[1-News-Head]
[TALENT=Keith]
A church service and wreath- laying ceremony in memory of those killed at New River Castings.
A LIVE report from Radford tops NEWS 7.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And Ben Lilly pleads guilty- -avoiding the death penalty. We've got reaction from the victim's family and from Lilly's mother.
(------------)
[Sports-Head]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Tonight on News 7 sports, a report from the Cosmo track meet in Salem.
We'll hear from Frank Beamer on the eve of the Tech spring game.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Plus, qualifying is underway in California and NASCAR is investigating Jeremy Mayfield's team for cheating.
(------------)
[WX-Head]
[TALENT=Patrick]
[SS=None]
Showers will gradually taper off, and skies will partially clear. Weekend forecast details are coming straight up.
[Foundry-Memorial]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#00-09 TC1:44:03]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 at Six.]
Dozens gathered in Radford this afternoon to remember the three workers killed in the March explosion at New River Castings.
They also came together today to remember the living and fight for job safety.
[Double Boxes=Keith and Joy/Starlink]
Joy Sutton was at the Memorial service and has more.
[Live=Joy Full/Starlink]
[SUPER=@Joy1;]
[SUPER=06-Radford;]
( ad lib)
[***ROLLED FROM STARLINK***]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=That's one thing]
[SUPER=01-Edward Anderson/Victim's Father; :00]
[SUPER=01-Daniel LeBlanc/Virginia AFL-CIO President; :23]
[RUNS=:31]
[OUT Q=it's tough]
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[***JOY'S MIKE HOT***]
[RUNS=:30]
(-------------)
[Live=Joy Full/Starlink]
[SUPER=06-Radford;]
( ad lib)
[Double Boxes=Keith and Joy/Starlink]
[Lilly]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-08 TC47:25]
[GRAPHIC=Ben Lilly]
A man once sentenced to die, then granted a new trial has avoided the death penalty this time around.
Benjamin Lilly entered a guilty plea today in the 1995 shooting death of a Virginia Tech student.
[Double Boxes=Keith and Marya/Microwave]
Marya Jones joins us in the New River newsroom with details.
[Live=Marya Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=@Marya1;]
[SUPER=05-Blacksburg;]
Keith, it may not be the outcome prosecutors originally sought and won, but it's the one that all sides seemed satisfied with today.
In sparing Benjamin Lilly's life, the plea agreement also spares both families the unwanted ordeal of another trial.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The court finds you]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Bernadette Falcon/Victim's Aunt; :26]
[SUPER=01-Helen Lilly/Lilly's Mother; :46]
[SUPER=01-Ira Sacks/Lilly Attorney; 1:09 QUICK!]
[RUNS=1:15]
[OUT Q=because he didn't.]
(((/////SOT/////)
[NATSOT 42:39 - :45: JUDGE GRUBBS ]
((THE COURT FINDS YOU GUILTY OF CAPITAL MURDER, OF USE OF A FIREARM IN COMMISSION OF MURDER.))
[runs:06]
32-year-old Benjamin Lilly was back in the same courtroom where he was sentenced to death three years ago ... this time to be sentenced to life.
Lilly pleaded guilty to the 1995 shooting death of Virginia Tech student Alexander DeFilippis.
Prosecutors say they agreed to it only after losing several key witnesses from the first trial ... and at the urging of the victim's family.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 45:25 - :39]
((BERNADETTE FALCON/VICTIM'S AUNT: I DON'T THINK WE COULD GO THROUGH ANOTHER TRIAL, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK WE COULD GO THROUGH ALL THE DETAILS ALL OVER AGAIN. HOWEVER, I JUST WISH HE WOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING TO SHOW THAT HE FELT ANY REMORSE ABOUT WHAT HE DID.))
[runs:14]
The plea also brought relief to Lilly's mother, whose two sons now sit in prison for the murder.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 53:23 - :35]
((HELEN LILLY: IT'S SAVING BEN'S LIFE AND THAT'S ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS. I LOVE MY SON AND I DON'T WANT HIM TO DIE. ))
[runs:12]
Defense attorneys still contend Lilly wasn't the triggerman ... that it was his brother Mark Lilly and his friend Gary Barker who fired the shots.
Both are serving time as accomplices in the murder.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 51:11 - :16]
((IRA SACKS/LILLY'S ATTORNEY: HE FEELS BADLY FOR WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT BUT HE DOESN'T FEEL BADLY FOR SHOOTING ALEXANDER DEFILIPPIS BECAUSE HE DIDN'T.))
[runs:05]))
(-------------)
[Live=Marya Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=05-Blacksburg;]
Lilly will now leave death row and be transferred elsewhere in state prison system.
He has no possibility of parole.
[Double Boxes=Keith and Marya/Microwave]
Keith?
[Winn-Dixie]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Winn-Dixie]
Winn-Dixie employees are beginning to find out which stores the chain will close.
One of those is in Roanoke County.
The manager of the Marketplace on Plantation Road says his store will be shut down June 5th.
It's one of the Winn-Dixie's newer buildings, open less than two years.
The company said last week it was closing more than a hundred supermarkets to save money.
[Arcadia-Leadership]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-06 TC57:13]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The headmaster of a school for troubled boys in Botetourt County has been ousted by his own Board of Directors.
A new man's in charge -- but it may be too late.
For the second time, the Arcadia Leadership Academy is on the brink of losing its license.
Tina Tenret gives us an update.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Gene Lee says]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.; :09]
[SUPER=01-Gene Lee/Arcadia Leadership Academy; :19]
[SUPER=@Tina2; 1:20]
[RUNS=1:26]
[OUT Q=Tina Tenret News7 Buchanan]
(( Gene Lee insists that if the Department of Social Services gives him a chance, he can get the Arcadia Leadership Academy's license renewed.
He shows off the campus education center he hopes to open in two weeks -- with a computer room, library, weight room and workshops.
He says students built all this.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:21:18]
[IN Q=They love it]
((THEY LOVE IT. THEY CAN'T WAIT TO GET HERE BECASUE THEY'VE BEEN HAVING SCHOOL IN AN OLDER BUILDING THAT'S REALLY NOT ADEQUATE FOR THE COMPUTERS AND LIBRARY AND THINGS WERE' DOING TO GET THEM THE HELP THEY NEED.))
[RUNS:14]
[OUT Q=HELP THEY NEED]
Social Services has investigated this place for four months now and found dozens of violations.
In the bunkhouse, inspectors found exposed outlets, broken screens and inadequate seating.
Lee says he hired a decorator, fixed the screens and lights, and asked stores to donate furniture.
But what about the student who wasn't getting his proper dose of medicine?
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:22:58]
[IN Q=we have hired]
((WE HAVE HIRED A MEDICAL PERSON ... WE DOCUMENT DAILY.))
[RUNS:14]
[OUT Q=document daily]
A year and a half ago the Department of Education almost shut this school down for similar problems.
The Department of Social Services plans to decide next week whether to let the Arcadia Leadership Academy stay open.
Tina Tenret News7 Botetourt County))
[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=NONE]
Next on News 7 at Six, we'll wrap up our profiles of the Roanoke Mayoral Candidates.
We'll look at Ralph Smith's campaign.
(---------------)
[VO-NAT]
And later-- it's official. Virginia Tech has its 15th president.
(----------------)
[Roanoke-Mayor]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=00-16 TC15:41]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2000]
In the race for Roanoke mayor, Republican Ralph Smith holds a substantial lead in fundraising.
The count on Tuesday may be closer than that, but Smith believes he's also armed with the political philosophy and experience voters are looking for.
Tonight, Joe Dashiell has our final profile of the Roanoke race.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=On a rainy afternoon]
[SUPER=203-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=204-February 21; :25]
[SUPER=201-Ralph Smith/(R) Candidate for Mayor; :42]
[SUPER=220-Joe/Dashiell; :53]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=JD News 7 Roanoke]
((On a rainy afternoon, Ralph Smith heads door to door in southeast Roanoke. Promising a conservative voice and a practical perspective on city council, Smith is trying to win over a few more voters with a personal pitch.
[NAT SOUND 02:17:26]
[SOT]
[IN Q=Well sir you've got my vote]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=appreciate that so much.]
Perched on Mill Mountain, Smith's current address is one of the most notable in Roanoke, but it was his boyhood home on Huntington Boulevard he chose as the site for his campaign announcement.
Trained as a mechanic, he began his business career with a service station on Williamson Road... and eventually branched out to wood stoves, discount groceries, bicycles and steel fabrication.
[SOT 02:19:27]
[IN Q=There was a problem]
((THERE WAS A PROBLEM, A SHORTAGE, A NEED AND I FOUND IT. AND THAT'S HOW I THINK I CAN CONVERT THAT INTO WHAT THE CITY NEEDS. LOOK AND SOLVE THE PROBLEM.))
[RUNS:11]
[OUT Q=look and solve the problem.]
Smith is touting his connections with the Republican leadership in Richmond and his ability to work cooperatively with members of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors...
And in a mailing arriving in homes this week, he draws a parallel between Roanoke's Democratc city council and the single party politics of China, and Iraq.
[SOT 30:58]
[IN Q=Do you want more of the same.]
[RUNS:13]
[OUT Q=that's the real decision they'll make.]
Smith says it's a clear-cut choice, one he believes Roanokers are ready to make on Tuesday.
Joe Dashiell News 7 Roanoke))
[Interstate-Deaths]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=highway safety]
Governor Jim Gilmore says the state police crackdowns he ordered for Virginia Interstates have saved lives.
(XXXXXXXXX)
[TAKE PINNACLE PAGE ONE HERE]
There were 149 deaths on Virginia interstate highways in 1998.
But in 1999, there were 100 deaths.
That's a decrease of almost 33 percent.
[TAKE PINNACLE PAGE TWO HERE]
But a decade by decade look shows driving is getting safer overall.
The death rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled has dropped from 19-point-8 in the 1930s.
It hit 6-point-8 in the 1950s, 3-point-3 in the 1970s, and fell to just 1-point-4 in the 1990s.
The D-M-V attributes that to law enforcement efforts, smarter driving, and seatbelt use.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says cars and roadway design have also gotten safer.
(-------------)
[ATV-Accident]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]
An eleven year old Bedford County boy died in an A-T-V accident this afternoon.
Kevin Edward Arrington of Coleman Falls ran off the side of a private gravel road and hit a tree.
The boy was not wearing a helmet.
[Stocks]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
The justice department waited for the stock markets to close before releasing its plan to break up Microsoft.
[TAKE DOW, NASDAQ & BLOOMBERG PAGE ]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5102;]
[SUPER=430-y/149.54/10738.56/x/86.34/3860.37/y/1.40/109.32;]
The DOW lost 150 points, while NASDAQ gained 86.
The Bloomberg News 7 Index lost nearly a point and a half.
[SUPER=431-i1f/36c/i1b/46c/i2e/49/ig/59e/h!/28%;]
[SUPER=432-he/30b/h#/2b/if/45/id/31d/i@/36f;]
[SUPER=433-i4e/157e/if/18%/i!/17c/i1a/24d/ia/21d;]
[SUPER=434-h#/17e/i2f/50g/i1@/35*/i1$/62r/i2#/55b;]
[State-Taxes]
[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=99-59 TC1:51:27]
[GRAPHIC=Taxes]
More than one in five Virginia taxpayers filed his or her state income taxes electronically so far this year.
That's an increase of about 40 percent over last year.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]
But for those doing it the old-fashioned way, the state Department of Taxation is ready.
Midnight on Monday is the deadline for a return or an extension.
As of today, about a half million returns had NOT yet been received.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 12:37:16]
[IN Q=People, if]
((DIANE DELOACH/VIRGINIA DEPT. OF TAXATION: PEOPLE IF THEY HAVE NOT YET DONE THEIR TAXES, OR DON'T HAVE THEIR RETURNS YET, CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE, WHICH IS WWW.TAX.STATE.VA.US. ALL OF OUR TAX FORMS ARE THERE. ALL OF OUR INSTRUCTION FORMS ARE THERE. AND ALSO OUR EXTENSION FORM IS THERE, WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE MIGHT NEED TO LOOK AT IF THEY DON'T MAKE THE DEADLINE FOR MIDNIGHT ON MONDAY.))
[SUPER=01-Diane Lee DeLoach/Virginia Dept. of Taxation;]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=on Monday.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The website still requires you to print out a paper form -- which is more likely to result in human error.
(------------)
[Boy-Racer]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
This morning we told you we planned to present the story of Forest Reynolds, the 11 year old racer who's already beating the big boys.
We just didn't have time tonight, so we'll get to it next week.
[Steger]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6p]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=00-10 TC42:42]
[GRAPHIC=Steger]
Virginia Tech marked its annual Founder's Day weekend with the formal installation of a new president.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg]
Charles Steger has been on the job since January, as Tech's 15th chief executive.
The ceremonies in Burruss Hall this afternoon also honored distinguished alumni.
And Steger presided at the change of command for the Tech Corps of Cadets.
(------------)
[Sports Tease]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Coming your way tonight on News 7 sports, a qualifying update from Fontana, California.
Jeremy Mayfield team is accused of cheating.
We'll check in at the Cosmo track meet,
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
and get ready for tomorrow's much anticipated Virginia Tech spring football game at Lane Stadium, as Mike Vick returns to his stage.
(------------)
[S-Qualify]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=sp-62 3629tc]
[GRAPHIC=california]
After taking last weekend off, the Winston Cup stars are in Fontana, California this weekend.
First round qualifying just got started at 5:40 this afternoon, and a number of cars still have to make runs including Dale Jarrett.
[S-Mayfield]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-61 12533TC]
[GRAPHIC=MAYFIELD]
Jermey Mayfield was the 10th driver to take a shot at the pole this afternoon, but time trials were the least of worries for the Mobil One team.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Fontana, CA/This Afternoon;:00]
Mayfield's team is being investigated by NASCAR, because there is evidence that indicates Mayfield's Taurus was illegal for the Die Hard 500 at Talladega, where he won the pole.
The probe involves irregularites found in the fuel used in the car.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=BITE]
[SUPER=01-Mike Helton/NASCAR Senior Vice-President;:00]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=...NEXT WEEK."]
(--------------)[S-Tech]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-63 (28:56)]
[GRAPHIC=Tech Spring Football]
The Virginia Tech Hokies are set to wrap up their spring practice this Saturday at two o'clock with the annual Maroon and White game at Lane Stadium.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :]
The Hokies began spring practice on April first. Since then, they've mixed a couple of scrimmages in with the normal position work for each player.
But this spring game will have a different look one the coaching staff will use to identify what needs to be done between now and the fall when the season begins.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="We're going...]
((FRANK BEAMER/VIRGINIA TECH HEAD COACH: WE'RE GOING TO MAKE OUR SPRING GAME A REGULAR GAME. SO FAR ALL SPRING THE COACHES HAVE BEEN ON THE FIELD YOU'RE COACHING A LITTLE BIT AS YOU GO ALONG BUT ALSO NOW THEY'RE OUT THERE AND THE GAME CONDITIONS THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO CREATE. I THINK SOMETIMES KIDS REACH DIFFERENTLY IN GAME CONDITIONS THAT THEY MIGHT IN PRACTICE CONDITIONS.))
[SUPER=01-Frank Beamer/Virginia Tech Head Coach; :]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=....practice conditions."]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
With all the new faces, Beamer says spring practice has been encouraging. But Beamer and his staff have a lot of work to do before the Hokies kick off the season in the Black College Alliance Bowl against Georgia Tech August 27th.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="I think...]
((BEAMER: I THINK OVERALL WE JUST HAVE TO REALIZE WE DON'T HAVE AS MUCH EXPERIENCE AS WE DID LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME. WE GOT SOME GOOD PLAYERS NOW HOW QUICKLY WE CAN PLAY WELL IS THE KEY ISSUE RUGHT NOW.))
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=.....issue right now."]
(--------------)
[VO NAT CON'T]
Tomorrow's game will consist of four eight minute quarters.
Offensive coordinator Ricky Bustle will coach the Maroon squad headed by Michael Vick, while defensive coordinator Bud Foster will handle the white squad.
Tech has decided not to charge admission for the game and parking is on a first come, first served basis.
(----------------)
[S-Cosmo]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-69 (13:32)]
[GRAPHIC=Cosmo Logo]
The best track athletes in the valley are at Salem High School this weekend for the 35-th Annual Cosmopolitan Invitational Track Meet.
And Roy Stanley says despite a little drizzle the meet got off without a hitch.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=First audio...]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :00]
[SUPER=01-Randy Lower/Tournament Director; :22]
[SUPER=@Roy2; :35]
[SUPER=01-James Jones/Patrick Henry Head Coach; :50]
[RUNS=1:20]
[OUT Q=........news 7 sports."]
((The Cosmo has become the biggest scholastic track meet in Southwest Virginia sanctioned by the Virginia High School league.
Cosmo 2000 includes athletes from 29 area schools with a total of nearly 11-hundred athletes.
And there's a waiting list of teams who are eager to participate.))
((RANDY LOWER/TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR:))
((The meet is somewhat of a stepping stone as the athletes prepare for their district and regional meets.
The sport continues to grow in the valley and the competition gets a little tougher each and every year.
And this year the pressure is on defending boys champion Patrick Henry.))
((JAMES JONES/PATRICK HENRY HEAD COACH:))
((This year to commemorate 35 years of Cosmo Track, the club will award 500-dollar scholarships to an outstanding senior boy and girl.
Roy Stanley News 7 sports.))
(----------------)
by SS