[HEADLINES]

[TALENT=Kimberly]

(----------------)
[VO-NAT]


A judge finds an elderly Martinsville man guilty of neglecting his wife.
The 75- year- old woman was found with bed sores and bruises, and eventually died.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]


And a local jacuzzi manufacturer announces it's shutting down-- 60 employees may feel the effects.
(/////////////)
[TALENT=Shannon]
[SS=None]



[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[SS=None]


You'll want to stay tuned for all that, ahead on News 7 at noon.

[Video-Open]


[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


A local business issues cutbacks, again.
(------------)


[Jacuzzi-Layoffs]


[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=12]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=00-27]
[GRAPHIC=Layoffs]


Good afternoon, I'm Kimberly McBroom.
A transition from manufacturing to distribution means layoffs in Salem.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem]


A spokeswoman from Jacuzzi Whirlpool and Bath says the company will end production within the next 60 days.
Distribution at the plant will continue.
60 employees could be furloughed when production ceases.
Jacuzzi Whirlpool and Bath opened in 1995 promising to bring 300 jobs to the area.
The site layed off 80 employees in July.
(------------)


[Elderly-Abuse]


[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=sch]
[TAPE#=-00-24]
[GRAPHIC=None]


An 80 year old Martinsville man is guilty for neglecting his wife.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville;]


Judge Charles Stone convicted Paul Stolbun for depriving his wife, Elizabeth, of food, water and medication.
Social Services and Health Department officials found the 75 year old woman in her home last November.
Witnesses told the judge yesterday they found her covered in bed sores, bruises and urine. She died at the hospital.
The Russian native will be sentenced next month. The judge will decide then whether Stolbun's punishment should be a misdemeanor which carries up to a year in jail or a felony which carries up to five years in prison.
(------------)



[M'ville-Fire]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=00-31]
[GRAPHIC=Fire Invest.]


A man was found dead after a fire at his house in Martinsville last night.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville;]


Authorities are not yet releasing his name.
They're also not sure yet what stated the fire in the 11-hundred block of Banner Street, on the east side of the city.
The call came in just after eight last night.
Firefighters found heavy smoke and flames when they got there.
They tried to get inside the building to rescue the man, but the fire was too intense.
(------------)


[Bedford-Fire]


[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=00-19 TC2:01:56]
[GRAPHIC=Fire Invest.]


The Bedford County man who was injured when his house caught fire Tuesday night is still in the hospital today. 43- year old Anthony David Dooley is in stable condition at Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.;]


Dooley suffered third degree burns when his Montvale home caught fire shortly before midnight Tuesday. Another man 30-year old Davis Welch was not injured.
The two told investigators they heard an explosion just before seeing flames.
But authorities say, so far, they've only found evidence of an intense fire.
Yesterday afternoon-- investigators returned to the house with a search warrant after they found what appeared to be an M-16 rifle in the debris.
They say Dooley does NOT have a federal firearms license.
Investigators still don't know the cause of the blaze.
(----------)



[Training-Center]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-32]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A two-million-dollar training center for firefighters opened today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem;]

Roanoke city, Roanoke County, Salem and Vinton all pitched in to pay for the center -- which will feature classrooms, a library and a gym. Firefighters say the center improves efficiency because now, they can combine classes instead of repeating them for each department.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:08:02]
[IN Q=I think]

(( RICHARD BURCH, JR/ROANOKE CO. FIRE CHIEF: I THINK IT WILL HELP CITIZENS BECAUSE AS WE TRAIN TOGETHER HERE AND WORK TOGETHER HERE IT WILL IMPROVE THE WAY WE WORK TOGETHER WHEN WE'RE OUT IN THE STREET, WHEN WE'RE GOING TO AN EMERGENCY. OFTEN TIME THAT HAPPENS MORE AND MORE EVERYDAY WHEN WE WILL BE ON A JOINT EMERGENCY.))
[SUPER=01-Richard Burch/Roanoke Co. Fire Chief;]
[RUNS=14]
[OUT Q=joint emergency]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Local mayors say this could lead to more regional cooperation on public service projects.
(------------)



[Kursk-Update]


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


U-S Navy experts believe an explosion from a secret experimental weapon led to the fatal sinking of the Russian submarine, Kursk.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File of Kursk Submarine;]


The navy's information suggests that there was first a small explosion, probably caused by some kind of liquid fuel.
90 seconds later, a massive SECOND explosion blew a hole in the hull, flooding two- thirds of the submarine.
The navy believes this second blast was most likely the torpedo's warhead going off.
Now that the U-S Navy has handed over intelligence data, the Russians are under more pressure to provide a conclusive explanation for the incident that killed 118 sailors.
(------------)


[Firestone]


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


Attorney General Janet Reno says the Justice Department is deciding what, if any, action to take in the case of the defective Firestone tires.
Meanwhile, more Congressional hearings are scheduled for executives from Ford and Firestone-Bridgestone.
Sharyl Attkisson reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC;]
[SUPER=01-Sharyl Attkisson/Reporting;]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=Attkisson, CBS News, Washington.]

((With the summer driving season over, Congress came back from vacation ready to attack one of the deadliest auto safety problems in recent years...demanding to know why Ford and Firestone didn't warn the public about a dangerous pattern of tread separation even after they noticed a trend overseas.

(SOT-CRIGGER)

WE REGRET TERRIBLY WHAT'S HAPPENED AND IF WE COULD HAVE PREVENTED IT, WE WOULD HAVE PREVENTED IT UNFORTUNATELY THIS KIND OF DATA, THIS KIND OF CLAIMS DATA....

(SOT-TAUZIN)

CRIGGER, MAYBE IF YOU WERN'T SO INTERESTED IN KEEPING THE FACTS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, MAYBE YOU WOULD HAVE PREVENTED IT.

(VO/tires)

Ford and Firestone have said they only RECENTLY began focusing on a pattern of tire separations.

(GRAPHIC #1-Ford dealer to Firestone distributor: 10/24/98 Saudi Arabia)

But internal documents obtained by CBS News show both companies investigating the problem--quietly--YEARS ago. In 1998, a Ford dealer in Saudi Arabia complains that Firestone's investigation of his complaints about three shredded tires had languished since 1997. "Do we have to have a fatality before any action is taken?" he asks Firestone.

(GRAPHIC #2-March 12, 1999)

Within months, Ford and Firestone debate whether to replace all the tires in Saudi Arabia, but decide against a recall. "Firestone legal has some major reservations," says a Ford memo, worried that US safety officials "will have to be notified...since the same product is sold in the US."

(GRAPHIC#3-August 1999 Ford memo, Saudi Oman, Qatar)

But by August Ford acknowledges "19 rollovers" and "several fatalities" in the middle east and issues a recall, after all. As to who should pay for it, Ford notes: "Firestone ...adamantly opposed sharing any cost, as they allege the tire is not faulty" and was never designed for hot, high speed, desert driving. Ford concedes the point and pays for the recall.

(VO/tires and crashes)

At the same time, fatalities began to surface in Venezuela...and in the US, critics say a strong pattern of tread separations had emerged and the alleged death toll was growing. But nobody from Ford or Firestone notified the government.

(ATTKISSON)

MORE THAN SIX MILLION TIRES HAVE BEEN RECALLED IN THE US, THE BUT EXACT SAME TIRES RECALLED IN SAUDI ARABIA REMAIN ON THE ROAD HERE WITH FORD AND FIRESTONE INSISTING THEY'RE SAFE...WHILE ADMITTING THEY STILL DON'T KNOW THE ROOT OF ANY THE PROBLEMS AROUND THE WORLD. SHARYL ATTKISSON, CBS NEWS, WASHINGTON(:15)>))

[Plane-Crash]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-33 TC36:33]
[GRAPHIC=Crash Invest.]


Authorities have run some tests, but they may never know if the plane that crashed in Lexington last week was carrying drugs.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lexington/Last Week;]
[TAPE#=00-37 TC20:43]

State Police say the substance found in the wreckage was so badly contaminated with dirt and oil, that a drug test could not identify it. Investigators say the substance filled about an inch of a large plastic bag. Meantime the medical examiner is waiting for test results showing whether the victims had consumed drugs or alcohol before they crashed.
(------------)



[Biology-Book]


[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]


A picture of women's genitals will not appear in a biology textbook in Lynchburg high schools.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg;]

That's because the school board voted to tear out or cover up this picture in the new advanced biology books. They say it's too explicit. But the other diagrams in the book show only internal organs -- not the outer parts of a woman's genitals. Harry Smith was the only school board member who voted AGAINST removing the picture.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:26:37]
[SOT 13:26:42]
[IN Q=At age 17]

((HARRY SMITH/SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER: AT AGE 17 AND 18 BUTT BUTT BUTT I THINK THEY ARE OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW. IN FACT I TALKED TO MY DOCTOR EARLIER THIS MORNING AND HE THINKS IT'S A SHAME YOUNG PEOPLE WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO SEE THESE PICTURES.))
[SUPER=01-Harry Smith/School Board;]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=these pictures]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

200 of the textbooks are scheduled to arrive next month.
(------------)



[Corporal-Punishment]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=00-36 TC16:30]
[GRAPHIC=Mark Earley]


Virginia's Attorney General voiced his concerns about the state's proposed new foster care regulations.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


The new regulations would allow foster parents to hit children and use other forms of physical discipline, as long as they are "not abusive."
Mark Earley says he doesn't oppose that wording from a legal standpoint.
[SUPER=03-Richmond;]


But as a former foster parent himself, he thinks it's a bad idea.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 12:49:15 ]
[IN Q=Because a]

((MARK EARLEY/VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE CHILDREN ARE COMING FROM ABUSED ENVIRONMENTS TO BEGIN WITH. AND AS A FOSTER PARENT, YOU HAVE VERY LITTLE INFORMATION SOMETIMES ABOUT WHAT THEIR BACKGROUND IS, BECAUSE IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO KNOW. AND SO I THINK WITH THESE KIDS, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ERR ON THE SIDE OF WORKING WITH THEM WITHOUT CORPORAL PUNISHMENT BECAUSE OF WHAT A LOT OF THEM HAVE BEEN THROUGH. THEY NEED A LOT OF LOVE, AND A LOT OF NURTURE, AND A LOT OF CARE -- A LOT OF POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT.))
[SUPER=@Earley;]
[RUNS=:25]
[OUT Q=positive reinforcement.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


The spanking rules were suspended after intense public criticism.
The state social services board is taking public comment until September 13th.
The board is expected to vote on the rules again in October.
(------------)



[Cuomo]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-25 TC1:27:06]
[GRAPHIC=None]



A top Clinton cabinet member says The Blacksburg Electronic Village is a model of the future.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]


During a visit yesterday, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Andrew Cuomo said Blacksburg is at the forefront of Internet technology.
He came to learn how the town of 36-thousand became the most wired community in the nation.
Cuomo says he wants to use Blacksburg as a national model for getting other communities, including poor and rural areas, online.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:10:50 - 16:11:00]
[IN Q=We know we're]

((ANDREW CUOMO/HUD SECRETARY: WE KNOW WE'RE NOW MOVING TO THIS HIGH-SPEED INTERNET ECONOMY. GOOD. NOW, WHAT DOES IT MEAN, HOW DO WE DO IT, HOW DO WE DO IT WELL? AND BLACKSBURG IS A GREAT MODEL OF THAT.))
[SUPER=01-Andrew Cuomo/Sec. of Housing and Urban Devel.;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=great model of that.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


The Blacksburg Electronic Village started in 1991 as a joint effort between Virginia Tech and the town government.
It made the Internet available to all citizens.
The town estimates that last year, 87-percent of them used the Internet regularly.
(------------)



[Snow-Removal]


[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mce]
[TAPE#=00-30 TC1:21:44]
[GRAPHIC=None]

[**NOTE ANCHOR TAG**]
It's still officially summer, but many people are already thinking about how they will deal with old man winter.
Thousands of people are in Roanoke this week for an international conference on SNOW. The Virginia Department of Transportation is taking part and learning a few things about removing the white stuff. Meredyth Censullo has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Laura Bullock/VDOT; :13]
[SUPER=01-Chip Nottingham/Commissioner of Transportation; 1:08]
[SUPER=@Meredyth2; 1:25]
[RUNS=1:35]
[OUT Q=News 7, Roanoke]

(([pan of penguin @ 12:10:47] This little guy is the only one up to his ankles in snow around here ..
[NATS - CHAINS@12:12:22]
But that doesn't mean folks aren't already preparing for old man winter to drop in.

[SOT@12:07:37 - 12:07:49]
[IN Q=In the summer...]

((LAURA BULLOCK/VDOT: IN THE SUMMER WE ORDER OUR CHEMICALS AND MAKE SURE OUR SHEDS ARE FULL OF SALT AND FULL OF ABRASIVE MATERIALS, AND WE LET OUR DRIVERS DO SOME DRY RUNS ON THE ROUTES THEY'LL BE RUNNING THIS WINTER.))
[OUT Q= this winter]

[RUNS12]
V-Dot is getting other ideas on how to be more efficient with falling flakes from 13 other countries. They're hosting this year's International Symposium on Snow Removal and Ice control technology. A long term - for a bunch of snowplows. Not just any plows, though.
[NATS@12:19:36 - 12:19:38] ((IT'S ALL TOUCH CONTROL...)) [RUNS02]

This prototype developed in Minnesota lets it's driver function in white out conditions - thanks to a series of global

positioning systems that map out the road in front, beside, and behind the truck down to a centimeter. That technology won't be on OUR roads this winter - but Virginia already has high-tech equipment on standby ..

[SOT@12:24:53 - 12:24:04]
[IN Q=We're already]

((CHIP NOTTINGHAM/COMMISSIONER OF TRANSPORTATION: WE'RE ALREADY USING GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS AROUND THE STATE WHICH ALLOW US TO KEEP TRACK OF SNOWPLOWS AND TRUCKS SO WHEN CITIZENS CALL AND SAY, "HEY, WHEN ARE YOU GONNA GET TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD?" WE CAN TELL THEM THAT.))
[OUT Q=tell them that.]

[RUNS10]
So, months before Mother Nature unleashes her fury, the trucks are poised to hit the roads - and VDOT continues to research ways they can make your commute easier. Even if THIS is the only snow around here. Meredyth Censullo, News7, Roanoke.))
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The conference is also giving VDOT the chance to show off Virginia's "Smart Road."

[Houston-Smog]


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


Move over Los Angeles-- Houston is the new SMOG capital of the U-S.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Houston, TX;]


The view is clouded around Houston, Texas.
A combination of wildfires in the Lone Star State and crop burning in Louisiana has left the city with unhealthy levels of smoke particles.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=KIMBERLY]
[GRAPHIC=none]

NINTH straight day. The "Houston Chronicle" says the city recorded an ozone level yesterday above the national health standard for the
by SS