[Cuban-boy]

[ANCHOR=mel]

[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Elian Gonzalez]

It is coming down to the wire in the dispute over what happens to little Elian Gonzalez.
More meetings will be held today to try and reach some sort of agreement in this international tug of war.
Cathy Moss reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[3:03:19]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Miami, FL; :00]
[SUPER=01-Gov. Jeb Bush/(R) Florida; 1:10]
[SUPER=01-Cathy Moss/Reporting; 1:18]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=cbs news, miami.]
((
(Aerials-Candlelight vigil)

The battle over little Elian Gonzalez reached a new crisis level in Miami Wednesday night. As supporters of the Cuban boy took to the streets, relatives and Immigration officials met for hours trying to iron out an agreement. But late in the evening, no deal had been reached.

(SOT)
"Both sides have decided to return tomorrow"
The government has demanded that Elian's relatives hand over the 6-year boy if they lose their court battle to keep him in the United States. And the tough tactics have brought simmering Miami to a boil.
(NATS)
With caravans of trucks honking horns in support.
(NATS)
to angry mobs outside the home where Elian is staying
(NATS)
many in this city are preparing for the worst.

(MOS SOT)

Meanwhile, Cuban President Fidel Castro says Elian's father is ready to come to the United States to claim his son.

(NATS)
The legal fight has put South Florida on edge Local officials and even Florida's Governor are warning they will hold the Federal government responsible for any unrest.

(SOT)
Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Florida "I'm hopeful that all involved will be mindful of the need to act responsibly, peacefully and not jeopardize their individual safety or the safety of others." 1711

(STANDUP)
Cathy Moss, For CBS News. The government has postponed revocation of Elian's immigration status

---

for 24 hours as talks go on.))[Floyd-Student]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Floyd County High School officials have agreed to allow one of its students, a girl, to take a female date to the Junior Prom on April 29th.
This decision came after the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the school.
The letter said that a rule prohibiting same-sex couples from dances quote "must be revoked immediately". Within hours, Superintendent Terry Arbogast called the family of the 17-year-old student to say that she and her date are welcome at the dance. Arbogast said the decision wasn't based on the A-C-L-U letter but that school officials needed to rethink the issue.

---

[11VMI-Claunch]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#00-09 TC1:10:29 ]
[GRAPHIC=Claunch]

One of the first females admitted to Virginia Military Institute will become one of the school's top ranking cadets this fall.
Teresa Hamilton has the story.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I'm just]
[SUPER=01-Erin Claunch/VMI Battalion Commander; :00 ]
[SUPER=03-Lexington; :06]
[SUPER=04-June 1997; :19]
[SUPER=01-Derek Bogdon/VMI Battalion Commander; 1:06 ]
[SUPER=@Teresa1; 1:25 ]
[RUNS=1:40]
[OUT Q=NEWS 7, Lexington.]
(([sot]
((I'M JUST KIND OF IN AWE, THAT I WAS ABLE TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS.)) ((NAT SOUND OF CANON))
20- year old Erin Claunch has accomplished a lot since arriving at VMI in the fall of '97.
Back then, she was among the first women admitted to the school.
Today, she's a highly successful junior who's ranked fourth in her class academically. ((WHEN I SET MY MIND TO SOMETHING....))
It's a way of thinking that's definitely paid off. This fall, Claunch will become one of two battalion commanders.

It's an honor based on her academics and leadership ability, as well as her physical fitness. ((I'VE ONLY GOTTEN CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE'S HAPPY FOR ME.))
Derek Bogdon, the other upcoming battalion commander, is among those cheering the loudest. [stand up] Teresa Hamilton, NEWS 7, Lexington.))

---

[Fitness-VMI]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=VMI]


According to a report filed by V-M-I in federal court, fewer than a quarter of V-M-I's women cadets who have taken the school's fitness test this year have passed it. About 85 percent of the men passed the test. A V-M-I spokesman said the school has no plans to change the fitness standards. Passing isn't a graduation requirement but counts as 25 percent of the required physical education grade.

---

[11Volvo-Donations]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo/nkr]
[TAPE#=99-59 TC1:13:52]
[GRAPHIC=New River Castings]
Volvo workers are reaching out to those who were affected by the New River Castings explosion.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Dublin;]

Volvo plant workers,-- union members, and officials presented a check for 42-hundred dollars to a union representative for the victims and their families.
The workers spent several weeks collecting the money.
[SUPER=03-Radford/This Month;]

The explosion on March 5th, killed three and injured six.
The fund has reached 62-thousand dollars, so far.
(------------)

---

[11Monty-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-12 TC3:20]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]

A Pulaski woman died following a head-on collision in Montgomery County.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co.;]

The accident happened just before 5:30 yesterday on Route 1-14.
39 year old Cynthia Linkus died after a Nissan pickup truck coming from the other direction crossed the center line and struck her Ford Mustang.
Linkus was flown to Roanoke Memorial Hospital where she later died.
The truck driver was taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital.
Traffic was blocked off on the road for several hours.
(------------)

---

[11Bedford-Wreck]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=00-07 TC38:31]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Bedford man is amazingly unharmed after he crashed his car into a building.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford]

It happened around ten- yesterday morning on North Bridge Street in Bedford.
Police say 90-year old William Turner apparently mistook the gas pedal for the brake as he entered the parking lot.
Turner's car hit several other vehicles before crashing through the waiting room of an optometrist's office.
No one in the building was injured.
(------------)

---

[11Price-Right]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=00-11 TC1:15:12]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Virginia Tech senior walked away a winner from the game show "The Price is Right".
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-The Price is Right]

During a recent trip to California, Heather LaBoe was selected as a contestant on the show.
The episode aired yesterday morning.
After winning a preliminary pricing game, LaBoe waited nervously to see if she would win a new car.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 01:50:15]
[IN Q=Is it a zero]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=you've won the car.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

LaBoe won cash and prizes worth more than 20- thousand dollars.
(------------)

---

[Health-Check]

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

In medical news, the chicken pox shot protects children longer than once thought.
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=1:33]
[OUT Q=CBS News, New York.]
(( ON CAM SOME GOOD NEWS IF YOUR CHILD HAS GOTTEN A CHICKEN POX SHOT- IT LOOKS LIKE THE PROTECTION FROM THAT SHOT LASTS LONGER THAN WE THOUGHT.

VT=VO
WHEN THE SHOT FIRST CAME OUT ONE OF OUR BIG WORRIES WAS HOW LONG THE PROTECTION WOULD LAST- I MEAN WOULD KIDS IMMUNIZED AT AGE 2 GET A SEVERE CASE OF THE POX AT AGE 20 WHEN THE SHOT WORE OFF. APPARENTLY NOT- A STUDY FINDS AS THE SHOT BEGINS TO WEAR OFF AS A CHILD GETS OLDER- THE IMMUNE SYSTEM REACTIVATES THE IMMUNITY TO THE CHICKENPOX GERM- IN ESSENCE CREATING AM INTERNAL BOOSTER SHOT

VT=VO
ALSO TODAY- IF YOU HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND ARE AT RISK FOR DIABETES- SAY YOU HAVE A FAMILY HISTORY OR ARE OVERWEIGHT- BE CAREFUL WHAT BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICINE YOU TAKE. A STUDY IN THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE FINDS PEOPLE WHO TAKE BETA BLOCKERS TO CONTROL THEIR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE HAVE A 28% HIGHER RISK OF DEVELOPING DIABETES. THIS EFFECT WAS NOT SEEM WITH OTHER DRUGS SUCH AS ACE INHIBITORS, CALCIUM BLOCKERS, OR WATER PILLS.
ON CAM FINALLY- ANOTHER WORD OF CAUTION. THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION SAYS IF YOU ARE OVER AGE 65- KEEP YOUR USE OF ARTHRITIS OR ANTI INFLAMMATORY PILLS TO A MINIMUM.- AND THIS INCLUDES OVER THE COUNTER PRODUCTS LIKE ADVIL, MOTRIN OR ALEVE. A STUDY FROM AUSTRALIA FINDS OLDER PEOPLE WHO USE THESE DRUGS FREQUENTLY OR IN HIGH DOSES HAVE DOUBLE THE RISK OF TRIGGERING HEART FAILURE.- THATS A LOOK AT SOME OF THE DAYS TOP HEALTH STORIES. IM DR DAVE HNIDA FOR CBS NEWS.))


(ad lib to weather)
[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]
With a deadline extended,--- high-stakes talks in the
Elian Gonzalez case resume this morning in Miami.
Meanwhile, Cuban leader Fidel Castro says Elian's father is ready to come to the U-S to retrieve his son.
But the State Department says the father has not requested a visa.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kim]

The death toll is now thought to be five in the tornadoes that ripped through Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday.
A 19-year-old man who had been injured has died in a hospital.
Among the five victims is one person who is missing and presumed dead.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And she was one of the first females admitted to V-M-I in 19-97 and this fall she'll be one of the school's top ranking cadets.
Twenty-one year old Erin Claunch will be one of two battalion commanders, an honor based on her academics, leadership ability and physical fitness.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And that's what's making news on this Thursday, March 30th .
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

News 7 Mornin' will be right back.

---

[mass-grave]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Investigators in Uganda have uncovered more bodies linked to a doomsday cult.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Rugazi, Uganda;]
[3:16:47]
Yesterday they pulled 53 corpses from a mass grave hidden under the concrete floor of the home of the cult leader.
They day before they recovered more than 80 bodies, many of them children.
The dead appear to have been strangled.
Officials say the death toll has now topped 670.
Investigators started finding the mass graves after a March 17th fire killed 330 cult members in a church.
(------------)

---

[tornado-cleanup]

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

Federal Emergency Management Agency workers are expected to arrive today in Fort Worth, Texas, where a pair of deadly tornadoes struck on Tuesday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Fort Worth, TX;]
[3:08:16]
Four deaths have been confirmed.
A fifth person is missing and presumed dead.
Hundreds of homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed.
Much of downtown Fort worth was closed for business yesterday.
[SUPER=03-Arlington, TX;]

Nearby, in the city of Arlington, residents tried to salvage what's left of their ravaged homes.
(------------)

---

[Gas-Prices]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=am]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-60]
[GRAPHIC=Gas Prices]

OPEC's decision to increase oil production may not make a difference at the pumps until this summer.
But local oil suppliers believe for now the increase will at least stabilize gas prices.
Kate Weidaw has more.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Ron Lundy has been]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;:00]
[SUPER=01-Ron Lundy/APB Whiting Co.;:19]
[SUPER=03-Vienna, Austria;:38 QUICK!!]
[SUPER=@Kate1;1:20]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=KW News 7.]
((Ron Lundy has been in the oil supply business for 30 years and has seen prices at the pump fluctuate -- but says the last few months of price increases are like nothing he's ever seen before. As the President of APB Whiting Company in Roanoke the high price has been hard on his business.

[SOT 15:25:55]
[INQ=]
((RON LUNDY: IT'S BEEN MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO OPERATE, OUR MARGINS HAVE BEEN SQUEEZED OUR COST OF INVENTORY HAVE SKY ROCKETED OUR ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE HAVE GONE UP.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 13]

And the cost to fuel his fleet of 14 oil tankers has increased as well. Lundy says he's optimistic about OPEC's decision to increase oil production but isn't sure if an increase of 1 point 7 million barrels a day will make a difference in the long run.

[SOT 15:25:38]
[INQ=]
((RON LUNDY: IT ONLY REPLACED WHAT IT TOOK AWAY FROM PRODUCTION LAST APRIL THE FIRST TO GET PRICES UP WHICH IT DID.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 08]
[butt butt butt]
[SOT 15:23:02]
[INQ=]
((RON LUNDY: IT TAKES 6 TO 8 WEEKS TO GET THE PRODUCT THE CRUDE INTO THE SYSTEM FROM OPEC, INTO THE UNITED STATES, INTO THE REFINERIES, INTO THE PIPELINES, INTO THE TERMINALS, INTO THE STREAM.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 15]

Which means it could be July before we see a drop at the gas pump. But for now Lundy says he'll keep a watchful eye on what takes place overseas.
[STANDUP]
[INQ=]
((KATE WEIDAW/REPORTING: OFFICIALS SAY A DROP AT THE GAS PUMP COULD BE AS MUCH AS 15 CENTS A GALLON, BUT WE WON'T SEE THAT UNTIL MID SUMMER. BUT FOR ANYONE PLANNING A SUMMER ROAD TRIP THAT'S GOOD NEWS. KATE WEIDAW NEWS 7.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS=]
))

---

[11Free-Foundation]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tfl]
[TAPE#=00-02 TC1:19:05]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A newly formed Roanoke medical foundation is giving away free supplies.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; ]

The Foundation for Rehabilitative Equipment and Endowment is providing wheelchairs, canes, orthotic and prosthetic devices for the disabled in the Roanoke Valley.
The goal of the foundation is to reach those who otherwise would NOT have access to help them recover.
Volunteers are targeting young adults and middle age patients who can't afford the proper equipment.
(------------)

---

[11Radford-Sports]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-57 TC1:36:12]
[GRAPHIC=Radford University]

Two Radford University athletic teams are closer to being dropped permanently .
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Radford;]

The school's intercollegiate athletic committee made a final recommendation to cut the gymnastics and lacrosse programs.
Radford officials say the school can not afford to maintain them.
The 170-thousand dollars saved by cutting the two programs would go toward strengthening the school's other Division One teams.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=We've brought]
[sot 11:20 - :31]
((JILL CARUSO/RADFORD GYMNAST: WE'VE BROUGHT RADFORD UP TO A NATIONAL LEVEL. LAST YEAR WE BROKE 10 SCHOOL RECORDS, SO IT'S TOO BAD THAT THIS IS EVEN A CONSIDERATION RIGHT NOW.))
[sot 40:16]
((GREIG DENNY/R.U. ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: WE'RE LOOKING AT IT AS A POSITIVE MOVE BECAUSE WE THINK THE PROGRAMS DESERVE TO BE FUNDED AT A LEVEL WHERE THEY HAVE A REASONABLE CHANCE TO SUCCEED.))
[SUPER=01-Jill Caruso/Radford Gymnast; :00]
[SUPER=01-Greig Denny/Radford Athletic Director; :11]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=chance to succeed.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Radford's president will decide the teams' fate in the next few weeks.
(------------)

---

[2-Cuban-boy]

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

Another meeting will be held today in Florida involving U-S immigration officials and the great uncle of Elian Gonzalez.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Miami, FL;]
[3;03:19]
The government wants the boy's Miami relatives to promise in writing to give up custody of the six year old if they lose their court appeal to keep him in the U-S.
The two sides met for five hours yesterday.
The legal fight has put South Florida on edge and local officials, even Florida's governor, are warning they will hold the federal government responsible for any unrest.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
((Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Florida "I'm hopeful that all involved will be mindful of the need to act responsibly, peacefully and not jeopardize their individual safety or the safety of others."))
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Gov. Jeb Bush/(R) Florida;]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=the safety of others.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Meanwhile, the I-N-S has delayed a decision to revoke Elian's temporary permission to stay in the United States.

Also there's word from Cuba that Elian's father is ready to travel to America to claim his son.
(------------)

---

[11Willey]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=00-10 TC16:25]
[GRAPHIC=None]


A federal judge says President Clinton is GUILTY of criminal wrongdoing for releasing private correspondence from Richmond native Kathleen Willey.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-CBS News - 60 Minutes;]

Willey alleged in a 1998 interview that the President made a sexual advance toward her in the Oval Office.
The next day, the White House released friendly letters she'd written AFTER the alleged incident, in an attempt to damage her credibility.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT clinton newser 14:37:01]
[IN Q=I didn't]
((PRESIDENT CLINTON: I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE ANY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE PRIVACY ACT...MADE AGAINST ME THAT WERE UNTRUE.))

[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=were untrue.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington/File Tape;]

Willey's NOT even a complainant in this particular suit, brought by a conservative rights group.
(------------)

---

[11Murray-Estate]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-04 TC55:56]
[GRAPHIC=none]

For one more night, you can buy the furniture Homer Murray made in Franklin County before World War Two.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co.;]

Homer Murray founded Franklin County's Apple Festival and served as a county supervisor.
But he also ran a furniture shop in Boones Mill back in the thirties, shipping pieces nationwide.
His work's even mentioned in history books.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:02:43]
[IN Q=During the war]
((DURING THE WAR, WORLD WAR TWO, THEY MANUFACTURED BRACKETS FOR POLES FOR THE BRITISH AND FILE HANDLES FOR THE U-S GOVERNMENT.))
[SUPER=01-Frances Murray/Widow;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=the U-S government.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Now Murray's handmade furniture, tools and lumber go up for sale Friday night at the Craig Jamison Auction House in Franklin County.
(------------)

[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 Pulaski woman was killed in a head on collision yesterday afternoon in Montgomery County.
39 year old Cynthia Linkus died after a Nissan pickup truck coming from the other direction crossed the center line and struck her Ford Mustang.
Linkus was flown to Roanoke Memorial Hospital where she later died.
The truck driver -- a man -- was taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital.

(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Radford University's intercollegiate athletic committee made a final recommendation to cut the gymnastics and lacrosse programs.
Radford officials say the school can not afford to maintain them.
The school's president will decide the teams' fate in the next few weeks.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

The Foundation for Rehabilitative Equipment and Endowment is giving away free supplies. It's providing wheelchairs, canes, orthotic and prosthetic devices for the disabled in the Roanoke Valley.
The goal of the foundation is to reach those who otherwise would NOT have access to help them recover.
Volunteers are targeting young adults and middle age patients who can't afford the proper equipment.
(-------------)
[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=Efforts]
[RUNS=18]
[OUT Q=News 7 at 6]
(-------------)
[desk 3-Shot]
(toss)
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(live ad lib, tease tomorrow)
(ad lib bye) [desk 3-Shot]