WDBJ 7 morning news for 04/06/00

[Cuban-Boy]

[ANCHOR=melanie]

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

The father of Elian Gonzalez is on a plane this morning headed for the United States.
Juan Miguel Gonzalez left Havana this morning with his wife and Elian's six-month-old half brother.
They're due to arrive in Washington D-C at 7 o'clock.
Cathy Moss is in Miami with the latest.

[Live=Take NEWSPATH FULL]
[SUPER=01-Cathy Moss/Reporting]
[SUPER=05-Miami, FL]
(rollcue... )
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[4:30-BACKUP PKG]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Havana, Cuba;]
[SUPER=01-Gregory Craig/Juan Miguel Gonzalez's Attorney ]
[SUPER=03-Miami;]
[SUPER=01-Armando Gutierrez/Gonzalez Family Spokesman;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=]
((Locator: Havana, Cuba He may have left, Cuba alone, but the attorney for Elian Gonzalez father says his trip was a success.

SOT: Gregory Craig/ Juan Miguel Gonzalezs Attorney
"I'm pleased to report that Juan Miguel Gonzalez, his wife and six-month-old son will be coming to the U.S."
Locator: Miami
(nats protestors)
But not everyone is pleased with this latest development. Protestors in Miami vow to stop anyone..even Elians father..from taking the little boy away from this neighborhood hes called home since his rescue at sea.

SOT: Protestor

Elians Miami family is taking a more conciliatory tone.

SOT: Armando Gutierrez/Gonzalez Family Spokesman
"It should be a family matter and Juan Miguel and his wife and kid are welcome in this house."
StandUp U-S officials have said that Juan Miguel Gonzalez would get temporary custody of his son once he arrives in America. But so far there is no word -- even if he receives custody-- when the two will finally meet. Cathy Moss for CBS News, Miami.
))

[Live=Cathy Full/Newspath]
[SUPER=05-Miami, FL]
(ad lib)

[11Tenn-Kidnap]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-02 TC1:32:12]
[GRAPHIC=none]
[ANCHOR TAG] State Police say they have no more leads this morning on the two suspects -- a man and a woman -- who allegedly left behind two kidnapping victims in Wytheville yesterday.
Marya Jones reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Authorities spent]
[SUPER=03-Wytheville; :00]
[SUPER=03-Erwin, TN/Tuesday Night; :12]
[SUPER=01-Lt. Curtis Bailey/State Police; :26 QUICK!]
[SUPER=@Marya2; :50]
[RUNS=1:00]
[OUT Q=MJN7.]
(( Authorities spent the afternoon stopping cars and doing road checks, searching neighborhoods and buildings with dogs, and scanning the area by helicopter... for two fugitives that crossed state lines.
(///// SOT /////)
[NATSOUND: HELICOPTER] ((NATS HELICOPTER))
[RUNS= :02]

The couple's run-in with the law began Tuesday night in Erwin, Tennessee.
That's where deputies say they pulled over 27-year-old Dennis Lewis and 20-year-old Angela Tanner in a stolen truck.
A gunfight ensued. Deputies say the couple overpowered them, took their weapons and fled.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 5:05 - :09]
((LT. CURTIS BAILEY/VA. STATE POLICE: THERE WERE NO INJURIES ... THE POLICE OFFICERS WERE NOT INJURED ... NEITHER WERE THE SUSPECTS.))
[RUNS= :04]

State police say the suspects ended up in the back of 27-year-old Carol Bennett's car.
Bennett says the couple carjacked her outside her home... and kidnapped her and her baby boy.
But at the Rural Retreat rest area on I-81, Bennett persuaded the couple to let her and her son go.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 5:26:31 - :35]
((Marya Jones/News 7: HOW DID SHE SAY THEY TREATED HER? Lt. Curtis Bailey/Va. State Police: VERY GOOD. THEY DIDN'T HARM HER IN ANY WAY.))
[RUNS= :04]

State police found Bennett's abandoned car outside a Wytheville Quality Inn.
They say the two fugitives had an hour's lead on them... making the search all the more difficult.
Marya Jones, News 7.))
[ANCHOR=MELANIE]
[SS=NONE]

If you have any information on this case, you are encouraged to call the Wytheville Police Department, the Wytheville Sheriff's Department.
(XXXXXXXXXXX)
[take FS Board 1004]
or the Wytheville State Police. Their number is 5-4-0---2-2-8--- 3-1-3-1.
(XXXXXXXXXXX)

[payne-stewart]

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

The Federal Aviation administration has released haunting flight control tapes of the final hours of the doomed flight of golf pro Payne Stewart.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Mina, SD/October 1999;]
[20:07:35- 8PM NEWSPATH]
The twin engine jet carrying Stewart and five others crashed last October in South Dakota.
The jet took off from Orlando en route to Dallas.
Twenty minutes into the flight the jet was never heard from again.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
(( Air Traffic controller: I think we got a dead pilot up here. Hes through his altitude and off course now, so we dont know what's going on. ))

[RUNS=04]
[OUT Q=WHAT'S GOING ON.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

An F-16 jet then scrambles to help.
(///////SOT//////)
[IN=]
(( F-16 Pilot: Center built one, say type of aircraft well be intercepting and the nature of the problem. Air Traffic Controller: The nature of the problem is unknown.))
[RUNS=05]
[OUT=is unknown]
(------------)

He gets within 50 feet of Stewart's plan, and sees frosted windows.
While the investigation is still underway , most agree it was a sign the plane had probably depressurized, robbing the passengers and crew of oxygen.

(------------)[11Diamond-Hill]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=00-06 TC37:50]
[GRAPHIC=none]

They've fought with each other and with the city.. some have even tried to secede from the neighborhood.
Now residents of Lynchburg's Diamond Hill historic district are sitting down to try and settle their differences.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Many residents of Diamond Hill have chafed under the restrictions that limit what a homeowner can do with their property.
Others say the historic district's rules are not enforced fairly.
Both sides came together for a professional mediation session last night.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:02:06]
[IN Q=This is a]
((PETE WARREN/LYNCHBURG MAYOR: THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THE CITY, THEY PAY GOOD TAXES AND IT'S A TOURISM ATTRACTION, AND IT'S GOT SOME PEOPLE THERE WHO ARE REALLY GOOD PEOPLE, ALL OF THEM. AND WE HOPE THAT THIS PROCESS WILL BRING THEM TOGETHER AND THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO LIVE TOGETHER AS FRIENDS AND AS NEIGHBORS.))
[SUPER=01-Pete Warren/Lynchburg Mayor]
[RUNS=20]
[OUT Q=and as neighbors.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

More mediation sessions are scheduled.
The city is paying an outside firm ten thousand dollars to conduct them.
(------------)

[abortion]

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

The House has approved a ban on what opponents refer to as ``partial birth'' abortions.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Capitol Hill;]
[3:17:31]
The final tally was 287-to-141. That's enough to override an expected White House veto.
But when the Senate voted last fall on a companion bill, the margin wasn't big enough.
During debate, supporters of the ban claimed the procedure is barbaric, cruel and unnecessary. Opponents argued that the ban did not make clear that only late-term abortions are covered.
(------------)

[11Steak-Ale]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=kwe/nkr]
[TAPE#=00-07 TC45:03]
[GRAPHIC=Steak and Ale]

It's the virus health officials thought it might be.
One person tested positive for the Norwalk virus after eating at Steak and Ale in Roanoke County. They thought it was food poisoning. This virus can be transmitted through food, and it can cause stomach and intestinal discomfort.
(------------)
[VO-NAT 99-56 TC1:51:18]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]

Lab results for 14 people came back yesterday afternoon.
Some 70 customers reported food poisoning after eating there March 22nd, 23rd and 24th.
Health Department officials say more tests are being sent out and others still have not been returned.
Over the weekend Steak and Ale trained its employees on food safety and replaced all of its food.
The restaurant reopened for business Monday after voluntarily closing down.
(------------)

[Health-Check]

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

In medical news, do doctors view severe arthritis pain in women differently than men?.

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=1:30]
[OUT Q=CBS News, New York.]
((ON CAM WOMEN WITH SEVERE ARTHRITIS ARE THREE TIMES LESS LIKELY THAN MEN TO GET THE HELP THEY NEED IN ORDER TO HAVE A KNEE OR HIP REPLACEMENT.

VT=VO
A STUDY IN THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE SAYS DOCTORS- ESPECIALLY FAMILY DOCTORS ARE TO BLAME. EVIDENTLY DOCTORS SEE WOMENS PAIN AND DISCOMFORT AS BEING LESS OF A PROBLEM - - THAT MEN GENERALLY HAVE MORE PHYSICALLY DEMANDING LIFESTYLES - SO WOMEN JUST NEED TO LEARN TO DEAL WITH THE PAIN. YOU CAN BET IF WE DOCTORS HAD A BAD JOINT WE'D BE FIRST IN LINE FOR A NEW ONE.

VT=VO
ALSO TODAY- NAME THE CANCERS ASSOCIATED WITH CIGARETTES- MOST PEOPLE JUST SAY LUNG CANCER. BUT ACTUALLY SMOKING INCREASES THE RISK OF CANCER IN THE THROAT, VOICEBOX, STOMACH, PANCREAS, CERVIX, OVARIES, BREAST AND PROSTATE. AND NOW YOU CAN ADD ONE MORE TO THE LIST - A STUDY FROM THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE FINDS SMOKING CAN ALSO CAUSE COLON CANCER- EVEN IN PEOPLE WITH NO FAMILY HISTORY OF THE DISEASE.

VT=VO
AND FINALLY- YOU MAY HAVE HEARD SHARKS DONT GET CANCER- THATS THE BASIS OF A HUGE INDUSTRY- ONE THAT SELLS SHARK CARTILAGE TO FIGHT CANCER- SLOW AGING- TREAT ARTHRITIS- YOU CAN EVEN FIND SHARK CARTILAGE ADDED TO SOME DOG FOODS- WELL GUESS WHAT- SHARKS DO GET CANCER- SEVERAL DIFFERENT TYPES- AT LEAST ACCORDING TO NEW RESEARCH FROM GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY. THE IDEA THAT SHARK CARTILAGE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL- JUST SANK TO THE DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN-
ON CAM THATS A LOOK AT SOME OF THE DAYSTOP HEALTH STORIES, IM DR DAVE HNIDA FOR CBS NEWS.))
(ad lib to weather)
[2-HEADLINES]
[2-shot=Mel/SPA]
[SUPER=#4049; Morning Headlines]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

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

The father of Elian Gonzalez is on his way to the United States in hopes of reclaiming his son. Juan Miguel Gonzalez left Havana this morning with his wife and Elian's six-month-old half brother.
They're due to arrive in Washington D-C at 7 a-m.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

A manhunt is underway in the Wytheville area for a man a woman who reportedly have been a crime spree from Tennessee to Virginia, that includes a kidnapping.
Police say the suspects carjacked a woman and her baby and then let them go at a Rural Retreat rest stop on Interstate 81.
The woman's car was found abandoned outside a Wytheville Quality Inn.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Ben Lilly may avoid a second trial and the death sentence with a plea bargain.
Lilly was sentence to die for the 19-95 murder of Virginia Tech student Alexander DeFlippis.
He appealed to the U-S Supreme court and won a new trial.

(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And that's what's making news on this Thursday April 6-th.
[ANCHOR=Steve]

News 7 Mornin' will be right back.

[2-cuban-boy]

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

It is now just a matter of time before Elian Gonzalez is reunited with his father.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Havana, Cuba]
[4:30- CATHY MOSS PKG]
Juan Miguel Gonzalez left Cuba early this morning with his wife and infant son , and is expected to arrive at Dulles Airport in Washington within the next 10 minutes.
[SUPER=03-Miami, FL;]

Elian's Miami relatives, meanwhile, say they are willing to meet with the father in Miami, but nowhere else.
(//////SOT//////)
[IN=]
((Armando Gutierrez/Gonzalez Family Spokesman "It should be a family matter and Juan Miguel and his wife and kid are welcome in this house."))

[SUPER=01-Armando Gutierrez/Gonzalez Family Spokesman;]
[RUNS=06]
[OUT=this house]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

But protestors keeping vigil in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood have met the news with defiance.
They vow to block any attempt to take the little boy away from the place he's called home since his rescue at sea in November.

(-------------)[11Lilly]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-08 TC30:13]
[GRAPHIC=Ben Lilly]

Ben Lilly's second trial for the murder of a Virginia Tech student may be called off.
Sources close to the case tell News-7 that attorneys are close to finalizing a plea agreement.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg/February;]

Lilly was sentenced to die for the 1995 killing of Alexander DeFilippis.
He appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court and eventually won a new trial.
Though Lilly would avoid a death sentence, sources tell News-7 he will be sentenced to two life terms without parole.
(------------)

[11Senate-Race]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-09]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2000]

Local Democrats say the difference between the U-S Senate candidates adds up to about a dollar an hour.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=203-Roanoke;]
Democrats say only Senator Chuck Robb will raise the minimum wage. Robb has co-sponsored a bill to inflate the minimum wage a dollar over the next two years -- to six dollars and fifteen cents. Former Governor George Allen, the Republican candidate, says he would raise the minimum wage only if small businesses got a tax break to pay for it.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:15 on Murtaugh tape]
[SOT 1:52:51]
[IN Q=Small business]
((TIM MURTAUGH/ALLEN SPOKESPERSON: SMALL BUSINESS IS THE BACKBONE ... PROVIDE THE JOBS. BUTT BUTT BUTT CHIP WOODRUM/(D) DELEGATE: THEY ALWAYS SAY IT'S GOING TO HURT SMALL BUSINESSES BUT IT'S NOT AND THEY DON'T NEED A TAX CUT. FOR EVERY DOLLAR YOU INCREASE PAYING OUT TO EMPLOYEES THAT'S A REDUCTION IN DOLLARS THAT YOU'RE NOT TAXED ON IN YOUR NET PROFIT.))
[SUPER=201-Tim Murtaugh/Allen Spokesperson;]
[SUPER=201-Del. Chip Woodrum/(D) Roanoke;]
[RUNS=:25]
[OUT Q=net profit]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The Virginia Employment Commission says most of the jobs they post pay more than the minimum wage.
(------------)

[11Vinton-Council]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=00-11]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

The Vinton Mayor's race now has a second candidate.
Businessman Andy Nicely announced he'll run as a write in candidate.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=203-Vinton]

He announced his plans at the Vinton War Memorial yesterday.
Though his name will not appear on the ballot, Nicely believes he can wage a successful campaign.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 19:23:26]
[IN Q=It's definitely a challenge.]
((ANDY NICELY: IT'S DEFINITELY A CHALLENGE. WE'RE GOING TO GO OUT AND EDUCATE THE VOTERS IN VINTON, GO DOOR TO DOOR. IT'S A VERY SIMPLE PROCESS, YOU PUNCH A BUTTON, SLIDE OVER, WRITE MY NAME. IT'S VERY SIMPLE. THE POLL WORKERS ARE TRAINED TO DO THIS. IT'S REALLY JUST GETTING THE WORD OUT. IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY, WORKERS' TO HELP EDUCATE THE CITIZENS.))
[SUPER=201-Andy Nicely/Candidate for Mayor]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=educate the citizens.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=melanie]
[ss=HOLD]

Nicely will face council member Don Davis in the May election.
Longtime Mayor Charlie Hill is not running for re-election.

[Take-Night]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=am]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=00-10]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Sexual assault against women will not be tolerated. That's what college students chanted as they took part in the Take Back the Night March on Roanoke College's campus last night. Kate Weidaw has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Nat Sound]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :00]
[SUPER=01-Helen Colosimo/Organizer; :30]
[SUPER=01-Kristine Serio/Marcher; :46]
[SUPER=@kate1; 1:09]
[RUNS=1:24]
[OUT Q=KW, News 7.]

[2-11Tenn-Kidnap]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-02 TC1:32:12]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Authorities are still searching this morning for two suspects -- a man and a woman who surfaced in Wytheville yesterday... and allegedly left behind two kidnapping victims.
Marya Jones has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Authorities spent]
[SUPER=03-Wytheville; :00]
[SUPER=03-Erwin, TN/Tuesday Night; :12]
[SUPER=01-Lt. Curtis Bailey/State Police; :26 QUICK!]
[SUPER=@Marya2; :50]
[RUNS=1:00]
[OUT Q=MJN7.]
(( Authorities spent the afternoon stopping cars and doing road checks, searching neighborhoods and buildings with dogs, and scanning the area by helicopter... for two fugitives that crossed state lines.
(///// SOT /////)
[NATSOUND: HELICOPTER] ((NATS HELICOPTER))
[RUNS= :02]

The couple's run-in with the law began Tuesday night in Erwin, Tennessee.
That's where deputies say they pulled over 27-year-old Dennis Lewis and 20-year-old Angela Tanner in a stolen truck.
A gunfight ensued. Deputies say the couple overpowered them, took their weapons and fled.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 5:05 - :09]
((LT. CURTIS BAILEY/VA. STATE POLICE: THERE WERE NO INJURIES ... THE POLICE OFFICERS WERE NOT INJURED ... NEITHER WERE THE SUSPECTS.))
[RUNS= :04]

State police say the suspects ended up in the back of 27-year-old Carol Bennett's car.
Bennett says the couple carjacked her outside her home... and kidnapped her and her baby boy.
But at the Rural Retreat rest area on I-81, Bennett persuaded the couple to let her and her son go.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 5:26:31 - :35]
((Marya Jones/News 7: HOW DID SHE SAY THEY TREATED HER? Lt. Curtis Bailey/Va. State Police: VERY GOOD. THEY DIDN'T HARM HER IN ANY WAY.))
[RUNS= :04]

State police found Bennett's abandoned car outside a Wytheville Quality Inn.
They say the two fugitives had an hour's lead on them... making the search all the more difficult.
Marya Jones, News 7.))
[ANCHOR=MELANIE]
[SS=NONE]

If you have any information, you are encouraged to call the Wytheville Police Department, the Wytheville Sheriff's Department.
(XXXXXXXXXXX)
[take FS Board 1004]
or the Wytheville State Police. Their number is 5-4-0---2-2-8--- 3-1-3-1.
(XXXXXXXXXXX)

[3-cuban-boy]

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

Elian Gonzalez's father has arrived in the United States.
Now its just a matter of time before he is reunited with his son.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Havana, Cuba]
[4:30- CATHY MOSS PKG]
Juan Miguel Gonzalez left Cuba early this morning, and arrived in Washington DC minutes ago.
[SUPER=03-Miami, FL;]

Protestors keeping vigil in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood have met the news with defiance.
They vow to block any attempt to take the little boy from his Uncle's home here.
But A spokesman for Elian's Miami relatives says the boy's father is welcome in their home.
(------------)

[Crockett]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

A former Liberty High School student has pleaded guilty to painting racist slurs and Confederate flags on school property.
18-year-old Rex Randall Crockett could get up to five years in prison on yesterday's felony conviction. However, if Crockett is sentenced as a youthful offender, he could get as little as 30 days in jail. Crockett was arrested after bragging about his artwork to fellow students.
[Local-Recap]
[SUPER=#4059;Local Recap]
[2-Shot=Mel/SPA]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Now here's another look at today's top local stories:
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Former Liberty High School student Rex Randall Crockett has pleaded guilty to painting racist slurs and Confederate flags on school property.
Crockett could get up to five years in prison on the felony conviction. However, if Crockett is sentenced as a youthful offender, he could get as little as 30 days in jail.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Sources close to the Ben Lilly case tell News-7 that attorneys are close to finalizing a plea agreement.
Lilly was sentenced to die for the 1995 killing of Virginia Tech student Alexander DeFilippis, but won a new trial on appeal.
Sources tell News-7 he will be sentenced to two life terms without parole.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
One person tested positive for the Norwalk virus after eating at Steak and Ale in Roanoke County. Lab results for 14 people came back yesterday afternoon.
Some 70 customers reported food poisoning after eating there March 22nd, 23rd and 24th.

(-------------)
[ANCHOR=STEVe]
(Steve mic hot)
(///////////////)
(Steve ad lib weather)
(-------------)
[2-SHOT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Now here's Keith Humphry with a preview of News 7 at Six.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=A big name]
[RUNS=14]
[OUT Q=News 7 at 6]
(-------------)
[Melanie and Steve]
(toss)
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(live ad lib, tease tomorrow)
(ad lib bye) [Melanie and Steve]