[Texas-Escapees]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

A peaceful early morning surrender for the last two remaining Texas prison escapees--
The pair of fugitives gave themselves up to police in Colorado Springs, after they were allowed a telephone interview with a local T-V station.
As Jennifer Jones reports, the break-out was meant to be a statement against the Texas prison system.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Colorado Springs, CO;]
[SUPER=01-Mark Mershon/F.B.I.;]
[SUPER=02-Patrick Murphy, Jr./Texas Prison Escapee;]
[SUPER=02-Donald Newbury/Texas Prison Escapee;]
[SUPER=01-Jennifer Jones/Reporting;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=Jones, CBS News, Colorado Springs, CO.]
(( Ending one of the largest manhunts in the Southwest's history, the last of seven convicts surrendered to police early this morning. Patrick Murphy Jr and Donald Newbury walked out of the hotel room in Colorado Springs where they had been hiding.

SOT: "I went through the room after the search, there were 10 loaded
handguns, 2 loaded pump shotguns in there so they were ready for action."
Before giving up they had negotiated with police...for hours. One demand... an interview with local CBS station KKTV anchor man Eric Singer. During the telephone interview, Murphy complained of faults within the criminal justice system.

SOT Interview: Patrick Murphy, Jr. 053526
"Hopefully this will open eyes for some people that the penal system has problems within it."
Donald Newbury also weighed in with his opinions on crime and punishment.

SOT: Interview: Donald Newbury 053812
"I've done crime, gotta face the music, but there's got to be something within reason in the state of Texas."
The arrests ended a full scale manhunt for the seven convicts who had bluffed their way out of a maximum-security prison in Texas. While on the run the group allegedly robbed a sporting goods store to stock up on weapons . It is believed they shot and killed a police officer responding to the scene.
STANDUP;After the first four convicts were captured Monday, authorities began to close in on Murphy and Newbury. Yesterday they found their abandoned van... in a parking lot just two blocks from where they were captured. A tip from a local resident sent the police to the fugitive's ))

[Officer-Mother]


[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Meanwhile, the mother of a slain police officer says she's "elated and relieved" that the last of the Texas Seven are back behind bars.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Dallas, TX;]

Authorities blame the Texas escapees for the shooting death of officer Aubrey Hawkins during a Christmas Eve robbery.
But Hawkins' mother actually AGREES with the escapees on one point-- something should be done to improve the Texas prison system.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=If I were the state]
((JAYNE HAWKINS/POLICE OFFICER'S MOTHER:IF I WERE THE STATE OF COLORADO, I WOULD NOT HOUSE THEM, I WOULD NOT FEED THEM. TEXAS MADE THIS PROBLEM. IT WAS BORN AND BRED IN TEXAS. I WOULD SEND IT STRAIGHT BACK TO TEXAS.
THAT'S WHAT I WOULD DO ))
[SUPER=01-Jayne Hawkins/Police Officer's Mother;]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=that's what I would do.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Hawkins says that kind of jailbreak should never happen again, and she's demanding a major overhaul of the state's prison system.
(------------)

[Fatal-Fire]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Fire]


A trailer fire in Montgomery County this morning claimed a man's life.
Authorities responded to the fire at 2761 Jim Meadows Road just after midnight.
Firefighters found the body of 56 year old Earl Steven Price shortly after they arrived.
They believe the fire was caused by a propane heater in the trailer.

[6-Background-Checks]


[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=00-49 TC1:04:56]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Should new judges submit to criminal background checks?
Virginia lawmakers are addressing that issue again in the House today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond;]

Lynchburg Republican Kathy Byron says she's sponsoring the bill because her constituents thought judges already were checked out.
But some Democrats say fingerprinting potential judges would be demeaning.
Chip Woodrum says President Bush's 24 year old drunk driving arrest is a perfect example that criminal records will come to light anyway.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 02:50:27]
[IN Q=You done]
((DEL. CHIP WOODRUM/D-ROANOKE: YOU DONE SOMETHING, IT'S GONNA BUBBLE UP... TRUST ME ON THAT. IF THEY KNOW SOMETHING ON IT, THEY'RE GONNA GET YOU FOR IT.))
[SOT HOUSE 02:50:09]
((DEL. MORGAN GRIFFITH: IT WAS ONLY IN THE 11TH HOUR THAT THIS ISSUE BUBBLED UP, AND NOTWITHSTANDING THAT THE GENTLEMAN AND I AGREE THAT IT SHOULDN'T HAVE MADE ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, IT IS SOMETHING THAT THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PROBABLY DID NEED TO KNOW.))
[SUPER=@Woodrum; :00]
[SUPER=@Griffith; :17]
[RUNS=:29]
[OUT Q=need to know.]
(-------------)
[TALENT=Kimberly]
[SS=None]

Delegate Byron's bill ran into trouble when Democrats tried to make it apply to all judges, NOT just new ones.

[Oil-Spill]


[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]

It's going from bad to worse in the Galapagos Islands--
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-San Cristobal Isle;]

There's a new diesel fuel spill from an oil tanker.
Pounding surf has caused new breaks in the hull of the tanker, dumping the rest of the ship's oil into the water.


Officials say as many as 20- thousand gallons of fuel spilled late yesterday.
That makes a total of 190- thousand gallons that have spilled.
Crews continue working hard to contain the spill.
It's already damaged birds and marine life in the environmentally- fragile area.
(------------)

[Bush-Cabinet]


[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=George W. Bush]

The Bush cabinet is gradually filling up--
The Senate is expected to approve four more members today.
After today's meeting with congressional leaders, President Bush is optimistic about the confirmation of all of his Cabinet nominees.
However, the future remains uncertain for at least one of them.
Senate Democrats say a committee vote on Attorney General- Designate John Ashcroft was supposed to take place today.
Instead, it's delayed until next week.

[L'burg-Council]


[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=00-50 TC1:24:19]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Part of downtown Lynchburg will undergo some big changes IF a new federal complex is built. Federal officials say they need a bigger, more secure federal court.. and the postal service says IT needs room to expand.
But plans to build the complex could mean some long-time downtown businesses would have to move.
Steve Smallshaw has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Business owners]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg; :00]
[SUPER=01-Richard Bryant/Business Owner; :14]
[SUPER=01-Jeff Clark/Business Owner; :27]
[SUPER=01-Walter Erwin/Acting City Manager; :53]
[SUPER=@ssm1; 1:05]
[RUNS=1:24]
[OUT Q=News7, Lynchburg.]
(( Business owners in the 1100 block of Lynchburg's Main Street had heard the rumors for a year, but now it's apparent that getting a new courthouse and post office means THEY'LL be filling out change of address cards.
[SOT 17:46:28 natsot bite]
((RICHARD BRYANT/BUSINESS OWNER: IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE HAD SOME SORT OF AN IDEA OF WHEN A DECISION'S GOING TO BE MADE, SO WE CAN HAVE AN IDEA OF WHEN WE NEED TO START LOOKING FOR A NEW LOCATION FOR OUR BUSINESS.))
[RUNS= 13]
[OUT Q=for our business.]
[SOT 18:02:25]
((JEFF CLARK/BUSINESS OWNER: WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING YET. IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE WHETHER THEY CAN ACTUALLY COME IN THERE HEAVY- HANDED AND MAKE US MOVE OR NOT, WE DON'T KNOW.))
[RUNS= 09]
[OUT Q=we don't know.]

Federal officials provided just a bare- bones outline of their proposal to city council Tuesday.
Plans call for closing the current downtown post office and another at Miller Park.
A new facility and a new federal courthouse would then take up this entire square block between Main and Church Streets.
[SOT 17:57:23]
((WALTER ERWIN/ACTING CITY MANAGER: THEY ARE VERY CONSCIENTIOUS ABOUT TRYING TO DESIGN A PROJECT THAT WOULD FIT WITHIN THE CITY, THAT WILL ENHANCE THE DOWNTOWN AREA AND WILL BE SOMETHING TO ANCHOR THAT END OF DOWNTOWN.))
[RUNS= 12]
[OUT Q=end of downtown.]
[Standup ] ((Officials say they should know in the next four or five months whether this project will even be financially feasible.. and that's when local business owners will find out whether they need to start looking for a new home. If it does happen, officials hope to break ground this winter and have both the courthouse and post office open for business by the summer of 2003. Steve Smallshaw, News7, Lynchburg. ))
[RUNS= 20]
[OUT Q=News7, Lynchburg.]))

[Norment-DUI]


[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=00-47 TC1:13:28]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The man behind the law that lowered the D-U-I blood alcohol level in Virginia- has been charged with driving under the influence.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond/Last Week]

Early yesterday morning, Williamsburg state senator Tommy Norment was allegedly seen weaving off Interstate 64 near Richmond.
Norment sponsored a package of drunk driving reforms that became law in 1995- lowering the blood alcohol level from "point-1-0" to point "0-8."
He sponsored a third time habitual offender drunk driving law in 1999.
(------------)
[TALENT=Kimberly]
[SS=None]

This year, he's carrying legislation, making it illegal to have an open container of alcohol in a moving car... and to study the dangers of using cell phones while driving.
NO word yet from State Police on what HIS blood alcohol level was alleged to be yesterday morning.

[Pulaski-Tax]


[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-44 TC1:46:13]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Pulaski County Supervisors are asking Governor Gilmore to apologize for some comments he made recently.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond/Last Month; ]

Last month, Gilmore lashed out at the supervisors for raising the property tax rate after he worked to cut the car tax.
He urged taxpayers to vote the supervisors out of office.
[SUPER=03-Pulaski Co.;]

Pulaski County Supervisor Charles Cook says Gilmore was out of line.
He and his fellow supervisors -- 4 Democrats and one Republican -- are sending a resolution to Gilmore, demanding an apology.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4:06:29 - :45]
[IN Q=We took it]
((CHARLES COOK: WE TOOK IT AS A DIRECT SLAM ON OUR ACTIONS. IF YOU CHECK THE RECORDS, PULASKI CO. HAS ACTED VERY RESPONSIBLY AS FAR AS THE TAXES AND HOW WE APPLY THEM. AND THE TAXES FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS.))
[SUPER=01-Charles Cook/Pulaski Co. Supervisor;]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=the last 20 years.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Last summer, supervisors voted to raise the property tax 50-cents cents on every 100 dollars of property. They say it was the first increase in 25 years -- intended to fund school and road improvements.
The move had no opposition then, but raised a ruckus when people opened their tax bills.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The resolution goes to Gilmore this week.
It also calls for him to reinstate funds for a training center that he promised more than a year ago.

[Robot-Surgery]


[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=00-46 TC1:37:34]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Heart procedures may soon be performed by robots right here in Roanoke.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Carilion was chosen as one of several medical centers in the nation to test a robotic surgical system.
It's called da Vinci.
Doctors say the robot could reduce the discomfort patients feel during surgery.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT1:57:31]
[IN Q=I think it's going to mean less trauma]
((DR. JOSEPH BAKER/CARDIOTHORACIC SURGEON: EVENTUALLY I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A STEPPING STONE TO ALLOW MORE ADVANCES IN MINIMALLY INVASIVE AND CHEST AND HEART SURGERY AND THAT HOPEFULLY WILL TRANSLATE TO LESS TRAUMA FOR PATIENTS AND QUICKER HEALING TIME))
[SUPER=01-Dr. Joseph Baker/Cardiothoracic Surgeon]
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=and quicker healing time]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The da Vinci Surgical System allows doctors to perform heart operations through three small holes in the chest, each about an inch long.
Current procedures sometimes require opening the entire chest wall.
(------------)

[S-Burg]


[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-79]
[GRAPHIC=Superbowl 35]

Our Hometown Super Bowl Heroes reports head to Lynchburg tonight at five and six
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Owings Mills, MD; :00]
with a look at three Hill City products who are going to the NFL's championship game. Former Jefferson Forest star Anthony Poindexter, Heritage high school hero Keith Hamilton and former E.C. Glass standout Cornell Brown will all talk abo(------------) ut Lynchburg's Super Bowl invasion. Join News 7 sports for that story tonight.
by SS