WDBJ 7 morning news for 03/22/00

[Headlines]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

Ahead this morning, a Maryland standoff is over and the hostage-taker is dead.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And the Pope celebrates mass in the town where Jesus was born.
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

The clouds will linger on today...but the rain has moved well to our north.
Temperatures will rise into the mid 50s by this afternoon.
The steady warm-up builds gradually, starting now and lasting through the weekend.
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(ad lib live tease)
[2-shot]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[md-standoff]

[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Standoff]

The accused killer who had been holding hostages near Baltimore since Friday is dead.
Police shot and killed Joseph Palczynski after storming the home where was holed up.
Earlier, two hostages had jumped to safety.
Police rescued the third hostage, a young boy.
Cathy Moss has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Dundalk, MD; :00]
[SUPER=01-Vicki Warehouse/Baltimore Police Department; :07]
[SUPER=01-Bill Toohey/Baltimore Police Department; 1:24]
[SUPER=01-Cathy Moss/Reporting; 1:33]
[RUNS=1:45]
[OUT Q=FOR CBS NEWS]
((It ended with an escape. The ones fleeing the hostages in a daring desperate attempt at freedom.
SOT: Vickie Warehime / Baltimore City Police
The trio, was nearing their one hundredth hour of captivity in a brick row house just outside Baltimore, Maryland. The local man holding them hostage 31 year old Joseph Palczynski, a suspected murderer who had himself been on the run. You can hear Palczynski on a local TV' reporter's answering machine pouring his heart out over the weekend. Palcysnki had been on the run for two weeks and had allegedly kidnapped his girlfriend. She escaped making it to the safety of police. But Friday night Palczynski stormed her mother's house where the hostage drama has been unfolding. Also taken hostage the mother's boy friend and his young son. It has terrorized and turned this working class community upside down. Several times Palzynski had even fired on SWAT Teams and police. All along hostage negotiators were using patience never detailing his demands. But he had reportedly wanted contact again with his girlfriend. It all ended on a rain soaked night as a weary Joseph Palczynski caught a few moments of sleep.
SOT: Bill Toohey, Baltimore City Police))

[E-White]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-57 1:22:12]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

A Lynchburg jury will resume deliberations later this morning in the case of a New Jersey man charged with murder.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg/July 1999]

Morris Anthony was shot to death inside this home on Stuart Street last July.
Norman Douglas White is charged with kicking in the front door and shooting Anthony several times as he sat on a living room sofa.
Police believe the shooting stemmed from an argument over drugs.
A five-man, seven-woman jury spent about ninety minutes deliberating yesterday before adjourning for the night.
(------------)

[E-Olivarri]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-54 2:03:32]
[GRAPHIC=Legal scales]

An Appomattox woman avoided her own trial by pleading guilty to second degree murder charges yesterday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Appomattox]

30-year old Sandra Olivarri had been charged with shooting her husband Nick to death and dumping his body along a roadside in September, 1998.
Olivarri's trial was scheduled for next week, but prosecutors reached a plea agreement after talking with the victim's family.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:37:45]
[IN Q=We decided that]
((DEBORAH DRINKARD/VICTIM'S SISTER: WE DECIDED THAT THIS WOULD BE THE BEST TO KEEP THE FAMILY FROM GOING THROUGH ANY MORE TORTURE OF THIS NOT TAKING TO TRIAL, AND THE MAXIMUM ON THIS IS FORTY YEARS, SO WE FEEL COMFORTABLE.. AND NOW WE WILL HAVE HER IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT SHE'S USED TO.))
[SUPER=01-Deborah Drinkard/Victim's Sister]
[RUNS=20]
[OUT Q=she's used to.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Olivarri could receive up to 44 years in prison when she's sentenced in June.
(------------)

[E-Radford-Teachers]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-01 1:15:12]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

Two teachers from Radford city schools face criminal charges for offenses allegedly committed on school grounds.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Vinton/January 1998]

James Anthony Dehart (DEE-hart) ... head wrestling coach at John Dalton Intermediate School ... was indicted yesterday.
He's charged with stealing Ritalin and Adderall from the school. Both are prescription drugs used to treat learning disabilities.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Carroll Purcell, a gym teacher at Radford High School, was charged with attempted assault and battery of a 14-year-old female student.

[pope-bethlehem]

[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Pope John Paul II]

Pope John Paul the second continues his trip to the holyland where he is tracing the footsteps of Jesus.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bethlehem, Israel;]
[4:49:39]
His day began in Bethlehem, the cradle of Christianity.
That's where he delivered a mass to about twenty thousand of the faithful gathered in Manger square.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=that comes from God.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

His day also includes a visit to the church of the nativity where tradition says Jesus was born.
From there he heads to a Palestinian refugee camp.. where he meets with Yassir Arafat.. and delivers a speech to children at a local school.
(------------)

[1-Sports]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=sports cut in]
[GRAPHIC=None]

In sports, highlights from the N-B-A and notes from the college hardwood.
Denise Allen has more.
Good Morning Denise.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Good morning]
[RUNS=1:47]
[OUT Q=you then]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
(Melanie ad lib toss to Kimberly/Wx)

[One-Steve]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

They are the words no traveler likes to hear-- delayed, canceled and grounded.
Hundreds of Northwest Airlines flights around the world were cancelled last night-- thanks to a utility crew that accidentally cut some fiber-optic lines.
As Tony Berlin reports, no flights were ever in danger, but lots of passenger were left stranded.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=welcome back]
[SUPER=03-Twin Cities Airport, MN; :00]
[SUPER=01-Mary Anne Lemaire/Stranded Passenger; :15]
[SUPER=01-Kathy Peach/Northwest Airlines; :33]
[SUPER=01-Marge Hatzmann/Stranded Traveler; :54]
[SUPER=01-Eric Chartier/Stranded Traveler; 1:07]
[SUPER=01-Steve Day/Stranded Traveler; 1:24]
[SUPER=01-Tony Berlin/Reporting; 1:30]
[RUNS=1:42]
[OUT Q=for CBS News.]
(( TRAVELLING WITH YOUNG KIDS IS NO PICNIC...THROW A MAJOR COMPUTER GLITCH IN THE MIX AND IT'S A VACATION NIGHTMARE.
CG: MARY ANN LEMAIRE/STRANDED PASSENGER
"I THINK HARD FOR ADULTS..THANKFULLY KIDS GOOD SPORTS."
NORTHWEST AIRLINES GROUNDED FLIGHTS WORLDWIDE WHEN HUNDREDS OF FIBER OPTIC COMMUNICATION LINES WERE ACCIDENTALLY CUT BY A CONTRACTOR IN EAGAN.
THE ACCIDENT CANCELLED 130 FLIGHTS SYSTEM WIDE...AND DELAYED HUNDREDS MORE.
?CG Kathy Peach`, `Northwest Airlines
"YOU KNOW HOW DEPENDENT WE ARE FOR ELECTRONIC INFORMATION..THIS IS A CHALLENGE FOR US."
((NATS3))
"WE DO APOLOGIZE..."
THE LINES CUT AFFECTED THINGS LIKE RESERVATIONS, BOARDING PASSES AND BAGGAGE TAGS.
FOR HOURS PLANES COULD LAND, BUT NOT TAKE OFF -- OUTGOING PASSENGERS WERE OFTEN STUCK. cg :`Marge Hatzmann`, `traveler
"WE'LL SEE ..RIGHT NOW LEAVING ...COULD STILL BE GROUNDED."
"I'D LIKE TO GET THERE BEFORE MIDNIGHT ..."
ERIC WAS DEPARTING FOR DALLAS ...WHEN HE LEARNED ABOUT THE DELAYS.
CG: `Eric Chartier`, `traveler`
"I GOT HERE SUPPOSED TO 1/2 HOUR ...BUT THEY POSTPONED IT."
LUCKILY, THE GLITCH HIT ON A NORMALLY QUIET TRAVEL DAY...BY EARLY EVENING, US WEST SAYS THE LINES WERE ALMOST ENTIRELY FIXED...MOST PASSENGERS STILL TAKING IT IN STRIDE.
CG: Steve Day`, `London bound
"YOU CAN'T FLY HOME BY YOURSELF, NO POINT." CG; Tony Berlin/ Reporting
NORTHWEST HOPES TO HAVE EVERYTHING BACK UP BY THIS MORNING. ))

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
(Melanie tosses to stocks)

[STOCKS] [COMM] ((Archive:))

[E-Tobacco-React]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=sch]
[TAPE#=99-56 1:34:55]
[GRAPHIC=Tobacco Drug Decision]

A big victory for tobacco farmers- a defeat for the President.
In a five to four decision, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the Food and Drug Administration can NOT regulate tobacco products.
The decision undercuts the anit-tobacco efforts of the Clinton administration.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

It's also a major set back for anti-tobacco activists. But at a time when many tobacco farmers are struggling with quotas and cutbacks, they say this decision is a step in the right direction.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:06:01]
[IN Q=I'm hoping]
((BOBBY WILKERSON/TOBACCO GROWER: I'M HOPING IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME OF THE RESTRICTIONS AWAY THAT WE ARE UNDER. WE ARE RESTRICTED IN SO MANY WAYS.))
[SOT 1:02:37]
((DR. DAVID O. LEWIS/ANTI-TOBACCO ACTIVIST: WE'LL IMMEDIATELY START LOBBYING OUR NATIONAL LEADERS AND VIRGINIA PEOPLE LIKE JOHN WARNER. WE'LL LOBBY CONGRESS TO REGULATE CIGARETTES.))
[SUPER=01-Bobby Wilkerson/Tobacco Grower; :00]
[SUPER=01-Dr. David O. Lewis/Anti-Tobacco Activist; :09]
[RUNS=:22]
[OUT Q=regulate cigarettes.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

Doctor Lewis is the president of the Health Advocacy group of Southside. He says he'll continue the fight for tobacco regulations.
(----------------)

[S-Danville-Body]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=00-05 25:15]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A woman found dead in the Dan River Sunday had been questioned about shoplifting the day before her body was discovered.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville/Sunday]

The medical examiner yesterday confirmed Sandra L. Cobbs drowned.
On Saturday the 38-year old woman had been stopped by a security guard at Value City.
Cobbs bolted from the security officer during questioning and ran.
After relatives reported her missing Sunday, a search of the area led to the discovery of Cobbs' body in the river.
(------------)

[E-Webcast]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=00-06 24:41]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Television stations around the world are using new technology to reach a wider audience.
And News 7 is joining the list of broadcasters who are now delivering their programs on the world wide web.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

News 7 at Six will appear on the webcasting site of Rev-net, a local internet service provider.
In addition, the site's media archive will include a week's worth of newscasts, available on demand.
(++++++++)
[FULL SCREEN PINNACLE 4885]
If you'd like to watch streaming video of News 7 at 6, there are two ways to get there.
You can go directly to WREV-dot-net, or log onto our home page at WDBJ-7-dot com.
(-------------)

[Health-Check]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=NET]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin Health Check]

In medical news, infertility may be partly a state of mind.
Doctor Dave Hnida has that story and more in this morning's Health check.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Dave Hnida/Reporting; :00 ]
[RUNS=1:39]
[OUT Q=CBS News, New York.]
((THE MORE THE MERRIER IS A PHRASE THAT DOES NOT APPLY TO TEENAGE DRIVERS JUST LIKE ALCOHOL AND DRUGS- LOADING A CAR WITH YOUNG PASSENGERS CAN BE THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR AN ACCIDENT.
VT=VO
A NEW STUDY IN THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION FINDS THE MORE PASSENGERS IN A CAR WITH A TEENAGE DRIVER- THE MORE LIKELY THEY'LL BE KILLED IN AN ACCIDENT. ONE PASSENGER- THE RISK IS 48% HIGHER- 2 PASSENGERS- 158% HIGHER-THREE PASSENGERS- 207 % HIGHER. THE REASON- ACCORDING TO RESEARCHERS- GENERAL FOOLISHNESS AND DISTRACTIONS. ON CAM ALSO TODAY- DO YOU BELIEVE THE MIND AFFECTS COUPLES SUFFERING FROM INFERTILITY? ITS A CONNECTION THATS NEVER BEEN CONFIRMED- UNTIL NOW- 20 RESEARCHERS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY SAY IF A COUPLE IS INFERTILE FOR MORE THAN ONE YEAR- ITS TIME TO GET INTO GROUP THERAPY- WITH OTHER COUPLES IN THE SAME BOAT. A STUDY OF ALMOST 200 COUPLES FOUND THOSE WHO MET ONCE A WEEK WITH OTHER INFERTILE COUPLES HAD TWICE THE SUCCESS RATE FOR GETTING PREGNANT IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR THAN COUPLES WHO DID NOT DO ANY GROUP THERAPY.
VT=VO
AND FINALLY- EMPHYSEMA IN A BABY? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT. RESEARCHERS IN THE JOURNAL THORAX SAY WHEN A PREGNANT MOTHER SMOKES ODDS ARE SHE WILL DELIVER A BABY WITH DECREASED LUNG FUNCTION.. AND A TENDENCY TO GET FREQUENT CHEST COLDS AND BRONCHITIS. THESE LUNG PROBLEMS LAST AT LEAST UNTIL THE CHILD BECOMES A TEENAGER- BUT RESEARCHERS BELIEVE THE LUNG DAMAGE MAY BE PERMANENT. ON CAM THATS A LOOK AT THE DAY IN HEALTH. IM DR DAVE HNIDA FOR CBS NEWS.))

(ad lib to weather)

[Two-Steve]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#NONE]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

Las Vegas Legend and Southwest Virginia native Wayne Newton had a captive audience in Troy Michigan yesterday.
He helped give a young rap-music fan a whole new perspective on entertainment.
Drew Levinson was there.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Troy, MI; :00]
[SUPER=07-Judge Michael Martone; :43]
[SUPER=01-Drew Levinson/Reporting; :54]
[SUPER=01-Justin Rushford/Rap Fan; 1:09]
[RUNS=1:50]
[OUT Q=Troy, Michigan.]
((Today is the time and date set for execution on your sentence. BECAUSE JUSTIN RUSHFORD COULDN'T BEAT THE RAP FOR RAP HE WAS SENTENCED TO A DATE WITH THE KING OF VEGAS.
(NATSOUND OF DANKE SHOENE 8:47:58)
IT ALL STARTED A FEW WEEKS AGO. THE 18-YEAR OLD WAS CRUISING THROUGH A SUBURBAN DETROIT NEIGHBORHOOD. HIS STEREO PUMPED OUT HIS FAVORITE RAP TUNES.
(QUICK RAP UP)
THE COPS CITED HIM FOR BREAKING A NEW NOISE ORDINANCE. INSTEAD OF JAIL TIME JUDGE MICHAEL MARTONE FORCED HIM TO LISTEN TO WAYNE NEWTON'S GREATEST HITS OVER AND OVER AND OVER.
(SOT JUSTIN RUSHFORD/RAP FAN )
I've listened to it like six times in a row, I'm going on my seventh. WHY WAYNE NEWTON?
(SOT JUDGE MICHAEL MARTONE/OAKLAND CO. MICHIGAN)
He was infringing upon the privacy rights of others. People dont want to listen to his rap music, so well give him a taste of his own medicine. FOR 120 MINUTES JUSTIN'S CELL WAS A JURY ROOM WITH A BOOM BOX. FOR HIM THE CLOCK COULDN'T MOVE FAST ENOUGH.
(STANDUP DREW LEVINSON/CBS NEWS)
You'll notice the music is not very loud. At least not now, and there's a good reason for that. This jury room sits right next to a courtroom and earlier there were complaints that the music was too loud. So once again Justin had to turn town the volume. AT TIMES HE ACTUALLY SEEMED TO GET INTO IT.
(SOT 091405)
What do I think of this music? It is not my style but it is not bad music. HE EVEN LEARNED THE TITLES OF NEWTON'S GREATEST HITS.
(102713)
Danke shoene, Daddy dont..(pan to judge) THE JUDGE SEEMED PLEASED. WHEN IT WAS OVER-JUSTIN ADMITTED HE LEARNED HIS LESSON AND HE CAME AWAY WITH AN APPRECIATION OF MR. NEWTON.
(104703)
Any favorites? I kinda like number six. It has nice little beat to it. SO IS HE NOW A WAYNE NEWTON FAN? HARDLY-
(NATSOUND RAP)
THERE IS JUST SO MUCH YOU CAN ASK. DREW LEVINSON CBS NEWS, TROY MICHIGAN.))
[2-SHOT]
(Toss to Kimberly)
((Archive:))
[2-HEADLINES]
[2-shot=Mel/Kmc]
[SUPER=#4049; Morning Headlines]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Here's a look at today's top stories.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Police in suburban Baltimore have shot and killed Joseph Palczynski, the multiple killer who had been holding hostages since Friday.
Tactical units burst into the apartment after two hostages escaped. Police rescued a young boy who had also been held.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kim]

Thousands have packed Manger Square in Bethlehem today to hear Pope John Paul the Second.
The mass got underway on the second day of the pope's historic trip to Israel.
The Pontiff is on a week long trip to retrace the footsteps of Jesus.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And two Radford school teachers face criminal charges for offenses allegedly committed on school property.
A wrestling coach was charged with stealing prescription drugs and a gym teacher was charged with attempted assault and battery.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And that's what's making news on this Wednesday March 22.
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

News 7 Mornin' will be right back.

[mass-pope]

[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Pope john Paul II]

Pope John Paul's Mass in Bethlehem is under way.
Thousands have packed Manger Square for the historic ceremony.
Earlier, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat greeted the pope as he arrived in Bethlehem. The pontiff is on a weeklong journey to retrace the footsteps of Jesus.
Lisa Hughes reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[4:49]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Lisa Hughes/Reporting; 1:18]
[RUNS=1:33]
[OUT Q=CBS News, Jerusalem]
((THE DAY STARTED EARLY POPE JOHN PAUL THE SECOND CHOPPERED FROM JERUSALEM TO A SITE ALONG THE JORDAN RIVER FOR A PRIVATE VISIT TO ONE OF THE SITES WHERE ITS BELIEVED JESUS WAS BAPTIZED YESTERDAY AT THE OTHER SITE IN JORDAN THOUSANDS LOOKED ON.
NAT SOT BAPTISM IN JORDAN
WHEN POPE JOHN PAUL THE SECOND ARRIVED IN ISRAEL THIS IMAGE SYMBOLIZED ONE OF THE MISSIONS OF THIS JOURNEY THREE CHILDREN - EACH OF THREE DIFFERENT FAITHS - RAISED THE COUNTRY'S SOIL TO HIS LIPS AND UNDERSCORED THE MESSAGE HERE OF TOLERANCE.
SOT POPE JOHN PAUL II 15:14 I pray that my visit will serve to encourage an increased of inter-religious dialogue
FOR THE PONTIFF ITS THE DREAM OF DECADES -- TO RE-TRACE THE STEPS OF JESUS. FOR THE COUNTRY ITS A MIX OF HOPE AND CAUTION WITH THE VATICAN NAVIGATING A DELICATE LINE.
NAT SOT GUN SHOOTING
A TENUOUS PEACE AT BEST HERE THE POPES VISIT COINCIDES WITH THE HAND OVER BY ISRAEL TO PALESTINIANS ANOTHER SIX PERCENT OF THE WEST BANK. AND JOHN PAUL THE SECONDS FIRST FULL DAY WILL START WITH PALESTINIAN FORCES AND PALESTINIAN HOPES.
SOT ABDULLAH AL ZIGHARI/PALESTINIAN REFUGEE - 31:01 - We believe we will not come back to our homeland immediately but
we believe this kind of visit will have something very important to us.))

[standoff-over]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Standoff]

The four day stand-off in a Baltimore suburb is over.
(-----------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Dundalk, MD;]

It ended just after eleven last night when police shot and killed murder suspect Joseph Palczynski.
He'd been holding three people, including the mother of his former girlfriend hostage since Friday.
Two of the hostages made a dramatic escape while the third, a young boy, slept inside.
Over the weekend Palczynski called a Baltimore T-V reporter and made a plea to speak to his ex-girlfriend.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[4:11:27]
[IN Q=I've been begging them to allow me..]
[SUPER=02-Joseph Palczynski;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=I Won't kill anyone else.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Two weeks ago Palczynski kidnapped the former girlfriend, she got away but he killed three people trying to help her.
Authorities say the next day he shot and killed another person while trying to steal a car.
(------------)

[US-Airways]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=am]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=99-60 1:37:44]
[GRAPHIC=US Airways]

US Airways could shut down this weekend if a contract agreement is not reached with the airline's flight attendants.
The deadline is midnight Saturday and as Kate Weidaw reports a strike could have a significant impact on Roanoke.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Lines boarding US]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Heather Cooper/US Airways Flight Attendant; :19]
[SUPER=01-Carol Haney/Travel Agent; :39]
[SUPER=@Kate1; 1:14]
[RUNS=1:24]
[OUT Q=News 7, Roanoke.]
((Lines boarding US Airways flights could diminish this weekend if the airline closes its gates until flight attendants reach a contract agreement.
[NAT SOUND 15:20:13]
[RUNS= 3]

Heather Cooper is just one of hundreds of flight attendants waiting to hear what's in store for her weekend.

[SOT 15:14:39]
[INQ=]
((HEATHER COOPER/US AIRWAYS FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: WE'RE JUST NOT SURE IF THEY ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO RUN OUR FLIGHTS OR ARE WE JUST GOING TO BE SHUT DOWN AS WELL AND WE DON'T KNOW IF WE'LL GET PAID OR NOT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]

But local travel agents say if you're concerned about getting to your destination this weekend - don't book with a different airline unless you want to pay a hefty fee.

[SOT 10:55]
[INQ=]
((CAROL HANEY/TRAVEL AGENT: SO IF YOU ELECTED TO CHANGE YOURSELF TO A DIFFERENT CARRIER TOMORROW IT WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL COST. THEY WOULD NOT ABSORB THE COST YET.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]

You have to wait for US Airways to officially announce a shut down before they change your flight to a different airline free of charge. But that doesn't sit well with ticket holders who want a hassle- free trip this weekend or in the near future.

[SOT 15:21:48]
[INQ=]
((JEANNIE YETZ/PASSENGER: IN FACT WE WE'RE CONCERNED WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GET BACK TODAY.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 5]

The best advice is to be flexible, because if the shut down occurs...

[SOT 15:15:35]
[INQ=]
((HEATHER COOPER/FLIGHT ATTENDANT: IT'S GOING TO BE A MESS IF IT HAPPENS THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF PEOPLE STRANDED.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 6]

[STANDUP]
[INQ=]
((KATE WEIDAW/REPORTING: IF YOU ARE FLYING ON A US AIRWAYS EXPRESS JET THEN THE SHUT DOWN SHOULD NOT AFFECT YOU FLIGHT.
HOWEVER YOU SHOULD CALL THE RESERVATION DESK TO SEE IF YOUR FLIGHT IS AFFECTED. KATE WEIDAW NEWS 7 ROANOKE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS=10]))

[2-E-White]

[Three-Steve]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=spa]
[TAPE#NONE]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

Most of us have lost a key before-- but it probably didn't cost 17-thousand dollars to get a new one.
That's the bill a California school administrator is facing after losing her set of school keys.
Cynthia Gouw has the details.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Pittsburg, CA; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jocelyn Hendrix/Pittsburg High Asst. Principal; :21]
[SUPER=01-Leeann Sandler/School District Administrator; 1:10]
[SUPER=01-Robert Newell/Superintendent; 1:37]
[RUNS=1:48]
[OUT Q=out security system.]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]
(ad lib toss to bump)
[BUMP-Chyron]
[COMM #6]
((Archive:))

[Reform-Party]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Reform Pary]

A Lynchburg federal judge will try to figure out who's in charge of the Reform Party.
A hearing on the dispute will open later today is scheduled to last three days.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Nashville, TN/Last Month;]

The case stems from a raucous party meeting in Nashville last month.
That's where members voted to replace Jack Gargan with Pat Choate.
But Gargan still insists he's in charge.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]

At stake is some two million dollars in federal election funds.

[CUBAN-BOY]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Elian Gonzalez]

The Miami family of a 6-year old Cuban boy vows to continue the legal fight to keep him in the U-S after a federal judge yesterday turned down their request for an asylum hearing.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Miami, FL;]
[3:14:53]
The judge ruled asylum is strictly in the hands of the Attorney General and the immigration service, which has already ruled Elian Gonzalez should be returned to his father in Cuba.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
((JANET RENO, ATTORNEY GENERAL:IT IS TIME FOR THIS LITTLE BOY WHO HAS BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH TO MOVE ON WITH HIS LIFE AT HIS FATHERS SIDE.))
[SUPER=01-Janet Reno/Attorney General;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=at his father's side.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Since his rescue, Elian has become the subject of an international tug of war between his father, who is backed by the cuban government, and his Miami relatives, backed by the outspoken refugee community.
They claim it was the wish of Elian's mother that he begin a new life in the united states. She was killed during the attempt to flee Cuba.
(------------)

[E-Custody-Case]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-58 1:23:13]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]

The decision to deny the court hearing for Elian Gonzalez is good news to a man who lives here in southwest Virginia.
Marya Jones tells us why.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=NATS HOME VIDEO]
[SUPER=04-Home Video; :00 QUICK!]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :03]
[SUPER=01-Walter Benda/Father of Kidnapped Daughters; :12]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC/March 1; :31]
[SUPER=@Marya2; 1:12]
[RUNS=1:32]
[OUT Q=MJN7.]
(((///// SOT /////)
[NATSOUND: HOME VIDEO] ((NATSOUND: HOME VIDEO))
[runs=: 03]

Home videos and a few photo albums are all Walter Benda has left of his two daughters, Mari and Ema.
The girls were kidnapped by his wife in 1995 when the family lived in Japan.
[SOT 4:5517 - :22]
((THERE'S PROBABLY NEVER AN HOUR THAT GOES BY WHERE I'M NOT THINKING ABOUT THEM IN SOME WAY OR ANOTHER.))
[runs= : 05]

Benda has spent the last five years fighting for custody and visitation rights... with no success.
Japan has no laws against parental abduction.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 4:37:33 - :38]
((THE COURTS JUST VIEW THAT AS THE PARENT HAS TAKEN THE CHILD WITH THEM AND IT'S NOT A CRIME.))
[runs= :05]

Benda's experience led him to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month... urging members to send Elian Gonzalez back to his father in Cuba.
He says the outcome of Elian's case could affect him personally.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT SENATE 12:48:50 - :12]
((THERE IS NO WAY TO EXPRESS HOW IT FEELS, THE HEARTBREAK THAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR CHILDREN -- CHILDREN YOU LOVE MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD -- CHILDREN WHO ARE LITERALLY A PART OF YOU -- ARE RIPPED FROM YOUR LIFE.))
[runs= :12]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 4:50:35 - :49]
((THE U.S. WILL LOSE A LOT OF ITS MORAL HIGH GROUND IF WE ALLOW ELIAN TO STAY IN THIS COUNTRY BECAUSE BY DOING THAT WE'LL SAY THAT IT'S OK FOR FOREIGN COUNTRIES TO KEEP AMERICAN CHILDREN IN THEIR COUNTRIES.))
[runs= :14]

Benda has only seen Mari and Ema once since the abduction... when he tracked them down on a street in Japan.
Until he can be reunited with his daughters, Benda says he'll continue to fight... and help other families do the same.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 5:00:06 - :15]
((I PLAN TO MAKE NOISE UNTIL I GET SOMETHING OUT OF IT... THE WORST THING IS TO GIVE UP AND DO NOTHING.))
[runs= :09]

Marya Jones, News 7.))

[3-Sports]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=sports cut in]
[GRAPHIC=None]

In sports, Rusty Wallace makes a practice stop in Martinsville.
Denise Allen has more.
Good Morning Denise.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Good morning]
[RUNS=1:51]
[OUT Q=good day]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
(weather toss)

[Local-Recap]
[SUPER=#4059;Local Recap]
[2-Shot=Mel/Kmc]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Now here's another look at today's top local stories:
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

A Lynchburg jury will resume deliberations today in the Norman Douglas White trial.
He's accused of murdering Morris Anthony last July.
Police believe the shooting stemmed from an argument over drugs.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

An Appomattox woman avoided a trial by pleading guilty to second degree murder charges yesterday.
30-year old Sandra Olivarri was charged with shooting her husband Nick to death and dumping his body along a roadside.
Olivarri's trial was scheduled for next week, but prosecutors reached a plea agreement after talking with the victim's family.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

A Lynchburg federal judge will try to figure out who's in charge of the Reform Party.
A hearing on the dispute will open later today is scheduled to last three days.
The case stems from a raucous party meeting in Nashville last month where a new party leader was voted in.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
(Kimberly mic hot)
(///////////////)
(Kimberly ad lib weather)
(-------------)
[2-SHOT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Now here's Keith Humphry with a preview of News 7 at Six.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=There are just]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=on News 7 at six tonight.]
(-------------)
[2-SHOT] (ad lib bye)