[7-Night-Primary]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-59 4:50]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia Primary]
George W. Bush's momentum is increasing after winning Virginia's primary, as well as Washington state, and North Dakota.
(XXXXXXX)
[TAKE LEADER FULL]
Bush beat John McCain in Virginia winning 53 percent of the vote to McCain's 44 percent, and capturing all 56 delegates.
Kate Weidaw has more.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=201-Ed Lynch/Roanoke Co. Bush Chair; :00]
[SUPER=203-Roanoke Co.; :11]
[SUPER=201-Jim Maye/Roanoke Co. McCain Chair; :39]
[SUPER=219-Kate/Weidaw;1:07]
[RUNS=1:17]
[OUT Q=the fight]
((
[SOT 6:39:52]
[INQ=]
((ED LYNCH/ROANOKE CO. BUSH CHAIR: WE ARE JUST THRILLED WITH THE POSITIVE OUTCOME VIRGINIANS HEARD GOVERNOR BUSH'S POSITIVE MESSAGE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 5]
It wasn't the landslide victory Bush supporters were hoping for but it's a victory none the less.
Bush supporters say the win was due partly to the fact volunteers were at most of the poll stations, handing out flyers and talking with voters -- whereas McCain volunteers didn't have as big of presence.
GOP leaders say one factor that might have hurt McCain was his reference to the Reverend Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson as agents of intolerance for distorting his record on abortion. But Bush and McCain supporters view the situation differently.
[SOT 6:06:20]
[INQ=]
((JIM MAYE/LOCAL MCCAIN CHAIRMAN: JOHN MCCAIN SPEAKS HIS MIND WE LEARNED THAT A LONG TIME AGO AND HE HAS VERY STRONG FEELINGS HE SPEAKS FOR HIMSELF HE ALWAYS HAS AND HE ALWAYS WILL.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 9]
[SOT 6:41:34]
[INQ=]
((ED LYNCH: BUSH HAS BEEN HERE A LOT MCCAIN MAKES ONE STOP INTO THE STATE TO CRITICIZE TWO OF OUR MOST PROMINENT CITIZENS AND THEN LEAVES AND I THINK THAT DEFINITELY HAD AN IMPACT ON VOTING TODAY.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]
Despite McCain's loss, supporters say it's not over yet.
[SOT 6:37]
[INQ=]
((SUPER TUESDAY'S COMING WE AREN'T GIVING UP WE'RE STAYING WITH THE FIGHT.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 5]
[STANDUP]
[INQ=]
((KATE WEIDAW/REPORTING: VOTER TURNOUT WAS EXPECTED TO BE LOW BUT SURPRISINGLY VIRGINIA HAS THE LARGEST GOP TURNOUT OF ANY PRIMARY. KATE WEIDAW NEWS 7 ROANOKE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]
))
[7-E-L'burg-Primary]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia Primary]
It's uncertain whether McCain's harsh words for the Reverend Jerry Falwell had an impact on his showing in Lynchburg yesterday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]
McCain referred to Falwell and Pat Robertson as "agents of intolerance" for distorting his record on abortion.
Many Hill City voters who turned out to the polls YESTERDAY say the comments bothered them, but did "not" affect their vote.
Some were going to vote for Bush anyway.
Others simply chalked it up to the game of politics.
(------------)
[7-E-Pledge]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=99-49 59:55]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]
Virginians were not only concerned about the candidates yesterday, but also with "the pledge."
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=203-Roanoke]
It's the orange piece of paper all voters in the open primary had to sign.
It's a pledge of loyalty to the Republican party -- a promise not to participate in any other party's nominating process.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4:34:35/////4:42:33 ]
[IN Q=do you think////we've had]
[*****BUMP SOTS*****]
((SCOTT GOLDBERG: DO YOU THINK IT WOULD DISCOURAGE DEMOCRATS OR INDEPENDENTS FROM VOTING? REGINA VASSAR/VOTER: I THINK IT WOULD DISCOURAGE A LOT OF PEOPLE ... THEY QUESTION THINGS THAT ARE DIFFERENT AND THIS IS DIFFERENT.///////JEAN STUMP/ELECTION OFFICER: WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF LAUGH ABOUT IT ... A COUPLE FUSS ... BUT EVERYBODY HAS AGREED TO SIGN IT.))
[SUPER=201-Regina Vassar/Voter;]
[SUPER=201-Jean Stump/Election Officer;]
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=to sign it]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The pledge wasn't unpopular in Republican-majority precincts.
It isn't legally binding and doesn't mean you have to support the G-O-P in the general election.
(------------)
[7Weather]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Here's a look at your mid week forecast.
Partly cloudy and windy today with high temperatures in the low to mid 70s.
Tonight, mostly cloudy with gusty winds.
Lows in the low 40s.
The extended forecast...
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Partly Cloudy/Winds SW 15-25/70-75/Mostly Cloudy/Gusty Winds/40-45;]
[SUPER=#555; RESET]
[45-RR-Crossings]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Supreme Court]
A case involving railroad crossings and Norfolk Southern will be heard today at the Supreme Court.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-May 1999]
The court will hear arguments about whether railroads can be held responsible for safety equipment at rail crossings.
The case was started by the widow of a man killed at a crossing in Tennessee.
The woman sued Norfolk Southern, arguing that the railroad failed to install adequate warning devices.
But N-S said a reflector sign at the crossing was sufficient under federal regulations.
(------------)
[45-E-Custody-Case]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=99-57 1:05:53]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
Child abduction charges have been dropped against a woman who left Virginia and fled to Louisiana with her two children.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
The F-B-I arrested Vivian McMahon for taking her chilren out of state and refusing to return them to their father, who had custody.
But a judge dismissed child abduction charges on a technicality.
McMahon WAS convicted on two charges for not showing up at custody hearings.
But she's out of jail and can visit her children with another adult standing by.
(------------)
[45-5-Tech-Student]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=500-07 21:50]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The state medical examiner releases his findings in the death of a Virginia Tech student.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
[TAPE#=99-53 1:23:46]
Twenty nine year- old Thomas L. Hyman died from a blow to the back of the neck.
He was severely beaten early Sunday morning after entering a house on East Roanoke .
The state medical examiner says Hyman hurt his neck either in the struggle or when he collapsed in the doorway.
Investigators have made no arrests.
(------------)
[45-E-DeSai-Memorial]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=99-60 1:12:34]
[GRAPHIC=None]
In Roanoke, a service to remember a murder victim.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Nats drumming]
[RUNS=04]
[OUT Q=Nats drumming]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
Betty (duh-sigh) DeSai was found dead last month inside the Park Inn International Motel that she owned.
Last night DeSai's friend, Susan Robbins, orchestrated a memorial service so the community could have a chance to respond to the violent murder.
Robbins said she also wanted to bring the races together.
(------------)
[anchor=Melanie]
[graphic=None]
Anyone with information on DeSai's murder is urged to call the Roanoke City Police.
[45-S-Ecstasy]
[ANCHOR=Mel]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=00-07 8:08]
[GRAPHIC=None]
More than 15-thousand doses of the drug "ecstasy" allegedly showed up at a home in Northeast Roanoke in Januray, from Germany.
Yesterday the search warrant affidavit was unsealed in federal court.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
It revealed drug enforcement agents recovered a box at 26-14 Huntington Boulevard, the home of Angela Drinkard.
German Customs agents intercepted the U-P-S package last month - it held more than half a million dollars worth of ecstasy.
It bore a phony return address in Dusseldorf.
Agents arranged for a controlled delivery to the Huntington Boulevard address.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Mel]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Neither Drinkard nor the prosecutor in the case could be reached for further details.
[45Weather]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Let's take another look at the mid- week forecast...
Partly cloudy and breezy, with southwest winds pushing temperatures into the mid 70s for highs.
Turning mostly cloudy overnight, with lows in the lower 40s.
Looking ahead...tomorrow promises some sunshine but much cooler temperatures in the upper 50s.... Our next chance of showers falls on Friday and early Saturday.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Partly Cloudy/Winds SW 15-25/70-75/Mostly Cloudy/Gusty Winds/40-45;]
[SUPER=#555; RESET]
[8-E-Conference-Center]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=99-]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A judge says the Roanoke Conference Center can move forward with preliminary repairs, but pending lawsuits could have an impact on major renovations planned for early next year.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
The conference center at the Hotel Roanoke is now the subject of several lawsuits, filed because of alleged deficiencies in the building. In court, an expert said shifting concrete panels have allowed water to enter the structure, causing steel studs to rust.
Judge Richard Pattisal says he will allow the conference center to re- caulk the joints between those concrete panels, but lawyers representing some of the defendants said they will object to "the big fix"early next year, if the lawsuits haven't been settled by then.
They argue that construction could destroy important evidence.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=none]
Yesterday, the court set aside five weeks for the trial, now set to begin in mid- September of 2001.
[8-Ferrum-Athletics]
[ANCHOR=Mel]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-02]
[GRAPHIC=Ferrum College]
Protests rang out on the Ferrum College campus yesterday as students
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 19:51:27]
[IN Q=Save our sports]
((SAVE OUR SPORTS, PAN DOWN TO TWO GUYS CHANTING))
[RUNS=:05]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co.;]
rallied against the school's decision to dump the field hockey and equestrian teams.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 19:59:41]
[IN Q=The equestrian team]
((THE EQUESTRIAN TEAM HAS HISTORICALLY ATTRIBUTED THE HIGHER CALIBER STUDENTS TO THE PROGRAM. WE HAVE THE SECOND HIGHEST G-P-A OF ANY SPORTS TEAM ON CAMPUS. WE HAVE ONE OF THE HIGHEST STUDENT ATHLETE RETENTION RATES ON CAMPUS AND WE SEND PEOPLE TO COMPETE AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL.))
[SUPER=01-Addison Dalton/Equestrian Team;]
[RUNS=:18]
[OUT Q=NATIONAL LEVEL]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
People from the community also learn to ride at Ferrum.
But the money now spent on horses and hockey will boost the basketball, baseball, football and softball teams.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 22:11]
[IN Q=what we have to do]
((WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS WHAT EVERY INSTITUTION HAS TO DO, LOOK AT THE WAYS WE CAN MAXIMIZE OUR RESOURCES TO BENEFIT THE GREATEST NUMBER OF STUDENTS.))
[SUPER=01-Lisa Bowling/Ferrum College;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=number of students]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Some students plan to leave Ferrum College.
Others say they'll take their case to the Board of Visitors later this month.
(------------)
[8-RR-Crossings]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Supreme Court]
A case dealing with railroad safety and Norfolk Southern will take the floor of the U-S Supreme Court today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-May 1999]
The court will hear arguments about whether railroads can be held responsible for safety equipment at rail crossings.
The case was started by the widow of a man killed at a crossing in Tennessee.
The woman sued Norfolk Southern, arguing that the railroad failed to install adequate warning devices.
But N-S said a reflector sign at the crossing was sufficient under federal regulations.
(------------)
[8-Sweepstakes-Lawsuit]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Lawsuit]
Virginia has sued a company known for its sweepstakes.
The state has sued Publishers Clearing House, alleging the company dupes people out of millions of dollars with deceptive sweepstakes offers.
Close to 30 other states have already filed similar suits.
Company officials are not yet commenting on the suit.
[8Weather]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Turning your attention once more to the forecast this morning...
Partly cloudy and windy today, with warm temperatures reaching the 70s.
Mostly cloudy and windy tonight, with lows in the lower 40s.
Looking ahead...tomorrow promises some sunshine but much cooler temperatures in the upper 50s.... Our next chance of showers falls on Friday and early Saturday.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Partly Cloudy/Winds SW 15-25/70-75/Mostly Cloudy/Gusty Winds/40-45;]
[SUPER=#555; RESET]
by SS