WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 09/21/00

[1-News-Head]

[TALENT=Keith]

A traffic accident cuts a car in two, killing at least one person on I-81.
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[VO-NAT]

Also coming up on NEWS 7: we'll tell you why they call this boat the Royal Flush.
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[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Tonight on News 7 sports, the Virginia high school league passes judgement in the redistricting and reclassification vote. It's time to preview week five of Friday Football Extra.
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[VO-NAT]
Plus, Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer was at the White House helping support some legisilation to help america's youth.
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[WX-Head]
[TALENT=Robin]
[SS=None]

Your weekend plans may get a bit wet we're watching tropical storm Helene next.

[Video-Open]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=Video Open]
[GRAPHIC=News7at6]
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[VO-NAT]

A fatal accident on Interstate 81, as a tractor-trailer splits a car in two.
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
Good evening, I'm Keith Humphry.

[81-Ax]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#00-33 TC49:45]
[GRAPHIC=81 Deadly Accident]

The wreckage has southbound traffic on 81 backed up near Buchanan.
(XXXXXXXXX)
[Graphic Map]
The truck and car collided near milepost 164 ... between route 11 and the James River.
[Double Boxes=Keith and Kate/Starlink]

That's where Kate Weidaw is tonight.
[Live=Kate Full/Starlink]
[SUPER=@Kate1;]
[SUPER=06-Botetourt Co.;]
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[***ROLLED FROM STARLINK***]
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.;]
[RUNS=:00]
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[Live=Kate Full/Starlink]
[SUPER=06-Botetourt Co.;]
( ad lib)

[Double Boxes=Keith and Kate/Starlink]

[Plane-Crash]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-26 TC1:50:03]
[GRAPHIC=Crash Invest.]
A report from the National Transportation Safety Board says the plane that crashed in downtown Lexington last month plunged more than three thousand feet in about twenty seconds.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lexington/August 31;]
The N-T-S-B says eight minutes before the crash, the pilot radioed the Roanoke Airport Air Control Tower to say his plane was losing altitude. Witnesses say the plane spiraled downward and came apart in mid-air. They say the wing fell off first. The front section of the plane, including its engine and the propeller, was buried in the sidewalk.
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=HOLD]
The medical examiner says neither the pilot nor his passenger had alcohol or illegal drugs in their systems when they died. The N-T-S-B does not expect to determine a cause for the crash until next year.
(XXXXXXXX)
[TAKE FULL SCREEN BOARD] For the full report you can visit the webwatch section of our website at www.wdbj7.com.
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[Airport-Tower]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=00-34 TC36:12]
[GRAPHIC=Roanoke Regional Airport]

The Roanoke City Planning Commission has approved construction of a new air traffic control tower at the Roanoke Regional Airport.
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[VO-NAT]

The new tower will stand almost 200 feet tall, the equivalent of a 15- story building with antennas on top.
The Federal Aviation Administration is funding the eight and a half million dollar project, and Airport Director Jaqueline Shuck (SHUHK) says the new facility represents a significant step forward.
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[SOT 10:30]
[IN Q=The old facility is currently located]
((THE OLD FACILITY IS CURRENTLY LOCATED IN A POSITION THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR SOME OF THE AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS. IT'S A LITTLE TOO CLOSE TO THE RUNWAY AND IT'S ACTUALLY GETTING PRETTY OLD. SO WHAT THIS DOES IS GIVE US THIS NEXT STAGE IN OUR DEVELOPMENT. IT WILL GIVE THEM A TERRIFIC VIEW OF THE WHOLE AIRFIELD AND THAT'S ALWAYS A SAFER THING TO HAVE.))
[SUPER=01-Jacqueline Shuck/Roanoke Regional Airport]
[RUNS=:22]
[OUT Q=always a safer thing to have.]
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[ANCHOR=Keith]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

Construction should begin in February and the new tower could be ready for service in early 2003.

[Crown-Jobs]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=00-35 TC33:19]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Getting laid off from a job is never a pleasant experience, but 150 Lynchburg employees may not be out of work for long.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Last week, Crown Simplimatic laid off more than half its workforce, three months after the company filed for bankruptcy protection.
The news came as a shock to most of the workers.. but Lynchburg's low unemployment rate means there are plenty of other businesses looking for people.
About 30 of them were on display at a job fair today for Crown employees.
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[SOT 13:40:42//14:00:29]
[IN Q=It's a good]
((VICKIE TYREE/ERICSSON: IT'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO HELP CROWN- SIMPLIMATIC EMPLOYEES TO FIND OPENINGS AND MAYBE THERE'S A GOOD FIT FOR EVERYBODY.)) ((CONNIE STANEK/SOCIETY OF H.R. MANAGERS: IT IS BAD NEWS FOR LYNCHBURG ECONOMICALLY, BUT WE KNOW WE CAN HELP THIS SKILLED WORKFORCE FIND NEW POSITIONS.))
[SUPER=01-Vickie Tyree/Ericsson; :00]
[SUPER=01-Connie Stanek/Society of H. R. Managers; :09]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=find new positions.]
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[VO-NAT]

Lynchburg's unemployment rate is now less than two percent.
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[Armed-Robbery]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=ejo]
[TAPE#=00-29 TC1:41:15]
[GRAPHIC=none]

An armed robbery in Danville today ... at a flower shop.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville]

Police say a man brought a gun into the Dan Valley Florist late this morning, demanded money, and got it.
Officers arrested 36 year old James Garnell Mosby less than an hour later at an apartment complex. He's charged with armed robbery.
Police say they recovered the money.
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[Pumpout-Boat]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-28 TC1:42:19]
[GRAPHIC=Smith Mt. Lake]
Smith Mountain Lake residents want federal authorities to charge people with a crime when they dump sewage in the lake. In the meantime, they've paid thousands of dollars for a pumpout boat. Tina Tenret shows us how this might keep the lake clean and business booming.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=Smith Mountain Lake]
[SUPER=03-Smith Mountain Lake;]
[SUPER=@Tina1;]
[SUPER=01-Bill Telford/Smith Mtn. Lake Assoc.;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=Tina Tenret News7 Smith Mountain Lake]
(( Smith Mountain is the only lake in Virginia with its own pumpout boat -- a 38-thousand-dollar traveling sewer system. They call it the Royal Flush.
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[SOT 13:44:02]
[IN Q=Okay this is the pump]
((OKAY THIS IS THE PUMP. ENGINE STARTS.)) [RUNS:07] For five to fifteen dollars -- boaters can empty their toilet tanks into the Royal Flush, rather than dump solid waste into the lake. Volunteers run the pumpout boat.
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[SOT 14:20:23]
[IN Q=ELEVEN MARINAS]
((TINA TENRET/NEWS7: ELEVEN MARINAS ON SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE HAVE THEIR OWN PUMPOUT FACILITIES LIKE THIS ONE, WHICH ARE FREE. BUT THE PUMPOUT BOAT CAN TRAVEL AND REACH BOATERS WHO ARE LAZY OR WHO HAVE THEIR BOATS DOCKED FOR REPAIR.)) [RUNS:11]
[OUT Q=FOR REPAIR]
The Health Department floated 75 percent of the boat's cost. Bedford County and A-E-P pitched in three thousand dollars each. Franklin County refused to contribute, so lake residents spent 11-thousand-dollars of their own money.
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[SOT 13:32:06]
[IN Q=We have]
((BILL TELFORD/SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE ASSOCIATION: WE HAVE SOME PRETTY BIG HOUSEBOATS ON THE LAKE AND THEY CAN STAY OUT FOR A WEEK OR TWO WEEKS AT A TIME. AND WE FEEL IF WE CAN GIVE THEM THE EXTRA SERVICE, IT HELPS THE OVERALL COMMUNITY BECAUSE MOST OF THESE PEOPLE COME FROM OUT OF TOWN. THEY'LL WANT TO COME BACK TO SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE SO IT HELPS THE ECONOMY. IT HELPS BUSINESSES.)) [RUNS:22]
[OUT Q=BUSINESSES]
The pumpout boat comes equipped with a radio and cellular phone so volunteers can call for help when they see boats in need. The new boat will open for tours next spring -- until then, it'll be in storage. Tina Tenret News7 Smith Mountain Lake))

[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=NONE]

George Allen's lead in the Senate race is getting smaller.
We'll have the latest poll results next on News 7.
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[VO-NAT]

And later-- find out why a transfer to Tech this year is nearly impossible.
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[Mason-Dixon]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2000]

Six and and a half weeks before election day, George Allen is ahead by seven points.
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[TAKE PINNACLE PAGE ONE ]
Our latest Mason-Dixon/News 7 poll of likely voters shows Republican Allen with 48 percent over Democrat Chuck Robb's 41 percent support.
Eleven percent are still undecided.
The silver lining for Robb is that he's closed the gap three points over our July poll. [PINNACLE PAGE TWO]
From a regional standpoint, Robb is winning Northern Virginia, 52 to 38 percent.
The candidates are dead even in Hampton Roads, at 43 percent. [PINNACLE PAGE THREE]
But everywhere else in the state, George Allen's on top, including in the Roanoke and Southwest region.
He leads that 54 to 35 percent.
In Lynchburg and Southside, Allen's up ten points over Robb, with a 49-39 split.
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[Senate-Race]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=00-25 TC1:50:56]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

They both might say it's a sign their leadership is helping win the war.
Because crime is down, it is NOT what most Virginia voters will be thinking about as they pick a U-S Senator this fall.
But it's a big block on the resumes of both George Allen and Chuck Robb.
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[VO-NAT]

And it's our latest Thursday night look at the senate race by the issues.
Ellen Qualls takes apart the records and promises on crime.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=Both had]
[SUPER=203-Richmond/January 1994; :22 ]
[SUPER=241-Ellen/Qualls/equalls*wdbj7.com; :37]
[SUPER=201-Sen. Chuck Robb/(D) U.S. Senate Candidate; 1:37 ]
[RUNS=2:18]
[OUT Q=Qualls, News 7.]
(( Both had a really bad day as governor.
Chuck Robb, in 1984, presided over the largest death row escape in U-S history.
George Allen presided over a loaded gun found in a typewriter, just a few paces from the execution chamber.
But Robb's days as governor saw a fairly liberal parole policy, and an increase in violent crime.
[sot 12/20/94]
((GEORGE ALLEN: reign of terror ))
[runs=:]

In 1993 and '94, George Allen rode an electoral mandate, Allen abolished parole and got a "truth in sentencing" bill passed that keeps criminals behind bars longer.
It may be his most enduring legacy as governor-- and has mostly gotten good reviews.
With it came an expensive prison building program that slightly overshot -- leaving some prison beds empty today.
Allen says that's because the crime rate dropped faster than expected with his leadership.
His critics say the drop came nationwide.
As governor, Allen pushed into law measures that treated increasingly violent juvenile offenders more like adults.

But his juvenile prison system didn't keep up -- prompting Justice Department probes after he left office.
Now, as a Senate candidate, Allen is more narrowly focused: on fighting illegal drugs and building a national DNA databank, modeled after Virginia's.
As Senator, Chuck Robb voted to put 100-thousand new police officers on the streets, and is campaigning on adding another 50-thousand.
But what Robb's gotten the most traction on is gun control-- a big issue in the more urban areas.
Jim and Sarah Brady side with Robb.
[sot ak-47 video]
((CHUCK ROBB: I KNOW WHAT AN AK-47 CAN DO.... ))
[runs=: ]

Allen won the scorn of some of his former friends in the gun lobby by saying he'd now vote to continue the assault rifle ban he'd once opposed as toothless.
If you don't what works and what doesn't, and just take it by the numbers, the year Chuck Robb left the governor's office, the violent crime rate per 100 thousand Virginians was 306.
The rate when Allen left office was slightly higher, at 325.
Ellen Qualls, News 7.))

[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]

Another mixed day on Wall Street, this time the DOW came out on top. [TAKE DOW, NASDAQ & BLOOMBERG PAGE ]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5102;]
[SUPER=430-x/77.60/10765.52/y/68.56/3828.88/y/1.51/115.86;]

It gained 78 points, NASDAQ dropped 69.
The Bloomberg News 7 Index fell a point and a half.
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[VO]
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[Tech-Transfer]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=500-18 TC49:48]
[GRAPHIC=Virginia Tech]

Students hoping to transfer to Virginia Tech this spring, be warned: There's no room for you this year.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]

The university is turning away all spring applicants because of a larger-than-expected freshman class ...
Tech had 430 more first year students than it hoped to accommodate... even though officials say it's getting more selective.
And more students are STAYING, which means NO spots for transfers.
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[SOT 16:19:36 - :49]
[IN Q=It's really all]
((LARRY HINCKER/UNIVERSITY RELATIONS DIRECTOR: THINGS ARE GETTING TIGHT AROUND HERE. AND BECAUSE RETENTION HAS BEEN UP AND ENROLLMENT HAS BEEN HIGHER THAN WE'D HOPE TO HAVE IT BE, WE JUST HAD TO TIGHTEN IT BACK AND NOT ALLOW TRANSFER STUDENTS IN THE SPRING SEMESTER OF THIS YEAR.))
[SUPER=01-Larry Hincker/University Relations Director;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=of this year.]
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[VO-NAT]

About 15 percent of Tech's students transfer there from other colleges.
Tech's total enrollment is 600 over its target of 25-thousand for the third consecutive year.
University officials say it's the product of a boom in the number of Virginia high school graduates.
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[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up tonight on News 7 sports, Frank Beamer meets with the President at the White House. The VHSL vote is in and Pulaski County is the big winner.
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[VO-NAT]
And we'll preview week five of Friday Football Extra - with unbeaten Cave Spring in the spotlight.
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[S-VHSL]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-73 13648tc]
[GRAPHIC=VHSL]

The Virginia High School League's executive committee took action today on Redistricting and Reclassification situation that has dominated the high school landscape for the past few months.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Charlottesville; :00]
The committee met all day yesterday and again this morning and in all there were few surprises. Both E.C. Glass and Halifax County high schools were denied in their requests to play down and join the Seminole district. Patrick Henry and Cave Spring also were both denied their request to play down in classification and become members of the Blue Ridge. That means starting with the next school year the Roanoke Valley and Western districts will merge to become the Western Valley district. The six member schools will include Cave, PH, Franklin County,Glass, GW Danville and Halifax. Rockbridge County was one of the big winners. The Wildcats asked to be moved out of the Blue Ridge district and into the Valley district. Rockbridge's request was granted. But the biggest winner of all was Pulaski County. The executive committee voted to place the Cougars in Blue Ridge district and not the Southwest starting next school year.
[SUPER=04-Hometown Hoops Weekly; ]
As far as aligning the girls' sports season at the same time of the year by moving single a and double a girls' basketball to the winter, the committee did not vote, and instead urged the league's lawyers to pursue maintaining the current situation.
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[S-FFE]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=sp-70 13217tc]
[GRAPHIC=ffe]

For many teams in the area, tomorrow night signals the midway point of the high school football season. And you can bet the stars will be shining brightly in the Star City.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=AMONG OTHER THINGS]
[SUPER=@mike1; :02]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./Last Friday; :17]
[SUPER=01-Jacob Lewis/Cave Spring Quarterback; :31]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :55]
[SUPER=01-Ben Foutz/Cave Spring Head Coach; 1:01]
[RUNS=2:00]
[OUT Q=...1-800-777-WDBJ."]
((MIKE STEVENS:)) ((JACOB LEWIS/CAVE SPRING QUARTERBACK:)) ((Lewis has been a big part of the Knights' success, but the real pat on the back needs to go to Tiki and Ronde Barber - who provided the funds to furnish the Knights' new weight room in the off-season.)) ((BEN FOUTZ:)) ((MIKE STEVENS:))

[S-UVa]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-68 1:40:34]
[GRAPHIC=ACC]

Virginia faces 11th ranked Clemson Saturday in Charlottesville. Steve Mason has more on how the play of both offenses will be key in this ACC Clash.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=first audio]
[SUPER=04-ACC; :00]
[SUPER=01-Ahmad Hawkins/UVa Senior Cornerback; :07]
[SUPER=@Steve1; :19]
[SUPER=01-George Welsh/5-4-1 vs. Clemson in the 90's; :28]
[RUNS=:57]
[OUT Q=in sports"]
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((Clemson's Woody Dantzler leads the ACC in rushing and is one of only two signal callers without an interception. ((:))
While the Cavaliers are second in the conference in rushing, over half of the 496 yards on the ground came in the first game of the season against BYU. ((:)) ((:))
800 tickets remained for the 3:30 game as of Thursday morning. Steve Mason news 7 sports.))

[S-Beamer]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-77 ]
[GRAPHIC=TECH FOOTBALL]

The Hokies are off this weekend, but their head coach was
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC; :00]
running with some mighty fast company today. Frank Beamer was invited to the White House by President Clinton this morning to lend his name and influence to the passage of the conservation and reinvestment act.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=FRANK BEAMER...]
[RUNS=09]
[OUT Q=...this year."]
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[VO-NAT con't]
The bill will help build parks and playing fields throughout the nation. Beamer joined a diverse group that included Gaylord Perry and Jack Hanna. The bill has house approval and it's now in the senate. (------------)