WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 12/01/00

[7-Martin]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]

[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-43 TC50:08]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

A 16 year old Carroll County girl could spend the rest of her life in prison. Robin Lee Martin has been convicted of murdering her grandfather.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Hillsville;]

A jury deliberated for six hours before convicting her of first degree murder-
The teen shot John Mesics in the face with a shotgun as he slept in his bed in July of 1999. Martin was living at her grandparents home at the time.
During the trial, Martin's grandmother and family sat far away from her. They did not comment as they left the trial.
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[SOT 8:49 - :54]
[IN Q=They're pleased]
((GREG GOAD/COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY: THEY'RE PLEASED WITH THE VERDICT. BUT OF COURSE THEY'RE STILL UPSET AS WELL BECAUSE OF THE SITUATION BEING FAMILY.))
[SUPER=01-Greg Goad/Carroll Co. Commonwealth's Atty.;]
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT Q=being family.]
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[VO-NAT]

Prosecutor Greg Goad said Martin planned the shooting during several hours on the phone with friends.
Martin's attorney argued that the shooting resulted from a combination of factors. Those included her mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, peer pressure and verbal abuse from Mesics.
Martin testified that she only meant to scare her grandfather with the shotgun.
She could face a penalty of life in prison. She'll be sentenced in February.
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[7-Cropp]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=00-46 TC31:39]
[GRAPHIC=Lawsuit]

A Wytheville doctor, already under review by the Virginia Board of Medicine, is now facing a million dollar civil lawsuit.
Darrin and Valerie Blevins are
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/October 26]
suing Doctor Craig S. Cropp for negligence in delivering their son two years ago-- negligence which they say resulted in severe brain damage to their child.
Last month, Dr. Cropp's license was being reviewed for his handling of 13 cases.
At that time, an informal conference committee made no determination of fault but chose to keep Cropp under observation for a year before deciding if further proceedings are necessary.
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[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[GRAPHIC=hold]

Cropp declined comment.

[7-Heilig-Meyers]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Heilig Myers]
Successes at Roanoke area stores is cushioning losses reported by the Heilig-Meyers furniture company.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-File Tape]

Heilig-Meyers Furniture company reports losses of 600 million dollars during the first half of two-thousand.
The company filed for chapter 11 in September. Stores in Christiansburg, Martinsville and Rainelle, West Virginia, have closed already.
Stores in Collinsville and Radford are set to close in December.
But it's business as usual at the stores in the Roanoke Valley which are holding their annual holiday sales.
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[7WEATHER]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
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[SUPER=314-Partly Sunny/Light Breeze/40-45/Chance of/Late Snow/30-35;]
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[ESS C] (EXTENDED)

[45-Powell]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=00-39 TC1:21:12]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A man accused of abducting his wife and children in Salem two weeks ago first parked his car at Goodwill on East Main Street then WALKED to his mother-in-law's house.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

That word came from an F-B-I Agent yesterday at Glenn Powell's detention hearing.
Before Powell allegedly forced Kimberly and the kids
[SUPER=03-Salem/November 16]
from her mother's, Glen allegedly told her: "I'll kill you later, if you go. I'll kill you now, if you don't."
[SUPER=03-Prince George's Co., MD/November 17]

On the way up to the room at Extended Stay America in Landover, Maryland, Powell told the children: "If Mother tries to get away during the night, this will be Daddy's last vacation with you."
During the hearing Powell alternately smiled and shook his head in reaction to the Agent's testimony.
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[Anchor=Shannon]
[SS=none]

The Magistrate found probable cause to believe Powell had committed a "dangerous and reckless act."
Judge Glen Conrad ordered him held without bond for now.

[45-Bedford-Protest]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=00-51 TC16:14]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The President of Bedford's chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference protested the Bedford Central Library last night, claiming the library discriminates against hiring minorities. But the director of the library says that's false. Kate Weidaw reports.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Bedford;:00]
[SUPER=01-Jack Mills/Bedford SCLC President;:21 QUICK!!]
[SUPER=01-Tom Hehman/Bedford Public Library Dir.;:36]
[SUPER=@Kate1;:50]
[RUNS=1:00]
[OUT Q=kw news 7.]
(([NAT SOUND ORCHESTRA PLAYING]
[RUNS= 8]

As the orchestra played inside the Bedford Central Library celebrating its 100-th birthday, folks attending the event were greeted outside with this, signs claiming the library discriminates against minorities.

[SOT 13:51]
[INQ=]
((JACK MILLS/PRES. SCLC: I'M SAYING THERE ARE NO MINORITY EMPLOYEES IN THE BEDFORD LIBRARY SYSTEM.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 5]

[SOT 6:40]
[INQ=]
((TOM HEHMAN/DIR. BEDFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM: HIS FACTS ARE WRONG.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 2]

Tom Hehman has been the Director of the Bedford Public Library System since 1993.

[SOT 6:08]
[INQ=]
((TOM HEHMAN: WE'VE HIRED DOZENS OF PEOPLE IN THAT TIME AND SEVERAL OF THEM HAVE BEEN BLACK, AND I KNOW PRIOR TO MY ARRIVAL IN 1993 WE'VE HAD OTHER STAFF MEMBERS ON BOARD WHO WERE BLACK.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 12]

Jack Mills says his research shows otherwise.

[SOT 13:43]
[INQ=]
((JACK MILLS: TELL THEM TO GIVE YOU NAMES AND CHECK IT OUT.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 4]

[STANDUP]
[INQ=]
((KATE WEIDAW/REPORTING:ACCORDING TO HEHMAN THE LIBRARY CURRENTLY EMPLOYEES ONE MINORITY.
HEHMAN ALSO SAYS IF THE SCLC BELIEVES THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM WHY HASN'T ANYONE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION. KATE WEIDAW NEWS 7.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS=]))

[45WEATHER]

[8-Thomas]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-47 TC21:15]
[GRAPHIC=Jeff Thomas]

Lawyers for the man accused of killing a Radford teenager- want the trial moved out of Pulaski county.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski/October;]
Lawyers for Jeffrey Allen Thomas filed a request for a change of venue, contending that "hostile" and "inflammatory" media accounts prejudiced the community. Thomas is accused of the capital murder of Radford teen Tara Rose Munsey.
He's being held in the New River Valley Regional Jail, awaiting trial in February.
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[8-Miller]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=00-52 TC43:19]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

A former Miss Virginia contestant won't serve any jail time despite being convicted of embezzlement.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Powhatan/File Tape]

24 year old Samantha Miller was found guilty yesterday of embezzling money from an employee fund at the C-C-I Construction in Powhatan.
Her defense attorney claimed it was Miller's personal account.
She faced up to 20 years in prison but the jury fined her 15-hundred dollars.
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[ANCHOR=shannon]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Last Spring, Miller dropped out of the Miss Virginia pageant when she learned about the charges.

[8-Victory-Stadium]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=00-37 TC1:43:59]
[GRAPHIC=Victory Stadium]
Roanoke City Council may be getting closer to making a decision about the future of Victory Stadium. Joe Dashiell has the latest.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=City Council remains divided]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; 00]
[SUPER=01-Ralph Smith/Roanoke Mayor; :10]
[SUPER=01-Rev. Nelson Harris/Roanoke City Council; :43]
[SUPER=@Joe1; 1:00]
[RUNS=1:15]
[OUT Q=JD News 7 Roanoke]

((City Council remains divided over the future of Victory Stadium.
Mayor Ralph Smith believes it can be renovated for much less than consultants have estimated.
[SOT 01:09:53]
[IN Q=I understand the people's frustration]
((I UNDERSTAND THE PEOPLE'S FRUSTRATION WITH THE STADIUM ISSUE GOING ON AND ON AND ON, STILL NO EXCUSE TO MAKE A BAD DECISION.))
[RUNS= :10]
[OUT Q=make a bad decision.]

But other members of council, perhaps a majority are leaning toward construction of a new and smaller stadium.
In a letter placing the issue on Monday's agenda, Vice Mayor Bill Carder and member Nelson Harris are encouraging council to move forward.
They want council to call for a recommendation from the city manager, initiate a process to gather public input, and set aside 300- thousand dollars to help with financing.
[SOT 01:12:20]
[IN Q=Whatever the council decides]
((WHATEVER THE COUNCIL DECIDES, THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT AREN'T GOING TO LIKE THE DECISION, WHETHER IT'S PRESERVING WHAT WE'VE GOT OR BUILDING SOMETHING NEW, BUT I THINK THE WORST DECISION WE CAN MAKE IS TO CONTINUE TO NOT MAKE A DECISION.))
[RUNS= :16]
[OUT Q=not make a decision.]
[STAND-UP CLOSE]
A number of factors have delayed action on Victory Stadium, site considerations, the proposal to build the biotech center nearby, even the arrival of a new city manager... but it now appears council is moving closer to a decision on this city landmark.
Joe Dashiell News 7 Roanoke))