WDBJ 7 morning news for 04/29/00

[Floyd-Prom]

[ANCHOR=Denise]

[NEWSCAST=Sat Am]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-02 TC 1:14:25]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A same-sex couple planning to attend tonight's prom at Floyd County High School is continuing to raise eyebrows and controversy.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Floyd Co.;]

Tonight's prom theme is "Sweet Dreams"...
But some county residents are calling the attendance of 17-year-old Tiffany Lapine (La-PEEN) and her girlfriend a nightmare.
Floyd County Supervisor Fred Gerald says he's heard from many outraged citizens.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 32:54 - 33:14]
[IN Q=This is not California]
((FRED GERALD: THIS IS NOT CALIFORNIA, THIS IS FLOYD COUNTY. I BELIEVE THAT IF WE LET THIS GO BY, THIS WILL OPEN UP OTHER THINGS FOR PEOPLE OF THE SAME SEX ... MAYBE A GAY DAY AT SCHOOL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AND I'M SURE THE FLOYD COUNTY CITIZENS AND I MYSELF DON'T WANT TO SEE THAT HAPPEN HERE IN FLOYD COUNTY.))
[SUPER=01-Fred Gerald/Floyd Co. Supervisor;]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=here in Floyd County.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Gerald says the school board should have taken a "moral stand."
Last month, the school board agreed to admit the couple after the A-C-L-U warned that barring them would be discrimination.
Many of the school's students say they don't expect the same-sex couple to have a noticeable impact on their prom.
(------------)
[Anchor=Denise]
[Ss=none]

We will have more on this story tonight on News 7.

[TROUT]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sat Am]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Trout Obit]

Funeral Services will be held today for longtime City Councilman Jim Trout.
(------------)
[VO-NAT 00-17]
[SUPER=04-File Tape;]

The service will be at 11 o'clock this morning at First Baptist Church.
Trout passed away late Tuesday night.
His death came one week before the municipal election and barely a week after he collapsed in the middle of a council meeting.
Trout served on city council for 20 years.
He was 70 years old.
(------------)

[Cuban-Boy]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Elian Gonzalez]

Protests are supposed to continue today in Miami, over the way the U.S. Government seized Elian Gonzalez one week ago.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Miami, FL;]

Organizers say they expect thousands of demonstrators to jam the main street of Little Havana for the protest.
Fallout from the raid has thrown Miami's city government into turmoil. The mayor fired the city manager who wouldn't fire the police chief. The police chief quit yesterday.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I refuse]
((WILLIAM OBRIEN/MIAMI POLICE CHIEF: I REFUSE TO BE POLICE CHIEF UNDER SOMEONE WHO IS SO DIVISIVE AS JOE CAROLLO HAS BEEN.)) ((JOE CARROLO/MIAMI MAYOR: HE COULDN'T LEAD A TROOP OF GIRLSCOUTS.))
[SUPER=01-William O'Brien/Miami Police Chief; :00]
[super=01-Joe Carollo/Miami Mayor; :10;]
[runs=:21]
[Out Q=do something]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Cuban officials are expected to travel to Maryland today to visit with Elian and his family.
(------------)

[11Lilly]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sat am]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-08 TC48:48]
[GRAPHIC=Ben Lilly]

The man once sentenced to die for the murder of a Virginia Tech student was granted a new trial- yesterday. Now he's entered a
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg;]
plea agreement that spared his life.
Benjamin Lilly pleaded guilty to the 1995 killing of Alexander de Filippis.
Prosecutors agreed to it because several key witnesses have disappeared or refused to cooperate.
The DeFilippis family also wanted to avoid a second trial.
(///// SOT /////)
[BUMP SOTs]
[IN Q=I don't think]
((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.)) ((HELEN LILLY: IT BRINGS GREAT RELIEF TO MY MIND TO KNOW THAT HIS LIFE WON'T BE TAKEN. ))
[SUPER=01-Bernadette Falcon/Victim's Aunt; :00]
[SUPER=01-Helen Lilly/Lilly's Mother; :15 QUICK!]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=won't be taken.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Lilly's sentence: life in prison with NO parole.
(------------)

[11Arcadia-Leadership]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-06 TC58:53]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A new manager has taken over a school for troubled boys in Botetourt County but he doesn't have much time to turn things around.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.;]
The Department of Social Services decides next week whether to close the Arcadia Leadership Academy. Inspectors found a student who did not get medicine, electrical outlets left exposed, and teachers not trained in first aid. The school's directors recently replaced the old headmaster Colonel Gene Nervo -- with Gene Lee.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:56:03]
[IN Q=We've made]
((WE'VE MADE SOME CHANGES IN PERSONNEL ALREADY. WE HAVE MORE THAT NEED TO BE MADE IN AREAS WHERE WE NEED SUPERVISION OF STUDENTS. WE HAVE 3 TEACHERS, TWO OUT OF THREE HAVE THEIR DOCTORATE DEGREE WHICH A LOT OF COLLEGES CANNOT BOAST.))
[SUPER=01-Gene Lee/Arcadia Leadership Academy;]
[RUNS=:21]
[OUT Q=cannot boast]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
15 boys live at this school. Lee says a new education center with computers, a gym and workshops is set to open in two weeks. He says the bunkhouse is getting redecorated and he's fixing problems -- hoping the state will renew the school's license.
(------------)

[11Centra-Health]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=can]
[TAPE#=00-17 TC04:56]
[GRAPHIC=Lawsuit]

Two multi-million dollar lawsuits have been filed against Lynchburg's Centra Health Corporation.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Melanie Curnutte (ker-NOOT) filed a suit against Centra Health yesterday.
It alleges negligence by Lynchburg General Hospital's security department when she was attacked at knifepoint outside the emergency room two years ago. Curnutte claims to have suffered severe physical and emotional injuries, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder from the attack by John Major Haygood, who was sentenced to a three-year prison term last February. Curnutte is suing Centra Health for 500-thousand dollars in compensatory damages and one million dollars in punitive damages.
(-----------)

[11Winn-Dixie]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sat Am]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Winn-Dixie]

A local Winn Dixie will close in June.
Winn-Dixie announced last week they will be closing one hundred stores to save money.
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.

[DinerOpen]

[ANCHOR=Andrew]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=afr]
[TAPE#=Diner Open]
[GRAPHIC=LOCAL COLORS/WEEKEND DINER - 9009]
Weekend diner continues its tour around the world, as we get ready for Local colors.
(++++++++)
[TAKE PINNACLE PAGE# 9307/LOCAL COLORS BOARD]
Local Colors is a multicultural celebration on Sunday, May 21 from 12-5 in Downtown Roanoke. One of the best parts of local colors is the wonderful exotic food.
(+++++++++)
[ANCHOR=Andrew]
[GRAPHIC=LOCAL COLORS/Weekend Diner - 9009]
This week, our tour guide Pearl Fu takes us to Nada Melki's house for an authentic Lebanese Dinner. Fasten your seatbelts, we'll be landing in Lebanon in just a moment.
(////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=animation]
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT Q=stop animation]

[WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE]

[Weekend-Diner]

[ANCHOR=Andrew]
[NEWSCAST=Sat. AM]
[WRITER=afr]
[TAPE#=WKND Diner #5 TC 11:41:18]
[GRAPHIC=wipe wipe wipe]

[wipe wipe wipe]

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11:41:18]
[IN Q=nada melki]
[RUNS=4:18]
[OUT Q=on the weekend diner]
(++++++++)
[TAKE PINNACLE PAGE #9308]
Local Colors is presented by National Conference for Community and Justice Call Pearl Fu with questions: 342-4540 [weekend diner address board 7153]
Ad lib address
(++++++++++++)
[COMMERCIAL BREAK #4]

[Shooting-Rampage]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Shooting]

Police say an attorney trained in immigration law shot and killed five people, three of them immigrants, a sixth is critically injured.
Jennifer Jones has more on Richard Baumhammers.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Robinson Township, PA; :00]
[SUPER=01-Vins Truong/Restaurant Employee; :40 QUICK!]
[super=01-Jeff Killeen/FBI; 1:09 QUICK!]
[SUPER=01-Jennifer Jones/Reporting; 1:15]
[RUNS=1:28]
[OUT Q=PA]
((POLICE SAY THE MOTIVE WAS HATE. A MAN WENT ON A SHOOTING SPREE NEAR PITTSBURGH. WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARED, SEVERAL PEOPLE WERE DEAD AND A COMMUNITY LEFT IN SHOCK.

(SOT)

POLICE SAY THE MAN, RICHARD BAUMHAMMERS, STARTED HIS MURDEROUS RAMPAGE IN HIS OWN NEIGHBORHOOD. WHERE HE'S SUSPECTED OF SHOOTING A NEIGHBOR, A WOMAN OF JEWISH FAITH. THEN CROSSING TOWN, INVESTIGATORS SAY HE SHOT TWO PEOPLE AT A CHINESE RESTAURANT. THEN POLICE SAY HE WENT TO AN INDIAN GROCERY WHERE HE SHOT TWO OTHER PEOPLE. THEN ANOTHER AT A MARTIAL ARTS STUDIO.

(Sot: Vins Truong, Restaurant Employee) 81
"I work in the kitchen and I hear someone say "Somebody outside shoot! Somebody outside shoot!"
POLICE SAY BAUMHAMMERS ALSO OPENED FIRE ON TWO SYNAGOGUES. NO ONE WAS INJURED, BUT THE DAMAGE WAS SEVERE, INCLUDING A SPRAYPAINTED SWASTIKA AND THE WORD "JEW" ON THE BUILDINGS.

(SOT Jeff Killeen, FBI) 99
"We are looking at this as a potential civil rights crime."

(STANDUP)

Jennifer Jones CBS News Robinson Township, Pennsylvania ))

[11Foundry-Memorial]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=00-09 TC1:46:32]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A memorial service was held for the three workers killed in the March explosion at New River Castings in Radford.

Joy Sutton has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=nat sound]
[SUPER=03-Radford;00]
[SUPER=01-Michelle Grooms/Victim's Wife;28]
[SUPER=01-Edward Anderson/Victim's Father;38]
[SUPER=01-Daniel LeBlanc/Virginia AFL-CIO President;1:09]
[SUPER=@Joy2;1:22]
[RUNS=1:28]
[OUT Q=n7 radford]
(((///// SOT /////)
[NAT SOT ]
[IN Q=]
((NAT SOUND OF BAG PIPES)) [RUNS04]
[OUT Q=]

Dozens gathered in memory of Curtis Grooms, Debra Sheppard and Karen Hamilton.
They held a wreath laying ceremony outside the plant -- and joined people nationwide in honoring Workers Memorial day -- a time to remember those who have died on the job -- and to renew the fight for work place safety.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT TAPE #2 17:09]
[IN Q=I hope and pray]
((MICHELLE GROOMS/VICTIM'S WIFE: I HOPE AND PRAY THAT IT DOESN'T HAPPEN TO ANOTHER FAMILY OR TO ANOTHER PLACE BECAUSE IT'S HORRIBLE TO HAVE A FAMILY TORE UP LIKE THIS)) [RUNS07]
[OUT Q=like this]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT TAPE #1 14:51:59]
[IN Q=I had a meetingw ith]
((EDWARD ANDERSON/VICTIM'S FATHER: I HAD A MEETING WITH INTERMET CORPORATION CEO. HE'S AGREED TO WORK FOR BETTER SAFETY OF THE EMPLOYEES AND THAT'S MY ONLY CONCERN IS TO SEE THAT NOTHING LIKE THIS EVER HAPPENS AGAIN )) [RUNS17]
[OUT Q=happens again]

A service for the victims was also held at the West Radford Church of God -- where local and state labor leaders called for better enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health law.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT14:47:47]
[IN Q=What we would]
((DANIEL LEBLANC/VA AFL-CIO: WHAT WE WOULD TO HAVE WITH EACH COMPANY AND THE AGENCIES OF STATE GOVERNMENT THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LAW TO RESPOND WHEN WORKERS SAY SOMETHING IS WRONG, WHEN AN INSPECTOR COMES IN TO BE COOPERATIVE)) [RUNS12] [OUT Qbe cooperative]
Many say it will take a long time for the explosion's emotional wounds to heal-- and making sure it doens't happen again is crucial.
Joy Sutton, News 7, Radford.))

[2-TROUT]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sat Am]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Trout Obit]

Funeral Services will be held today for longtime City Councilman Jim Trout.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape;]

The funeral will be at 11 o'clock this morning at First Baptist Church.
Trout passed away late Tuesday night.
His death came one week before the municipal election and barely a week after he collapsed in the middle of a council meeting.
Trout served on city council for 20 years.
He was 70 years old.
(------------)

[Microsoft]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Microsoft]

Microsoft officials are disappointed over the government's proposal to split up the company.
The Justice Department and 19 states successfully sued Microsoft for anti-trust violations.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The government proposes that one company sell Windows, the system that runs most of the world's computers.
The other would handle software applications like Word and Excel and run Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=it's bad]
((ERICK GUSTAFSON/CITIZENS FOR A SOUND ECONOMY: ITS BAD FOR CONSUMERS BECAUSE IT PUTS REGULATION AHEAD OF INNOVATION, AND IT PUTS GOVERNMENT LAWYERS AHEAD OF ENTREPRENEURS.)) ((JOEL KLEIN/ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: THE RESULT WILL BE AN EXCITING AND INNOVATIVE SET OF NEW PRODUCTS WITH MORE CHOICES AND LOWER PRICES FOR AMERICAN CONSUMERS.))
[SUPER=01-Erick Gustafson/Citizens for a Sound Economy; :00]
[SUPER=01-Joel Klein/Assistant Attorney General; :08]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=consumers]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The two Microsoft companies would not be able to recombine for 10 years.
Microsoft officials insist no laws were broken and will appeal.
(------------)

[2-11Floyd-Prom]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sat Am]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-02 1:14:25]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Floyd County High School students are getting ready for tonight's prom. But the event is creating controversy since a same sex couple is planning to attend.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Floyd Co.;]

Tonight's prom theme is "Sweet Dreams"...
But some county residents are calling the attendance of 17-year-old Tiffany Lapine (La-PEEN) and her girlfriend a nightmare.
Floyd County Supervisor Fred Gerald says he's heard from many outraged citizens.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 32:54 - 33:14]
[IN Q=This is not California]
((FRED GERALD: THIS IS NOT CALIFORNIA, THIS IS FLOYD COUNTY. I BELIEVE THAT IF WE LET THIS GO BY, THIS WILL OPEN UP OTHER THINGS FOR PEOPLE OF THE SAME SEX ... MAYBE A GAY DAY AT SCHOOL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AND I'M SURE THE FLOYD COUNTY CITIZENS AND I MYSELF DON'T WANT TO SEE THAT HAPPEN HERE IN FLOYD COUNTY.))
[SUPER=01-Fred Gerald/Floyd Co. Supervisor;]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=here in Floyd County.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Gerald says the school board should have taken a "moral stand."
Last month, the school board agreed to admit the couple after the A-C-L-U warned that barring them would be illegal.
Many of the school's students say they don't expect the same-sex couple to have a noticeable impact on their prom.
(------------)

[11Interstate-Deaths]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sat Am]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=I-81 safety]

V-Dot has received a 2-point-4 million dollar grant to set up high-tech weigh stations on Interstate 81.
The new stations will allow trucks equipped with transponders to bypass weigh stations if their transponders show compliance with safety rules and weight limits.
[SS=Highway Safety]

Statewide, deaths on interstate highways are down almost 33 percent from last year.
(XXXXXXXXX)
[TAKE PINNACLE PAGE TWO!!!!! HERE]
A "decade by decade" look at Virginia statistics shows driving is getting safer overall.
The death rate per 100-million vehicle miles traveled has dropped from 19-point-8 in the 1930s and fell to just 1-point-4 in the 1990s.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says roadway design and safer cars are big factors.
The state attributes the drop to seatbelts, better law enforcement efforts, and smarter driving.
(-------------)

[Sports-plays]

[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Sat AM]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-69 (13:32)]
[GRAPHIC=Cosmo Logo]

The 35th annual Cosmopolitan track meet resumes today in Salem.
Roy Stanley says the event has grown very crowded over the years.
(///// 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.))
(----------------)