By JIM ABRAMS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Anti-smoking legislators promised to move quickly and aggressively to revive tobacco legislation after the Supreme Court ruled that current law does not allow the government to regulate tobacco.
But Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who led the unsuccessful charge for tobacco legislation two years ago, also cautioned that, as in the past, overcoming resistance from the tobacco industry will not be easy.
McCain, just returned to the Senate after his unsuccessful run for the Republican presidential nomination, said he would like to see tobacco regulated but worried that tobacco companies, major sources of political contributions, ''are too powerful'' for that to happen.
Until Congress enacts legislation to limit campaign spending, he said Tuesday, ''I'm not optimistic we're going to get that done.''
Nonetheless, Rep. Henry Waxman, a leading proponent of anti-smoking legislation, said he was reintroducing a measure that would give the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco as a drug.
''It is now our responsibility,'' Waxman, D-Calif., said.
In the Senate, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said he was introducing legislation giving the secretary of Health and Human Services the authority to regulate the manufacture and distribution of tobacco products. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said the Senate ''should be able to act expeditiously to grant the FDA the full authority it needs.''
President Clinton also weighed in from India, urging Congress to move swiftly. ''If we are to protect our children from the harms of tobacco, Congress must now enact the provisions of the FDA rule.''
The Supreme Court, in its 5-4 decision Tuesday, said the FDA was exercising an authority not granted by Congress when it reversed a decades-old policy in 1996 and sought to crack down on cigarette sales to minors.
But any effort to regulate the tobacco industry faces strong obstacles in Congress, as witnessed two years ago when the Senate defeated an ambitious plan championed by McCain that would have raised $516 billion over 25 years from increased prices for cigarettes, bolstered anti-smoking campaigns and given the FDA authority to regulate nicotine.
The McCain bill had majority support but fell three short of getting the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. Many Republicans said they couldn't accept it because the bill, by increasing the price of a pack of cigarettes, violated their promise not to impose any new taxes.
It may be even more difficult to pass a tobacco bill in this presidential election year, although both major party candidates favor congressional action to further restrict tobacco.
A statement from the campaign of Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, said Bush believes ''decisions about tobacco regulation should be made by Congress and state legislatures'' and ''that Congress should pass tough laws to keep tobacco out of the hands of kids similar to strict anti-teen smoking laws he advocated and signed in Texas.''
His presumed Democratic opponent, Vice President Al Gore, said, ''It is time for the Republican Congress and George Bush to show their independence from Big Tobacco and do the right thing by passing legislation that has had bipartisan support.''
The initial reactions on Capitol Hill to the Supreme Court ruling indicated that new anti-tobacco legislation would be far more modest, focusing on giving the FDA regulatory power.
Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., a physician who co-sponsored the 1998 bill with McCain, would consider introducing legislation based on the FDA portion of the larger bill, said his spokeswoman, Margaret Camp.
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., who has final say about what gets to the Senate floor, said he was ''not one of those'' who believes the FDA should have control over tobacco.
''I don't think they do a very good job with what they're doing now without more requirements being dumped on them,'' Lott said.

Harrell Lamont Tucker, 21, of Nathalie, was found guilty of three separate felony charges on Wednesday in 10th District Circuit Court.
The charges against Tucker included possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony, and possessing a firearm while possessing cocaine.
According to commonwealth testimony, county sheriff's deputies responded to a disturbance on May 27, 1999, near Robert's Quick Stop in Cody.
One of the deputies observed Tucker, who was standing next to the store, acting in a suspicious manner.
Further testimony indicated that Tucker, upon seeing the deputies, attempted to flee, but was apprehended.
When searched, Tucker was found to have in his possession a loaded .9-mm pistol, a pager, approximately $800 in cash, and a small bottle containing approximately 29 individual rock-like granules.
According to commonwealth evidence, the substance was analyzed and found to be cocaine.
Upon reviewing the evidence, Judge Thomas Warren ruled that the items found on the defendant as well as Tucker's attempt to flee took the charges "out of the realm of speculation."
Judge Warren said, "The substantial amount of money and cocaine found (on Tucker), the pistol, and the area where he was observed...proves his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt."
Tucker's prior bond was revoked, and he was remanded to jail pending a presentence report in the May term of court.
· Stacey Glenn Holt, 31, of Alton, entered an Alford Plea of guilty to separate counts of breaking and entering and grand larceny at the home of Danny Lowery last October.
Under terms of the Alford Plea, a defendant does not admit guilt, but understands the evidence is so persuasive as to make conviction almost a certainty.
The court remanded Holt to jail until a presentence report in May term.
· James Thomas Hutcherson, 35, of South Boston, pleaded guilty to an amended charge of forging and uttering a check at Ratliff's Grocery, last August.
Hutcherson, already found guilty on Monday of cocaine distribution, was returned to jail pending a presentence report in May.
· Robert Irby, 32, of Scottsburg, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a merged count of attempted forgery and uttering to obtain prescription drugs.
Irby is free on bond until presentencing in May.
· Margie Marie Lester, 33, of South Boston, was found guilty on Wednesday of possession of cocaine.
Lester is free on bond until a presentence report in May.
· Douglas Raymond McCarroll, 40, of Drake's Branch, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of possession of cocaine.
McCarroll is free on bond until a presentence report is issued in May.
· Ronnie E. Ross, 39, of South Boston, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to three counts of possession of cocaine.
The court sentenced Ross to five years in jail with all but 90 days suspended on each charge.
The court will also take into consideration the amount of time Ross has been incarcerated since his arrest last June, and may recommend his release.
· Keith Dion Walton, 34, of South Boston, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one charge of possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, and a second amended charge of possession of crack cocaine.
The court remanded Walton to custody, pending a presentence report in May.
· Stewart Thomas Whitt, 29, of Alton, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to eight merged counts of forging and uttering checks.
Whitt was released on bond, pending a presentence report in May term of court.
· Darrell Wayne Smith, 31, of Clover, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to three misdemeanor counts of writing bad checks.
The offenses occurred in June of 1999, and were passed at the Riverdale Food Lion.
The defendant was already incarcerated for convictions of breaking and entering to commit larceny, grand larceny, and possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony.
Smith will be sentenced on all counts in the April term of court.
· David Carroll Waller, 45, of Long Island, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts of distributing cocaine.
Waller was remanded to jail, pending presentencing during May term of court.
The court also order Waller to be evaluated for the Detention and Diversion Centers.
· Roderick Windsor, 26, of South Boston, pleaded guilty on Tuesday of one count of distributing a schedule II controlled substance.
Under terms of a plea agreement, Windsor is free on bond, pending a presentence report during May term of court.
The court also ordered Windsor to be evaluated for Detention and Diversion Centers.

The town of South Boston will conduct a test of its Siren Warning System at 11:00 a.m. on March 28.
Governor Jim Gilmore has proclaimed Tuesday as Tornado Preparedness Day.
At 9:45 a.m., the Virginia Department of Emergency Services and the National Weather Service will conduct a statewide tornado drill.
Should severe weather threaten Virginia on March 28, the drill will be postponed until 9:45 a.m. on March 30.
Many school systems throughout Virginia will participate in the drill. When the weather alert is activated, students will move to safe areas inside the school, crouch down and cover their heads.
Nine tornadoes struck Virginia last year, leaving injuries and destruction, but no fatalities.
The most important steps when preparing for tornadoes include staying low and finding shelter.
Stay away from windows and remain low, covering your head and neck. If you are caught outside, lie flat in a low area, and, again, cover your head and neck.
Weather experts advise people to pay close attention to weather advisories when severe thunderstorms threaten.
Environmental clues that may indicate an approaching tornado include a dark, often greenish sky, large hail and a loud roar similar to that of a freight train.

The National Weather Service issues two types of alerts. A Tornado Watch means that conditions are favorable for tornado development. Individuals should be prepared to take cover.
A Tornado Warning means a tornado has actually been sighted. If an individual is in the general path of a tornado, he is advised to take shelter immediately.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Services has a Web site for tornado safety information: http://www.vdes.state.va.us.

Seeking his Eagle Scout badge, Winston Harrell's community service project quickly doubled in size as he filled a need at The Good Samaritan.
In December, the Hargrave Military Academy senior asked 40 local churches to donate personal hygiene items to be packaged for The Good Samaritan, an organization that provides food, clothes and other items to those in need.
"Some of the people who come to The Good Samaritan have nothing - not even enough for soap, toothpaste and other minimum essential items of personal hygiene," Harrell wrote town and county churches.
Shelves inside the organization's First Baptist Church site are now packed with Harrell's collection of 160 men's kits, 200 women's kits, 200 for children and 40 for babies.
Although the Boy Scout had set 250 kits as his goal, he delivered 600 kits packed with soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, razors, shaving cream, deodorant and personal items.
The child's kit includes baby shampoo, baby soap, teether, pacifier, child's toothbrush and toothpaste.
Although The Good Samaritan had seen the need for the kits for some time, Harrell noted in his letter to churches that "no one had been able to take on the task of notifying the member churches of the need, collecting the donation and establishing the kits."
A member of Boy Scout Troop 497 with Scoutmaster Don Cherry, Harrell has earned 21 merit badges since joining the troop about six years ago.
"You learn a lot earning merit badges," said the senior, naming wilderness survival and first aid training, among other skills.
A senior patrol leader, Harrell also credits the Boy Scouts with teaching him leadership and time management skills, skills he tapped in his community service project.
With the completion of his Eagle Scout project, Harrell will submit a record of his work to a Boy Scout Board in Roanoke. The record will then be forwarded to Texas for review.
"Due to the overwhelming generosity of the people in our community, my Eagle project was a great success," Harrell wrote participating churches.
"To the churches, thank you for contributing, and to my troop for helping me along the way, " Harrell said after delivering the kits.
And at The Good Samaritan, the Eagle project will continue to make life a little better for those in need.

Two county residents have been arrested on indictments handed down by a Halifax County Circuit Court Grand Jury.
Charity L. Perry, 23, of Washington Avenue in South Boston, was arrested Tuesday on charges of grand larceny and 70 counts of forgery and uttering.
South Boston Police Lt. R.D. Loftis said that Perry, employed at The Shoe Department at the Tri-River Shopping Center, allegedly made false returns on merchandise and took an undisclosed amount of money.
The alleged offenses occurred from January through December of 1999.
Investigator B.K. Lovelace was the arresting officer.
A 38-year-old Buffalo Junction man was arrested Wednesday by sheriff's deputies on charges of possessing a firearm after being a convicted felon.
Clifford Chris Perry, of Henrico Road, was arrested and charged with possessing a firearm while being a convicted felon and purchasing a firearm by making a false statement on a consent form to purchase the firearm.
The alleged offense occurred on July 3, 1999.
· Halifax County sheriff's deputies are investigating the theft of two John Deere riding mowers from Elliott's Auto Sales sometime Monday night.
Thieves managed to cut a steel security cable linking more than a dozen mowers, removed two machines and made a getaway without being detected. The mowers, which were parked outside the Route 58 West auto dealership, had an estimated total retail value of $8,500.

In other police reports,

An 81-year-old Virgilina woman was injured as a result of a two-car accident Sunday evening on Route 58.
Trooper S.L. Noblin said Ella Link Smith was injured after the 1979 Buick she was driving was struck by a 1997 Chevrolet pickup, driven by Thornton L. Moorefield, 27, of Saxe, on Route 58, one-half of a mile east of Route 360.
The trooper said the 6 p.m. crash occurred when Smith's vehicle exited a parking lot, pulling into the path of Moorefield's vehicle and was struck.
Smith was treated at Halifax Regional Hospital and released, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Noblin estimated $5,000 in damages to the Moorefield vehicle and $1,000 in estimated damages to Smith's vehicle.
Smith was charged with failing to yield the right of way.

BY JOE CHANDLER
SPORTS EDITOR
Bill Davis has seen both his trucking business and his racing enterprises grow by leaps and bounds over the years.
Davis started his Arkansas based trucking firm on a small scale and has seen it blossom to become a major coast-to-coast operation with a fleet of more than 50 trucks.
Davis, now in his 13th season as a NASCAR racing team owner, is also caught up in the tremendous growth of NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing.
"The business side (of NASCAR racing) has grown at such an incredible rate I can't imagine where we're going," said Davis who was the guest speaker at Tuesday night's Halifax County Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner.
"Where will we be five years from now?" Davis queried, "I don't know.
"If someone had asked me five years ago to describe where we are now, I couldn't even decribe it. I think the sky is the limit from here on."
Davis, and his wife, Gail, own the Caterpillar sponsored Pontiacs driven by South Boston's Ward Burton on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series circuit.
Burton, who introduced his car owner to the gathering, along with Davis, received big standing ovations in recognition of their victory in last Sunday's Mall.com 400 at Darlington.
To illustrate the growth of his race team, Davis says he currently employs approximately 75 people and has a $3 million plus payroll.
"In 1997, when we had the Maxwell House Coffee sponsorship, we had 16 people and our entire sponsorship was $2.7 million. We had one show car then. Now we have six."
Continuing the comparisons, Davis noted that he had eight cars which were worth about $400,000 and now has 25 cars worth approximately $1.25 million.
He also pointed out that in the early stage he had 10 engines worth about $50,000. Now he has 60 engines worth slightly over $3 million.
Davis stated that he spent about $125,000 for his first airplane.

"Now we own over $4 million worth of airplanes."
Davis added that back in 1997 his shop size was 11,000 square feet. The shop now is 125,000 square feet and more space is being added.
When asked why NASCAR racing has become so popular, Davis told the audience there were many reasons.
"For one thing, it's a clean sport," Davis pointed out.
"Racing doesn't have many of the other problems that other sports do. Our athletes are good, family men. Most people own a car and can identify with us.

"We appeal to so many people I don't know where the end is," Davis added.
Davis fielded a wide range of racing related questions from the audience.
One question dealt with his perception of the status of short tracks like Martinsville and Bristol and their future.
"I'm a big fan of short track racing," Davis said.
"They built NASCAR and I think they (NASCAR officials) realize that. I don't believe that we will ever completely get away from the small tracks."
But, Davis said, there is another side of the picture - a business side.
"At the same time the people that are spending all of these millions of dollars do need the bigger markets," Davis pointed out.

"The need Vegas, Dallas, Tex., Denver, Chicago, New York City, all of the ones that are being mentioned, to justify it.

"One of the big problems we're facing is that we've gotten the cost of racing so high, it takes so many dollars, that not only have we eliminated a lot of small sponsors, it's harder for companies to justify the kind of dollars that we ask for now. So, they need the bigger markets."
When Davis was asked how important Burton was to his team, he replied, "we've been together for so long now I can't imagine our team without Ward.
"Ward is as an important part of our team as single person there. It doesn't all revolve around the driver. You've got to have good support and you have to have the other people. But, having a great driver is like having a great quarterback."

Following his stint at the podium, Chamber of Commerce officials presented Davis a key to the Town of South Boston.
His wife, Gail, was presented an afghan with local historical sites woven in it and a large basket of fruit that contained a pair of specially designed wine classes commemorating the win at Darlington.

Retired Sgt. Maj. John D. Jones, 75, of Petersburg, died February 23, 2000, at McGuire V.A. Hospital in Richmond.
Mr. Jones was the son of the late John D. and Pauline Chappel Jones. He was retired as a United States Army recruiter of 31 years.
Survivors include his wife, Virginia Jones; two daughters and sons-in-law, Linda Michalek and her husband, Frank Jr. of Chesterfield and Patricia Martin and her husband, James of South Boston; five grandchildren, Kristle Sloan of Petersburg, Frank Michalek III of Chesterfield, Jimmy Martin of South Boston, Selena Leukhardt and Lauren Leukhardt, both of Edgewater, Md. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Debra P. Leukhardt.
A funeral service was conducted at 11 a.m. February 26 at the Petersburg chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home. Burial with full military honors followed in Blandford Cemetery.

Henry King Johnson, age 64, of Carlbrook Road, Vernon Hill, died March 21, 2000, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete at press time.

Sara Lou Thompson Ingle, age 80, of 1038 Holly Court, Halifax, died March 22, 2000, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mrs. Ingle was born in South Carolina on March 20, 1920, the daughter of James Rufus Thompson and Georgia Mae Patrick Thompson and was married to Edward Cuttle Ingle Sr. She was a member of First Baptist Church, owner/operator of Ingle Jewelry Co., South Boston's oldest jewelry store, and served as nursery care provider at Faith Community Church for a number of years.
A funeral service will be held at Brooks Funeral Home Chapel March 25 at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Frank Riley officiating. Burial will follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
Survivors of Mrs. Ingle include two daughters, Saundra Lou Ingle Hansford of Seaford and Jan Ingle Rose of South Boston; one son, Ned C. Ingle Jr. of Gainesville, Ga.; one sister, Florida T. Shieder of Charleston, S.C.; eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
The family will receive friends at Brooks Funeral Home Chapel this evening, March 24, from 7:00 until 8:30, and other times at the home of her daughter, Jan I. Rose, 1142 Dan River Church Road.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked toc onsider Halifax County Rescue Squad, PO Box 183, South Boston.