[Air-Merger]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=US-Air]

A major airline merger is now getting off the ground--
United Airlines is buying U-S Airways.
Bobbi Harley reports on what the deal will mean for the airline industry and for airline passengers.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY;]
[SUPER=01-Bobbi Harley/Reporting;]
[RUNS=1:20]
[OUT Q=Bobbi Harley, CBS News, New York. ]
((
(Take package)
THE WORLDS BIGGEST AIRLINE JUST GOT A LITTLE BIT BIGGER - UNITED IS PULLING OFF ONE OF AVIATION HISTORYS LARGEST ACQUISITIONS.
FOR 11 POINT 6 BILLION DOLLARS IT PLANS TO BUY U-S AIRWAYS - KEEPING ITS SERVICE, BUT EFFECTIVELY WIPING ITS NAME OFF AIRPORT DISPLAY BOARDS WORLDWIDE.
BEYOND THAT - THE MOVE MOST LIKELY WOULDN'T AFFECT PASSENGERS.

SOT - MOS - So long as I get good service, what difference does it make.

MOST OF U-S AIRS ROUTES OUT OF REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT IN WASHINGTON, DC, WILL BE SOLD AND TURNED INTO A NEW AIRLINE CALLED D-C AIR...BUT UNITED PLANS TO KEEP ENOUGH ROUTES TO FEED U-S AIRS HUBS IN PHILADELPHIA, PITTSBURGH, AND CHARLOTTE - GOOD NEWS FOR AIRLINE WORKERS THERE.

SOT - FLIGHT ATTENDANT UNION GUY - something like Charlotte a big hub
will always be in the picture.
U-S REGULATORS STILL HAVE TO APPROVE THE DEAL WHICH WOULD GIVE UNITED 65 HUNDRED DAILY FLIGHTS EACH DAY - THATS MORE THAN DOUBLE AMERICAN AIRLINES - THE SECOND LARGEST CARRIER.

(STANDUP - RE: SHUTTLE SVC WILL CONTINUE)

Music:))

---

[US-Air]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=12]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=00-11]
[GRAPHIC=US Airways]

Both US Air and United are leading airlines in the our area. Although the merger is in its early stages, passengers at the Roanoke Airport are looking forward to it.
(------------)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I think it's]
[SUPER=01-Mike Gee/US Air Passenger]
((I THINK IT'S THE BEST THING. I THINK IT'S GREAT BECAUSE THAT MEANS BETTER SERVICE FOR EVERYONE. BECAUSE THEY'LL DO CONSOLIDATION WITH THE EMPLOYEES, ETC., I THINK IT WILL BE GOOD.))
[RUNS=11]
[OUT Q=it will be good.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The Roanoke Airport Commission does not foresee any job loss resulting from the merger. Marketing Coordinator Amanda Snapp says the union may even create more air traffic through the city.
(------------)

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[L'burg-Manager]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=00-13]
[GRAPHIC=Lynchburg Seal]

After nine years on the job, Lynchburg city manager Charles Church is stepping down this summer after announcing he is fighting a losing battle with cancer.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

City leaders joined Church for an emotional news conference in City Hall this morning.
Church underwent treatment for prostate cancer in 1996.. He learned recently the cancer had returned and was "not" curable.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:19:33]
[IN Q=I think although]
((CHARLES CHURCH/LYNCHBURG CITY MANAGER: I THINK ALTHOUGH THERE'S A REAL SADNESS ABOUT IT, I THINK THERE'S ALSO SOME JOY, IN TERMS OF NOT EVERYONE GETS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND THE NEXT TIME.. WHATEVER IT IS, YEARS, MONTHS.. REALLY DOING THE THINGS THAT YOU THINK ARE MOST IMPORTANT IN YOUR LIFE.))
[SUPER=01-Charles Church/Lynchburg City Manager]
[RUNS=18]
[OUT Q=in your life.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Church will leave office in August, although his retirement won't be official until next January.
(------------)

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[Munsey-Warrants]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-12 TC56:27]
[GRAPHIC=Tara Munsey]

There's new information from warrants unsealed last night concerning Tara Munsey's murder.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski Co./February;]

The warrants connect suspect Jeffrey Allen Thomas to the murder weapon.
They reveal that shell casings recovered from the crime scene were fired from a 22-caliber Marlin rifle that a friend said he loaned to Thomas.
However, the murder weapon has not been found.
Thomas was arrested and charged with capital murder back in February.
That was after investigators searched his car.
Warrants indicate they took samples of his blood, head hair, pubic hair and saliva.
His sneakers were also taken to determine if they matched footprints found near Tara Munsey's body.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

A preliminary hearing on the case is scheduled for June 9th.

---

[China-Trade]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

With the clock ticking, supporters of normalizing trade relations between the U-S and China are racing to get the votes they need to pass the measure in the House later today.
Lisa Hughes has the latest from Washington.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC;]
[SUPER=01-Rep. John Tanner/(D) Tennessee;]
[SUPER=01-Rep. Tony Hall/(D) Ohio;]
[SUPER=01-Rep. Dana Rohrabacher/(D) California;]
[SUPER=01-William Daley/Commerce Secretary;]
[SUPER=01-Lisa Hughes/Reporting;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=Hughes, CBS News, the White House.]
((

---
(LOCATOR: WASHINGTON, DC)

An intensive, months-long lobbying effort is now in its final hours. The President and lawmakers pushing for permanent normal trade relations with China may be close to declaring victory. They insist a "yes" vote on the bill will open a HUGE market to US goods.
Super:Rep. John Tanner/D-Tennessee THIS IS A TRADE BILL NOT FOR CHINA, BUT FOR US. IT'S GOOD FOR THE UNITE STATES. IT'S GOOD FOR OUR CITIZENS.
17:12:08 ITS TIME TO SAY NO (anti-china trade on steps)
But opponents, including environmentalists and labor groups say granting China most-favored nation trading status is a mistake.
Super: Rep. Tony Hall-- D- OH
Opponents argue it will cost US jobs sending work overseas and giving China no incentive to improve its human rights record.
Super:Rep. Dana Rohrabacher/D-CA WE ARE CREATING A MONSTER WITH BLOOD ON ITS HANDS.
Some lawmakers decided to support permanent trade with China only after a House committee announced a second bill. It calls for the creation of a human rights commission on China and protections against a flood of cheap Chinese imports.
Super: William Daley/Commerce Secretary The Early Show07:06:26 THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST HISTORIC VOTES THAT THE US WILL CAST IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA AND I THINK IT WILL PASS.
Super: Lisa Hughes/Washington WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN JOE LOCKHART SAYS SUPPORTERS OF NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS WITH CHINA DO NOT YET HAVE THE 218 VOTES NEEDED TO WIN. BUT THE PRESIDENT HAS CLEARED HIS SCHEDULE TO CONTINUE HIS PERSONAL LOBBYING EFFORT OF BEHALF OF THE BILL AND IT IS EXPECTED TO PASS. LISA HUGHES, CBS NEWS, THE WHITE HOUSE.

---

))[Washington-Park]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=12]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=00-15]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A group of Roanoke fourth-graders got their hands dirty this morning, as they learned about the environment and pitched in to improve a local park.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Students from the Lincoln Terrace Saturn Network planted red maple and green ash trees in Washington Park.
Their work is part of a larger effort to restore Lick Run, a creek that runs through the area.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=We're planting trees]
((JAMILLA GUNTER: WE'RE PLANTING TREES. WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT. WHAT DO YOU HOPE IT WILL ACCOMPLISH? THE FISH IN THE CREEK WILL HAVE SHADE.)) ((CONNIE GEOHLE: I'VE WATCHED THEM TODAY, AND THERE'S NOT ONE OF THEM THAT DOESN'T SAY WHAT CAN I DO NOW. THEY'RE PITCHING IN AND COOPERATING AND REALLY SEEING THAT WHAT THEY DO MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE.))
[SUPER=01-Jamilla Gunter/Fourth Grader; :00]
[SUPER=01-Connie Goehle/Fourth Grade Teacher; :13]
[RUNS=21]
[OUT Q=makes a huge difference.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

This summer, heavy equipment will be brought in to adjust the course of the creek, and reduce erosion along its banks.
Students will return during the next school year to plant more trees.
(------------)

---

[Toll-Wreck]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]

The driver of a tanker truck is dead
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Gibsonia, PA;]

after crashing into a toll booth near the Pennsylvania- Ohio border.
Three toll booth workers suffered serious burns.
Pennsylvania state police say the wreck set several booths on fire and closed down traffic in both directions for nearly two hours.
Investigators say they're not sure if severe weather in the area was a factor.
(------------)

---

[Microsoft-Hearing]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Microsoft]

A judge could make his final ruling today on whether to break up Microsoft.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC;]

The government wants to split Microsoft into two competing companies, the harshest remedy for its anti- competitive practices.
Consumer advocates differ on their views of how a split would affect the public.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:10:10]
[IN Q=Would a breakup]
((REPORTER: WOULD A BREAK UP OF MICROSOFT BE GOOD OR BAD FOR CONCUMERS.RALPH NADER/CONSUMER ADVOCATE: IT WOULD BE VERY GOOD. ERIC GUSTAFSON/CITIZENS FOR A SOUND ECONOMY: IT'S BAD FOR CONSUMERS. NADER: THERE'LL BE MORE INFORMATION COMING IN.
GUSTAFSON: I THINK IT WILL DEFINITELY RESULT IN LESS INNOVATION. ))
[SUPER=01-Ralph Nader/Consumer Advocate; QUICK!!!]
[SUPER=01-Eric Gustafson/Citizens for a Sound Economy; :05]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=IN LESS INNOVATION.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

U-S district judge Thomas Jackson is known for coming down hard on Microsoft so far.
In the anti- trust case, he found that Microsoft used illegal methods to protect its monopoly.
(------------)

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[County-Supers]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=00-17 TC26:25]
[GRAPHIC=Roanoke Co. Seal]

One Roanoke county supervisor voiced his concern over the way the county will buy new vehicles.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]

The board was considering the 265- million dollar spending plan... when Hollins Supervisor Bob Johnson objected to the lease purchase of seven fire vehicles and trash trucks.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 50:18]
[IN Q=And I'm telling you]
((AND I'M TELLING YOU, LEASE PURCHASES ARE A NARCOTIC. THEY CAN BE VERY ADDICTIVE AND YOU NEVER SEEM TO PAY THEM OFF BECAUSE THEY KEEP WEARING OUT.))
[SUPER=01-Bob Johnson/Roanoke Co. Supervisor]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=they keep wearing out.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

The board ultimately approved the budget on its first reading... but the supervisors could revisit the lease- purchase plan when the county solicits bids for the vehicles.

---

[Sheriff-Pay]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=00-16]
[GRAPHIC=Roanoke Co. Seal]
The Roanoke County Sheriff proposed a new pay plan and grievance procedure for his department at last night's Board of Supervisors meeting. But the board unanimously denied the proposal. Kate Weidaw has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=This was the]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Gerald Holt/Roanoke Co. Sheriff; :20]
[SUPER=01-Fuzzy Minnix/Roanoke Co. Supervisor; 1:02]
[SUPER=01-Joe McNamara/Roanoke Co. Supervisor; 1:22]
[SUPER=@Kate2; 1:30]
[RUNS=1:40]
[OUT Q=kw news 7 roanoke co.]
((This was the second time this month Sheriff Gerald Holt went before the Board of Supervisors to ask for a new employment agreement with the county. The reason -- right now eight deputies are paid more the county's pay plan thanks to additional funds from the state. The proposal would have allowed the sheriff to create a separate pay plan.

[SOT 21:20]
[INQ=]
((SHERIFF GERALD HOLT: IT'S A MATTER OF BEING IN COMPLIANCE WITH BOTH THE COUNTY'S CLASSIFICATION PLAN THE STATE'S MANDATED PAY RAISE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS09]
That way the 8 deputies salaries would not be lowered to what the county plan calls for. However some questioned the proposal saying it would allocate to much power to the Sheriff and possibly give some employees preferential treatment. Under the proposed grievance plan employees would not be able to take their concerns to the board of supervisors.

[SOT 34:21]
[INQ=]
((SHERIFF GERALD HOLT: EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE A GRIEVANCE WOULD TRY TO RESOLVE IT AT THE FIRST LEVEL OF SUPERVISION AND FROM THERE TO THE CHIEF, FROM THERE TO A CITIZEN ADVISORY PANEL.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS09]
But in the end the board unanimously denied the proposal.

[SOT 37:48]
[INQ=]
((FUZZY MINNIX: ALTHOUGH I AM SURE AS YOU DEAL WITH YOUR EMPLOYEES IN A FAIR WAY.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS05] [BUTT, BUTT, BUTT]
[SOT 38:44]
[INQ=]
((FUZZY MINNIX: MY FEELING THAT IT SHOULD BE DENIED IS THAT WAY BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE MAXIMUM PROTECTION NOT JUST FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES BUT FOR YOU.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS13]

[SOT 40:14]
[INQ=]
((JOE MCNAMARA: I TOO AM OF THE OPINION THERE IS MORE POWER AND MORE STRENGTH AND OUR CITIZENS AND THE PEOPLE YOU WORK FOR WILL BE BETTER OFF WITH US WORKING TOGETHER.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS10]
Sheriff Holt says even though the plan was denied he's happy the county is willing to work with him on a new plan that will be in compliance with both the county and the state. Kate Weidaw News 7 Roanoke County.))

---

[Ramsey]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

John and Patsy Ramsey will hold a news conference in about an hour -- reportedly to discuss the results of their lie detector test.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape;]

Colorado T-V stations say the Ramseys took the polygraph tests about the unsolved murder of their daughter, Jon Benet.
Authorities say they won't accept the test results because they weren't given by the F-B-I.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=KIMBERLY]
[GRAPHIC=none]

The Ramseys said they would only take polygraphs given by an independent tester.
They've long maintained their innocence in the 19-96 murder.
(------------)

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[Dollar-Bills]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Like the 20- dollar- bill before them, fives and tens have a new look....
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Hundreds of millions of brand new five and ten- dollar- bills go into circulation across the country today.
But they won't likely show up in a lot of transactions for another week or two.
The face- lift is a move by the Secret Service and the Treasury to prevent counterfeiting.
(------------)

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[New-Brokers]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=00-06 TC1:42:11]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A new investment firm is opening in Roanoke.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

The New Salomon Smith Barney office is located in the old First Union Building on Jefferson Street.
The company and its local brokers will furnish customers with retirement plans, insurance benefits, and personal and corporate investment information.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=All the people]
((ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE ARE ALL LOCAL PEOPLE AND ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT STARTING A NEW BUSINESS RIGHT HERE IN TOWN WITH A REPUTABLE FIRM.))
[SUPER=01-Tom Dunkenberger/Acting Branch Manager;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=reputable firm.]
(--------------------)
[VO-NAT]

Historically, Salomon Smith Barney has had little presence in our region, but Roanoke is now considered a target for the firm's expansion plans. (-------------------)