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WDBJ 7 news at Noon for 08/04/00
A search for a Henry County man who allegedly kidnapped his ex-girlfriend ends after a high speed chase in North Carolina.
35 year old Kosta Gus Maurakis (MORE-rock-iss) was caught by Rockingham County authorities around 6 last night.
His ex-girlfriend, Tammy Harmon, was with the suspect unharmed.
Maurakis (MORE-rock-iss) remains in a North Carolina jail.
Salem police have caught all but one of the dogs that escaped from the Civic Center last night.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem]
Several dozen show dogs got away during the fireworks show at the Avalanche game.
At one time, about 50 dogs were on the loose.
By midnight, just three were still at large.
This morning, the owner of an English mastiff is putting up fliers near Andrew Lewis Middle School, to find her dog.
The pets are taking part in the James River Kennel Club show this weekend.
(------------)
If they can't come to a new contract agreement by midnight tomorrow, hundreds of Verizon employees in Roanoke say they'll go on strike.
The 725 Union members are still under contract with Bell Atlantic.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/June 26]
On June 26, an informational picket staged in Roanoke was a rally for better working conditions at what was then Bell Atlantic.
[SUPER=04-Verizon Video; ]
Now called Verizon Virginia, the company faces accusations of unfair labor practices and intolerable treatment of its employees.
The three-year contract expires at midnight on Saturday, and union members say they are ready for a strike.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=We have such a]
((DAVID LAYMAN/LOCAL 2240 PRESIDENT: WE HAVE SUCH A DEDICATION TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND SERVICE WE PROVIDE TO THEM, BUT IT'S SO DIFFICULT AT TIMES TO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE TO THEM WHEN YOU HAVE TO WORK UNDER SOME OF THE CONDITIONS THEY HAVE TO WORK UNDER.))
[Super=01-David Layman/Local 2240 President]
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=to work under.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Company and Union Officials are meeting behind closed doors in Washington to discuss terms of a new contract.
Even if the hundreds of union Employees in Roanoke, and thousands of workers on the East Coast DO go on strike, the company says customers will not be affected.
(------------)
The G-O-P Convention is now just a memory.
It's on to heavy- duty campaigning for Republican presidential nominee George W- Bush and running mate, Dick Cheney.
Lee Cowan has spent the week covering the convention and has the latest on the campaign.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=203-Philadelphia;]
[SUPER=201-Gov. George W. Bush/(R) Presidential Nominee;]
[SUPER=201-Lee Cowan/Reporting;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=Lee Cowan, CBS News, Philadelphia.]
((
(NARR:)
George W. Bush is wasting little time. After a rousing speech
that punctuated a four- day, mistake free, Republican Convention the
man of the hour was taking his hour-long message on the road.
(SOT/GEORGE W. BUSH, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE)
NAT/SOT CONVENTION
(NARR:)
His task will be to convince voters he has the depth and the
intellect to lead the nation, despite his thin political resume.
Last night he used that to his advantage trying to portray
himself as a Washington outsider who can seize on good economic times
for a good purpose repairing the damage done by an administration he
hoped to put on the defensive.
(SOT/GEORGE W. BUSH, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE)
Their attacks will be relentless, but they will be answered. We are
facing something familiar, but they are facing something new! (applause)
(NARR:)
He mocked Al Gore for calling his policies risky policies he
outlined last night, but with few details.
Bush pledged to reform education, save Social Security, and
modernize Medicare all issues claimed by Al Gore leaving some
wondering if this new kind of Republican Convention was more like an
old time Democratic one.
NAT/SOT DELEGATES LEAVING/CLEANUP
(NARR:)
Still, not since the Ronald Reagan era have Republican delegates
left a convention in a better mood.
There were no scuffles over issues, few open disagreements, lots of
friendly cheering, all of it ending with their Candidate going into the
heat of the campaign with a double digit lead in the polls.
(COWAN ON CAM:)
Democrats have already called last nights speech the Texas Two-Step
accusing Bush of glossing over the real differences between candidates
in an effort to appeal to the middle. In ten days, the Gore Camp will
have its chance in the spotlight but they will be coming in the
underdog. Lee Cowan, CBS News, Philadelphia.
))
Some school systems are still trying to fill teaching jobs just weeks before the new school year starts.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Montgomery County schools need to fill 12 vacancies... Roanoke city is looking for six to eight new teachers.
Dave Foster is confident he'll fill his seven vacancies in Pittsylvania County.
But he predicts it's going to get even tougher in the future as more and more teachers begin to retire-- a trend many larger school systems are already noticing.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=There are]
((DAVID FOSTER/PITTSYLVANIA CO. SCHOOLS: THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER STATES THAT HAS THE SAME TYPE SITUATION AND IN FACT SOME MAY BE MORE SEVERE THAN IN VIRGINIA. ))
[SUPER=01-David Foster/Pittsylvania Co. Schools; ]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=than in Virgnia.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Foster says the problem is also becoming more evident because fewer people are entering the teaching profession at a time when enrollment is growing in Virginia and school systems are trying to keep class sizes small.
(------------)
Federal officials are now calling this the worst fire season in 50 years.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bitteroot Valley, MT;]
More than a dozen major wildfires are burning in Montana, scorching 170- thousand acres so far.
Several hundred families were evacuated from their homes.
[SUPER=03-Globe, AZ;]
The news is no better in Arizona, where flames raced up a mountain threatening radio and T-V towers.
Electricity had to be cut to, so firefighters wouldn't risk electrocution.
Firefighters say it's been an uphill battle.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:15:59 ]
[IN Q=HEAT, EXHAUSTION]
((JIM WILKINS/SAN BERNARDINO FIRE DEPT.: HEAT, EXHAUSTION, FATIGUE TOPOGRAPHY, AND THE WEATHER ALL COMBINE TO MAKE THIS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. ))
[SUPER=01-Jim Wilkins/San Bernardino Fire Dept.;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=dangerous situation.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The federal government is spending 15- million- dollars a day to fight the nearly 60 fires plaguing the western states.
(------------)
An apparent stowaway is in serious condition after he was removed from the wheel well of a jet in Los Angeles.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Los Angeles, CA;]
Officials at U-C-L-A Medical Center say the man is suffering from severe hypothermia.
It's still a mystery how the man survived the 11- hour flight from Tahiti to L-A with little oxygen and extreme cold.
Authorities say he might have been hiding somewhere else on the plane and moved upon landing.
Maintenance workers found him in the wheel well shortly after the plane landed last night.
He apparently wasn't easy to rescue-- workers say he was "combative" when they removed him from the wheel well.
(------------)
Several flights are cancelled this weekend now that Alaska Airlines has grounded 18 of its M-D 80 jets for new inspections.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Seattle, WA;]
Passengers trying to board Alaska Airlines flights at several airports last night found they were going nowhere fast.
Airline officials say earlier inspections of the jackscrew assembly may have produced inaccurate readings.
Other airlines are encouraged to check their planes, as well.
The part was implicated in last January's crash off Southern California that killed 88 people.
(------------)
Southwest Virginia has been the backdrop for several big budget movies, but a local group hopes to attract more.
It wants to open a Roanoke branch of the Virginia Film Office.
Kate Weidaw has the story.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Some of the]
[SUPER=03-Moneta/September 27, 1990;:00]
[SUPER=03-Lexington/June 10, 1992;:12]
[SUPER=01-Bootie Chewning/Co-founder;:21]
[SUPER=01-Sandra Eubank/Co-founder;:45]
[SUPER=07-Bob Lauro;1:03]
[SUPER=03-Vinton;1:10]
[SUPER=@Kate1;1:20]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=kw news7]
((Some of the biggest names in the film industry have made their movies in Southwest Virginia. Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss made "What About Bob" back in 19-90 at Smith Mountain Lake. Two years later Jody Foster came to Lexington to film "Sommersby". Not only did these films bring notoriety to the area but it brought in big bucks.
[SOT 16:23]
[INQ]
((BOTTIE CHEWNING/CO FOUNDER: WE DO KNOW WHEN A FILM COMES TO THE AREA IT'S BIG MONEY FOR THE AREA BECAUSE THEY ALSO HAVE TO HAVE HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION, TELEPHONE, ELECTRICITY, PEOPLE TO WORK ON SET.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]
That's why the Virginia Film Office in Richmond wants a branch Roanoke. That way the movie industry has a liaison in Southwest Virginia.
[SOT 10:16]
[INQ=]
((SANDRA EUBANK/CO FOUNDER: IF THEY SEE A HOME, BUILDING, OR LAKE, OR THEY SEE LAND THEY WANT TO USE THEM WE WOULD GO IN AND MAKE THAT CONTACT AND SAY THE FILM COMPANY WOULD REALLY LIKE TO USE THIS SO WE GET THE DOORS OPEN.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 17]
It also could bring business to local film companies.
[SOT 21:45]
[INQ=]
((BOB LAURO: WHEN FILM COMPANIES COME INTO TOWN THEY NEED EQUIPMENT SO IT WILL BE EASIER FOR THEM TO FIND EQUIPMENT LOCALLY THEN TO TRUCK IT IN FROM MILES AWAY OR MAY BE SHIP IT IN FROM THE WEST COAST.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]
But before the Blue Ridge Virginia Film Office can officially debut, it needs community support. The non profit organization can't make money unless it has money.
[STANDUP]
[INQ=]
((KATE WEIDAW/REPORTING: AND IT SEEMS THE THREE CO FOUNDERS OF THE FILM OFFICE ARE WELL ON THEIR WAY TO OPENING THE ROANOKE BRANCH. EACH OF THE LADIES HAS EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN THE FILM INDUSTRY. JUST LAST MONTH THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR CASTING 6-HUNDRED EXTRAS IN THE COKE COMMERCIAL THAT WAS SHOT AT VMI. KATE WEIDAW NEWS7.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS=]))
August is cataract awareness month-- its an eye problem that can lead to blindness.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem]
As people age they're more likely to develop cataracts.
It causes the lens of the eye to become cloudy.
Approximately 60 percent of people 65 and older will get cataracts to some degree.
Younger people are also at risk.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT18:09:08]
[IN Q=I've had people in their]
((DR. JONATHAN TILL/OPHTHALMOLOGIST: I'VE HAD PEOPLE IN THEIR 20'S AND 30'S WITH CATARACTS MAYBE DUE TO INJURIES OR DUE TO SOME TYPE OF FAMILY PROBLEM, ASTHMA, HAY FEVER, ECZEMA, AND PEOPLE WITH DIABETES GET CATARACTS EARLIER))
[SUPER=01-Dr. Jonathan Till/Ophthalmologist]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=Cataracts]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness world-wide.
Till says you might want visit an eye doctor if you see halos around lights or if driving at night becomes a problem.
(------------)
Hundreds of trains, big and small will be on display in Lynchburg this weekend.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]
The 22nd annual Rail Day 2000 runs all day Saturday at the Builders Meeting Center in Forest.
Organizers say the event will be geared towards attracting more people to the hobby of model railroading.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 15:29:30]
[IN Q=We will have]
((BILL COX/RAIL DAY 2000 ORGANIZER: WE WILL HAVE MODEL LAYOUTS, MODULAR LAYOUTS RUNNING ON ALL SCALES AND WE'LL ALSO HAVE VENDORS SELLING THINGS, WE'LL HAVE CLINICS ON MODEL RAILROADING AND REAL RAILROADS, EVEN THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE.. ONE OF OUR GUYS IS DOING A CLINIC ON THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE AND THE PROTOTYPE INFLUENCE TO IT WHICH WERE ACTUAL BRITISH LOCOMOTIVES.))
[SUPER=01-Bill Cox/Rail Day 2000 Organizer]
[RUNS=20]
[OUT Q=British locomotives.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Another attraction will be a Norfolk Southern car that's been renovated into a traveling railroad museum.
A video simulator will allow visitors to "drive" their own hundred- car freight train.
(------------)
The wet weather has pounded our area for the past week.
While many are tired of the rain... some farmers look at the showers in a different light.
The rain presents problems to crops but a drier option may be worse.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The heavy rains...]
[SUPER=@Jacey1; :00]
[SUPER=01-Danny Johnson/Johnson's Orchards; :13]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.; :26]
[RUNS=1:17]
[OUT Q=...I'm Jacey Birch]
Today Britain's Queen Mum is celebrating a major milestone -- her 100th birthday.
And tens of thousands of people have turned out to honor the mother of Queen Elizabeth.
Tom Fenton has this report on all the royal festivities.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-London; :00]
[SUPER=01-Tom Fenton/Reporting; :52]
[RUNS=1:01]
[OUT Q=Tom Fenton, CBS News, London.]
((
(SCRIPT)
(London, UK)
After weeks of celebrations for the Queen Mother's 100th birthday, the
big day has finally rolled round. (NATSND MARCHING BAND))
The postman delivered the congratulatory card from the present Queen.
There were flowers and good wishes from all over. (POSSIBLE NATSND)
The woman who was Queen half a century ago, and who ever since has been
the most loved member of the royal family, took a little ride from her
home at Clarence House through the streets where people were waiting --
some all night long -- to catch a glimpse of her and bask in the royal
smile.
Most members of her family were gathered at Buckingham Palace. Outside,
a large crowd of what you might call her extended family, were waiting
for her appearance on the balcony.
(NAT SND)
No King or Queen of England has ever lived this long, and, arguably,
none has ever been so popular.
Everyone hoped this would not be her final curtain call.
(NATSND)
Tom Fenton, CBS News, London.
)