[7-Schoolwatch]

[ANCHOR=Mel]

[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=School Info]



We have school announcements to pass along.
(XXXXXXXX)

[TAKE SCHOOLWATCH FS]
Highland County Schools will open two hours late.
Pendleton County Schools are now closed.
And Pocahontas County Schools in West Virginia will operate on a 2 hour delay today.




[7-Eaton-Standoff]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Eaton Standoff]


A standoff in Henry County ends peacefully, after the man who held deputies at bay for hours surrendered.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.]


Authorities say it all started when Raymond Eaton shot at them yesterday morning-- after officers tried to serve a warrant.
Nine hours later, deputies used tear gas to end tense situation.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Finally he]

((FRANK CASSELL/HENRY COUNTY SHERIFF: FINALLY HE HOLLERED AND ASKED WHAT HE WANTED. WE ASKED HIM TO CLIMB DOWN THE LADDER, WHICH HE DID.))
[SUPER=01-Frank Cassell/Henry Co. Sheriff; ]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=which he did]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Eaton originally faced 2 misdemeanor charges for writing bad checks.
Now he has 6 felony charged on top of that... including 2 attempted capital murder charges.
(------------)



[7-E-Rockbridge-fire]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Am Cutins]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=00-02 1:09:25]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Fire]


A fatal house fire in Rockbridge County claimed the lives of two children Sunday night.
Keith Humphry talked with the parents.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Rockbridge Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Kenny Higgins/Victim's Father; :18]
[SUPER=01-Frances Chittum/Victims' Mother; :42]
[RUNS=1:01]
[OUT Q=Humphry, NEWS 7.]

(( The house on Grassy Ridge Lane was destroyed, along with virtually everything in it.
Kenny Higgins was minding the four children while Frances Chittim was at work. The school kids were in bed asleep. Higgins and the twins had dozed off in front of the T-V.
He got the three year olds out...
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:15:05]
[IN Q=I tried to ]

((I TRIED TO KEEP THE TWINS... THEY WERE TRYING TO GET BACK IN, SCREAMING FOR THEIR SISTERS. I JUST COULDN'T GET TO 'EM.))
[RUNS= 09]
[OUT Q=couldn't get to 'em.]


He couldn't reach seven- year old Kassidy Higgins, a second- grader at Central Elementary School and her 12-year old half sister, Rebecca Chittum, a Maury River Middle School Sixth grader.
Their mother learned the girls had died, when she got to the hospital.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:18:35]
[IN Q=Everybody's shining star]

((EVERYBODY'S SHINING STAR. KASSIDY WAS DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL. 'BECKA WAS JUST SPECIAL... THAT PRE-TEEN 12-YEAR OLD.))
[RUNS= 11]
[OUT Q=everybody's buddy.]


The preliminary investigation indicates this was an accidental fire. The exact cause has yet to be determined.
Keith Humphry, NEWS 7.))

[7-E-Halifax-Schools]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=sch]
[TAPE#=99-58 1:21:36]
[GRAPHIC=None]


The controversial bomb threat policy in Halifax County has been dropped.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

[from 99-54 1:48:43]
[SUPER=03-Halifax Co./Last Week;]


No longer will students be kept in the classroom during a bomb threat. Now they'll be evacuated.
The school board announced the decision last night at its regular meeting.
The change comes after much criticism by parents and students about the original "stay put" policy.
(------------)



[7Weather]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]


Looking now at today's forecast.
Expect another rainy day with highs in the upper 40s.
Tonight, windy with a chance for more rain.
Lows in the upper 30s to 40.
The extended forecast...

[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Clouds & Fog/Chance of More Rain/45-50/Chance of Rain/Winds N 10-15/35-40;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]





[45-Schoolwatch]


[ANCHOR=Mel]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=School Info]



We have school announcements to pass along.
(XXXXXXXX)

[TAKE SCHOOLWATCH FS]
Highland County Schools have closed.
Pendleton County Schools are now closed.
And Pocahontas County Schools in West Virginia will operate on a 2 hour delay today.




[45-E-Carvins-Cove]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=00-03 56:20]
[GRAPHIC=Roanoke City Council]


Roanoker's think of Carvin's Cove as their water supply, but they may soon associate it with the word fun.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Carvins Cove;]


Last night Roanoke City Council moved a plan forward that would allow light recreation at Carvins Cove.
[Super=03-Roanoke;]


A citizen's committee came up with the plan - and dozens came out to support it.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 6:38:35 ]
[IN Q=We respect]

((WE RESPECT THE FACT THAT WATER IS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY BUT WHAT WE'VE SAID IS SOME RECREATION IS OK.)) ((RIGHT NOW PEOPLE BIKE AND HIKE AND IT'S ACTUALLY ILLEGAL CAUSE THE CITY CODE ONLY ALLOWS FISHING AND PICNICKING.))
[SUPER=01-Rupert Cutler/Citizen's Committee Member; wait til 09!]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=and picknicking.]
(--------------)
[VO-SOT]


The plan would make light recreation legal at the cove, allowing for hiking, bicycling and horse back riding.
The plan now goes to the City Manager who will then make a recommendation back to city council.
(------------)



[45-E-Cove-Update]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=00-04 41:04]
[GRAPHIC=None]


And some more encouraging news about Carvin's Cove.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]


Rainfall is helping to fill up the Cove.
This time last year, the water level at Carvins Cove was 18 feet below the spillway.
Yesterday morning it was eight and a half feet... and rising.
The city has signed a water sharing agreement with Roanoke County, and has started developing more wells.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=None]


Utilities Director Kit Kiser says he believes the reservoir will be close to normal within several weeks.
Despite the recent rainfall, U-S Forest Service officials say streams in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests are at record low levels.

[45-Lawsuit]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Lawsuit]


A jury has awarded the estate of a Roanoke women more than two- million dollars.
Dianne Sizemore went in for a surgical tuck in August of 1994.
She was in her mid 50's at the time.
Sizemore died several days later from liver damage.
The jury ruled against Doctors James Kelly and George Shumate, who performed the procedure at Lewis Gale Medical Clinic.
Tommy Williams, who represented Sizemore's family, says the death could've been prevented had timely blood tests been done following surgery.

[45-S-Breeden]


[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-57 1:20:54]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]


A NOT guilty plea from a Bedford County man involved in a scheme to defraud the I-R-S.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]


34- year- old Jeffrey Randall Breeden is accused of promoting a tax scheme where he allegedly told participants they were exempt from federal income tax.
He entered a NOT guilty plea yesterday to federal tax evasion.
He blamed News7's coverage of his case for his failure to find a lawyer.
Yesterday the court appointed him an attorney and set his trial date for May 30th.
(------------)



[45Weather]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]


Taking a break from the news to check weather...
Clouds and fog today, with a chance of more rain.
Highs near 50.
A lingering chance of rain overnight and a little breezy with lows in the upper 30s.
The extended forecast dries out and steadily warms up over the next few days.
Our next chance of rain will be on Sunday.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Clouds & Fog/Chance of More Rain/45-50/Chance of Rain/Winds N 10-15/35-40;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]





[8-Schoolwatch]


[ANCHOR=Mel]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=School Info]



We have school announcements to pass along.
(XXXXXXXX)

[TAKE SCHOOLWATCH FS]
Highland County Schools are closed.
Pendleton County Schools are now closed.
And Pocahontas County Schools in West Virginia will operate on a 2 hour delay today.




[8-Police-Minority]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=00-05 21:50]
[GRAPHIC=Race Relations]


A group of minority citizens took their concerns about the Roanoke Police Department to city council last night.

Kate Weidaw has more.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Dozens of minority]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=04-December 31; :07]
[SUPER=01-Martin Jeffrey/Roanoke NAACP President; :30]
[SUPER=01-Wayne Jones/Concerned Citizen; :44]
[SUPER=01-Michael Holland/Concerned Citizen; :57]
[SUPER=@Kate1;1:09]
[RUNS=1:19]
[OUT Q=KW, News 7]

((Dozens of minority Roanoke residents came before city council asking for a citizen's review committee. [99-39 1:54:12] This comes after Wilbert Lewis was shot by a Roanoke City police officer on December 31-st of last year. Officer W-G Boucher was pursing Lewis after he didn't pull over -- when the car did stop, Boucher thought Lewis had a gun and shot him in the stomach. Authorities discovered Lewis was unarmed. Boucher was put back on the job a short time later - and that upset residents.

[SOT 7:13:14]
[INQ=]

((MARTIN JEFFREY: MR. LEWIS HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO WORK A DAY OR ENJOY A MEAL SINCE THAT INCIDENT YET THE OFFICER NEVER MISSED A PAY CHECK OR A MEAL.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 9]



That's why these citizens say the police are not being held accountable for their actions.

[SOT 6:59:13]
[INQ=]

((WAYNE JONES/CONCERNED CITIZEN: HOW MANY WILBERT LEWISES WILL IT TAKE FOR YOU TO RECOGNIZE THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE ISSUES THAT EXISTS WITHIN THE ROANOKE CITY POLICE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]


One resident says the situation is not just affecting adults but young people as well.

[SOT 7:04:04]
[INQ=]

((MICHAEL HOLLAND/CONCERNED CITIZEN: WHEN I ASK YOUNG BLACK MALES OR FEMALES WHO ARE CLOSING IN ON GRADUATION WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO I MAINLY GET THE RESPONSE TO GET AWAY FROM ROANOKE THERE IS NOTHING HERE FOR ME.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 13]


[STANDUP]
[INQ=]

((KATE WEIDAW/REPORTING: CITY COUNCIL VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO HAVE THE CITY MANAGER REVIEW THE IDEA OF A CITIZEN'S REVIEW COMMITTED FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND WILL REPORT BACK TO COUNCIL AT A LATER DATE. KATE WEIDAW NEWS 7.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS=10]))



[8-S-VMI-Suit]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=VMI]


A Roanoke federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by three former VMI cadets.
(------------)
[VO-NAT00-06 23:56]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/April 1998]


They were expelled for honor code violations arising from a hazing incident two years ago.
The former cadets say the school's investigation of the incident and the honor court trial violated their constitutional rights.
Yesterday, Judge Jackson Kiser ruled the Institute and the Board of Visitors are exempt from such lawsuits.
He did give the plaintiffs 30 days to amend their complaint and re-file it.
(------------)



[8-S-Blacksburg-Baby]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-56 1:32:50]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]


The Virginia Tech student who left her newborn's body in a dumpster was arrested yesterday... then released on two-thousand dollars bond.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/March 11;]


21-year old Rosetta Elizabeth Clark was charged with improperly disposing of the body... a misdemeanor.
Police found the baby inside several plastic bags more than a week ago.
Last week, a medical examiner ruled the baby was dead at birth.
(------------)



[8Weather]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]


The rain is tapering off and we'll be left with clouds and patchy fog.
A chance of rain will linger into this evening.
Highs today in the upper 40s...lows tonight in the upper 30s.
The extended forecast dries out and steadily warms up over the next few days.
Our next chance of rain will be on Sunday.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Clouds & Fog/Chance of More Rain/45-50/Chance of Rain/Winds N 10-15/35-40;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]


by SS