[1-News-Head]
[TALENT=Keith]
A huge potential problem with retirement benefits for Roanoke County teachers.
We've got the story on NEWS 7 at SIX.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And we'll do some digging into the disposal and retrieval of a piece of asbestos pipe at the Christiansburg Industrial Park.
(------------)
[Sports-Head]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Tonight on News 7 Sports, everything from National League MVP honors to the regional playoff schedule, to a Beamer update is on the way.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Plus, can I get a witness?
Three Tech football players drop in the area's fellowship of Christian athletes this morning.
(------------)
[WX-Head]
[TALENT=Robin]
[SS=None]
It's not fair. Mid November brings temperatures 10 degrees below normal and rain at the same time. The chilly, dreary details ahead.
[School-Retirees]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=00-43 TC34:23]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 at Six]
A court ruling in Indiana has opened a can of worms in Roanoke County.
[SS=Roanoke Co. Schools]
The school board is now considering changes in its retirement system, that some teachers fear will deny them benefits they were promised.
[DOUBLE BOXES=KEith and JoeD /Newsroom;]
Joe Dashiell is in the newsroom tonight with more on this developing controversy.
[LIVE=JoeD FULL/Newsroom]
[SUPER=@Joe1;]
Keith, this flows from a court case in Gary, Indiana and a ruling that found the school system's age-based early retirement incentive program violated federal age discrimination laws.
Apparently, many school systems across the country, including Roanoke County, are vulnerable to a similar challenge... and local officials are now reviewing their options.
(//////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Members of the Roanoke County School Board]
[SUPER=03-Williamsburg; :08]
[SUPER=01-Pat Lacy/School Board Attorney; :15]
[RUNS=:36]
[OUT Q=to eliminate that possibility.]
((Members of the County School Board and superintendent Linda Weber are in Williamsburg for a meeting of the state school boards association.
That's where Ellen Qualls caught up with school board attorney, Pat Lacy, this afternoon.
[SOT]
[IN Q=The school boards are going to be looking at]
((PAT LACY/SCHOOL BOARD ATTORNEY: THE SCHOOL BOARDS ARE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT WHETHER A CONTINGENT COULD BE MADE THAT ANY ASPECT OF THE RETIREMENT PROGRAM DISCRIMINATES ON THE BASIS OF AGE, AND IF THEY MAKE A DETERMINATION THAT IT DOES OR MAYBE THAT SOMEBODY COULD SAY IT, AND THEY WILL BE MAKING CHANGES OR PERHAPS MAKING CHANGES TO ELIMINATE THAT POSSIBILITY.))
[RUNS= :23]
[OUT Q=changes to eliminate that possibility.]))
(-------------)
[LIVE= JoeD FULL/Newsroom]
That's what worries Roanoke County teachers... Perhaps the most controversial part of this is the possibility of retroactive changes, that could reduce the benefits of some teachers who have already retired.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith and JoeD /NEwsroom;]
Keith... No decisions have been made. The school board will discuss its dilemma at an open meeting November 28th... but right now, the rumors are flying and teachers are very concerned with retirement changes that may be on the horizon.
[Virginia-Gas]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=00-44 TC19:16]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Virginia Gas Company may soon have new owners, and local residents are demanding to meet with them.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Radford]
New Jersey based N-U-I is in the process of buying Virginia Gas.
Local residents want to speak face to face with the company that may build a new pipeline through their property.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Many citizens have]
((BRENT RILEY/PIPELINE OPPONENT: MANY CITIZENS HAVE ASKED FOR A PUBLIC HEARING, AND FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING TO BE HELD IN THE ROANOKE AREA. WE FEEL LIKE THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS A CORPORATION THAT'S COMING INTO OUR AREA AND HAVING A MAJOR IMPACT ON WHO WE ARE.))
[SUPER=01-Brent Riley/Pipeline Opponent]
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=who we are.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Laying a new line means creating a 50-foot wide, 40 mile long easement from Radford to Roanoke.
Residents are considering appealing the S-C-C's decision that approves construction of the pipeline to the Virginia Supreme Court.
(------------)
[Asbestos]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-38 TC1:08:50]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The Department of Labor is investigating a complaint that the town of Christiansburg improperly removed and dumped asbestos sewer pipe from a residential neighborhood.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith and Marya /Microwave;]
Marya Jones has also been investigating and has more on what happened.
[LIVE=Marya FULL/Microwave]
[SUPER=@Marya1;]
[SUPER=05-Blacksburg;]
Keith, Christiansburg's Assistant Town Manager Barry Helms tells me the complaint is true, but that no one knew at the time they were handling a hazardous material.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Christainsburg town]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg/Last Week; :00]
[RUNS=:50]
[OUT Q=disposed of yesterday.]
(( Christiansburg town officials acknowledge that this asbestos pipe should never have ended up buried in the Christiansburg Industrial Park.
But that's where we found it last week.
The town says it was NOT deliberate.
Workers were assigned to upgrade a sewer line to the Falling Branch Industrial Park.
Town employees say they tore out the old sewer line from this Reading Road neighborhood, then hauled it, in pieces, and buried it in the dirt at the industrial park.
But the pipe contained asbestos -- 15 to 20 percent, according to lab reports.
Enough, OSHA officials say, to be harmful if breathed.
Asbestos becomes dangerous when it crumbles. The fibers can invade the lungs and cause serious illness, like cancer. But it may take DECADES for signs of asbestos-related disease to appear.
Town officials say they and their workers didn't know the pipe contained asbestos.
They had the site cleaned up and all of the pipe properly disposed of yesterday.))
(-------------)
[LIVE=Marya FULL/Newsroom]
[SUPER=05-Blacksburg;]
One worker who helped remove the pipe did NOT want his name used.
He tells us he's upset he had to handle the pipe but wasn't told there was any risk of exposure to asbestos.
And a resident of Reading Road I spoke to today says she wished she'd known ... she had her kids playing outside while the pipe was being removed.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith and Marya /Microwave;]
An OSHA official I spoke with today says there was probably NO danger to residents. Keith?
[Echostar]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-39 1:07:22]
[GRAPHIC=Echostar]
The town of Christiansburg AND Montgomery County are celebrating the grand opening of their largest private employer today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg;]
EchoStar Communications, a top satellite dish network provider, officially opened it's fifth customer service center at the Falling Branch Industrial Park today.
850 employees now staff the technology support center, but the company says it's ready to hire as many as 15-hundred.
EchoStar officials say the workforce here handles its most difficult technical work.
Local officials were ecstatic.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 6:37 - :52]
[IN Q=Sitting here]
((MARY BIGGS/MONTGOMERY CO. SUPERVISOR'S CHAIR: SITTING HERE WITHIN VIEW OF INTERSTATE 81, THIS ECHOSTAR FACILITY IS THE PERFECT ANCHOR FOR OUR FALLING BRANCH INDUSTRIAL PARK AND A MAGNET TO ATTRACT SIMILAR INDUSTRIES TO THIS PARK AND THE NEW RIVER VALLEY.))
[SUPER=01-Mary Biggs/Chair, Montgomery Co. Supervisors;]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=New River Valley]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
EchoStar officials said they hope to employ as many as 2-thousand employees one day.
They also hope to forge a partnership to design new products with Virginia Tech.
(------------)
[Missing-Plane]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=00-35 TC1:52:36]
[GRAPHIC=Plane Search]
The search for a missing plane in Nelson County has officially been called off.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Nelson Co./This Week]
Volunteers spent the past three days conducting air and ground searches in the Shipman area for a single- engine plane that disappeared last week.
The aircraft went off radar near Diggs Mountain, but no sign of the plane has turned up.
It was flying from College Park, Maryland to Greenville, South Carolina with just the pilot on board.
(------------)
[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=NONE]
The possibility of Civil War graves is stopping a Bedford Wal-Mart dead in its tracks.
We'll have the latest next on News-7 at Six.
(---------------)
[VO-NAT]
And across the country and across Virginia-- wine connoisseurs are celebrating today.
Find out why later in the newscast.
(----------------)
[Salem-abduction]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=00-34 TC1:36:46]
[GRAPHIC=none]
A woman and her three children were abducted at gunpoint in Salem this morning.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem]
It happened a few blocks north of East Main Street on Parkdale Drive.
Kimberly Powell had been staying here with her step-father. He told police it was Kimberly's ex-husband who broke in around 8:40 this morning.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11:22:05]
[IN Q=Once inside]
((SGT. TIM GUTHRIE/SALEM POLICE: ONCE INSIDE THE RESIDENCE, THE SUSPECT PRODUCED A LARGE-CALIBER HANDGUN, ORDERING THE EX-WIFE AND HER THREE CHILDREN, AGES NINE, EIGHT AND NINE MONTHS INTO A TEEL-COLORED VAN.))
[SUPER=01-Sgt. Tim Guthrie/Salem Police]
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=teel-colored van.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
39-year old suspect Glenn Dexter Powell is from Greensboro. Police say he should be considered armed and dangerous.
All five drove away in her
(XXXXXXXXX)
[WIPE TO FULL-SCREEN PINNICLE ]
teel- green Mazda van, with North Carolina license plate: N-S-L- -6-6-7-0. They apparently headed NORTH.
At 1:40 this afternoon Kimberly Powell's A-T-M card was used in the Winchester area.
(------------)
[Walmart-Graves]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=00-36 TC1:47:24]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The possible existence of some Civil War graves has halted work near the new Walmart Supercenter in Bedford.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford]
Crews were grading and hauling dirt from this site off Lowry Road and using it as fill at the site of the new store.
But some of that work was stopped earlier this week when local history buffs told contractors the property may hold a number of graves of Civil War soldiers.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:01:59]
[IN Q=They advised]
((BART WARNER/BEDFORD CITY PLANNING DIRECTOR: THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THEY WERE AWARE THAT THERE COULD BE A POSSIBLE HISTORICAL SITE AND THAT THEIR PLAN OF ACTION WAS NOT TO DISTURB THAT AREA UNTIL THEY GOT TO THE BOTTOM OF IT AND, OF COURSE, WE CONCURRED THAT THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA.))
[SUPER=01-Bart Warner/Bedford City Planning Director; ]
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=was a good idea.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Researchers are now trying to figure out where the graves might be located.
It's believed they are the burial sites of soldiers killed during a skirmish between local forces and Union troops in June of 1864.
(------------)
[County-Fire]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-42 TC39:00]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]
Roanoke County's Fire Chief says a townhouse fire was made much worse because the residents kept flammable material in their furnace room.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]
A townhouse near Brookside Golf Course suffered 75-thousand-dollars in damage when a gas leaked into the furnace room and ignited.
The residents were NOT home, but one of their cats died.
The fire chief reminds people to keep clothing, boxes and other combustible items away from the furnace.
(------------)
[Stocks]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
Uncertainty about inflation and the presidential election made for another down day on Wall Street.
[TAKE DOW, NASDAQ & BLOOMBERG PAGE ]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=270-y/51.57/10656.03/y/133.60/3031.89/y/0.74/114.93;]
The DOW lost 52 points, NASDAQ fell 134.
(-------------)
[VO]
[SUPER=271-h/0.81/42.25/h/0.19/20.75/i/0.13/41.88/i/0.50/19.75/h/0.13/3.38;]
[SUPER=272-h/1.44/60.75/i/0.94/25.88/i/0.06/40.19/h/0.13/52.63/h/1.06/42.00;]
[SUPER=273-h/0.94/26.81//Unchg/15.44/i/1.06/14.94/h/0.56/36.31/i/0.13/10.50;]
[SUPER=274-i/0.25/48.44/h/0.44/78.94/i/0.38/53.81/h/0.25/50.19/i/0.75/48.25;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]
[Pet-Insurance]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=00-40 TC1:10:07]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Many people consider their pets part of the family.
So, some pet owners want their pets to have health insurance, just like they do.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]
Trish Fisher pays about 80 dollars a month to insure her dogs Remington and Domino.
But she says it's well worth the price.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=My pets are getting older]
((TRISH FISHER: MY PETS ARE GETTING OLDER AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THEM IF THEY HAD ANY SERIOUS ILLNESS BECAUSE THEY ARE LIKE MY CHILDREN, I DON'T HAVE CHILDREN))
[SUPER=01-Trish Fisher/Dog Owner;]
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=i don't have children]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Fisher says the insurance policy through Veterinary Pet Insurance covers everything from emergency services to routine care like dental cleanings, vaccinations and heart worm medication.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT48:15]
[IN Q=I would sure like to see it]
((DR. DAVID ROLFE: I WOULD SURE LIKE TO SEE IT BECOME MORE POPULAR IT WILL HELP OUT THE ANIMALS A LOT. THERE ARE MANY TIMES AS A VETERINARIAN THAT YOUR HANDS ARE TIED JUST BECAUSE THE MONEY ISN'T THERE TO DO CERTAIN PROCEDURES. SO I'M HOPING THAT IT WILL BECOME MORE POPULAR))
[SUPER=01-Dr. David Rolfe/Roanoke Animal Hospital]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=more popular]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Rolfe says as procedures become more advanced and costly, more people will probably consider insurance.
For more information on pet insurance, you can contact your local veterinarian.
(-------------)
[New-Wine]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-50 TC15:49]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Today wine drinkers worldwide are celebrating the release of the year's first wine.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
The Beaujolais Nouveau was airlifted from the winery in France to the Lee & Edwards shop in Roanoke.
Scott Sarver takes the third Thursday of November off every year for this traditional French holiday.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:09:03]
[IN Q=Today is a]
((SCOTT SARVER/CUSTOMER: TODAY IS A CELEBRATION OF THE END OF HARVEST. A LIGHT FRUITY RUBY RED WINE TINT OF VIOLET VERY FRIENDLY VERY FUN PRETTY MUCH JUST A CELEBRATORY WINE.))
[SUPER=01-Scott Sarver/Customer;]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=celebratory wine]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
He says the new wine is being celebrated across America today from California to New York.
(------------)
[Sports Tease]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up tonight on News 7 sports, the more props for the Ferrum Panthers, another day and still no deal for Beamer or Bama.
Some Tech stars drop in on this morning's FCA meeting.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And we'll serve up the the schedule for tomorrow night's regional title games on Friday Football Extra.
(------------)
[S-Kent]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-76 14407tc]
[GRAPHIC=MLB]
The National League Most Valuale player award was passed out this afternoon, and a few folks passed out when they heard who won it.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-MLB; :00]
The very-deserving Jeff Kent of the San Francisco Giants picked up the coveted award een thought most figured he would have a tough time beating his teammate Barry Bonds and Mike Piazza.
Kent got 22 first place votes after hitting 334 with 33 homers. He also knocked in 125 runs.
Bonds was 2nd and piazza 3rd.
(------------)
[S-Ferrum]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Ferrum]
After dominating the Atlantic Central Football Conference's post season honors yesterday, Ferrum College crushed the competition in the Dixie Conference awards that were passed out today.
Tone' Dancy was named defensive player of the year, Moncrief Holmes was named rookie of the year, and in a unique choice, William Byrd product Tim Boothe was named offensive player of the year.
Boothe is an offensive lineman.
Ferrum landed 16 players on the all-conference team.
[S-FCA]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-80 2454TC]
[GRAPHIC=TECH FOOTBALL]
Three members of the Virginia Tech football team got up early this morning to share their christian faith in Roanoke.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
Senior Quarterback Dave Meyer dropped by Calvary Baptitst church to talk with the area's Fellowship of Christian Athletes group.
Fellow senior Nick Sorensen also talked to the high school students, along with sophomore Billy Hardee.
Both Meyer and Hardee say they are almost fully recovered from the injuries they suffered against Central Florida last Saturday night.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=IT'S MY...]
((DAVE MEYER/VA. TECH QUARTERBACK:))
((BILLY HARDEE/VA. TECH CORNERBACK:))
[SUPER=01-Dave Meyer/Va. Tech Quarterback; :00]
[SUPER=01-Billy Hardee/Va. Tech Cornerback; :12]
[RUNS=:24]
[OUT Q=...ready to go."]
(------------)
[VO-NAT con't]
Sorsensen says all of the speculaton conerning Frank Beamer and the coaching job at Alabama hasn't fazed the players.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=BITE]
((NICK SORENSEN:))
[SUPER=01-Nick Sorensen/Va. Tech Linebacker; :00]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=....YOU KNOW."]
(------------)
[vo nat con't]
Next Monday in the Tech 2000 report we'll examine how each player's faith has helped him overcome some tough times this season.
(-------------)
[S-Beamer]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-83 1650tc]
[GRAPHIC=BEAMER]
Still no change on the Frank Beamer front tonight.
The folks in Alabama have not offered the job to anyone and Beamer remains high on their short list of candidates.
All along we have said that Beamer wants to stay in Blacksburg as long as he is compensated fairly, and as long as he gets some pay raises for his assistants.
Sources says that Tech athletic director Jim Weaver has been working on those things.
But it now appears that this distraction will carry over into next week's preparation for UVa.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]
Beamer is scheduled to be out of town this weekend, and that means the uncertainty will linger at least into the first part of next week, unless something happens tonight or early tomorrow morning.
That seems unlikely.
(------------)
[S-FFE]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-74 14516TC]
[GRAPHIC=FFE]
Six regional championships will be on the line from Culpeper to Ridgeway to Hot Springs Friday night.
Here's a look at the matchups coming up tomorrow night on Friday Football Extra.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=LOGO COMES FULL]
[RUNS=:40]
[OUT Q=...LOGO COMES FULL.]
(------------)
[S-Hokies]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-77 (1:48:16)]
[GRAPHIC=Tech Logo]
The Virginia Tech women's basketball team opens its regular season tomorrow night against Liberty University at the Cassell.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :]
The Hokies are excited about the upcoming season which will include competing in the Big East.
Even though the Hokies finished last season with a 20 and 11 record and advanced to the "Sweet 16" of the Women's N-I-T the team is expecting better things this year.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="We're pumped...]
[SUPER=01-Sarah Hicks/Va. Tech Forward; :00]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=...this season out."]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
(----------------)
[TALENT=MIKE]
[GRAPHIC=Hold Logo]
Tech and the Lady Flames will tip it off tomorrow night at 7 oclock.
[S-Tech]
[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=TECH HOOPS]
The Virginia Tech men's team opens play Saturday afternoon at two against VMI at Cassell Coliseum.
The Hokies lost out today on one of the big men they were recruiting.
Six foot ten inch Dwayne Jones junior from Chester, Pennsylvania picked St. Joseph's over Tech.
Last season he averaged 28 points, 23 rebounds and 7 blocked shots a game.
[Promo]
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The Harlem Gospel Choir is performing at the Roanoke Civic Center tonight to raise money for the Downtown Music Lab.
[Double Boxes=Keith and KAte/microwave]
Kate Weidaw is at the Civic Center Auditorium tonight with a preview.
[Live=KAte Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=@Kate1;]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke;]
( ad lib)
[Double Boxes=Keith and Kate/Microwave]
by SS