WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 12/14/00

[1-News-Head]

[TALENT=Keith]

A bill to take guns away from stalkers and sex criminals fails in committee.
Also on NEWS 7 tonight:
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

A 180 million dollar infusion of funds promises to empower the Martinsville economy.
(------------)

[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Tonight on News 7 sports, we'll check out of all today's Stagg Bowl festivities in Salem as Mt. Union and St. John's M
innesota set up shop in the valley.
Plus, the Express talks about tonight's game in Greensboro and
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Champ has always been a winner - now he a pro bowler, as well.
(------------)
[WX-Head]
[TALENT=Robin]
[SS=None]

As quickly as it moved in, the ice storm is gone thanks to temperatures in the 50's. What's ahead? Details coming up.

[I-73]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#00-50 TC00:29]
[GRAPHIC=Interstate 73]

The fourth and final public hearing concerning Interstate 73 gets underway in about an hour.
[Double Boxes=Keith and Kate/Microwave]

Kate Weidaw is at the Hotel Roanoke where hundreds of folks have come in throughout the day.
[Live=Kate Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=@Kate1;]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke;]
( ad lib)
(Rollcue: transportation board.)
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=All of]
[SUPER=01-Laura Bullock/VDOT Spokesperson; :00]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :14]
[RUNS=:31]
[OUT Q=would be affected.]
(-------------)
[Live=Kate Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke;]
( ad lib)

[Double Boxes=Keith and Kate/Microwave]

[M'ville-Announcement]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=00-55 TC21:43]
[GRAPHIC=None]

It's dubbed the largest investment in Martinsville history.
Cinergy Corporation plans to buy land in Commerce Court Industrial Park and spend 180 million dollars to build a new power plant.
That means new jobs and increased tax revenue.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Jennifer and Keith/Newsroom;]

Jennifer Miele has more from our Newsroom tonight.
[LIVE=Jennifer/FULL/Newsroom]
[SUPER=@Jennifer1]

Keith, besides jobs and tax revenue, a power plant in Martinsville may even promote economic development.
Cinergy's goal is to provide power during times of high demand -- say warm summer months when air conditioning is a must.
Cinergy has also promised to replace and expand an existing gas pipeline that runs into the Industrial park.

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Martinsville Mayor Mark]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville/File Tape; :04]
[SUPER=01-Mark Crabtree/Martinsville Mayor; :18]
[RUNS=1:00]
[OUT Q=across the region.]
(( Martinsville Mayor Mark Crabtree called the deal a home run.
Over the past five years, Crabtree has watched major textile companies uproot, and unemployment skyrocket.
The presence of a Cinergy power plant, he says, may give Martinsville's economy a jolt. ((MAYOR MARK CRABTREE: WHEN THIS NEW INFUSION OF REVENUE COMES ON LINE, WE CAN CONTINUE TO PROVIDE OUR CITIZENS WITH TOP QUALITY SERVICE AND INVEST IN A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR EVERYONE.)) [RUNS09]
In fact, if Cinergy gets approval from two state agencies, it would make up 20 percent of Martinsville's tax base. ((MAYOR MARK CRABTREE: TO PUT IT IN TERMS EVERY TAXPAYER CAN UNDERSTAND, THE CITY WOULD HAVE TO RAISE PROPERTY TAXES BY 30 PERCENT TO GENERATE THE REVENUE CINERGY WILL DELIVER TO US.)) [RUNS09]
Cinergy promises to deliver 10 new full-time jobs with starting salaries around 36 thousand dollars. It will also take on 250 construction workers to build the plant.
An artist's rendering envisions four turbines that use natural gas and Martinsville water.
Electricity would then be sold to other power companies and distributed across the region.))
(-------------)
[LIVE=Jennifer /FULL/Newsroom]

Citizens with concerns about pollution, disruption, or safety are encouraged to attend a public meeting at Clearview Elementary School at 4:00 on Monday.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith and Jennifer/Newsroom;]

Keith, if things go as planned, the plant will be generating power and revenue by summer of 2003.

[Wetlands]

[ANCHOR=KEith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=none]

It could get tougher to drain or fill wetlands in Virginia.
The Department of Environmental Quality wants to overhaul the way the state regulates such things.
D-E-Q would -- for the first time -- protect isolated wetlands, such as: bogs and spring-fed ponds, and would limit the draining of low- lying, often wooded, areas ...considered non- tidal wetlands.
A state permit would be required to fill or drain such places and other wetlands would have to be created to compensate for the ones destroyed.

[Gilmore-Plane]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Jim Gilmore]

A rough landing for Governor Gilmore this morning.
The governor's plane blew out four tires when it landed at Reagan National Airport.
Neither the governor nor any of the six other people on board was injured.

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

Local police say they've cracked an eleven year old murder case-- and have a 13 year old boy to thank for it.
The full story next on News 7 at Six.
(---------------)
[VO-NAT]

And later we'll take an inside look at Virginia's booming Christmas tree business.
(----------------)

[First-Wx]
[TALENT=Robin]
[SS=NONE]WEATHER CENTER

We needed some moisture but surface temperatures around 27 with moderate rain is a presciption for slippery roadways. I-81 near Fairfield in Rockbridge County is still the site of a diesel fuel spill. Cleanup continues through tomorrow.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]
Ad lib about melting roadways
(------------)

[WXPRO/FULL]WEATHER MAP TOMORROW FORECAST
[WEB-ADDRESS]
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[Web Address Announce] [Pinnacle 4885ess] [COMMERCIAL]

[Halifax-Suspects]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-46 TC46:37]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Invest.]
A Halifax County murder suspect may have kept hiding in Pennsylvania-- had a teenager not been watching America's Most Wanted.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Sheriff's deputies have been searching for Raymond Pin for 11 years, ever since a double murder in Halifax County. Yesterday, the F-B-I found Pin after his picture was shown on America's Most Wanted.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:12]
[IN Q=A 13-year-old]
((A 13-YEAR-OLD BOY IN MANHEIM TOWNSHIP PENNSYLVANIA SPOTTED MR. PIN AFTER THE T-V BROADCAST WORKING IN A CHINESE RESTAURANT.))
[SUPER=01-John Greenbacker/Commonwealth's Atty.;]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=Chinese restaurant]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Halifax Co/1989;]
Investigators say in 1989, Pin fatally stabbed Frank Sydnor and his step-daughter in their Halifax County home, over a gambling dispute.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4:15]
[IN Q=They were playing]
((THEY WERE PLAYING CARDS AT A KITCHEN TABLE. THEY HAD A LONG HISTORY OF BEING FRIENDS. PEOPLE PLACED THEM AT LOCAL POOLROOMS. THEY WERE MORE THAN ACQUAINTANCES -- YOU WOULD CHARACTERIZE THEM AS BEING FRIENDS.))
[SUPER=01-D. J. Oakes/Halifax Co. Sheriff;]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=as being friends]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Investigators say Pin still has knife wounds on his hands, and a wrecker driver remembered towing his car from the murder scene. They say Pin will be extradited to Virginia for trial.
(------------)

[Tabb]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=00-38 TC1:39:56]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

An Amherst County jury has to decide whether Carlos Tabb acted in self defense when he shot and killed two people last spring.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Amherst]

17- year- old Brian Thomas and his 21- year- old sister Stephanie were gunned down May 1st during an argument over a cell phone.
Eyewitnesses say both victims were also carrying guns when they confronted Tabb in front of a home on Penn Lane in Madison Heights.
But the prosecution says Tabb fired first, killing Stephanie, and then chased down her brother, shooting him seven times.
Tabb's lawyer says his client was in fear for his own life when he defended himself.
(------------)

[Cressell]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=500-11 TC1:27:28]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

A Pulaski County grand jury has upped the charges against a woman accused of killing her girlfriend.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

26-year-old Sherry Lisa Cressell was indicted for first degree murder.
She was initially charged with second-degree murder, which is NOT premeditated.
[SUPER=03-Pulaski Co./July;]

Cressell is accused of shooting 23-year-old Sherry Lynn Wiley last summer after an argument inside the house they shared.
Cressell's attorney said she planned to shoot herself and the gun discharged by accident.
Prosecutors say they wanted a jury to decide whether Cressell planned the murder.
(------------)

[Radford-Lawsuit]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=00-43 TC1:02:55]
[GRAPHIC=Lawsuit]

The day after the chief of police in Radford quit, the city, the police department and a senior officer in the Radford P-D have been hit with a 2-million dollar lawsuit.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Radford/November 1999]

It's a sexual harassment claim against Gaither Blackburn, who was convicted of assaulting a fellow officer- -a woman- -at party the day after she was hired.
Blackburn remained on the force- -despite the conviction. In the complaint filed in federal court today, Alicia Scanlon says the chief told her that she and Blackburn would have to work together and that she "should be mature" about it.
(------------)

[Stocks]

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

Getting out of election limbo didn't do much for Wall Street. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-y/119.45/10674.99/y/94.27/2728.50;]

The DOW fell 119 points, NASDAQ dropped 94.
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[VO]
[SUPER=271-i/1.38/43.94/i/0.31/22.00/i/0.63/42.31/i/0.44/14.25//Unchg/4.00;]
[SUPER=272-i/0.63/61.00/i/0.69/25.88/h/0.19/43.88/i/1.56/51.44/i/0.22/38.54;]
[SUPER=273-h/0.50/26.44/i/0.63/13.44/i/0.75/12.50/h/0.69/41.50/h/0.13/10.88;]
[SUPER=274-i/0.44/52.56/h/0.38/67.88/i/0.81/56.75/i/0.88/49.25/h/0.75/51.06;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]

[Xmas-Trees]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-47 TC25:26]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The Christmas tree business is booming in southwest Virginia.
Marya Jones takes a look at one tree farmer who's green thumb helps him cash in on the holiday spirit.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Christmas tree farmer]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Bill Larsen/Tree Farmer; :25]
[SUPER=@Marya1; :54]
[SUPER=01-Kelly Reed/Customer; 1:21]
[RUNS=1:42]
[OUT Q=MJN7, Montgomery Co.]
(( Christmas tree farmer Bill Larsen talks about his trees the way a father talks about his children.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 49:07 - :11]
((BILL LARSEN/TREE FARMER: I PLANTED EVERY ONE OF THEM CRITTERS OUT THERE. AND SHAPED EVERY ONE MORE OR LESS.))
[RUNS= :04]

The 64-year-old former Radford history professor has been selling 13 varieties of trees on his Montgomery County farm since 1975.
About 2-thousand families visit Larsen's farm every year to choose and cut their tree.
He sells another thousand to wholesale buyers.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 49:35 - :47]
((BILL LARSEN: THERE IS A CERTAIN POIGNANCY ABOUT THEM LEAVING HERE OR CUTTING THEM OFF IN THEIR PRIME, YEAH, I FEEL THAT. BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE SHAPED FOR.))
[RUNS= :12]

Larsen is one of about 15-hundred growers in Virginia who make their living off the trees.
It's big business in Southwest Virginia, where the terrain and climate are well-suited for growing pines, firs and spruce trees.
Experts estimate the state is the nation's 8th-largest Christmas tree producer.
(///// SOT /////)
[SU 1:01:50 - 1:02:07] ((MARYA JONES/NEWS-7: VIRGINIA FARMERS GROW MORE THAN 2 MILLION TREES EVERY YEAR AND VIRGINIANS BUY MORE THAN 3 MILLION. IT'S A CLASSIC CASE OF DEMAND OUTWEIGHING SUPPLY. BUT STILL NOT A GOOD REASON TO GET INTO GROWING THE TREES, EXPERTS SAY. THAT'S BECAUSE IT CAN TAKE 7 TO 10 YEARS FOR A FARMER TO GROW HIS FIRST CROP.))
[RUNS= :17]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 52:13 - :16]
((THERE'S NO GETTING AROUND IT. YOU JUST HAVE TO GET OUT THERE AND DO IT BY HAND.))
[RUNS= :03]

Larsen says all the work pays off when he sees the same customers return year after year.
Kelly Reed is one of them.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 41:18 - :30]
((KELLY REED/CUSTOMER: IT'S A FAMILY TRADITION. WE'VE BEEN COMING HERE SINCE I WAS A LITTLE GIRL. EVER SINCE I WAS 5 YEARS OLD. AND EVERY YEAR WE COME OUT AND CUT OUR OWN TREE. MEANS MORE TO US THEN GOING TO A FARM THAT'S ALREADY CUT THEM DOWN. ))
[RUNS= :12]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 55:59 - 56:11]
((BILL LARSEN/TREE FARMER: 11 MONTHS OF THE YEAR WHEN I'M A LONE RANGER, I'M TALKING TO MY TREES. THEN, ONE MONTH OF THE YEAR WHEN I SEE THE PUBLIC ENJOY THEM, IT IS REWARDING.))
[RUNS= :12]

Marya Jones, News-7, Montgomery County.))

[Gun-Bills]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=00-41 TC1:10:47]
[GRAPHIC=Gun Laws]

The House Militia and Police Committee is now a "pro-gun" committee.
A healthy majority of the members appointed last year by new Speaker Vance Wilkins get "A" ratings from gun rights groups.
Today, they reaffirmed owning a gun is a civil right ... even for stalkers.
Ellen Qualls has the story.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=42 of the 71]
[SUPER=01-Tina Kilby/Norfolk Social Worker; :]
[SUPER=01-Susan Stubbs/Domestic Violence Victim; ]
[SUPER=01-Jill Ater/Stalking Victim; :]
[SUPER=01-Philip Van Cleef/Va. Citizens Defense League; :]
[SUPER=@Griffith; :]
[SUPER=@Ellen2; :]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=Qualls, News 7, Richmond.]
(( 42 of the 71 domestic murders in Virginia last year involved guns.
[sot tape TWO 15:17:42 ]
((TINA KILBY/NORFOLK SOCIAL WORKER: I HAVE 64 NAMES FROM THE LAST THREE YEARS OF MURDER-SUICIDES AND MURDERS HERE. I COULD NAME EACH ONE OF THEM. I COULD TELL YOU HOW THEY WERE KILLED.)) [runs:09]

[sot tape two 15:00:58]
((SUSAN STUBBS: ON ONE OCCASION, HE MISSED HITTING MY HEAD BY ONE HALF INCH...HE THREW ME ON THE FLOOR AND KICKED MY PREGNANT STOMACH.)) [runs:09 ]
Jill Ater was raped at gunpoint and stalked for three years.
[sot tape TWO 14;59:41 ]
((JILL ATER/STALKING VICTIM: I'M LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. INDIVIDUALS LIKE THIS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED A WEAPON. THIS IS NOT A GOOD CITIZEN.)) [runs:09]
But gun rights advocates say felons already can't own guns... so until someone commits a felony, their rights should be protected.
[sot tape TWO 15:28:43]
((PHILIP VAN CLEEF/VA. CITIZENS' DEFENSE LEAGUE: THESE ARE MISDEMEANORS. IF THESE THINGS ARE SO SERIOUS, AND I'M NOT SAYING THEY'RE NOT, BUT IF THEY'RE SERIOUS ENOUGH, WHY AREN'T THEY FELONIES, WHY AREN'T THESE PEOPLE IN JAIL? BUT FOR MISDEMEANORS, THAT'S ALL THEY ARE...LET'S NOT TAKE AWAY CIVIL RIGHTS.)) [runs:18]
Salem Delegate Morgan Griffith voted against the five year gun ban, citing what he considered minor domestic abuse, like an occasional push.
[sot tape TWO 15:08:35 ]
((DEL. MORGAN GRIFFITH: IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S A PUSH, THAT PERSON MAY DECIDE NOT TO CALL THE POLICE AT ALL, EVEN THOUGH THE FAMILY MAY NEED SOME HELP BECAUSE WE PASS THIS BILL. BECAUSE THEY'RE AFRAID THEY'RE HUSBAND WILL LOSE HIS RIGHT TO POSSESS A FIREARM.)) [runs:15 ]
The stalker and domestic abuser gun ban died on a 7 to 12 vote.
Ellen Qualls, News 7, Richmond.))

[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up tonight on News 7 sports, Champ is headed to Hawaii. The Express is on the road in Greensboro tonight.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And the Purple Raiders and Johnnies have arrived in Salem to begin their final preparation for this Saturday's 28th Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.
(------------)

[S-Pro]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-85 3333tc]
[GRAPHIC=NFL]

The NFL pro bowl squads were announced this afternoon and despite their extremely disappointing season, the Washington Redskins have placed three players on the NFC squad. Defensive end Marco Coleman, tighten end Stephen Alexander
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Ashburn; :00]
and second year cornerback Champ Bailey. Bailey makes the squad over both of his veteran mates in the secondary Darrell Green and Deion Sanders. Deion says he's OK with not being chosen to play in the February 4th game, but plans to give Champ some tips on what to wear and how to act.
(------------)
[TALENT=MIKE]
[GRAPHIC=NFL]
The big surprise is that the NFC team does not include Donovan McNabb. Instead quarterbacks Daunte Culpepper, Jeff Garcia and Kurt Warner were chosen.

[S-Union]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-84 (35:13)]
[GRAPHIC=Stagg Bowl]

Two of the top college football coaches in the history of the game will square off Saturday in the 2000 Stagg Bowl.
Roy Stanley caught up with both coaches as they prepared for the championship game.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="The Purple...]
[SUPER=03-Salem; :00]
[SUPER=01-John Gagliardi/St. John's Head Coach; :21]
[SUPER=01-Larry Kehres/Mount Union Head Coach; :32]
[SUPER=@Roy1; :43]
[SUPER=01-Chad Johnson/2000 Gagliardi Trophy Winner; 1:14]
[SUPER=01-Frosty Westering/Chad's Grandfather; 1:23]
[RUNS=1:48]
[OUT Q=.....news 7 sports.]
((The Purple Raiders of Mount Union are like home folks in Salem.
Mount Union has played in and won 4 Stagg Bowl titles in the city.
While the Johnnies of St. John's are making their first appearance in Salem their head coach John Gagliardi is aware of the accomplishments of the Purple Raiders and their head coach Larry Kehres.)) ((JOHN GAGLIARDI/ST. JOHN'S HEAD COACH:)) ((LARRY KEHRES/MOUNT UNION HEAD COACH:)) ((ROY STANDUP:)) ((GAGLIARDI:)) ((The division three's top award is named after Gagliardi, the winningest coach in all of college football.
And the winner of this years award is Chad Johnson of Pacific Luthern.)) ((CHAD JOHNSON/2000 GAGLIARDI TROPHY WINNER:)) ((FROSTY WESTERING /CHAD'S GRANDFATHER:)) ((The Stagg Bowl kicks off at noon on Saturday at Salem Stadium.
Roy Stanley news 7 sports.))
(------------)

[S-Express]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-82 2829TC]
[GRAPHIC=EXPRESS]

The Roanoke Express gets the weekend started a night early this evening as the team begins back to back to back contests.
[GRAPHIC=EXPRESS/G'BORO]
Friday and Saturday night the team will be in the Roundhouse, but tonight the Express is on the road in Greensboro taking on the Generals. Greensboro is dead last in the Northeast division - 6 games under the 500 mark.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I MEAN...]
[SUPER=01-Daniel Berthiaume/Express Goalie; 00]
[SUPER=01-Mike Peron/Express Forward; :13]
[RUNS=:30]
[OUT Q=....THAT WILL CHANGE."]
(----------------)

[S-Nascar]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-86 1654TC]
[GRAPHIC=NASCAR]

For years, NASCAR has promised to give minorities more opportunities in the sport. Too often the promise has been broken. But next year veteran open wheel driver Willie T. Ribbs will be back in NASCAR with backing from Dodge.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-Last Season; :00]
Ribbs will drive on the Craftsman Truck series piloting the truck owned by Bobby Hamilton. He also will have sponsorship backing from Dodge. Last year, Bobby Norfleet, a Georgia native made one Truck event with limited financial backing. (------------)