[HEADLINES]
[TALENT=Kimberly]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
One person is confirmed dead, another seriously injured after an accident on Route 8 in Montgomery County this morning.
Details up next..
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
And a child is among those who were rescued in one of the house fires that broke out this morning in Danville...
(/////////////)
[TALENT=Jacey]
[SS=None]
Clouds mixed with sun today but this weekend looks cold and wet. Forecast details are straight ahead.
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[SS=None]
News 7 at noon is next.
[Fatal-Accident]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-46]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]
A three-car accident this morning in Montgomery County killed one person and sent another to the hospital with serious injuries.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co.;]
It happened on Route 8 just outside Christiansburg, shortly after 9.
State police say a car turning into a driveway was struck by another car.
One driver died at the scene.
Another was pinned in his car for more than a half-hour.
He was flown to Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
A third driver was not injured.
The accident blocked all traffic on Route 8 for about two hours.
State police are not releasing any names until after family members are notified.
(------------)
[danville-fire]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=12]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=00-39]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]
Two early morning fires in Danville....
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville]
The first one started around seven thirty.
One child was rescued from a burning house on Girard Street, at least two people were taken to the hospital.
No word yet on the extent of the injuries.
(------------)
[Anchor=Kim]
[SS=HOLD]
The second fire broke out less than a half hour later at a house on Monroe Street.
Firefighters say there were no injures, and damage was moderate.
[D'ville-Fire]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=jje]
[TAPE#=00-48 40:13]
[GRAPHIC=Fire Invest.]
Investigators may never know the cause of another fire in Danville.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville/Tuesday]
Early Tuesday morning, emergency crews found (Pee-nos) Pino's Pizza on Westover Drive engulfed in flames.
The roof collapsed before firefighters could control the blaze.
Investigators say the damage was too extensive to determine the exact cause of the fire-- but they do not suspect arson.
The Fire Chief says the restaurant may have been on fire for some time before anyone noticed.
(------------)
[L'Burg-Crash]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=00-42 TC1:51:53]
[GRAPHIC=Crash Invest.]
The preliminary report on a Lynchburg plane crash has been released by the National Transportation Safety Board.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg/November 24]
Last month, this twin- engine King Air F-90 lost power and crashed shortly after takeoff.
Both men on board escaped.
The N-T-S-B appears to be centering its investigation around problems inside both of the engines.
(------------)
[Train-Ax]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Train Accident]
Two people died when the car they were riding in collided with an Amtrak train in North Carolina.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Raleigh, NC;]
The train was on its way to Raleigh from Charlotte.
24 passengers and four crew members were on board when the train struck a car on the railroad tracks.
The train then dragged the car for about a quarter of a mile.
Authorities say the two people in the car died in the accident, while two passengers on the train suffered only minor injuries.
The crossing has been the scene of four other fatal accidents in the last few years.
(------------)
[Chernobyl]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
It's the site of the world's worst nuclear accident in history..
Ukraine's president has shut down the Chernobyl power plant for good.
Elizabeth Palmer has more from Moscow.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Chernobyl, Ukraine; :00]
[SUPER=03-File Tape/April, 1986; :21]
[SUPER=01-Elizabeth Palmer/Reporting; :38]
[RUNS=:58]
[OUT Q=Palmer, CBS News, Moscow.]
((
BLUE LINE: CHERNOBYL, UKRAINE
FIRST PART IS UKRAINIAN TV VIA APTN:
Fifteen years of nuclear anxiety came to an end today.
The last of the four reactors at Chernobyl stopped working...
NEXT BIT FROM NTV:
throwing two thousand employees at the complex out of work -
and leaving Ukrainians short of electricity at the start of winter.
BACK TO UKRAINIAN TV VIA APTN:
The Ukrainian government resisted shutting down the reactor to the very
last...
FILE FOOTAGE FROM APRIL 1986, SOURCE IS APTN:
but international presure to close the plant completely has grown since
the massive explosion in 1986 which covered a third of Europe with a
radioactive cloud -
THIS ALSO FROM APTN:
and caused cancers rates to skyrocket in Byelorus and Ukraine.
END OF PIECE IS ALL NTV:
The closure will take several years to implement fully.
The concrete sarcophagus covering the reactor which exploded is decaying
and has to be rebuilt...
...and the fuel has to be removed from the other reactors. The cost of
the shutdown is expected to rise above 3 billion dollars.
Most of the money will come from the international community, including
the Unites States. EP, CBS News, Moscow
))
[Working-Poor]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=00-38]
A new study came out today saying many Virginians who work are still stuck in poverty.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]
The Virginia Council Against Poverty says 80 percent of poor families have a working person.
Tonya Peters works full time for more than minimum wage but with children and a disabled husband, still cannot make ends meet.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11:32:29]
[IN Q=I need help]
((I NEED HELP WITH HEALTHCARE WITH MY HUSBAND SICK, AND THERE'S NO MEANS OUT THERE BUT MEDICAID. HE'S NOT ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICAID.))
[SUPER=07-Tonya Peters;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=for Medicaid]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Today's study calls for more wages, work hours and affordable benefits such as child care and health care.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11:39:00]
[IN Q=If people]
((IF PEOPLE WORK THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO WORK IN A LIVING WAGE WITH BENEFITS THAT PUTS THEM ABOVE THE POVERTY LINE. WORK HAS TO PAY.))
[SUPER=01-Ted Edlich/Total Action Against Poverty;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=has to pay]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
We'll have more on this story tonight on News7 at Five and Six.
(------------)
[Volcano]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
It was raining white ash on a village near Mexico City's active volcano.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Mexico;]
It's known as the "Popo".
So far, authorities have not yet evacuated the 30- thousand residents living along the slopes of the volcano that's been raging for several days.
The nearly 18- thousand- foot volcano is located about 40 miles southeast of Mexico City.
It registered 200 eruptions on Tuesday, breaking an earlier record of 180 for the highest number of volcanic eruptions in a single day.
(------------)
[Road-Projects]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Highway Improvements]
Several roads in our area will benefit from state money.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board approved nearly 70 million dollars for 52 projects statewide.
(XXXXXXX)
[TAKE MAP FULL ROUTE 58]
The two largest projects will improve U-S 58 in Southside.
The board approved 14 million dollars for work in Danville, including repairs to the bridge over the Dan River.
The single biggest project is the Route 58-- Stuart Bypass.
That will cost the state 15 million dollars.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kelli]
[SS=HOLD]
Also approved-- More than three-million dollars to widen Hardy Road in Roanoke County and Vinton,
and a project to widen route 801 in Franklin County.
[I-73]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=00-50]
[GRAPHIC=Interstate 73]
V-DOT received input from Roanoke residents in its final public hearing on Interstate 73.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
Hundreds came out last night to look at maps that outline where the proposed road may go, what property it may cut through, and the environmental impact it will have.
Folks have three options to choose from, one is to do nothing, the second is to make improvements to 220, the third- build I-73.
VDOT says feedback from the last three meetings has been varied.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:18]
[IN Q= people have]
((LAURA BULLOCK/VDOT SPOKESPERSON: PEOPLE HAVE OPINIONS FROM DO NOTHING TO BUILD A WHOLE OTHER ROAD AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN THERE REALLY IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY IN THIS STUDY IT WILL BE A CHALLENGE FOR THE DECISION MAKERS TO MAKE A SELECTION FOR I-73.))
[SUPER=01-Laura Bullock/VDOT Spokesperson]
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=for I-73.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
V-DOT will continue to take written comments through January 12-th.
After that, the feedback will be go to the Transportation Board. It's expected to make a decision sometime this Spring.
(------------)
[Gun-Bills]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=00-41 TC1:12:33]
[GRAPHIC=Gun Laws]
A General Assembly committee shot down a bill that would keep guns out of the hands of stalkers and domestic abusers.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]
The bill would have banned gun possession for five years from anyone convicted of stalking, attempted or actual sexual battery, or domestic assault.
One woman testified she'd been raped at gunpoint, and subsequently stalked for three years.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=When I tried]
[sot tape TWO 14:58:31 ]
((JILL ATER/STALKING VICTIM: WHEN I TRIED TO END THE RELATIONSHIP, HE TOOK ME AT GUNPOINT TO A REMOTE AREA, WHERE HE SAID HE WOULD KILL ME.))
[SUPER=01-Jill Ater/Stalking Victim;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=would kill me.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
But gun rights advocates say it's already illegal to own a firearm if you've been convicted of a felony.
And in Virginia's stalking and domestic assaults are considered misdemeanors.
And some say, victims should have the right to bear arms.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I've had]
[sot tape TWO 15:27:07 ]
((PAUL MOOG/VA. CITIZENS DEFENSE LEAGUE: I'VE HAD SEVERAL WOMEN CONTACT ME AND SAY I WENT TO BUY A GUN. MY EX-HUSBAND AND I HAD BEEN IN A VIOLENT RELATIONSHIP FOR YEARS... AND NOW, MY GUN RIGHTS ARE GONE AND I CAN'T DEFEND MYSELF AGAINST HIM.))
[SUPER=01-Paul Moog/Va. Citizens Defense League;]
[RUNS=:21]
[OUT Q=against him.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The gun ban died on a 7 to 12 vote.
(------------)
[TALENT=Kim]
[SS=HOLD]
A bill to ban hunting on school property had better success.
Also yesterday- a bill to tighten up the law that bans guns from school property died in the same committee.
[Radford-Lawsuit]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=00-43 TC1:02:55]
[GRAPHIC=Lawsuit]
The city of Radford, its police department and a senior officer in the Radford P-D have been hit with a 2-million dollar lawsuit. This comes on the heels of the police chief's resignation.
(------------)
[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 yesterday, Alicia Scanlon says the chief told her that she and Blackburn would have to work together and that she "should be mature" about it.
(------------)
[Pope]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
American businessman Edmund Pope says he was treated "quite well" during the 253 days he spent in a Moscow jail on spy charges.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Landstuhl, Germany;]
Since his release, Pope's been staying at a military hospital in Germany.
He's suffered from a rare form of bone cancer in the past, and is awaiting test results before returning to the U-S.
Overall, he experienced no PHYSICAL harm during his eight months behind bars.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:14:14]
[IN Q=It was clear]
((EDMUND POPE/FORMER RUSSIAN PRISONER: IT WAS CLEAR TO ME AFTER A WHILE THAT I WAS THERE FOR POLITICAL REASONS. THERE WAS NO PHYSICAL ABUSE. IT IS A DETENTION CENTER, AN ISOLATION CENTER. AND IT'S PART OF THE PSYCHOLOGY THAT THEY USE.
THERE WAS SOME MENTAL ANGUISH, A LOT OF DEPRESSION.))
[SUPER=01-Edmund Pope/Former Russian Prisoner;]
[RUNS=:21]
[OUT Q=lot of depression. ]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Pope was sentenced to 20 years in jail last week.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin pardoned him to improve relations with the U-S.
(------------)
[Christmas-Store]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=00-49]
[GRAPHIC=Christmas]
It's the season to shop but if you can't afford Christmas gifts there is a place to turn.
The Community Christmas Store in Roanoke County has been helping hundreds of families each holiday.
Kate Weidaw has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;:00]
[SUPER=01-Angie Apgar/Community Christmas Store;:08]
[SUPER=@Kate1;1:06]
[RUNS=1:16]
[OUT Q=kw news 7 Roanoke Co.]
((You can call the Community Christmas Store a department store of sorts for families who can't afford Christmas gifts.
[SOT 2:04:26]
[INQ=]
((ANGIE APGAR: THEY RECEIVE A BRAND NEW OUTFIT FOR EACH FAMILY MEMBER THEY GO TO THE TOY SECTION AND RECEIVE A TOY FOR THEIR CHILD, THEY'LL GO TO THE HOUSE HOLD AND PICK OUT WHAT THEY NEED SO THEY AREN'T GIVEN A TOASTER WHEN THEY NEED AN IRON.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 13]
It's a year round effort to fill the shelves at the store by relying on businesses, schools, and the community to donate items and money.
Families who want to shop at the store apply through Social Services and make a wish list of items they need.
The toy section is usually the most popular.
[SOT 2:02:20]
[INQ=]
((ANGIE APGAR: THE BOYS ALWAYS GO FOR THE MONSTER TRUCKS, SPORTS BASKETBALLS, FOOTBALLS.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 9]
The annual Toy Run helps fill up the shelves. Besides toys there's food, blankets, and clothes for the entire family.
[SOT 2:07:26]
[INQ=]
((ANGIE APGAR: WE ALSO HAVE SOCKS AND UNDERWEAR WHICH WE ARE A SHORTAGE OF IF ANYONE OUT THERE WANTS TO DONATE THAT IS ONE THING WE NEED RIGHT NOW.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]
[STANDUP 16:45:30]
[INQ=]
((KATE WEIDAW/REPORTING: WHILE THE COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS STORE WILL BE BUSY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WITH FAMILIES SHOPPING FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS THE SHELVES WILL NOT STAY FULL FOR LONG SO THEY'RE STILL ASKING FOLKS TO BRING DONATIONS UNTIL SATURDAY. KATE WEIDAW NEWS 7 ROANOKE COUNTY.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 15]))
[Xmas-Trees]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-47 TC25:26]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The holiday season is big business for Christmas tree farmers in southwest Virginia.
Marya Jones takes a look at one farmer whose Montgomery County farm attracts about 2-thousand families a year.
(///// 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.))
by SS