By BOB LEWIS
Associated Press Writer
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia's bedrock Republicans and conservative Christian voters gave George W. Bush a victory Tuesday in the state's presidential primary, payback for John McCain's slam against leaders of the religious right and efforts to draft Democrats and independents into the primary.
With 14 percent of the precincts reporting, Bush got 52 percent of the vote, McCain got 43 percent and conservative talk show host Alan Keyes got 3 percent.
The victory gives Bush all 56 of Virginia's delegates to the Republican National Convention and important momentum heading into the crucial 13-state primary next week.
Based on exit polling done by Voter News Service, two-thirds of those who voted Tuesday identified themselves as Republicans. Among that group, nearly half of them worried that McCain was not conservative enough and supported Bush.
Voters who identified themselves as part of the Christian conservative political movement went overwhelminly for Bush. Among those who were not part of the religious right, Bush and McCain broke even.
Independent voters and Democrats who had given McCain upset victories in earlier primaries failed to turn out in substantial numbers in Virginia, where the GOP required all voters to sign a loyalty pledge before they were handed a ballot.
About one-fourth of the voters said they were independents and only 8 percent had identified themselves as Democrats. Among both of those groups, McCain won large majorities.
''I don't think we started soon enough,'' said Paul Galanti, co-chairman of McCain's campaign in Virginia.
Religion quickly became the most contentious issue of the Virginia campaign with Bush and McCain bitterly accusing each other of trying to divide the party along religious lines.
The Arizona senator paid for phone calls to Roman Catholic voters in primary states linking Bush to South Carolina's Bob Jones University whose namesake once labeled the Catholic Church a ''satanic cult.'' Bush made a campaign stop there on Feb. 2.
McCain's campaign said Monday it was paying for another round of calls in Washington state, which also held a primary Tuesday, but said the calls were not being made in Virginia because it lacked the money.
The Texas governor angrily denied McCain's suggestion that he is an anti-Catholic bigot Friday during a daylong campaign tour in Virginia and wrote a letter to Catholic leaders apologizing for the Bob Jones visit.
On Monday in Virginia Beach, home city to Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson, McCain accused some in his party of pandering to Christian right leaders ''on the outer reaches of American politics'' such as Robertson and the Rev. Jerry Falwell. He said the religious right's ''self-appointed leaders'' had misrepresented his anti-abortion record and smeared one of his aides ''because I don't pander to them.''
That was a reference to recorded telephone calls Robertson made to Michigan voters during that state's primary accusing a top McCain adviser, former Sen. Warren Rudman, R-N.H., of being ''a vicious bigot'' who called conservative Christians ''anti-abortion zealots, homophobes and would-be censors.''
Robertson said he made the calls without Bush's knowledge or approval.
During the weekend before the primary, McCain aired ads on Washington-area television stations depicting himself as a ''Reagan Republican'' out to reform a political system dominated by wealthy special interests.
Bush emphasized his record of reforming Texas schools and improving the performance of students in his state and his efforts to reform the state's welfare and tax systems.
Gary Bauer and Steve Forbes also appeared on the Virginia ballot. Both dropped out of the race during the past month.

Halifax County assistant administrator Julia Moss was appointed interim county administrator during supervisors' Monday night session.
Moss was named to the post following a closed meeting.
She begins her duties today as former administrator Dan Sleeper assumes his new post as Pittsylvania County administrator.
In other business, Sleeper told supervisors that Department of Environmental Quality officials had cancelled two meetings that he and South Boston Town Manager Ted Daniel had sought in their pursuit of joint landfill use in South Boston.
Sleeper said yesterday that talks have continued with DEQ staff but that a meeting with DEQ officials is not scheduled. The county administrator said that he hoped a meeting would be scheduled this month.
"It is going to move forward," Sleeper said of the joint move to utilize South Boston's landfill until it is filled for closure.
Daniel told supervisors and council members that South Boston had moved forward on the landfill project, working with its landfill consultant, Joyce, and landfill staff, and that the town was prepared to begin the joint-use operation.
During the South Boston, Halifax and county joint session, Daniel also gave a detailed presentation of the town's water and sewer capacity, its plant, water/sewer problems, water/sewer billing and the town's future capital projects.
During the session, supervisors approved new hours for the landfill. Hours will be 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Supervisors and South Boston councilmen were also presented petitions circulated by the Halifax Woman's Club requesting that the governing bodies "do everything possible" to keep both the South Boston and Halifax libraries open to the public.
Nancylee Bagwell, president of the Halifax Woman's Club, presented the petitions.
Supervisors also approved the car committee's recommendation that three cars from the Sheriff's Department's fleet be placed at auction.
Sleeper told supervisors that the Virginia Department of Transportation Pre-allocation Primary Road Hearing will be held Wednesday morning, March 29, at the Ramada Inn in Lynchburg.
Supervisors also unanimously recommended applying as the agent for a Community Development Block Grant for the new Continuing Education Center project. A public hearing is scheduled March 6 at 8 p.m.

A West Virginian man involved in a five-hour standoff, that ended in a hail of gunfire from police officers, will serve five years of the 16 total years imposed yesterday in Halifax County Circuit Court. Donnie Wayne Bowman, 43, was sentenced to 10 years with eight suspended for attempted malicious wounding of a police officer, to three years for the use of a firearm in committing those acts and another three years for possession of a weapon by a previously convicted felon.
Judge Wellons told Bowman that he had placed officers in "great peril" that day by pointing a gun directly at police officers as they approached his vehicle.
Bowman's 1974 Lincoln had stalled near the railroad crossing on U.S. 501 in Riverdale late that night. As South Boston Police Officer Brain Lovelace approached the car, Bowman pointed a .12-gauge shotgun in the officer's face and ordered Lovelace and several other law enforcement officers to stay clear. A five-hour wait ended when Bowman fired twice from within the car, acts which prompted an exchange of gunfire from police.
Bowman's vehicle was riddled with bullets but, amazingly, neither he nor police were actually struck. Bowman had been wanted on a fugitive warrant in West Virginia.
He has remained in jail since the crimes, a portion of which time he underwent psychiatric evaluation at Central State Hospital. Bowman was diagnosed as suffering from an anxiety disorder, depression, severe alcoholism and excessive weight.
A social worker and therapist testified that Bowman had been placed on high dosages of medication, three times the normal dosage in fact, to help him deal with his extreme anger and lack of self-control. Since his incarceration over 14 months ago, Bowman has lost over 100 pounds and, according to testimony, has demonstrated and expressed a desire to make changes in his life.
Bowman's attorney, Charles Crowder, noted that his client was a skilled welder whose annual earnings had sometimes reached nearly $50,000.
But Commonwealth's Attorney John Greenbacker questioned why Bowman had no reported income from 1995-1998. "How was he supporting himself...what was he doing?"
Greenbacker then read to the court Bowman's lengthy criminal history, which began at the early age of 13 years. His criminal record since the early 1970s includes breaking and entering, assault with a deadly weapon, two escapes from incarceration, high-speed auto chase and domestic violence.
Greenbacker made note of a bumper sticker on Bowman's car which read, This Vehicle Protected By Smith & Wesson.
"He does not deal well with any kind of authority," said Greenbacker. "He almost welcomes the opportunity to haggle."
The suspended portion of Bowman's sentence will require that he remain of good behavior for 10 years following his release from jail and that he serve three years of supervised probation.

A 31-year-old South Boston woman, Kristine Kaye White, entered an Alford plea yesterday in Circuit Court to a total of 24 counts of forgery and uttering, 22 separate counts of embezzlement and one count of grand larceny. The wife and mother of three young children was arrested last October and charged with the crimes whose victims include Barry and Joan Banks, owners and operators of The Office Shop.
While not admitting to the accused crimes, the defendant acknowledges that the evidence would be so overwhelming as to negate any testimony she might give in a trial.
White was employed as a bookkeeper from May to October 1999, during which time she made checks to herself and took cash and deposited it all into her personal bank account. According to evidence presented before Circuit Court Judge William Wellons, White used the Banks' credit card to make personal purchases, amounting to over $20,000.
The grand larceny plea stems from the theft of a ladies' ring belonging to Eleanor Heffleman on April 23, 1999. The ring was found in White's pocketbook.
Sentencing of White will take place in April following a presentence report. Meanwhile, she will be fitted with an electronic monitoring device and allowed to return to her home.
Three other outstanding felony warrants against White were dismissed but losses incurred as a result of those alleged acts will be included in restitution she must make.
A Nathalie man, who managed to escape "the radar of police" since 1994, has been sentenced to 30 years in the penitentiary for a malicious wounding conviction. James Anderson Black, 57, was arrested six years later and convicted of striking his girlfriend, Mary Elizabeth Boyd, with a blackjack that resulted in her having to receive 24 stitches to her head.
Both the defendant and the victim, according to evidence presented yesterday in court, were drunk when the incident occurred. The woman was treated at a local hospital and released the same day.
Records show that Black had been working at a Nathalie garage for the past several years.
Judge Wellons suspended 17 years of the 30-year sentence on condition of his good behavior upon release from prison.
In other cases yesterday, the following sentences were handed down:
· Orlando Smith Floyd, 24, of South Boston was sentenced to three years, all suspended, for falsifying records in order to purchase a firearm. Floyd is a convicted felon.
· Jeremiah Christopher Pope, 22 of Charlotte County, for failing to pay court costs, was ordered to get a job or begin a job search and show the results to the court on April 19. Pope's attorney claimed that his client had been unable to make payments since he lost his disability income. That disability income came as a result of a head injury he sustained as a child,but he is no longer qualified to receive benefits.
· Benjamin D. Boyd was given five years, all suspended, for the sale of a controlled substance-cocaine. He will be placed under supervised probation for two years, must remain on good behavior for five years and submit to random drug testing.

A 16-year-old Cody area resident was arrested yesterday morning and charged with a felony charge of making a bomb threat Monday against Halifax County High School.
South Boston Police Department Investigator Wanda Garner and Halifax County Sheriff's Department Investigator Keith Tribble arrested the youth at his residence in northern Halifax County.
Deputy Keith Henderson assisted in the investigation Monday.
The youth appeared before Halifax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Judge Michael Rand and was taken to the W.W. Moore Detention Home in Danville.
Lt. R.D. Loftis of the South Boston Police Department said the youth will remain in custody at W.W. Moore until his March 21 trial.
This incident marked the second successive time that police have been able to apprehend an individual who has allegedly communicated a bomb threat to the high school.
Loftis said the investigation into the incident revealed that the call was made at a pay phone at the B.L. McCraw Store in Volens.
Halifax County High School Principal Larry Clark said the call came into the high school's switchboard at 3:05 p.m. Monday, less than half an hour before the school day ended.
Clark said the South Boston Police Department, Halifax County Sheriff's Department, Virginia State Police, and School Superintendent Dennis Witt were immediately notified.
The high school principal explained that the school's Code I procedure, that of "freezing" everyone in place and securing the building, was immediately implemented.
Police and school administrators conducted a walk-through search of the building and found nothing.
Clark noted that at 3:33 p.m., after everyone was satisfied that there was no bomb present in the school, students were dismissed for the day.
"We were able to identify the number of the phone line from which the call was made and that information was given to police," Clark pointed out.
The high school principal said that the local and state law enforcement agencies did a great job.
"They did some outstanding detective work," Clark remarked.
"I want to commend the officers of the South Boston Police Department, the Halifax County Sheriff's Department and the Virginia State Police for their cooperation in working with us and for all that they do for us when we have to deal with these types of things."

Two South Boston men were arrested Monday by sheriff's deputies after being indicted by the Circuit Court of Pittsylvania County.
Jay Francis Anderson, 41, of Wickham Street, and Lowell David Miller, 28, also of Wickham Street, were charged with breaking and entering with the intent to rape, rob or murder; robbery and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Anderson and Miller allegedly entered Carter's Speedy Mart during the night of November 20, 1999, and robbed Andy and Nil Patel of an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency.
· Darrell Jennette Jr., 42, of the Hudson Motel in South Boston, was arrested Monday by sheriff's deputies on an indictment from the City of Norfolk Circuit Court for the possession of heroin with an intent to distribute.
The alleged offense occurred on May 12, 1998.
Two arrests were made by sheriff's deputies on charges of assault and battery.
· Monica Renee Sydnor, 20, of Ellyson Avenue, in South Boston, was charged with the assault and battery of Joe L. Logan, which allegedly occurred on Sunday.
Sydnor is scheduled to appear in Halifax County General District Court on March 6.
· Charles Julius Graves, 23, of N. Main St. in Halifax, was charged with the assault and battery of Sharon Howerton, which allegedly occurred on the day of the arrest.
Graves is scheduled to appear in Halifax County General District Court on March 8.

In other police reports:
A New Jersey woman was injured Sunday evening after being struck by a vehicle on Sinai Road.
Trooper L.G. Perkins said Edna E. Duncan, 68, of Passaic, N.J., was walking along Sinai Road (Route 654) and was struck by a 1996 Toyota, driven by Emma J. Campbell, 66, of Alton, 300 feet north of River Road (Route 659).
Duncan was transported to Duke University where she is listed in serious condition, according to a hospital spokesperson.
The trooper estimated $2,000 in damages to the vehicle from the 6:20 p.m. incident.
No charges were filed.
· A tractor trailer hauling logs overturned, injuring the driver, in an attempt to avoid a crash Monday afternoon on Dan River Church Road.
Trooper G.M. Gilliam said Jerry Edmond Spenser Jr., 32, of Durham, N.C., was driving a 1988 Kenworth tractor trailer and as he rounded a curve on Dan River Church Road (Route 716), traffic had stopped 200 feet east of Love Shop Road (Route 614), due to a tree cutting, with a limb lying in the middle of the road.
The trooper said Spenser cut to the right to avoid a collision with a stopped vehicle, ran off of the right side of the road into a ditch before it overturned and struck a power pole.
Logs on the trailer came off and mashed a telephone pedestal box, Gilliam said.
The impact with the power pole caused wires to be pulled from a house across the road.
Spenser was treated at Halifax Regional Hospital and released, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Gilliam estimated $30,000 in damages to the truck after the 12:15 p.m. crash, $3,000 in estimated damage to the power pole, $75 in damage to the telephone box and $250 in estimated damage to the house belonging to Minnie Waller of South Boston.
No charges were filed.
· A South Boston woman and a four-year-old passenger were injured after a hit and run that occurred Thursday morning at the intersection of Routes 58 and 360.
Trooper C.M. Fleming identified the injured victims as Vickie F. Wilson, 29, and Katherin P. Wilson, 4.
Fleming charged Edward Lynn Taylor, 38, of Danville, with hit and run. The 1993 Chevrolet that Taylor was driving attempted a left turn when his automobile was struck by a 1999 Ford driven by Wilson, said Fleming.
Vickie Wilson was treated at Halifax Regional Hospital and released, according to a hospital spokesperson.
The trooper estimated $18,000 in damages to the Wilson vehicle after the 10:45 a.m. crash and $4,000 in estimated damages to the Taylor vehicle.
· Ann Glass Compton, 51, of South Boston, was charged with reckless driving after crashing into a power pole Sunday evening on Main Street in the Town of Halifax.
Officer F. Daniel said Compton fell asleep while driving a 1990 Chevrolet and struck the utility pole.
Daniel estimated $3,000 in damages to the vehicle and $2,000 in estimated damage to the utility pole.

A 30-year-old Alton woman was arrested February 25 and is currently in jail following revocation of her bond. Andrea Bowen Sandel was arrested and charged last April when the horse she was riding at night along U.S. 501 was struck by a car, resulting in the death of Betty Jean Lipscomb, a passenger in the vehicle.
Sandel had been free on a $15,500 bond arranged by Dollie Holder. Holder asked to be released from her bond obligation on February 25, resulting in the arrest of Sandel.
Sandel was convicted July 28, 1999, of riding an animal after sunset on the highway without visible lights or reflectors. She was subsequently charged with involuntary manslaughter in September.
Sandel was free on bond following her arrest.
The key witness in the involuntary manslaughter trial, Mike Barnett, was murdered in December, prompting a request for continuance of Sandel's trial date by her defense attorney. Barnett was the employer of the defendant. Two juveniles have since been arrested and charged with his death.
The trial in Circuit Court, originally scheduled for November 19, was moved to the January term due primarily to the medical condition of Sandel's lawyer, Buddy Ward.
In opposing the motion for a continuance, Commonwealth's Attorney John Greenbacker stated in a letter to the Circuit Court that Barnett would not have been a good witness because he "did not see the incident and because he had an extensive criminal record."

By KIA SHANT'E BREAUX
Associated Press Writer
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) - A vaccine for HIV - one of deadliest viruses around - may lie in a plant that itself is blamed for millions of deaths each year: tobacco.
Researchers at CropTech Corporation, a biotechnology firm here, are looking into ways to genetically alter the leaf to clone a protein found in two strains of HIV.
When this protein, gp120, is given in a vaccine, researchers say it could prompt the body to develop a resistance to the disease.
Dozens of scientists across the country are looking at ways of using plants to fight HIV and other human illnesses, but CropTech is believed to be the only one using tobacco to fight the incurable virus that causes AIDS.
The University of Maryland is conducting research on ways to use potatoes to produce an HIV vaccine. ''But I don't know of anyone else using tobacco in this way,'' said Carol Tackett, a professor of medicine at Maryland. ''It sounds neat.''
Carole Cramer, a plant physiologist at Virginia Tech and co-founder of CropTech, said tobacco is an ideal plant to use for this type of research because it yields a million seeds per plant, grows quickly and is easy to harvest.
The CropTech research is a form of transgenic science, a technology that involves putting a gene from one species inside the cells of another. Researchers at CropTech began transferring human genes to tobacco genes in 1993. They've also been using tobacco plants to test proteins used to battle cancer, prevent blood clotting and treat genetic disorders.
Proteins have to be made in living systems, and tobacco has proven to be safer than other organisms such as animals because animals have viruses that can infect humans whereas plants don't.
By inserting a human gene (DNA) into individual tobacco cells, whole tobacco plants can be generated where every cell is capable of producing protein coded for the gene. In CropTech's system, the protein is synthesized only after the plants are harvested and transported to a processing facility. By shredding the harvested tobacco plants, the genetic coding for the protein is ''turned on'' and the protein is made.
''It's way of using tobacco as a factory,'' Cramer said. ''It's a perfect way to cure human illnesses.''
Cramer and her business associates also see transgenic science as a way to revive a flagging tobacco industry. Commercialization of transgenic tobacco could require thousands of acres of tobacco each year. That's good news for tobacco growers hit hard by the backlash from lawsuits against the tobacco industry and quota cuts - the amount of tobacco the government allows them to produce.
''With even moderate success of CropTech's technology, transgenic tobacco could become the predominate form of manufacture for biopharmaceutical products,'' said Brandon Price, CropTech's CEO. ''Pharmaceutical companies' demand for tobacco could outweigh that of tobacco companies.''
To gear up for that possibility, CropTech has entered into a partnership with the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, through its newly created, farmer-owned tobacco production business called ToBio LLC.
Some farmers in Southside and Southwest Virginia are participating in field tests of transgenic tobacco plants.
CropTech is funded by the National Institutes of Health and also hopes to receive some funds from the $4 billion Virginia expects to receive over the next 25 years as its share of the national tobacco settlement.
While the initial research looks promising, clinical testing of the HIV vaccine is years away, said David Radin, Crop Tech's president. Any vaccine would not help those who have already contracted the disease.
Radin touts transgenic tobacco as an inexpensive way of fighting disease that can easily be adopted in underdeveloped countries.
Donald Wright, a tobacco grower in Glade Spring and vice-president of ToBio, said pharmaceutical uses of tobacco will improve its reputation.
''This type of research is indicative of the fact that tobacco isn't all that bad. There is a good side to tobacco,'' Wright said. ''Isn't it ironic that we could take something we've been accusing of hurting the health of Americans and get something good out of it?''

RICHMOND - Virginia tobacco producers and quota owners who are eligible for 1999 round two payments from the National Tobacco Grower Settlement Trust (Phase II) are reminded that completed applications must be postmarked by Wednesday, March 1.
In December, the Virginia Tobacco Trust Certification Board, Inc. authorized a second round of I 999 payments for those producers and quota owners who submitted inaccurate or defective applications or did not return an application by the November deadline.
"This is the last opportunity for producers and quota owners to apply for the 1999 Phase II payment," said Don Anderson, president of the Virginia Tobacco Growers Association and a member of the board. "Those eligible farmers who do not apply for the 1999 payment will still be eligible for future Phase II payments, but we are encouraging producers and quota owners to put things in order now because we anticipate that this database may be used for other payments."
In December 1999 the board certified payments totaling $21.6 million to Virginia tobacco producers and quota owners who applied for the 1999 payment. Approximately 40,000 checks, representing 90 percent of the $24 million available for the 1999 payment, were mailed to Virginia producers and quota owners on December 30. Virginia achieved one of the highest payment rates in the nation.
Extension agent Larry McPeters reminds farmers that although bills are pending exempting settlement payments from federal taxes, the bills are still in Congress and nothing has been signed.
The IRS has ruled that farmers do not have to claim the 1999 payment on their 1999 forms because payment was not received until 2000, he said.
"Since farmers have received a 1099 stating they received the payment in 1999, they must communicate with the IRS on their tax return if they don't plan on claiming the income," he added.
To do this, McPeters said, farmers should attach Form 12167 to their return as a cover sheet.
Also attach a letter explaining the situation.
The IRS has ruled that payments mailed in 1999, but not received until 2000 are not taxable for 1999 for cash basis taxpayers.

By SKIP WOLLENBERG
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - President Clinton was ''heartened'' by Philip Morris' suggestion that it could accept some new government regulation of the tobacco industry. Former Food and Drug Administration chief David Kessler called it ''a very big step.''
''If even Philip Morris is saying the time has come to regulate this product, then the time has come,'' Kessler said Tuesday.
But tobacco critics said the nation's biggest cigarette company was too vague about what might be acceptable and viewed its comments as an effort to buy time for an embattled industry while burnishing its own image.
''They have conceded nothing, they have agreed to nothing,'' said Paul Billings, an executive with the American Lung Association. ''This is in the time-honored tradition of tobacco: appearing to give a little in exchange for more time.''
Philip Morris accounts for one of every two cigarettes sold in the United States, including the top-seller Marlboros.
The tobacco companies have long opposed new regulations.
But Philip Morris has been trying to remake its image in recent months, conceding that cigarettes are addictive and committing $100 million to a campaign to discourage youngsters from smoking.
Senior vice president Steven Parrish was quoted Tuesday as saying Philip Morris would no longer oppose some government regulation of the tobacco industry.
But he added the company continued to oppose FDA regulation of nicotine as a drug and cigarettes as drug-delivery devices. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on whether Congress has given the FDA authority over the tobacco industry.
''We believe that there should be some discussion about what is the right way to regulate tobacco,'' Parrish told The New York Times. Parrish was unavailable Tuesday to elaborate on his comments and similar observations to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.
But Michael Pfeil, a spokesman for Philip Morris' U.S. tobacco operations in New York, said the company feels ''there is some level of acceptable regulation of cigarettes as cigarettes but not as medical devices.''
He said Philip Morris wants to discuss ''sensible regulations'' for areas such as the manufacturing process, disclosures about tar and nicotine content and defining what a ''reduced-risk'' cigarette might be.
President Clinton said in Washington that he was ''heartened'' by the reports.
''If Philip Morris is ready to support the FDA provisions of the tobacco bill the industry and the congressional leadership killed just two years ago, that is an important step forward,'' the president told reporters at the White House.
FDA Commissioner Jane Henney said Tuesday the agency would have to ''wait and see what is proposed'' when a lawmaker asked her about the Philip Morris comments.
But Kessler, who left as FDA commissioner in 1997, said ''the fact that Philip Morris has now said that the product should be regulated is a very big step.''
''Obviously the devil is very much in the details, but it's not up to Philip Morris to decide what needs to be in the regulation,'' Kessler said.
Matthew Myers of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids was skeptical, noting the industry agreed to give the FDA authority over tobacco products in 1998 legislation that died in Congress but now opposes it.
''Unless Philip Morris is willing to agree to government oversight of the harmful components of its products including nicotine, then its proposal is simply window-dressing designed to fend off meaningful government regulation,'' he said.
Meanwhile, legislation was introduced Tuesday in the Senate that would require stronger and more prominent warnings on tobacco labels.
''Adults have the right to know what is in the cigarettes they smoke, and kids need to see bold, clear warnings on the front of each pack that instantly send one simple but very important message: Smoking can kill you,'' said Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., who sponsored the bill with Sens. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I.
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, the nation's second-biggest cigarette company and maker of Winston and Camel, supports ''discussion about reasonable regulation of the design and manufacture of cigarettes and we think Congress is the appropriate forum to make that determination,'' said spokesman Tommy Payne.
He said Reynolds opposes allowing the FDA to regulate cigarettes as a medical delivery device.
Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., the nation's No. 3 tobacco company and producer of Kool and Lucky Strike, ''is not seeking any legislative solutions right now,'' said spokesman Mark Smith.
''We went down that road two years ago and it proved fruitless,'' he said. ''We think talking and debating and open dialogue is much needed.''
Tobacco stocks gained Tuesday in a rising market, with Philip Morris up 31 1/2 cents at $20.18 3/4 a share and R.J. Reynolds up 31 1/2 cents at $18 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Success in sports cannot always be measured on the scoreboard.
There are personal battles that have to be fought and won and tough examples that have to be set.
Discipline has to be strong.
Disappointments and lackluster efforts have to be dealt with.
Halifax County High School basketball coach Garrett Dillard knows all of that too well.
He's had to deal with those things and more during his first two seasons at the helm of the Comets basketball program.
The Comets saw their season come to a grinding halt last week with a loss to Albemarle in the semifinals of the Western District Tournament.
With the loss, Halifax County finished its season with an 8-12 mark, putting the Comets below the .500 mark for the second straight year.
This roller-coaster of a season was not the season that followers of the Comets basketball expected.
It was not the type of season Dillard had envisioned.
Yet, Dillard will tell you that in other, more important respects, he has tasted success.
"We've been through everything," Dillard said.
"Basically, we've been through hell. We've fussed. We've argued. We've fought."
Dillard feels, however, he and his players, have won their battles and that his players are headed down the right road.
"I look at some of the guys that we have on the team and where they were when I first met them, as far as the way they dressed, the way they talked, the way they acted, and the way they conducted themselves in the classroom and halls and I've seen a lot of improvement," he said.
"The one thing I've been emphasizing the whole time I've been here is that you have to become good people.
"Some of these guys, I think, were headed down the wrong path," Dillard continued.
"Hopefully, we've told them enough good things and showed them enough good things that they can now go down the right path and be a good example and a good model for somebody else."
Dillard emphasizes that he is not about to use any of the team's or players' shortcomings as an excuse for not having a winning season.
"I'm not saying these things as an excuse for lack of winning," Dillard pointed out.
"I still feel like we should have won more ball games. But, at the same time, winning in basketball is secondary to winning in life."
The Dillard Philosophy
The philosophy of being a success in life is what Dillard is all about.
"I don't look at myself as just a coach," Dillard explained.
"When I was in Danville, I had my little business card and I had TEAM on it. It meant teacher, educator, advisor and mentor. That's the way I look at myself."
Dillard believes that young people in today's world need more than to learn the game of basketball.
"We need to develop guys to make them better people," he pointed out.
"I'm tired of seeing guys that play and give everything to their school, they don't graduate, they don't go to college, they don't get a job, they get hooked on drugs, they're drinking and doing all of those other bad things and don't have any respect for life.
"It's time for somebody to step up," Dillard added.
"And I think we as coaches, have to be the people that step up. It does no good having a bunch of guys out there just running up and down the floor and yet not learning anything about life."
Dillard will tell you quickly that he does not believe in somebody talking about how he or she is going to do this or become this or that. You have to be about it.
The Comets coach shows his philosophy by example.
With the help of his assistant coaches, Alexis Cowan and Charles Sands, Dillard maintained an almost daily presence with the Comets' basketball players, not only through the school year but also during the summer through intramural programs and basketball camps.
And, after the season ending loss to Albemarle, Dillard went one-on-one with the half a dozen seniors that had just finished playing their final game in a Comets uniform.
"We mentioned each individual person and told them what we expected of them," Dillard said.
"I told these guys I don't want them to come to the (Comets) games in two or three years high on drugs or walking around with two or three kids and selling drugs.
"We want these guys to go out and come back so they can be a good example for some of the younger guys," added Dillard.
"That's what's important. If we don't ever make it to the regionals and all of these guys go on to college or get a good job and take their time about starting a family and doing the right things in the right order in life, I'll be satisfied and feel like a successful coach."
The Criticism
Dillard is a soft-spoken individual who prefers to make his points with the subtleness and finesse of the best classroom teacher.
Although he may have felt like it inside, rarely did Dillard explode to make a point.
That view of a "softness" led to some criticism in some corners, a criticism that Dillard acknowledges.
"Some people tell me I'm too soft, too easy on the guys as a coach," Dillard said.
"But, people don't understand what we're up against. I look at that and I say that if we, as coaches, came in and yelled and screamed and fussed, half of these guys would quit.
"They would tuck their tail," continued Dillard, "because some of them did that this year every time we jumped on them about something.
"We've got to get guys that can take it and are not going to talk back, guys that realize that sometimes screaming and yelling is a part of coaching. Until we do that, we're only going to be almost good."
The Season - Appearances Are Deceiving
The 1999-2000 season began as a season of great promise.
With guards Fred Price and Carleton Roach, Tyrone Dunkley and Dashawn Baird at forward and William Jennings in the middle, the Comets appeared to have a solid lineup.
And, with the likes of Cardell Mosley, William Haugh and Jameen Jackson to add size, Teddy Bradley, Josh Milam, and Terez Garland to enhance the outside shooting, and an overall outstanding athleticism, the ingredients were there to make a tasty season.
"You look at us warm up and practice and people say we should probably be 20-0," Dillard said.
But, notes Dillard, people didn't take into account what the situation was behind the scenes.
Jennings didn't play jayvee as a ninth grader, was ineligible for the second semester of his sophomore year, and basically got in only two seasons.
Mosley, the biggest man on the Comets squad, rode the bench for two years on the jayvee team and really didn't begin showing what he could do until late in this, his senior season.
Roach and Bradley played very little as freshmen and played only sparingly last year on the varsity squad.
Jameen Jackson pretty much rode the bench for three seasons before seeing quality minutes this season.
Price struggled his last couple of seasons but came on strong this season and ultimately earned Player of the Year honors in the Western District.
"We were still a pretty inexperienced team considering that some of these other guys played AAU, summer league ball and other stuff and our guys basically played themselves all summer," Dillard noted.
The season, Dillard says, was actually more like three different seasons than one overall season.
"We started out 5-2 and beat some really good teams," Dillard pointed out.
"It wasn't like we were playing a bunch of creampuffs. We beat Patrick Henry, Person High and Northern Durham. Those guys are pretty good."
The Comets went through a period of time early in the season with Mosley having to sit out a handful of games and Haugh and Dunkley having to sit and recuperate from ankle sprains.
"When we lost those three guys simultaneously we started searching for other guys to step up and we started playing "small" and it worked," Dillard explained.
Haugh got well and Mosley returned to play, forcing Dillard to have to rearrange his lineup again.
"We went through a period when we lost five or six games in a row and then we got back on a roll and beat GW and E.C. Glass in the same week," pointed out Dillard.
The Comets then sustained another couple of losses but appeared to get back on track with a solid performance against William Fleming in a double overtime loss and a decent effort in a loss to GW in Danville.
And, on a night when a berth in the Northwest Region Tournament was at stake and there was everything in the world to be upbeat about entering the district tournament semifinal game against Albemarle, it was a "flat" Comets team that was handed a 13-point loss.
Mental Toughness
An issue during the course of the season, Dillard said, was mental toughness.
Dillard said that was one of the missing ingredients to the formula.
"It goes back to being mentally tough," explained Dillard.
"Some of these guys didn't understand and maybe still don't understand what it takes to be a true competitor and a winner.
"Until we can get 15 guys that know how to compete mentally we can have all of the physical attributes we want but we're not going to be a good basketball team," he added.
Dillard says he was disappointed in himself that he failed to accomplish what would appear to be a seemingly minor detail.
"The one thing I'm disappointed in was that when we ordered practice uniforms I wanted to put "Mental Toughness" on the backs of the jerseys but I didn't get that done," the Comets coach pointed out.
"I felt that was our weakness this year. Maybe if the guys could have seen that every day it would have reminded them. I guarantee you next year they'll see it everywhere they go."
A Positive Bottom Line
Despite all of the ups and downs and curves that the season brought, Dillard says the bottom line was positive.
"I feel like we made progress in all areas except wins and losses," he remarked.
"Hopefully, that will be the next step."
"We got the Booster Club going this year," continued Dillard, "and everybody in the club did a super job.
"They raised a lot of money and they put us on chartered buses a couple of times and really supported the program."
Dillard also praised the efforts of his assistant coaches, Cowan and Sands.
"I want to thank them for everything they did this season," Dillard said.
"They both did a great job and were a big part of the program."
And, on top of that, Dillard emphasized that the team did not lose any players as a result of academic ineligibility for the second straight year and that some college coaches came to see his team play.
The Future
Dillard says there is potential for Halifax County High School to have a bright basketball future.
"I'm definitely not giving up," Dillard stated emphatically.
"I feel like we have all the talent in the world here. It's just a matter of getting it going, getting it together, and trying to continue building the program."

Earnest W. King, age 69, of 3031 Virgilina Road, Virgilina, died February 27, 2000, at his home.
Mr. King was born in Person County, N.C. on August 23, 1930, the son of Mary King Oliver and was married to Emma Marie Gravitt King. He was a member of Elijah Grove Baptist Church.
Funeral services will be held March 1 at 1 p.m. at Jeffress Funeral Home Chapel with Brother Phillip Lewis officiating. Burial will follow in Zion Hill Baptist Church Cemetery, Virgilina.

Mr. King is survived by his wife; four daughters, Frances Gillis of Skipwith, Dorothy Mae Miller, Debra Minor and Kim Watkins, all of Virgilina; one son, Earnest King of Virgilina; 12 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; one sister, Marie Young of Poukeepsie, N.Y. He was preceded in death by two sons, Bruce King and Baby Steve King; one daughter, Shannon King; and one brother, Alguster King.

Alvin Randolph "Rudy" Trammell, age 65, of 1081 Lewis Ferrell Road, South Boston, died February 28, 2000, at The Woodview.
Mr. Trammell was born in Halifax County on September 25, 1934, the son of Walter Jenious Trammell and Mary Barksdale Trammell. He was a member of Arbor Baptist Church and was a supporter of Oak Level Volunteer Fire Department.
Survivors include two sisters, Reva Lewis of South Boston and Ethel Anderson of Halifax; and a number of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Harry and Luther George Trammell.
Graveside services for Mr. Trammell will be held March 1 at Arbor Baptist Church Cemetery at 1 p.m. with Rev. Averett Witcher conducting the service.

The family will receive friends at the home of his sister, Reva Lewis 1081 Lewis Ferrell Rd, South Boston.

Rev. Ada Coles Coleman, age 85, of Brooklyn, N.Y., formerly of Halifax, died February 25, 2000, in Brooklyn.
She was born in Halifax County on January 8, 1912.
Survivors include two aunts, Millie Edmonds of South Boston and Allie Coles of Penn.

Funeral services for Rev. Coleman were held February 28 at 11 a.m. at Armistead Funeral Service in Brooklyn.

Pastor James Williams Ross, age 60, of Newark, N.J., formerly of South Boston, died in New Jersey.
Mr. Ross was born in Halifax County on February 24, 1939, the son of Catherine Ford Ross and Earl Ross and was married to Dorothy Ross. He was a former member of Rescue Church of God and later founded the Holy Church of Life with Christ, Inc.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Vanessa Benders and Yvonne Campbell-Ross; two sons, Kelvin Redmond Ross and Darrell W. Ross; his mother of South Boston; four sisters, Barbara Hanna of Hollywood, Fla., Jean Hamilton of Atlantic City, N.J., Catherine Ann Baker of Forestville, Md. and Dinetta Betts of Hartford, Conn.; three brothers, Earl Ross Jr. of Sea Pleasant, Md., Elder Billy Ross of South Boston and Buster Ross of Danville; one son-in-law, Hilton Benders; 11 grandchildren; and five great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by one brother, Walter Lee Ross.
Funeral services for Mr. Ross were held February 26 in Newark.