[HEADLINES]
[TALENT=Denise]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
Union members rally outside Southwest Virginia Verizon offices as the strike continues into its second day. We'll
have the latest.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Denise]
A day early, Al Gore has announced the other half of the Democratic ticket for president. Senator Joseph Lieberman is Gore's running mate for the November elections.
(/////////////)
[TALENT=Jacey]
[SS=None]
The sun is on the scene today bringing warm temperatures and some more of that weekend humidity we saw... but that doesn't mean we'll stay completely dry. Forecast details are ahead.
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[SS=None]
News 7 at noon is next.
[Video-Open]
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#video open]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=No contract]
[TC:01:04:34]
((NO CONTRACT, NO WORK. NO CONTRACT, NOW WORK. NO CONTRACT, NO WORK.))
[RUNS=05]
[OUT Q=no work.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
Verizon Communications workers are walking the picket line for a second day.
(----------------)
[Verizon]
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=12]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=00-19]
[GRAPHIC=Verizon Strike]
Good afternoon, I'm Denise Allen.
87 thousand union employees walked out Sunday morning after their three-year contract expired at midnight on Saturday.
Jennifer Miele joins us today with an update on the contract negotiations.
[Desk 2-SHOT]
How are the talks going Jen?
Well, talks came down to the wire, Denise.
[ANCHOR=Jen]
[Super=@Jennifer1;]
Union and company negotiators worked right up until midnight. The company put an offer on the table, but workers were determined to strike.
They say their working environment is too stressful and they have no job security.
The attention now has shifted to Verizon customers.
If you've tried calling information today, you'll find that the walk-out is sending mixed signals.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=phone ringing]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :18]
[SUPER=01-David Layman/Local 2204 President; :56]
[RUNS=1:39]
[OUT Q=your call again later]
(([SOT]
[NAT]
[IN Q=ringing phone]
[TC:00:40:33]
((WE'RE SORRY, DUE TO THE WORK STOPAGE, ALL OPERATORS ARE BUSY. PLEASE HOLD ON, YOU'RE CALL WILL BE HELD MOMENTARILY. WE'RE SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE. busy signal...))
[RUNS=14]
Automated assistance is replacing these striking workers.
Operators and technicians went on strike early yesterday morning when the two
sides failed to reach a new labor contract.
Company officials promised customers that managers were well-equipt to step into the jobs when workers walked out, but the company is not off the hook.
The Communications Workers of America have set up more than 100 picket sites across the country, and they say negotiations are moving slowly.
[SOT]
[IN Q=This company has]
[tc:01:08:23]
((THIS COMPANY HAS TREATED THE BARGAINING COMMITTEE JUST LIKE THEY'VE TREATED YOU IN THE WORK PLACE EVERYDAY, WITH NO RESPECT. BOOING AUDIENCE.))
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=booing audience.]
[TC: 01:13:26]
[SOT]
[IN Q=There was an offer]
((DAVID LAYMAN/LOCAL 2404 PRESIDENT: THERE WAS AN OFFER MADE BY THE COMPANY. THE UNION ACCEPTED THAT PROPOSAL AND IS TAKING A SERIOUS LOOK AT IT. UNFORTUNATELY, SINCE THE COMPANY DID NOT RESPOND ON SATURDAY TO OUR ISSUES, THE CALL TO GO ON STRIKE WAS MADE.))
[RUNS=14]
[OUT Q=strike was made.]
Workers got busy signals from company officials when they tried to bargain over mandatory overtime, timed bathroom breaks, and holiday vacation.
They say the company violated their last three-year contract before the ink on it was even dry.
While picketers stay on the line, customers will be forced to do the same.
[SOT]
[NAT]
[IN Q=We're sorry]
((WE'RE SORRY, ALL CIRCUITS ARE BUSY. PLEASE TRY YOUR CALL AGAIN LATER.))
[RUNS=05]
[OUT Q=again later.]))
[ANCHOR=Jen]
[ss=none]
150 workers are striking in Roanoke, and there are thousands striking from Maine to Virginia.
[DESK 2-SHOT]
and Denise, The longest strike in Bell Atlantic history was three weeks, so far, this two day strike is the longest in Verizon's short history.
[Economic-Development]
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=mce]
[TAPE#=00-17]
[GRAPHIC=none]
An international powerhouse has chosen Roanoke as the headquarters for its new North American division.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
Precision Technology USA will occupy the former Tultex Building.
It is expected to provide more than 100 new jobs and invest more than 2-million dollars in the city over the next six years.
The company manufactures mechanical equipment - and has divisions in Germany and Scotland.
They chose Roanoke as their North American office because of it's location.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=We're the same...]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Gerd Icks/CEO, Precision Technology]
((WE'RE THE SAME DISTANCE TO THE THREE BIG INDUSTRIAL AREAS OF THE U-S....IF YOU LOOK, ON ONE END THERE'S CHICAGO, ON ONE BOSTON AND ON IN DALLAS - SO HERE WE HAVE THE SAME DISTANCE TO ALL THREE OF THEM WHICH HELPS US BE AS CLOSE TO THE CUSTOMER AS POSSIBLE.))
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=as possible.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Mayor Ralph Smith says an international announcement like this one sends a message to the world that Roanoke is the ideal place to do business.
[Lieberman]
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2000]
The Democratic ticket for the presidency is complete.
Al Gore has chosen Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman.
Manuel Gallegus has more on the announcement.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=203-Nashville, TN;]
[SUPER=201-Tom Oliphant/Boston Globe;]
[SUPER=201-Manuel Gallegus/Reporting;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=Nashville]
((IT'S A BOLD MOVE BY AL GORE... THE SELECTION OF CONNECTICUT SENATOR JOSEPH LIEBERMAN AS HIS VICE-PRESIDENTIAL RUNNING
-MATE. LIEBERMAN IS AN ORTHODOX JEW. SOT: TOM OLIPHANT/BOSTON GLOBE "SOMEONE THAT IS JEWISH HAS NEVER BEEN SELECTED FOR
A NATIONAL TICKET AND THAT O GHT TO BE ONE OF THE MORE DRAMATIC ASPECTS OF THAT CHOICE." THE 58 YEAR OLD, TWO TERM SENATOR HAS BEEN CALLED LIBERAL BY HIS OPPONENTS, BUT HIS VOTING RECORD AND HIS POSITIONS ON MANY ISSUES ARE CLEARLY INDEPENDENT. (NATZ OF LIEBERMAN IN SENATE TALKING ABOUT CLINTON) IN FACT, LIEBERMAN WAS ONE OF THE FIRST DEMOCRATS TO CRITICIZE PRESIDENT CLINTON IN THE MONICA LEWINSKY SCANDAL. LIEBERMAN FELT THE PRESIDENT SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS CONDUCT, BUT HE WAS OPPOSED TO IMPEACHMENT. ANALYSTS SAY.. THAT BY PICKING LIEBERMAN...THE GORE CAMP IS SEEKING TO DISTANCE MISTER GORE FROM THE LEWINSKY SCANDAL. AND BY CHOOSING A MAN WITH UNQUESTIONED INTEGRITY AND MORAL VALUES... THE GORE CAMP IS PREPARING TO DEFEND EXPECTED CHARACTER ATTACKS FROM THE BUSH CAMP. (GALLEGUS STANDUP) ( ....(not verbatim) SOURCES SAY LIEBERMAN SATISFIES GORE'S CRITERIA TO BE VICE-PRESIDENT... HE CAN ASSUME TO JOB IN A MOMENT'S NOTICE, GORE TRUSTS HIM AND HE SHARES GORE'S COMMITMENT TO TO FIGHT FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES.)
))
[Bush-Tobacco]
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mce]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Bush]
Republican presidential candidate George W-Bush says if elected, he would drop the Justice Department's lawsuit against the tobacco industry.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=203-Joliet, IL;]
Bush says he wants to focus on preventing children from smoking while still enforcing the settlement between the states and the industry.
And, he says, the states have already received a lot of money from their settlements with tobacco companies.
The Clinton administration sued the tobacco industry last year, seeking 500-Billion in payments to recover Medicare spending to treat smoking-related illnesses.
(------------)
[Allen-Robb]
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=00-31; TC 6:14]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2000]
U-S Senate Candidates Chuck Robb and George Allen faced off in their first debate over the weekend.
Among the topics - each candidates' records.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=203-Bath Co./Saturday]
One of the questions centered on the gas tax.
George Allen says Robb tried to have a bill passed in 19-93 that would have raised the gas tax by 50 cents a gallon.
(///// SOT /////)
[IN Q=We would]
((GEORGE ALLEN: WE WOULD HAVE BEEN PAYING 2 DOLLARS A GALLON AND YOU TALK ABOUT CONSERVATION THEN WHY DO YOU ALWAYS VOTE AGAINST ANY DOMESTIC PRODUCTION UNDER THE NORTH SCOPE OF ALASKA.))
((CHUCK ROBB: I DIDN'T NOT REINTRODUCE THAT LEGISLATION IN 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 AND I WILL NOT REINTRODUCE IT THIS YEAR. I KNOW IT'S AN ISSUE YOU ENJOYED RUNNING ON.))
[SUPER=201-George Allen/(R) Senatorial Candidate]
[SUPER=201-Sen. Chuck Robb/(D) Senatorial Candidate]
[OUTQ=running on.]
[RUNS=33]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Robb says he made the proposal during the Persian Gulf War.
(------------)
[Wildfires]
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Wildfires]
The Wildfires out west continue to grow.
Fire fighters in 11 states are battling blazes.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Sula, MT;]
Those fires now cover nearly one million acres.
Dry weather and high winds gave fire fighters fits and showed why this is being called one of the worst western fire seasons in recent memory.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Joe Stam/Incident Commander;]
(( JOE STAM, INCIDENT COMMANDER: WE WERE EXPECTING THE FIRE TO CROSS
THE ROAD TODAY, BUT WE'RE NOT EXPECTING THE WIND DIRECTION OR WIND
INTENSITY TODAY.))
[RUNS=06]
[OUT Q=intensity today.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
With one of the wind shifts, the firefighters suddenly found themselves
defending their own headquarters.
The fire raced toward the camp where firefighters live and keep all supplies.
The camp was saved when the blaze jumped over it.
Unfortunately for fire fighters the dry, windy weather is supposed to stick around at least another day.
(------------)
[Trolley-Ax]
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Nearly two dozen people were injured when a trolley car struck a barrier as it traveled along the Seattle waterfront yesterday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Seattle, WA;]
Investigators suspect brake failure caused the car to slam into a barricade at the end of the route.
The operator says he was having trouble with the brakes and even tried to use the emergency brakes.
The streetcar is popular with tourists. It runs along the length of the Seattle downtown waterfront.
None of the injuries were life threatening.
(------------)
[Kovack]
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=00-24; TC 36:31]
[GRAPHIC=None]
West Virginia State Police have not given up on the case of a missing Virginia Tech student.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Fayette Co., WV/September 1998]
It's been nearly two years since Rob Kovack was last seen in Blacksburg.
His abandoned car was discovered in Fayette County... near the New River Gorge Bridge.
West Virginia state police say the case has always been active but were recently given permission to devote even more time to it.
They've since met twice with Virginia State police to go over their files.
They say they have NO new leads or information.
(--------)[VA-Teachers]
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=00-29; TC 37:00]
[GRAPHIC=Education]
School systems in the New River Valley are trying to attract teachers to fill some vacant positions.
Hiring teachers is becoming more competitive according to school administrators across the country.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/Last Week;]
Even local school systems are feeling the impact of changing times... as the teaching population ages and fewer young people enter the profession.
Last week-- Montgomery County still had ten teaching vacancies to fill.
Superintendent Fred Morton says it's often hard to compete with larger school systems in terms of salary.
But Morton says the New River Valley has a lot to offer.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 01:09;31]
[IN Q=I think ]
((FRED MORTON/MONTGOMERY CO. SUPERINTENDENT:I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE TO DO WHEN WE'RE RECRUITING IS TO TALK ABOUT A LOT OF THE BENEFITS HERE. WE'RE MADE A REAL COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING TEACHERS IN TERMS OF CLASS SIZE AND SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS WE DO. WE MAY NOT BE THE BEST IN THE STATE, BUT WE'RE VERY COMPETITIVE IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE DOING THERE AND SO IT'S NOT JUST QUALITY OF LIVING LIFE, IT'S QUALITY OF TEACHING LIFE. ))
[SUPER=01-Fred Morton/Montgomery Co. Superintendent;]
[RUNS=20]
[OUT Q=teaching life.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Morton says school officials made approximately 40- recruiting visits to colleges and universities last year.
They also took along members of the community to talk about the positive things the New River Valley has to offer.
(------------)
[Tech-Picnic]
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mce]
[TAPE#=00-28]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Virginia Tech fans gathered for food and fun at the welcome back picnic of the millennium!
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg]
More than 12-hundred Virginia Tech alumni and fans turned out for the 3rd annual "Outback Steakhouse Welcome Back Picnic" yesterday.
There, they had the chance to meet the 2000 Hokie football team, and even rub shoulders with Head Coach Frank Beamer.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT@21:19 - 21:35]
[IN Q=If you're talking..]
[SUPER=01-Frank Beamer/Virginia Tech Football Coach]
((FRANK BEAMER/HEAD FOOTBALL COACH: IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT VIRGINIA TECH FOOTBALL, IT'S NOT LONG BEFORE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR GREAT FAN SUPPORT AND THE FACT THAT GAME DAY'S COMING BACK FOR THE THIRD TIME IN THE LAST 8 BALLGAMES, COMING BACK TO BLACKSBURG, THAT GOES BACK TO OUR GREAT FAN SUPPORT, ENTHUSIASM AND EXCITEMENT THEY PROVIDE.))
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=they provide.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The menu at the picnic was donated by Outback Steakhouse.
All proceeds benefit athletic scholarships to the school.
The Blacksburg Hokie club says as a result of Outback's support, the Coaching club has been able to donate more than 50-thousand dollars to the Athletic Fund.
(------------)
[Box-Office]
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
"Hollow Man" was anything but invisible at the box office this weekend.
(-------------)
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:23:01]
[IN Q=So what's it like]
(())
[RUNS=21]
[OUT Q=he just went by me]
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[- 03:21:28]
[SUPER=04-Columbia Pictures]
The movie starring Kevin Bacon and Elisabeth Shue bumped Nutty Professor 2 into second place.
According to studio estimates, Hollow Man took in 26-point-eight million dollars.
(------------)
[Anchor=Denise]
[TAKE FS SUPER]
[SUPER=77-Hollow Man/Nutty Professor II/Space Cowboys/Coyote Ugly/What Lies Beneath;]
``Space Cowboys'' opened in third place. ``Coyote Ugly'' premiered at number four.
and ``What Lies Beneath'' rounded out the top five.
[Super=#555;reset]
[Guinness]
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
The man who brought Obi-Wan Kenobi to life has died.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-20th Century Fox-Lucas Films;]
Sir Alec Guinness' career spanned more than sixty years on the stage and screen.
Before making Star Wars he played Shakespeare's Hamlet and won an Oscar in 1957 for "The Bridge on The River Kwai."
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=he was really]
[SUPER=01-Sheridan Morley/Theatre Critic;]
((SHERIDAN MORLEY/THEATRE CRITIC: HE WAS REALLY A CHARACTER MAN. HE SAID, 'I START WITH THE LEGS, I WATCH HOW PEOPLE WALK AND THAT GIVES ME AN INSIGHT.' AND UNDERSTOOD ABOUT THE CAMERA, IN A WAY THAT MOST OF HIS CONTEMPORARIES WERE VERY THEATRICAL,
VERY HAMMY ON SCREEN. ALEC WAS VERY QUIET, VERY SOFT - HE LET THE CAMERA
COME TO HIM. AND YOU COULD SEE ALEC THINK ON SCREEN AND THAT WAS A VERY
POWERFUL IDEA.))
[RUNS=22]
[OUT Q=POWERFUL IDEA]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Guinness died Saturday.
He was 86, and news reports say he was battling liver cancer.
(------------)
[Poker-Run]
[ANCHOR=Denise]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=00-22]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The Southern Cruisers hit the road this weekend to help raise money for Multiple Sclerosis research.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
More than one hundred bikers tried to get the best hand for the Poker Run yesterday.
Each biker is given a card when they stop at a different location.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 33:53]
[IN Q=when they]
((BUDDY HINKLE/ORGANIZER: WHEN THEY GET BACK HERE THE PERSON WITH THE BEST HAND WINS THE POT, THEN WE SPLIT THE POT WITH THE MS PEOPLE))
[SUPER=01-Buddy Hinkle/Organizer]
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=ms people]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The event raised more than one thousand dollars for Multiple Sclerosis.
(------------)
M-S then uses the money for research and client programs.
by SS