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CNN Live At Daybreak
Chat With Jimmy Barrett of WRVA Radio in Richmond, Virginia
Aired August 15, 2002 - 05:38 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So are we going to go to the radio?
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right.
COOPER: All right, we'd like to take a look to see what people are talking around the country and around the world. We're going to check in this morning with Jimmy Barrett, WRVA News Radio 1140 in Richmond, Virginia.
Jimmy is on the phone with us. He's a friend of yours, isn't he?
MYERS: A friend of mine. We've been golfing together many times. Smoked a couple of cigars, I'm sure.
Jimmy, what's going on up there in Richmond today?
JIMMY BARRETT, WRVA HOST: Hey, guys, are you listening to us this morning?
How are things in Atlanta?
MYERS: As good as can be.
How about you guys?
BARRETT: We are terrific, thank you.
MYERS: We hear you're in the middle of a drought.
BARRETT: Really?
MYERS: Yes.
BARRETT: Is that what's going on? I wondered what happened to all the clouds and the rain.
COOPER: How bad is it?
BARRETT: Well, welcome to the desert Mid-Atlantic. That's what it feels like out here. You know, here's the biggest problem, guys. I know the drought has been going on all over the country. But here in the Mid-Atlantic, we've been adding -- and Chad, I know you've been forecasting these unbearable temperatures and humidity levels and heat indexes. We had a code purple here a couple of days ago. And we've gotten to the point now where wells are drying up.
Chesterfield County, which is south of Richmond, has gone to the mandatory water restrictions today. And you know what that means.
MYERS: That means no watering at all or odd-even?
BARRETT: Well, it means odd-even. It also means no watering on Mondays. It also means they're going to try to regulate things like how often you can wash your car. Now, that's going to be pretty hard to enforce.
MYERS: Yes, especially you with your nice clean car all the time.
BARRETT: Well, I've got to keep it clean. Come on. But here's the biggest problem as I see it -- neighbors ratting out neighbors.
MYERS: Oh, yes.
BARRETT: Here we -- and it's going to be like the Hatfields and the McCoys. I think, you know my wife? She is going to be out there with a pit helmet, a clipboard and a whistle. And she's going to be pointing fingers and calling 911. I just know this is going to happen. They're going to be deluged with phone calls.
COOPER: Well, now, Jimmy, would you rat out your neighbor?
BARRETT: Would I rat out my neighbor? You know what? Here's what I would do, and I think a lot of people don't have enough guts to do this. I would talk to my neighbor first and say you know what? You're not supposed to be watering here today. I'd be nice and diplomatic about it, but the next time, yes, baby. Give me the phone. I'm ratting 'em out.
COOPER: Now, also...
BARRETT: Absolutely. How about you? Would you guys rat out your neighbors?
MYERS: No.
COOPER: Well, I live in New York City. You don't see your neighbors. You don't know them. You don't talk to them. You don't look at them. That's the way it is.
MYERS: There's no grass.
BARRETT: Well, and you're not worried about watering the roof, either, are you?
MYERS: Right.
COOPER: That's right.
I also hear there's a story about a highway that may be haunted? What's that about?
BARRETT: Well, you know, you've heard of Pocahontas, right?
COOPER: Yes.
MYERS: Of course.
BARRETT: Pocahontas, the Indian princess, of course, married to Captain John Smith. A lot of Virginia history. That's one thing we pride ourselves on here in Virginia is all the history that we have here in the Commonwealth. And they're, the Powatan Indians were a fine, noble Indian tribe that made their home here in Virginia when, you know, when the white man showed up from Europe.
And there's a little stretch of a connector that has just been built. Like many of the connectors around here, it is a toll way. And it connects 288 with I-64, which gets people a lot quicker to the airport. It saves them a lot of time.
But we're getting these strange reports between midnight and 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning of the specters of dead Indians by the side of the road, Indians holding spears, reports of war whoops and chanting in the middle of the night.
MYERS: And this is called the Pocahontas Parkway?
BARRETT: Well, I think it's the Pocahontas, H-O-N-T-A-S. But I think they're going to rename it to the Pochahauntus Pkwy pretty soon if this keeps up. And the other strange thing, I guess, is quarters seem to continue to disappear out of the front seats of these automobiles. I think they end up in the toll booth, but I'm not sure.
MYERS: Ah, how much is it? Fifty cents?
BARRETT: I think it's a buck and a half.
MYERS: Oh, my.
BARRETT: I don't normally have to take the Pocahontas Pkwy, but, you know, I'm certainly not going to take it between midnight and four. I'm going to hedge my bets on that one.
MYERS: Fair enough.
Jimmy, we're going to talk to you every Thursday morning at 5:36 if you can do it. I know you're doing traffic and weather on the fives there on the 11:40, so take care. I know you've got to get to work.
BARRETT: Thank you, sir. You, too. And we'll talk to you next week.
MYERS: Have a good one.
COOPER: All right, see you later.
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