WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 10/05/00

[1-News-Head]

[TALENT=Keith]

(------------)
[V/O-NAT]
A plan to close five fire stations in Roanoke.
We'll show you which ones are scheduled to be shut down.
(------------)
[TALENT=Keith]

Also coming up on NEWS 7 at SIX:
A One Source Communications V-P pledges to make customers happy.

[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Roy]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=Sports-Head]
[GRAPHIC=None]

In sports, Ronde Barber talks about his N-F-L season We'll preview week seven of Friday Football Extra.
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[VO-NAT]

And Cave Spring basketball star J. J. Redick has committed to play his college basketball at Duke.
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[WX-Head]
[TALENT=Robin]
[SS=None]

Lots of talk about the weekend weather. That's what happens when the forecast calls for a 40 degree temperature swing. More details coming up.

[Video-Open]

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

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[V/O-NAT]
The city fire department intends to close five fire stations in Roanoke... including old Number One on Church Avenue.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
Good evening, I'm Keith Humphry.

[Fire-Plan]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=00-40 TC19:43]
[GRAPHIC=Roanoke Fire Stations]

Though five stations would close, two new ones would be built to take their place.
So the net change would reduce the number of station houses in the city by three.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
[RUNS=1:25]
[OUT Q=reduction in personnel.]
(( Old Number one is so obsolete, it's not always fully manned. Station One generally houses only one ladder truck, though it was out on a training run this afternoon.
The century- old station was built to house horse-drawn fire wagons. It's a Nationally Registered Historic Landmark. Number one would literally become a museum, leased to the Julian Wise Foundation.
The plan is to close it, along with station three on Sixth Street, Southwest, a block below the Jefferson Center.
The two downtown stations would be replaced by a new one in the vicinity of Jefferson and Elm.
It would also house the Fire Administration offices.
Chief Jim Grigsby has already informed members of his department of the changes. He plans to start briefing members of City Council next week.
In the Northwest sector of the city, station Five on 12th Street, Northwest would close, along with Station Nine at 24th and Melrose. Here again these two stations would be eliminated, but replaced by a new fire house somewhere in the vicinity of 19th and Orange. The chief has said he has a site in mind but that additional property would have to be acquired.
Station 12 on Salem Turnpike would be closed, replaced by the new fire house that just opened this year on Peters Creek Road.
Chief Grigsby was unavailable today, but Battalion Chief Audie Ferris said the station closings would save the city 800-thousand dollars in maintenance costs.
The plan does NOT call for any reduction in personnel.))

[One-Source]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#00-37 TC39:14]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The vice president of One Source says he never meant to leave his four-thousand customers high and dry when he suddenly locked the company's doors last week. He says One Source is going out of business but will stay open an extra week to help people.
[Double Boxes=Keith and Tina/Newsroom]
Tina Tenret has being following this story and she's here with the latest.
[Live=Tina Full/Newsroom]
[SUPER=@Tina1;]
Keith, hundreds of people lost their long distance service last week with no warning. When we went by One Source, the doors were always locked, and the vice president refused to talk on camera. Today, he changed his mind.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Mark Rhodes]
[SUPER=01-Mark Rhodes/One Source Vice President; :10]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :20]
[RUNS=1:08]
[OUT Q=believe me]
(( Mark Rhodes promises the One Source office on Electric Road will be open through next week between nine and five -- even though the owners are dumping One Source to start a new high speed data service.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 9:40:27]
[IN Q=Before we]
((MARK RHODES/ONE SOURCE: BEFORE WE GET INTO INFONET AND REALLY LAUNCH A PRODUCT AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT, BEFORE WE DO THAT, WE ARE GOING TO RESOLVE THESE ISSUES. WE'RE GOING TO GET ALL THESE CUSTOMERS HAPPY.)) [RUNS:09]
[OUT Q=HAPPY]
One Source bought long distance minutes from Qwest and resold them. Rhodes doesn't know if One Source stopped paying the bills -- but says regardless, he never expected Qwest to cut off customers' long distance.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 9:31:32]
[IN Q=We did]
((RHODES: WE DID NOT TURN PEOPLE OFF. THAT'S A BIG PITFALL IN THE REBILLING BUSINESS. THESE BIG CARRIERS, AND THEY'RE VERY LARGE, MADE DECISIONS WITHOUT CONSULTING US, NOTIFYING US, SENDING US A LETTER, AND THEY JUST DO IT.)) [RUN:14]
[OUT Q=JUST DO IT]
He says customers' pagers and cell phones should still work -- and that the company will pay debts to the Salem Avalanche, for example, for billboards and box seats.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 9:23:44]
[IN Q=We have absolutely]
((RHODES: WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO INTENTION OF BANKRUPTING. ALL OUR CREDITORS WILL BE PAID. WE WANT TO GET THAT DONE AS EXPEDITIOUSLY AS POSSIBLE, BELIEVE ME.)) [RUNS:10]
[OUT Q=BELIEVE ME]))
(-------------)
[Live=Tina Full/Newsroom]
Rhodes says 57 customers left messages for him one day last week -- and the Better Business Bureau says they've gotten an unusually high number of questions about One Source.
[Double Boxes=Keith and Tina/Newsroom]
But no one filed a formal complaint.

[Road-funding]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=00-36 TC51:29]
[GRAPHIC=Highway Improvements]

V-Dot now has its first request for a ramp connecting Route 220 to the new biomedical center....
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

At a public hearing today a Chamber of Commerce representative approached V-DOT about the ramp.
Roanoke's city manager has shown tentative plans for one, but this was the first time anyone has ever suggested a new ramp to the transportation board.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I think it's]
((STEVE CHAPMIN/ROANOKE CHAMBER: I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR NOT ONLY DEVELOPMENT IN THE DOWN TOWN AREA, BUT FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ENTIRE REGION IN THE ROANOKE VALLEY.))
[SUPER=01-Steve Chapmin/Roanoke Chamber]
[RUNS=09]
[OUT Q=the Roanoke Valley.]
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[VO-NAT]

V-DOT told News 7 last month it would avoid construction of a ramp, because it may run through what the city believed was a contaminated scrap yard.
A preliminary state analysis showed no signs of contamination.
V-DOT says it will now examine the possibility of a new ramp.
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[Cochran]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6p]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=00-27 TC1:40:16]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

A man charged with killing two elderly sisters in Galax will spend the rest of his life in prison.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Galax/November 1999;]

John D. Cochran pled guilty today to murder and arson in the deaths of Ila and Inez Edwards.
The bodies of the two women that Cochran had known for several years were found in their burning home last year.
Cochran admitted beating both of them on the head, killing them, and then setting the house on fire.
He got three life sentences, including life without parole.
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[Pulaski-Doctor]

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

A Pulaski doctor has been charged with molesting a 17-year-old girl.
William G. Clowdis, Junior was arrested yesterday on three misdemeanor counts: assault and battery, sexual battery, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The girl says the offenses took place on two occasions in July, when she was babysitting at the doctor's home.
An attorney for Clowdis says the o-b- -g-y-n denies the allegations and "expects to be fully exonerated."

[Infant-Mortality]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=00-29 TC1:57:56]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Even as its infant mortality rate continues to drop, black babies in Lynchburg are still twice as likely to die before their first birthday as white babies.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

That's a statistic the March of Dimes wants to do something about.
Officials today announced a 300- thousand dollar grant that will fund the "Community Voice Project" for the next three years.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:19:25]
[IN Q=The Community]
((ANN SCOTT/COMMUNITY VOICE PROJECT MANAGER: THE COMMUNITY VOICE PROJECT IS AN ASSET- BASED COMMUNITY EMPOWERING PROGRAM WHICH WILL RAISE AWARENESS OF THIS TRAGEDY AND SOME OF THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. COMMUNITY VOICE WILL RECRUIT AND TRAIN LAY HEALTH ADVISORS IN THE AREAS OF BASIC PERINATAL HEALTH.))
[SUPER=01-Ann Scott/Community Voice Project;]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=basic perinatal health.]
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[VO-NAT]

Once they're hired, the health advisors will work with pregnant African- American women on health issues such as prenatal care, nutrition and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
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[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=NONE]

Rising fuel costs force Norfolk Southern to raise its rates.
That could soon trickle down to everday consumers.
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[VO-NAT]

And a local teacher gets a 25-thousand dollar surprise.
Find out why later on the NEWS 7.
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[Senate-Race]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=00-32 TC1:11:55]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2000]

Being a U-S Senator from Virginia means needing to know and care about all things military.
Chuck Robb and George Allen both say they do.
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[VO-NAT]

A look at their credentials and positions on defense is the subject of our latest look at the Senate race by the issues.
Ellen Qualls reports.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Chuck Robb's]
[SUPER=201-Chuck Robb/(D) U. S. Senate Candidate; 1:29]
[SUPER=201-George Allen/(R) U. S. Senate Candidate; 1:42]
[SUPER=220-Ellen/Qualls; 2:03]
[RUNS=2:23]
[OUT Q=Qualls, News 7.]
(( Chuck Robb's military career covers 34 years in both the active and reserve service.
He was first in his class at Marine Corps Officer Basic School.
He was a military social aide at the White House, where he met and married the President's daughter.
Just three months later, Robb was headed into combat, commanding a rifle company in Vietnam.
He was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star... and today calls his combat time "the defining experience" of his life, where two men "literally" died in his arms.
Those claims have recently been challenged by some veterans of his company, although the ringleader of that effort has been a Republican candidate for Congress in California.
Robb is one of only 17 incumbent Senators to be endorsed this year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars PAC for his work on veteran's issues.
He is the only member of the U-S Senate to ever serve simultaneously on all three national security committees.
Both Robb and Allen have supported more defense spending, for equipment as well as pay and benefits for military personnel and veterans.
As a congressman, George Allen had a chance to cast such votes.
As governor, Allen fought to keep military bases open in Virginia, actually ending his term with a net gain in military jobs.
Never having served in the military, Allen's role as a commander has largely been efforts to back and boost morale among veterans and Virginia National Guard troops, even visiting the Guard in Bosnia.
The only military issue they've touched on in recent debates is the proposed national missile defense system.
[sot fairfax debate two 13;52:43]
((SEN. CHUCK ROBB: I'M WILLING TO CONTINUE EXPERIMENTATION, RESEARCH, AND DEVELOPMENT. I AM NOT WILLING TO DEPLOY A PIG IN A POKE AGAIN THAT COULD DIVERT ENORMOUS RESOURCES FROM A MILITARY THAT IS ALREADY SIGNIFICANTLY IN NEED.)) [runs:13]

[sot fairfax debate two 13:54:26]
((GEORGE ALLEN: IT NEEDS TO BE A MULTI-FACETED APPROACH. NOT JUST A LAND-BASED, BUT ALSO AN AIR-BASED AND SEA-BASED.
I THINK THE GREATEST POTENTIAL IS PUTTING THE MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM ONTO THE AEGIS CLASS SHIPS.)) [runs:12 ]
The Allen campaign is critical of Robb for having voted against fellow Virginian and Senate Armed Services Chairman John Warner 27 times.
The Robb campaign says most of those were on smaller defense issues, and that on the actual defense budgets, the only time in 24 votes Robb and Warner disagreed was on the 1999 appropriations bill -- where Robb and John McCain both protested six billion dollars of what they called pork being piled onto the bill.
Ellen Qualls, News 7.))

[NS-surcharge]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=00-43 TC03:39]
[GRAPHIC=Norfolk Southern]

Norfolk Southern is adding a surcharge to customer bills.
That's because the railroad is feeling the heat of rising fuel costs.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.]

General Shale and Brick is a customer of N-S. Manager Corky Clifton says a two percent increase in fuel charges is bad for future home builders.
Clifton says General Shale and Brick will have to adjust brick prices next year after evaluating its losses.
Norfolk Southern is passing on the two percent surcharge beginning next Monday.
N-S says surcharges will increase if fuel prices continue to go up.
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[Stocks]

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

Stocks ended mostly lower in a choppy trading session. [TAKE DOW, NASDAQ & BLOOMBERG PAGE ]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5102;]
[SUPER=430-y/60.30/10724.18/y/51.44/3471.66/y/0.58/117.27;]

The DOW lost 60 points, NASDAQ dropped 51.
The Bloomberg News 7 Index fell about two-thirds of a point.
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[VO]
[SUPER=431-i1f/36f/id/28d/h1a/53d/ib/22!/ha/3@;]
[SUPER=432-i1*/51/i1b/32g/h#/43#/hd/59g/h1d/41b;]
[SUPER=433-he/21d/if/13r/ib/21/ic/30$/i!/9&;]
[SUPER=434-i1b/49e/h2#/59%/h2d/51d/i$/56r/i!/46!;]

[Soulforce-House]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=00-31 TC1:06:44]
[GRAPHIC=None]

One year after their historic meeting with the Reverend Jerry Falwell, dozens of gay activists are back in Lynchburg, donating their time to a good cause.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

About 50 volunteers from the group Soul-force are spending a week in the Hill City building a house with Habitat for Humanity.
Many of them attended last fall's anti- violence conference, an event that changed their opinion of Falwell and Lynchburg.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:35:08]
[IN Q=I think that]
((DIANN WESTBROOK/SOULFORCE VOLUNTEER: I THINK THAT SOME PEOPLE DID COME TO LYNCHBURG LAST YEAR WITH SOME TREPIDATION BECAUSE OF THE REPUTATION THAT LYNCHBURG DOES HAVE BECAUSE OF JERRY FALWELL. BUT THEY FOUND IT, AS I SAID, TO BE A WONDERFULLY WELCOMING PLACE AND MANY OF US ARE RETURNING TO LYNCHBURG HAVING BEEN ONE OF THE 200 LAST YEAR.))
[SUPER=01-Diann Westbrook/Soulfource Volunteer;]
[RUNS=21]
[OUT Q=200 last year.]
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[VO-NAT]

Soul-force is dedicating its construction efforts this week to the memory of Danny Overstreet, a victim of last month's shooting at a gay bar in Roanoke.
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[Milken-Award]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=00-35 TC44:13]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A teacher in Roanoke got quite a surprise this afternoon.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Wade Whitehead, a third grade teacher at Crystal Spring Elementary School, was awarded the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award.
The 25-thousand dollar award includes an all expense paid trip to the National Educator Awards Conference in Los Angeles.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 21:25]
[IN Q=I just]
((WADE WHITEHEAD/TEACHER AWARDED: I JUST WISH THERE WERE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHERS TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR WHAT THEY DO AND I'M REALLY PART OF A TEAM HERE.))
[SUPER=01-Wade Whitehead/Teacher Awarded]
[RUNS=9]
[OUT Q=team here.]
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[VO-NAT]

Whitehead is one of 150 teachers across the country given this award.
During his acceptance speech he thanked the foundation and reminded his class about their test tomorrow.
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[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Roy]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=Sports Tease]
[GRAPHIC=None]

And coming up in Sports, It's week seven of Friday Football Extra we'll have a report from Mike Stevens.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

And Steve Mason caught up with Ronde Barber in Landover this weekend after the Bucs lost to the Redskins.
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[S-Redick]

[ANCHOR=Roy]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-77 1:16:58]
[GRAPHIC=J.J. Redick]
Cave Spring basketball star J.J. Redick officially announced his intentions to play college basketball at Duke today
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.; :00]

With his parents and coach by his side, the junior became the earliest commitment in Duke history.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="I]
((J.J. REDICK/MAKES ORAL COMMITMENT TO DUKE:)) ((BILLY HICKS/CAVE SPRING HEAD BASKETBALL COACH:))
[SUPER=01-J.J. Redick/Makes Oral Commitment to Duke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Billy Hicks/Cave Spring Head Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:26]
[OUT Q=.....basketball team"]
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[VO-NAT]
Because J.J. has not taken the SAT's yet, Duke cannot offer him a scholarship, but coach Mike Krzyzewski gave J.J. his word that if he should suffer an injury Duke would still honor it's commitment to him.
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[S-FFE]

[ANCHOR=Roy]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-70 14141tc]
[GRAPHIC=FFE]

The high school football season is now headed down the backstretch. Here's Mike Stevens will a look at tomorrow night's action on Friday Football Extra.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=AS WE GET SET....]
[SUPER=@mike1; :00]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./September 22; :27]
[SUPER=01-Jim Hickam/201 Career Wins; :37]
[RUNS=1:30]
[OUT Q=...NEWS 7 SPORTS."]
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[S-Ronde]

[ANCHOR=Roy]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-76 1:15:16]
[GRAPHIC=Ronde Barber]
Former Cave Spring and UVa cornerback Ronde Barber is having a great season. Steve Mason has more on the Tampa Bay Buccaneer fourth year player.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=first audio]
[SUPER=03-Landover, MD/Sunday; :00]
[SUPER=03-Tampa Bay, FL/Bears vs. Buccaneers; :09]
[SUPER=01-Ronde Barber/3 and a Half Sacks This Season; :17]
[SUPER=@Steve1; :34]
[RUNS=1:34]
[OUT Q=News 7 sports"]
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((Ronde Barber has a lot to smile about, through five games, his 21 tackles puts him on track to lead the Bucs secondary in tackles for a second straight season. His play against the Chicago Bears proved he's a play maker as he scored the first of his two touchdowns so far this season. ((:)) ((:)) ((:)) Why leave when you play for the league's sixth rated defense. Ronde's D-Line has 22 sacks, tops in the league. But he came into the Redskins game with a bruised thigh and had x-rays after the game on his right arm, which is bruised. However, he feels nothing will keep him from a big pay day. ((:)) Ronde and his Bucs receive their biggest test of the season October ninth against Randy Moss, Chris Carter and the 4 an d OH Minnesota Vikings. Steve Mason News 7 sports. ))