 toi iijt njf Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick ponders a question Thursday during a press conference in Newport News where he declared his eligibility for the NL draft or every pro football analyst who has Vick rated No 1 in the draft pool there is another who claims the redshirt sophomore ready for the NL Vick said he realizes it's going to be a know young 20 years old and I have a lot of maturing to he said going to take time not the greatest player in the world and I be the greatest player in the world when I step into the NL Believe me with a couple years of maturity and experi ence maybe I will be the greatest of the situation going to have to deal with it If thrown into the fire then just be thrown into the fire Like I said I have to be a man I have to hopefully come out a winner" Vick's comments were greeted by thunderous applause from an estimated 300 friends and family that showed up for the news conference which was held only nine blocks from where Vick grew up in Newport housing projects Virginia Tech coach rank Beamer and assistant Jim Cavanaugh who re cruited Vick out of Warwick High School in 1998 were in attendance PLEASE SEE VICIVA3 Gilmore wanted to tap future settlement funds Plan to pay for car tax cut with tobacco money stalls Members of the Senate inance Committee voted 15 1 against accepting the tobacco money up front through a process called securitization By CHILDS WALKER THE ROANOKE TIMES RICHMOND Gov Jim plan to continue lowering the car tax took its biggest hit yet Thursday when the Senate inance Commit tee rejected the idea of accepting an upfront payment of $13 billion in tobacco settlement money Without the tobacco money this bud get would not include enough revenue to trigger the latest phase in the car tax reduction Gilmore proposes that the state sell 20 years of its share in the tobacco settlement worth $3 billion in return for the $13 billion sum it would receive up front through a process called securi tization Gilmore and his top financial advisers' argue that Virginia would be wise to take the money now because the future financial stability of large tobacco compa nies might be in doubt Members of 11 ic com mittee which voted 15 1 against accepting the tobacco money said their action should not be viewed as a thumb in the eye or as a rejection of the car tax Debate in the committee meeting focused on the merits of securitization not on the car tax reduction which no one mentioned directly there are a lot of things including the car tax tied to securitization but I probably would have voted against it said Sen Malfourd Trumbo incastlc Like many of PLEASE SEE TAX' CUTA3 GENERAL ASSEMBLY To leave a message for your legislator call (800) 889 0229 8:30 am to 5 pm Mondays through ridays To read bills and track their status iw i Go online at roanoketiinescom Holidays make for extra long weekend Virginia to honor 3 great leaders in own unique way is a true expression of the character of historian John Quarstein said By MARK ST JOHN ERICKSON NEWPORT NEWS DAILY PRESS NEWPORT NEWS If you're feeling a little confused about this Lee Jackson King holidays in Vir ginia certainly not alone Two Confederate gener als and a civil rights martyr make for an unlikely combina tion in book even in a state widely known for ancestral worship Throw in the difference between the state and federal holidays however and this peculiar situation gets even stranger Most people who work for state and local government agencies will get riday off to honor the birthdays of Gens Robert Lee and Thomas Jackson while many others have Monday off because of the federally man dated celebration of the birth day of Dr Martin Luther King Jr 4 Although a blessed few may gel both anniversaries off to do as they wish large num bers of less fortunate workers PLEASE SEE H0LIDAYA2 1 A.