WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 09/01/00

[7-11Plane-Crash]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-37 TC20:43]
[GRAPHIC=Crash Invest.]

It could take a year for the National Transportation Safety Board to know why a small plane crashed in downtown Lexington.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lexington;]
Officials have moved the wreckage to Buena Vista to reconstruct the plane. State Police say the pilot was 43 year old Jack Gambino of New York, a father of four and the owner of a trucking business. Police are not releasing the passenger's name until they find his family. They say the address on his driver's license was wrong, but he lived out of state. A source close to the investigation says State Police found a substance in the wreckage that could be a drug and may factor in the investigation. Hazardous materials crews are still cleaning the area but say the streets should open again today.
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[7-11Pilot-Folo]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Am Cutins]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=00-32 TC36:35]
[GRAPHIC=Crash Investigation]
Flying in the Lexington area can be tricky according to local pilots.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Matt Paxton has been a pilot for 30 years and flies a plane similar to the 1959 Piper that crashed.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 8:01:31]
[IN Q=this area]
((MATT PAXTON/PILOT: THIS AREA IN PARTICULAR IS A LITTLE TRICKY BECAUSE WITH THE MOUNTAINS YOU HAVE TURBULENCE AROUND THESE MOUNTAINS.))
[SUPER=01-Matt Paxton/Pilot]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=these mountains.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Paxton says because of Wednesday's rainy weather, pilots would have to have been trained to use their instruments to navigate the plane.
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[7-11L'burg-Hazmat]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=00-26 TC1:22:04]
[GRAPHIC=None]

While picking up trash, a Lynchburg garbage truck worker was injured in a hazardous material spill.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

The truck was making its rounds on Oakmont Circle yesterday when the compactor broke open a container in a bag of garbage.
An unknown- type of acid spilled out and one of the workers suffered minor burns on his hands and arms.
Lynchburg's haz- mat response team was called in to isolate the chemical and remove it.
Officials still aren't sure exactly what the chemical was.
They say none of the nearby residents were ever in danger.
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[7-11Roanoke-Fire]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=00-33 TC33:32]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]

For the second time in a month, firefighters extinguished a blaze near a Roanoke church.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Flames tore through an out-building at Rosalind Hills Baptist Church just after nine last night.
No word yet on what caused the blaze.
Last week, a pile of wood and siding caught fire near the church's recreation building.
(------------)

[7-11BV-Heads]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=00-31 TC33:57]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Buena Vista is now the temporary home of giant busts of three former presidents.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Buena Vista]

The concrete sculptures the city has been expecting for weeks finally showed up yesterday.
The busts of Zachary Taylor and William Henry Harrison were joined late yesterday by one of Abraham Lincoln.
The truck carrying Honest Abe broke down on its way from Georgia, so it took him a bit longer to get there.
(------------)

[7WEATHER]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#none]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Taking a moment now to check the Friday forecast....
Not looking good for holiday weekend plans...showers and storms likely today...highs near 80.

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[45-11Lynchburg-Fatal]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]

A two car accident has killed an elderly Lynchburg couple.
Police say 70 year old Ellen Martinez turned into the path of an oncoming car on Fort Avenue Wednesday evening.
She and her husband 75-year old Richard J. Martinez died at the scene.
Injuries to the driver of the other vehicle-- Randy H. Tomlin of Madison Heights-- were not life-threatening.

[45-11Firefighters]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=500-7 TC1:21:31]
[GRAPHIC=Wild Fire]
A group from the Virginia Department of Forestry are going to Texas to help fight forest fires.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem]
A dozen firefighters are transporting five bulldozers and two support trucks to eastern Texas where they'll be dispatched according to need. The move is part of an agreement reached by a handful of states to help their neighbors.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT=2:08:19-1:58:26]
[IN Q=The Southeastern Forest Compact...]
((THE SOUTHEASTERN FOREST COMPACT INCLUDES ALL THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES... THE PURPOSE IS THAT WE HELP THEM AND THEY HELP US IN TIMES OF NEED AND RIGHT NOW TEXAS NEEDS US TO HELP 'EM WITH THEIR FOREST FIRES.))
[SUPER=01-Chris Thomsen/Virginia Dept. of Forestry]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=with their forest fires.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The fire crew is skilled in fighting fires like those in Texas. Thomsen says the flat topography and fuel are similar to that of Virginia. The team will spend two weeks in Texas before returning home and being replaced by another crew.
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[45-11Digital-Dominion]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=00-30 TC1:18:14]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The state of Virginia is now online at The-Digital-Dominion-dot-COM.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]

Governor Jim Gilmore yesterday unveiled what he calls the "single digital signature" you'll need to know.
Although right now, it focuses mainly on the Gilmores, he hopes The Digital Dominion will make the entire state as accessible as Blacksburg's Electronic Village is now.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 10:04:30]
[IN Q=Once again]
((GOV. JIM GILMORE: ONCE AGAIN, THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY OF THIS IS NOT EITHER NORTHERN VIRGINIA, HAMPTON ROADS, OR RICHMOND. IT'S IN BLACKSBURG. THAT'S WHERE THE REAL SUCCESS HAS BEEN.))
[SOT 10:24:04 ]
(( YOU CAN USE IT FOR EDUCATION SERVICES, COMMUNICATING BACK AND FORTH WITH TEACHERS. SO THAT YOU CAN USE IT IN BUSINESSES, MAKING RESTAURANT RESERVATIONS, HAIR DRESSING APPOINTMENTS, ANYTHING YOU WANT. SO YOU CAN NOT ONLY DEAL WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUES LIKE PARKING TICKETS OR LOCAL TAXES, BUT YOU CAN PORTAL A SINGLE WEBSITE WHICH WE'VE CREATED WHERE YOU CAN DO STATE SERVICES AND FINALLY PHILANTHROPIC THINGS.))
[SUPER=@Gilmore; :00]
[SUPER=01-Don Upson/Virginia Technology Secretary; :10]
[RUNS=:31]
[OUT Q=philanthropic things.]
(-------------)
[TALENT=Kimberly]
[SS=None]

Virginia currently has the highest concentration of Internet communications companies in the world.
It's number two in software development.
And it's the only state in the nation to force phone and cable companies to extend high- band- width Internet access to every community within its borders.
(XXXXXXXX)
[TAKE Web Address Full]
You can link to The Digital Dominion from our politics page at WDBJ7-dot-COM.
(-------------)

[45WEATHER]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#none]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Turning now to the Friday forecast--
Showers and thunderstorms will put a damper on outdoor holiday weekend plans....
Rainy today with a high near 80....lows near 70.

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[8-11Plane-Crash]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-37 TC20:43]
[GRAPHIC=Crash Invest.]

Just what caused a small crash to go down in Lexington might not be known for a year-- that's according to the National Transportion Safety Board.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lexington;]
Officials have moved the wreckage to Buena Vista to reconstruct the plane. State Police say the pilot was 43 year old Jack Gambino of New York, a father of four and the owner of a trucking business. Police are not releasing the passenger's name until they find his family. They say the address on his driver's license was wrong, but he lived out of state. A source close to the investigation says State Police found a substance in the wreckage that could be a drug and may factor in the investigation. Hazardous materials crews are still cleaning the area but say the streets should open again today.
(------------)

[8-11Crash-Folo]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Crash Invest.]

Crews are cleaning up the mess the fatal crash left behind, but it's going to take some time before they recover from the emotional toil of another Lexington tragedy.
Kate Weidaw spoke with the city's fire chief about Lexington's recent run of bad luck.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Robert Foresman/Lexington Fire Chief; :10]
[SUPER=@Kate2;1:05]
[RUNS=1:09]
[OUT Q=NEws 7 Lexington.]
((Who would have thought a plane would come crashing down in Lexington. That's the thought on Lexington's Fire Chief Robert Foresman mind.

[SOT 8:08:05]
[INQ] ((CHIEF ROBERT FORESMAN: YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE SORT OF GETTING DUMPED ON WITH THE CHURCH FIRE AND FIVE WEEKS LATER A PLANE CRASHES SOMETHING THAT'S NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS10]
Foresman says Wednesday night's scene is something that will stick in his mind forever.

[SOT 8:09:34]
[INQ=]
((CHIEF ROBERT FORESMAN: EVEN THOUGH YOU DEAL WITH STUFF LIKE THIS NOT ONLY A DAILY BASIS IT'S TOUGH MENTALLY.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS10]
That's why the department will be bringing in a debriefing team.

[SOT 8:10:08]
[INQ=]
((CHIEF ROBERT FORESMAN: WHAT IT GIVES IS EVERYBODY A CHANCE TO AIR THEIR FEELINGS, THOUGHTS, ABOUT WHAT THEY SAW HOW THEY FELT AND IT'S JUST A GOOD WAY TO GET IT OFF THEIR CHEST.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS11]
And while Lexington will go back to being a quiet community, Foresman keeps asking himself what's next.

[SOT 8:10:35]
[INQ=]
((CHIEF ROBERT FORESMAN: I'M STARTING TO LOOK OVER MY SHOULDER TO SEE WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT BUT EVERY COMMUNITY GOES THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THIS.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS10]
And they'll be ready at a moments notice for whatever happens next in Lexington. Kate Weidaw News7 Lexington.))

[8-11Roanoke-Fire]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=00-33 TC33:32]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]

For the second time in a month, firefighters were dispatched to a Roanoke church.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Flames tore through an out-building at Rosalind Hills Baptist Church just after nine last night.
No word yet on what caused the blaze.
Last week, a pile of wood and siding caught fire near the church's recreation building.
(------------)

[8WEATHER]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#none]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Before we wrap up this morning...
Showers and storms are likely again today with highs around 80.

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