WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 10/31/00

[1-News-Head]

[TALENT=Keith]

(------------)
[V/O-NAT]
Three Danville police officers are among those indicted in a pyramid scheme.
(------------)
[TALENT=Keith]

Also on NEWS 7 at SIX tonight, news from the campaign trail includes a noose and a battle flag on one side and a Senior Senator on the other.

[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

In sports, Mike Stevens will have tonight's sportscast live from Blacksburg as
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Dave Meyer takes over the controls of the Virginia Tech Hokies.
(------------)

[WX-Head]
[TALENT=Robin]
[SS=None]

Our prospects for rain? Not a ghostly chance as the wicked high pressure system refuses to leave. A tricky forecast just ahead.

[Pyramid-Scheme]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=00-42 TC23:27]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 at Six]

Good evening, I'm Keith Humphry.
Three Danville police officers are under arrest for their alleged involvement in a complicated money making scheme.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville;]

Danville police chief Neal Morris announced the arrests this afternoon.
At least ten other people have also been charged.
They're accused of taking part in a pyramid scheme called "The Winners' Team".
Pyramid schemes allow participants to earn money by recruiting more people to play... not by selling goods or services.
The investigation began in February.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=There's a lot]
((NEAL MORRIS/DANVILLE POLICE CHIEF: THERE'S A LOT OF WORK WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND TRY TO GET THE JURISDICTION STRAIGHT, SO NO ONE DRAGGED THEIR FEET, IT PROCEEDED ALONG AS QUICKLY AS WE COULD DOING A THOROUGH JOB AT THE SAME TIME.))
[SUPER=01-Neal Morris/Danville Police Chief;]
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=same time.]
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[VO-NAT]

Chief Morris says officers Samanthia Luck, Samuel Bray and Matthew Walker have been placed on administrative leave.

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[Blacks-Robb]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=00-35 TC1:13:28]
[SS=Campaign 2000]

Election Day is one week away.
And sparks are flying.
[GRAPHIC=Geroge Allen]

As a lawyer in Charlottesville, George Allen had a noose hanging in his office.
He had a Confederate flag hanging with a flag collection in his cabin.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=203-Richmond]

Virginia's Legislative Black Caucus rallied around his opponent today, reminding voters of those issues, and that Allen enacted Confederate History Month without mentioning slavery.
This month, Allen's Senate campaign labeled the N-double-A-C-P an extremist, fringe group.
His campaign manager later retracted the characterization, and said Robb was stooping to playing the race card.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 15:20:02]
[IN Q=It always]
((IT ALWAYS STARTS OFF WITH AN ACCUSATION... THERE'S BOTH AN ATTITUDE PROBLEM HERE AS WELL AS A DISTINCT PROBLEM WITH FACTUAL ACCURACY.))
[SOT 15:33:37]
((I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT A NOOSE. I DO KNOW ... SQUALID CONDITIONS.))
[SUPER=201-Chuck Robb/U. S. Senate Candidate; :00]
[SUPER=201-Del. Paul Harris/(R) Allen 2000 Co-Chairman; :30]
[RUNS=:59]
[OUT Q=squalid conditions.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Paul Harris is the state legislature's only black Republican.
He is NOT a member of the Legislative Black Caucus.
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[Allen]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=00-34 TC1:21:53]
[GRAPHIC=Chuck Robb]

Re-electing Chuck Robb will cancel out Virginia's other U-S Senator's vote as often as half the time.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=203-Richmond]

That's the point Republicans George Allen and Senator John Warner are making around the state today.
Warner calculates that Robb has voted against him 17- hundred times since 1989.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 11:12:54]
((GEORGE ALLEN/R-U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: MY OPPONENT SEEMS TO FLAUNT THE FACT THAT HE VOTES SO OFTEN CONTRARY TO THE VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF VIRGINIA. AND INDEED, IT'S NOT JUST YOU'RE SAYING YES, YOU DO REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF VIRGINIA. AND YOU'RE PROUD OF IT. AND VIRGINIANS ARE PROUD OF IT.))
[SUPER=201-George Allen/(R) U. S. Senate Candidate;]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=are proud of it.]
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[VO-NAT]

Allen estimates he would vote with Warner 90-percent of the time.
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[Robb-Profile]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=00-46 TC08:52]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

Robb is predicting a "nailbiter" next week, when Virginia voters decide whether he should return to the U-S Senate.
While polls still give Allen the edge, Robb says he's ready to prove them wrong once again.
Last night we profiled the challenger.
Tonight, Joe Dashiell profiles the two-term incumbent.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=NAT SOUND]
[SUPER=203-Washington, DC; :09]
[SUPER=201-Chuck Robb/(D) U. S. Senate Candidate; :15]
[SUPER=240-Joe/Dashiell/jdashiell*wdbj7.com; 1:45]
[RUNS=3:00]
[OUT Q=JD News 7 Washington]
(([OPENS W/NAT SOUND OF CHUCK ON PHONE]
Ten days out, and Chuck Robb was in his Washington Office, not on the campaign trail. With no indication when the Senate's Republican leadership would decide to adjourn, his frustration was growing.
[SOT 11:56:09]
[IN Q=Sure it puts me]
((SURE IT PUTS ME IN A VERY TOUGH SPOT, BECAUSE MY OPPONENT CAN GO OUT THERE AND SAY HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOU ANYMORE, HE'S NOT OUT HERE CAMPAIGNING, WHILE I'M HERE DOING EXACTLY THE THING THAT THE VOTERS ELECTED ME TO DO.))
[RUNS= :09]
[OUT Q=elected me to do.]

Robb's path to elective office began in Arizona, where he lived until his junior year in high school.
A storybook wedding in the White House followed as Robb married Lynda Byrd Johnson, the President's daughter.
But he says it was his service as a Marine Lieutenant in Vietnam, that most influenced his decision to seek public office.
[SOT 12:05:56]
[IN Q=At that point]
((AT THAT POINT ALL OF THE THINGS THAT SEEM MORE IMPORTANT WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE EVERYTHING ON THE LINE TEND TO DISAPPEAR AND YOU GET DOWN TO THE BASICS AND YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT'S IN YOUR GUT, AND YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE WILLING TO FIGHT FOR, AND WHAT YOU'RE WILLING TO DIE FOR.))
[RUNS= :15]
[OUT Q=what you're willing to die for.]

Robb raised a family, ran for Lieutenant Governor, and then won the Governor's office in 1981.
He left Richmond as the state's most popular politician...
But controversy quickly clouded Robb's political future. [NAT SOUND OF ROBB RESPONDING TO CHARGES 87-119]
[IN Q=The only person]
[RUNS= :05]
[OUT Q=has been my bride.]

Roanoke beauty queen Tai Collins claimed she had an affair with Robb.
Opponents exploited allegations he attended parties at Virginia Beach where cocaine was openly used.
And in 1991, members of his staff faced charges in connection with the taping of a cell phone conversation of Governor Doug Wilder .
Still, Robb easily won election to the U-S Senate in 1988 against Maurice Dawkins. And he outlasted Oliver North in a bitter contest six years later. [STAND-UP BRIDGE]
Since he arrived on Capitol Hill, Chuck Robb has earned the reputation of a conservative on money matters, a progressive on many social issues.
But he admits he isn't always in tune with prevailing opinion.
[SOT 12:02:41]
[IN Q=I'm certainly not putting my finger]
((I'M CERTAINLY NOT PUTTING MY FINGER IN THE WIND, AND FINDING OUT WHICH SIDE SEEMS TO BE MORE POPULAR))
[RUNS= :06]
[OUT Q=seems to be more popular.]

This week for example, Robb turned to Sen. Bob Kerrey and a group of retired Marines to shore up his support among veterans... Robb counts on strong support from the military community, but acknowledges that his positions on some social issues have cost him votes.
[SOT 12:04:48]
[IN Q=I know that many just simply]
((I KNOW THAT MANY JUST SIMPLY CANNOT SUPPORT ME, AND I REGRET THAT'S THE CASE, BUT THEY'D THINK EVEN LESS OF ME IF I BELIEVE AS I DO AS A MATTER OF CONVICTION AND I DIDN'T STAND UP FOR THOSE CONVICTIONS. I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO JUSTIFY BEING HERE.))
[RUNS= 16]
[OUT Q=justify being here.]

Robb says he can justify being here for another six years, especially when voters consider the philosophical differences between the candidates.
And Robb says he learned a valuable lesson six years ago against Oliver North.
[SOT 12:09:06]
[IN Q=I have learned to keep you eyes]
((I HAVE LEARNED TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON WHERE YOU WANT TO GO, CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT THE THINGS THAT MOTIVATE YOU TO CONTINUE IN PUBLIC SERVICE, AND DON'T GIVE UP UNTIL THE POLLS CLOSE ON NOVEMBER 7TH.))
[RUNS= :13]
[OUT Q=close on November 7th.]

Joe Dashiell News 7 Washington))

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

Thousands of Virginia school children have already picked their candidate-- part of the largest Internet mock election in history.
That's one story still ahead on News 7 at Six.
(---------------)
[VO-NAT]

And you may have to wait a little longer, but doctors say there's still plenty of time for a flu shot.
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[Flu-Shortage]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=00-32 TC1:56:19]
[GRAPHIC=Flu Shots]

Health Officials say there will NOT be shortage of the flu vaccine this year -- but there will be a delay.
The reason: Manufactures had problems growing a strain of the virus.
Two of the four also had problems with Food and Drug Administration that resulted in a further delay.
And now one those companies has closed down.
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[VO-NAT]

So while some places have already received their supplies -- others like the Health department are still waiting to get theirs.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT36:50]
[IN Q=We are still within a good range of getting]
((DR. JODY HERSHEY: WE ARE STILL WITHIN A GOOD RANGE OF GETTING THE VACCINE TO THOSE WHO ARE IN NEED, BUT I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH THAT THOSE PEOPLE THAT HAVE THE VACCINE SUPPLIES NEED TO BE TARGETING THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE AT HIGH RISK))
[SUPER=01-Dr. Jody Hershey/New River Health District]
[RUNS=14]
[OUT Q=highest risk]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Those at most risk include people 65 and older, those with chronic medical conditions, and people who live in nursing homes.
Hershey says after getting the shot it takes about two weeks to develop protection against influenza.
Flu season typically runs from mid-December to early March.
So as long as you get the shot by early December you should be just fine.
(------------)

[Missing-Girl]

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

The search for a missing Grayson County teenager is over.
The 16-year-old girl disappeared from her home in Troutdale sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning.
Officials spent all day yesterday and part of today looking for her.
The sheriff's office says the girl came home around lunchtime.
A relative found her asleep on the floor.

[Bedford-Tourism]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=00-37 TC1:11:48]
[GRAPHIC=none]

With the unveiling of Bedford County's D-Day Memorial less than a year away, central Virginia officials are looking to cash in on the expected tourism bonanza.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.]

First lady Roxanne Gilmore was at Poplar Forest today to deliver a check that will help market the region's tourist attractions as a package.
Officials hope that tourists who visit sites in Bedford County will also want to spend their time and money in Lynchburg.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:12:52//12:10:47]
[IN Q=What we want]
((BRIAN KNOPP/LYNCHBURG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: WHAT WE WANT PEOPLE TO DO IS DISCOVER LYNCHBURG AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA FROM EVERY DIRECTION AND WE'VE DEVELOPED A NEW REGIONAL BROCHURE WHICH WILL BE OUT LATER THIS MONTH. WE ALSO HAVE A NEW ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN THAT WILL BE CONNECTED TO IT THAT WILL REACH ALMOST 6 MILLION PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE MID- ATLANTIC REGION.)) ((BARBARA RING/BEDFORD AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: WE REALIZE THAT WE HAVE SO MANY ATTRACTIONS IN THE BEDFORD AREA, BUT WE REALIZE WE REALLY NEED TO WORK REGIONALLY WITH OUR NEIGHBORS IN LYNCHBURG AS WELL AS ROANOKE TO BRING TOURISTS TO CENTRAL VIRGINIA.))
[SUPER=01-Brian Knopp/Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce; :00]
[SUPER=01-Barbara Ring/Bedford Area Chamber of Comm. :13]
[RUNS=22]
[OUT Q=to central Virginia.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The 14- thousand dollar check will pay for a regional tourism brochure that will feature sites across central Virginia.
Tourism is a 12 billion dollar a year industry in Virginia.
(------------)

[Stocks]

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

A good day for stocks as bargain hunters flocked to the tech sector. [TAKE DOW, NASDAQ & BLOOMBERG PAGE ]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=270-x/135.37/10971.14/x/178.15/3369.55/x/1.32/116.79;]

The DOW climbed 135 points, NASDAQ jumped 178.
The Bloomberg News 7 Index rose about a point and a third.
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[VO]
[SUPER=271-i/0.31/41.50/h/0.56/23.19/h/1.06/48.06/h/0.25/22.19/h/0.06/3.06;]
[SUPER=272-i/0.31/59.56/h/0.50/30.31/i/0.06/41.38/h/0.81/54.81/i/1.63/39.94;]
[SUPER=273-h/0.56/22.56/h/0.50/14.13//Unchg/15.94/i/1.31/36.63/i/0.50/10.00;]
[SUPER=274-h/0.38/48.81/i/2.81/71.69/h/2.44/57.81/i/0.94/54.00/h/1.63/45.38;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]

[Mock-Election]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=00-50 TC08:31]
[GRAPHIC=None]

They aren't even eligible to vote but some 65- thousand students in Virginia are weighing in on the election.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=203-Roanoke Co.;]

The largest Internet mock election in history is going on right now throughout the state.
The mock election involves elementary, middle and high school students, both public and private.
This morning-- students at Cave Spring High School voted online for president, U-S Senate and Congress.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:16:35]
[IN Q=I thought]
((HANNAH BARNHILL/CAVE SPRING JUNIOR: I THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY HELPFUL BECAUSE IT ENDED UP SHOWING ME WHAT THE VOTING PROCESS IS GOING TO BE LIKE WHEN I TURN 18 IN THE FUTURE AND YOU KNOW I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING A VOTE AND SO I REALLY DID LIKE IT BECAUSE IT GAVE ME THAT EXPERIENCE.))
[SUPER=201-Hannah Barnhill/Cave Spring Junior; ]
[RUNS=14]
[OUT Q=that experience.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

U-V-A's Center for Governmental Studies' Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsoring the event.
Results will be announced Thursday.
(XXXXXXX)
[TAKE WEBWATCH FS]
You can check them yourself by visiting the webatch section of our site at WDBJ7- dot- com.
(--------------)

[Halloween-Photos]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6p]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=00-40 TC46:21]
[GRAPHIC=Halloween]

A Danville photo store has some treats for a local charity this Halloween.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville]

The Melton Studio is taking pictures of children in their costumes, for a donation to the Salvation Army.
The price is a new toy worth at least 20 dollars.
All the toys will go to the Angel Tree program.
More than a hundred kids were scheduled to come in.
(------------)

[Sports tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

[DOUBLE BOXES=MIKE AND KEITH/STARLINK]
(Keith adlib tosses to Mike)
[LIVE=Mike Full Starlink]
[SUPER=06-Blacksburg]
(adlib toss to break)

[COMMERCIAL #3]

[S-Tech]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=sp]
[GRAPHIC=]

(mike ad libs)
(roll Cue: dave meyer and not michael vick will be the man in miami)
[SUPER=06-Blacksburg]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=04-Today; :00]
[SUPER=01-Frank Beamer/5 Straight Wins Over Miami; :13]
[SUPER=01-Dave Meyer/VT Senior Quarterback; :36]
[SUPER=01-Mike Goforth/VT Head Athletic Trainer; 1:42]
[RUNS=1:52]
[OUT Q=use one of them]

[S-Curry]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-77 1:37:27]
[GRAPHIC=Vick]
UNC quarterback Ronald Curry knows Vick's adversity well. Steve Mason talked with him after the Tarheels loss to Virginia this past weekend.
[SUPER=06-Blacksburg]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=first audio]
[SUPER=03-Atlanta, GA/October 9, 1999; :03(QUICK)]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :08]
[SUPER=01-Ronald Curry/258 Yards a Game Average; :23]
[SUPER=03-Charlottesville/This Past Saturday; :42(QUICK)]
[SUPER=@Steve1; 1:06]
[SUPER=01-Dan Ellis/UVa Two Year Starting QB 1:17]
[RUNS=1:33]
[OUT Q=....News 7 sports"]
(-----------)
((The Halloween month has been nothing but scary for Michael Vick and Ronald Curry. October 9th, 1999, Curry was lost for the season with an achilles injury. One year and two weeks later, Vick suffers a high ankle sprain. While Vick's injury might not cost him any games, it is safe to say his October has been as stressful on and off the field as Curry's used to be. ((RONALD CURRY:)) Vick's injury has generated a deluge of national publicity, a spotlight that has dimmed as Curry's Tarheels have gone 5 and 12 with him as the starter. ((:)) ((:)) ((:)) Ironically, Curry will try and get back on track against Pittsburgh this Saturday, the same team that derailed Michael Vick last week. Steve Mason News 7 sports.))

[S-XFLSignings]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=xfl]

A number of former players who played their college football in the Old Dominion have been drafted by the X-Treme Football League.
[SUPER=06-Blacksburg]
(XXXXXX)
[take full screen]
Former Hokie quarterback Jim Druckenmiller was picked up by the Memphis Maniacs.
Tech running back Ken Oxindine and UVA linebacker Chris Harrison went to the L.A. X-treme.
The New York-New Jersey Hitmen picked up Tech tackle Nate Williams.
The Orlando Rage drafted Virginia cornerback Robert Hunt.
And the Las Vegas Outlaws picked up Virginia tackle Antonio Dingle. (------------)