WDBJ 7 news at 11 for 04/16/01

[News-Heads]

[ANCHOR=Jean]

[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Coming up on News 7
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

These flowers and crosses were meant for family graves... so how'd they end up in the trash?
The story coming up.
Think gas prices are going to get better? We'll hear what one analyst thinks.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Jean]

And why you could get more money next time your bumped off a flight.
News 7 is next.

[Video-Open]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=]

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:59:11]
[IN Q=This was ]
((THIS WAS LITTERED WITH FLAGS AND CROSSES YESTERDAY. THEY CAME OUT TODAY AND PICKED UP.))
[RUNS=05]
[OUT Q=picked up.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Efforts to clean up a cemetery in Buena Vista backfire when American flags and crosses are removed from graves of local veterans.
(------------)
[anchor=jean]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 at 11]
Good evening, I'm Jean Jadhon.

[BV-Cemetery]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=01-21 TC05:54]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 at 11]
Green Hill Cemetery in Buena Vista is maintained by the city. But some residents say the city has gone overboard in its clean-up efforts. [TAKE TWO-SHOT JEAN/TERESA] Teresa Hamilton is here now with more on the story. Jean, residents we talked with tonight say they have no problem with wanting the cemetery to look pretty.
[ANCHOR=TERESA]
[SS=None]
[SUPER=@teresa1;]
But say the city crossed the line when workers began removing American flags and crosses.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It breaks my]
[SUPER=07-Stevan Abernathy; :02]
[SUPER=03-Buena Vista;]
[SUPER=07-Lucinda Abernathy; QUICK]
[SUPER=07-Ginger Lanier; QUICK]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=always been well maintained.]
(((///sot///)
[sot 00:59:24]
[in q=It breaks]
((IT BREAKS MY HEART YOU KNOW. I NEVER TOOK PART IN THE MILITARY, I HAVE A SON WHO GRADUATES FROM BASIC TRAINING IN THREE WEEKS, MY FATHER WAS IN WORLD WAR TWO AND THIS IRRITATES ME.)) [RUNS14]
[OUT Q= IRRITATES ME.]
Stevan Abernathy says he understands the city's desire to keep Green Hill cemetery attractive. But takes issue with the way personal items were tossed aside... especially crosses and American flags placed on graves of local veterans.
[sot 00:58:24]
[in q=I'll dig it ]
((I'LL DIG IT OUT, THERE IT LAYS.)) [RUNS05]
[OUT Q= there it lays.]
Abernathy's wife, Lucinda, is also upset. Many of the crosses and flags were placed on the graves by her uncle... himself a disabled veteran.
(////sot////)
[sot]
[in q= to see]
((TO SEE THE CROSSES AND THE FLAGS JUST THROWN IT WAS A HORRIBLE WAY TO SPEND AN EASTER.)) [runs10]
[out q= to spend an easter.]
The Laniers are also up in arms. Ginger Lanier's brother-n-law served in Vietnam and was buried here six years ago.
(///sot/////)
[sot 01:15:57]
((THE FAMILY HAS NO IDEA WHERE THIS CROSS IS AT WE'VE PAINTED IT SEVERAL TIMES AND HIS GRAVE HAS ALWAYS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED.)) [runs10]
[OUT Q= well maintained.]))
(-------------)
[anchor=Teresa]
[SS=NOne]
Buena Vista's mayor says the cemetery has a policy on what is allowed to be placed on and near graves and for how long. Harold Kidd says notices did go out in the newspaper and in water bills warning folks that items which violated the policy would be removed... so that it could be mowed during the summer. [TWO-SHOT] Jean, the mayor does say however, that the flags should not have been tossed aside in this manner and that he too is upset by this.

[Tax-Day]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=01-19 TC19:25]
[GRAPHIC=Tax Deadline]

The day of reckoning for taxpayers has almost come and gone.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

There were plenty of last-minute filers lining up outside the main post office in Roanoke this evening.
It's estimated that about 26 million filers nationwide pored over their forms today.
And it's not too late if you're still working on your return.
Many post offices will remain open till midnight so the returns can be post-marked before the deadline.
(------------)

[Gas-Prices]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Gas Prices]

Tax season may be over, but there could be something else to hit Americans wallets.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

High Gas Prices- With production levels off from this time last year- there's less gasoline in stock-
At the same time- peak driving season is almost here.
Low supply.. and high demand-
You know what that means.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
((I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED AT ALL TO SEE GAS AT TWO DOLLARS FIFTY CENTS A GALLON. SOME ANALYSTS ARE PREDICTING THREE DOLLARS A GALLON.))
[SUPER=01-Hal Harvey/Energy Foundation;]
[RUNS=05]
[OUT Q=three dollars a gallon.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Gas guzzling vehicles aren't helping with demand.
Half of the cars sold in the country are now Sport Utility vehicles, pickups or minivans-
(------------)

[L'burg-Firefighters]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=01-03 TC2:00:42]
[GRAPHIC=None]

How to cut costs without cutting service- It's a challenge at the Lynchburg Fire Department.
Now the former chief of Lynchburg's lifesaving crew says he has a plan-
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Fire officials say a required four percent cut in their budget could force them to close one of Lynchburg's eight fire stations.
But Chip Smoot says the department could move some of its firefighters into E-M-T positions without jeopardizing public safety.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:54:04]
[IN Q=Basically they]
((CHIP SMOOT/FORMER EMS CHIEF: BASICALLY THEY NOW ARE AN E-M-S DEPARTMENT THAT'S ALSO RESPONSIVE TO FIRE. AND NINETY PERCENT OF THEIR PERSONNEL ARE DEDICATED TO FIRE SUPPRESSION.. OVER 90- POINT- 7 PERCENT OF THE CALLS ARE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE CALLS.))
[SUPER=01-Chip Smoot/Former EMS Chief]
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=medical assistance calls.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Fire chief Buddy Martinette says he's seen Smoot's plan and is writing an evaluation on it for city officials.
City council will get a briefing next week.
(------------)

[City-Council]

[ANCHOR=JEan]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=01-07 TC1:29:47]
[GRAPHIC=Roanoke Budget]

A pay raise could be on the way for Roanoke City employees-
City Manager Darlene Burcham outlined her latest budget this afternoon, one that included a three and a half percent merit pay increase and the eliminatiion of 23 empty positions. The proposed budget would raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes by ten cents.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Last Month;]
It would also raise the city's lodging tax by one percent. Both would generate approximately one million dollars to improve city sidewalks. A portion of the funds would also be used to improve marketing of the city as a tourist attraction.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:55:48]
[IN Q=We're also]
((DARLENE BURCHAM/ROANOKE CITY MANAGER: ))
[SUPER=01-Darlene Burcham/Roanoke City Manager; ]
[RUNS=11]
[OUT Q=work with our citizens.]
(------------)
[anchor=Jean]
[ss=HOLD]
A public hearing on the budget will be held next Monday.

[Pulaski-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=01-11 TC49:02]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Suicide]

Pulaski augthorities hope an autopsy provides more clues into the apparent murder suicide there.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski;]

Jackie and Karey Phibbs were discovered by a relative yesterday in a barn near their home on Empire Street.
Police were called at around 6 last night and say evidence suggests 52-year old Jackie shot his 37-year-old wife and then himself.
The two were reportedly estranged.
(------------)

[Beverly]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=500-8]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

A Roanoke woman will serve three years in prison for shooting a man outside Valley View Mall more than a year ago.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

42-year old Deanna Beverly pleaded guilty to charges of malicious wounding and use of a firearm in Roanoke Circuit Court today.
[SUPER=04-October 1999;]

She contends that she shot William Staley in the stomach to protect her husband from a severe beating.
Their confrontation turned violent in the mall's parking lot.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:13:20 - :30]
[IN Q=He kicked my husband]
((DEANNA BEVERLY: HE KICKED MY HUSBAND IN THE CHEST, KNOCKED HIM DOWN AND PROCEEDED TO BEAT HIM AND I PLEADED WITH HIM TO STOP AND HE WOULDN'T STOP AND I BEGGED AND I PLEADED AND I SHOT THE MAN. ))
[SUPER=07-Deanna Beverly;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=I shot the man.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Beverly claims that drug traffickers were chasing her and she thought Staley was one of them.
Her husband, Cass Beverly, was sent to federal prison for hauling marijuana in his truck.
Deanna Beverly will begin her sentence in June.
(------------)

[Birmingham-Bomb]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jha]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

Jury selection continues tomorrow in a 40 year old murder case against a former Ku Klux Klansman.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Birmingham, AL]

62-year old Thomas Blanton Junior is accused in a church bombing that killed four black girls.
The year was 1963 and racial tension was blazing across the south.
That's when the F-B-I alleges that Blanton along with three other Klansmen set the bomb.
The four men WERE prime suspects at the time .. but finding witnesses was impossible.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=There is a Klan]
((DIANE MCWHORTER/AUTHOR: THERE IS A KLAN CODE OF SILENCE CALLED THE KISS OF DEATH, WHICH DISCOURAGED PEOPLE FROM TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE THERE WOULD BE REPRISALS AGAINST THEIR FAMILY.))
[SUPER=01-Diane McWhorter/Author]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=against their family]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Though prosecution has new evidence .. witnesses to the bombing have died.
Two of the Klansmen accused have died.
The third was indicted with Blanton but has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial.
Blanton has proclaimed his innocence all along.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Is he nervous?]
((JOHN ROBBINS/BLANTON ATTORNEY: IS HE NERVOUS? YES. IS HE SCARED? YES, BUT I THINK ANYBODY IN HIS POSITION WOULD BE.))
[SUPER=01-John Robbins/Blanton Attorney]
[RUNS=:06]
[OUT Q=position would be.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Jury selection should be completed Friday.
(---------------)

[Tease1]
[ANCHOR=Jean]
[writer=chr]
[NEWSCAST=11p]
[SS=None]

It's a growing problem here in Southwest Virginia... now Oxycontin abuse is getting national attention.
That's next on News 7.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

And another mega-merger in the banking industry, this one hits close to home.
(-------------)

[Sports-preview]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=fierst audio]
[RUNS=:28]
[OUT Q=in sports"]
(---------)
((STEVE MASON WITH LOTS OF SPORTS FOR YOU TONIGHT. THE CAPS AND THE PENGUINS GO HEAD TO HEAD IN GAME THREE OF THE PLAYOFFS, THE EXPRESS TALKS ABOUT GAME FIVE WITH THE STORM, KENYA'S RUN ENDS IN BOSTON WHILE THE RED SOX GIVE THEIR FANS A REASON TO SALUTE ON PATRIOTS DAY, NORTHSIDE IS TEARING THE DIAMOND UP AND THIS 16 YEAR OLD GIVES NEW MEANING TO OWNING A DRIVERS LICENSE, ALL OF THIS IN SPORTS.))

[Oxycontin]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=01-10 TC39:23]
[GRAPHIC=Oxycontin]

A problem in this part of the state is making national headlines.
It's the painkiller- Oxycontin- and its widespread abuse- especially in far Southwest Virginia.
The problem was tonight's CBS News Eye on America with reporter Cynthia Bowers.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[supers already on pkg]
[RUNS=2:42]
[OUT Q=for Eye on America. ]
((Lee County is MILES off the beaten path, a corner of Virginia wedged between Tennesse and Kentucky- a snapshot of Appalachia. but now that picture is clouded, by a DRUG that is injecting itself into EVERY ASPECT OF life here.
(Maj. Jimmy Woodard Lee County Sheriff's Dept.) These pills, I mean they're killing our people.
Major Jimmy Woodard has seen plenty of drug abuse, but he's never seen anything TAKE HOLD like Oxycontin.
(Sot/Maj. Jimmy Woodard) Its worser than any disease that I can think of, I mean it's just like an epidemic.
Robberies are up 90%, 5 deaths in this sparsely populated county have been linked to the drug in the last 6 months, and despite reports of an overdose EVERY OTHER day, nothing is slowing the abuse of the synthetic morphine. ONE THIRD of high school juniors, ONE IN TEN SEVENTH graders say they've at least tried, what they call Oxy's.
(Sot/Todd Williams) Q: where were these pills coming from, A: they're everywhere people that you never would imagine
does em, does em Recovering addict Todd Williams says whether from dealers or doctors, it was ALARMINGLY EASY to get his hands on what's supposed to be a TIGHTLY CONTROLLED narcotic.
(Sot/Todd Williams) Its a big game, there's people younger than me that can go to the doctor and say there knees messed
up their backs messed up and get oxys and they's something bad wrong.
(Stand UP) The epidemic of abuse that started in rural communities like this one seems to be spreading at such an alarm
ing rate the drug's maker finds itself in the unprecedented position of trying to justify a pill many say is just too potent.
(Sot/Mark Early Virginia Atty. General ) This is a drug that's an angel of death or angel of life depending on how its
used. Virginia's attorney general, along with those in a growing number of states, says the manufacturer has an obligation to help stem the abuse.
(Sot/Dr. J. David Haddox Purdue Pharma T1) It does have an abuse potential we've known for years. We've been very activ
ely educating physicians and other health care practitioners on appropriate selection criteria to get the right drug to the right people. Purdue Pharma reportedly spent 26 million dollars last year educating doctors as to the wonders of Oxycontin, it now outsells Viagra. But Art Van Zee who's practiced here 25 years, believes the drug was over promoted and is now being over prescribed.
(Sot/Dr. Art Van Zee) they've very heavily marketed the drug to the extent that no other narcotic has ever been markete
d. Purdue Pharma says it's just getting the word out about a breakthru medication, that abuse is the problem not the drug, but in places like Lee county its become increasingly hard to separate the promise from the pain. In Pennington Gap, Virginia I'm Cynthia Bowers for Eye on America.))

[Meningitis]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=01-09 TC1:06:20]
[GRAPHIC=Meningitis]

It is a rare, bacterial infection that could be fatal if not treated early- Now a Virginia Tech student has contracted the disease.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]

Officials say a 23-year-old sophomore is being treated for bacterial meningitis at Montgomery Regional Hospital.
The disease infects the bloodstream and causes the lining of the brain to swell.
Virginia has seen sixteen cases of meningitis this year.
It can be transmitted from discharges of the nose and throat of an infected person.
People who've had close contact with a meningitis patient are treated with an antibiotic.
Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, vomiting and a skin rash.
(-------------)

[First-Union]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=01-16 TC25:36]
[GRAPHIC=Merger]

Big bank rivals First Union and Wachovia announced today they're merging.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-First Union Video]

The new bank will be called "Wachovia Corporation."
The merger is expected to take at least three years to complete.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=In reality, at the]
((IN REALITY, AT THE CORE OF EACH OF OUR COMPANIES, IS A CAPITAL MARKETS EFFORT FOR WONDERFUL BUSINESS AND RETAIL BANKING AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A PREMIER WEALTH MANAGEMENT COMPANY IN AMERICA.))
[RUNS=17]
[OUT Q=company in America.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

If the merger is approved by shareholders and the federal government - Wachovia will become the east coast's largest bank.
7 thousand employees will be let go in the process.
(------------)

[Plane-Bumps]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Air Travel]

If you've ever been bumped off a flight- you know it can be frustrating.
Now the government may force airlines to pay passengers more money when they get bumped off of oversold flights.
The Transportation secretary says the rules that haven't been updated since 1978.
Right now airlines must pay passengers who lose their seats 200 dollars and fly them to their destination for free.
If losing the seat means a delay of more than two hours passengers get 400 dollars.
A study shows passengers are getting bumped off flights now more than in the past.

[Tease2]
[ANCHOR=Jean]
[writer=chr]
[NEWSCAST=11p]
[SS=None]

Some Southside students are singing a new tune tonight, after creating their own opera.
We'll check it out next on News 7.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

And the Battleship Wisconsin formally takes its place on Norfolk's waterfront.
(----------------)

[School-Opera]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=01-08 TC1:02:26]
[GRAPHIC=none]

An unique show is coming to Danville.
Its an opera.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville]

What makes it so unique is that it was completely written, composed, and performed by third graders at Woodrow Wilson magnet School.
It took the students more than seven months to complete the opera.
Each student has a different role from singing, to acting, to designing the set.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 16:58:23]
[IN Q=We sat at a table]
((MELVIN WALKER/SET DESIGNER: WE SAT AT A TABLE AND WE HAD TO WORK TOGETHER TO FIND OUT AN IDEA FOR THE SET.)) ((TOMISHA JOHNSON/PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: I'VE BEEN TELLING PEOPLE WHERE TO GO, WHEN TO OPEN THE CURTAINS, WHEN TO THE SHUT THE CURTAINS, WHEN TO CHANGE THE SET AND STUFF.))
[SUPER=01-Melvin Walker/Set Designer; :00]
[SUPER=01-Tomisha Johnson/Production Director; :07]
[RUNS=11]
[OUT Q=the set and stuff]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The opera is titled "Money, Money, Money" and the theme is how money can't buy you everything.
The students will perform for the public beginning Thursday at seven in the auditorium at Woodrow Wilson Magnet School.
(------------)

[Vidalia]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=jja]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

If you love Vidalia onions, plan on paying more this year
Experts say this year's crop will be smaller, more expensive and later to arrive in stores- because of Georgia's brutal winter weather.
Growers say a rough December killed 15 to 20 percent of the crop.

[S-Extra]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=Extra Point]
[GRAPHIC=Sports Logo]

Lots of sports but first our NBA extra point. Sacramento Kings guard Jason Williams has been fined 25 thousand dollars for inappropriate conduct directed at fans and Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett has been fined 75 hundred bucks for an obscene gesture to a ref.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=75-Portland, OR; :]
The Portland Trail Blazers are suspending All-Star forward Rasheed Wallace for one game for throwing a towel into the face of teammate Arvydas Sabonis during an argument in a loss to the Lakers yesterday. Wallace has been ejected seven times this season and has racked up 41 technical fouls, breaking the league record of 38 he set last season.
(------------)
[WIPE TO MOTION]
[SUPER=#556]
[SUPER=X5011;]
[SUPER=0093-/Salem/2/j/Myrtle Beach/11///j/Lynchburg/9//Potomac/4///;]
[SUPER=X5010;]
[SUPER=0091-j/Kansas City/5//Minnesota/3////N.Y. Yankees/1/j/Boston/4///;]
[SUPER=X5009;]
[SUPER=0091-/Tampa Bay/2/j/Baltimore/6////Texas/0//Seattle/6/3//;]
[SUPER=X5009;]
[SUPER=0092-/Houston/0/j/Pittsburgh/3////Montreal/3/j/N.Y. Mets/4///;]
[SUPER=X5009;]
[SUPER=0092-/Philadelphia///Chicago///Postponed//Florida/3/j/Atlanta/4///;]
[SUPER=X5031;]
[SUPER=0103-/Ottawa/2/j/Toronto/3//in OT//Washington/0/j/Pittsburgh/3//Pitt leads 2-1/;]
[SUPER=x5009;]
[SUPER=0103-j/Philadelphia/3//Buffalo/2////Colorado/0//Vancouver/1/1//;]
[RUNS=:35]
[OUT Q=....last score."]
(-----------)

[S-Caps]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-90]
[GRAPHIC=NHL]

In one series, the Stanley Cup playoffs last night matched the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Washington Capital, game three of their best of seven series.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pittsburgh, PA/ESPN; :00]

Tied one game all, last night would be all Pittsburgh. At the 9:23 mark of the second Kevin Stevens beats Olaf Kolzig top shelf to make it 1-nothing Pittsburgh.
The Penguins then score two in a just over two and a half minutes of the third to ice it. Alexie Kovalev rips rope at the 9:23 mark of the final period with a hard wrist shot form the
[SUPER=31-Pittsburgh/3/Washington/0;]
right face off circle. Jan Hrdina scores the final goal.
Rookie goalie Johan Hedberg, in only his 12th NHL start, nets his first shutout in the big time making 34 saves.

(------------)

[S-Express]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-83 ]
[GRAPHIC=Express/toledo]

Tonight the Express and the Toledo Storm decide whose season is over and who goes to the next round in game five of the five game series.
Roanoke offered a few final words before leaving for Toledo Sunday night.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="i think]
[SUPER=01-Mike Peron/Express Center; :00]
[SUPER=01-Perry Florio/Express Head Coach; :16]
[RUNS=:30]
[OUT Q=......try to do"]
(-------------)

[S-NBA]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-93]
[GRAPHIC=NBA]

The NBA regular season is almost over.
Last night, Milwaukee met Orlando in a preview of the Eastern Conference best of five first round playoff match up.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Orlando, FL/Bucks vs. Magic; :00]

The Magic's Tracy McGrady up in everyone's grill last night as he goes in for the slam, T Mac scored a game high 26 points.
The Big Dawg's bite was not as strong but it was still good enough for a team high 19
[SUPER=32-Milwaukee/101/Orlando/89;]
points. This hoop gave Milwaukee an 11 point cushion with seven minutes left in the game.
Lindsay Hunter with three of his 15, Bucks win 101-89, their 9th straight win over the Magic.
(------------)

[S-Northside]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=sp-82 tc 1:43:08]
[GRAPHIC=softball]
The 8 and OH Northside softball team is again a top the Blue Ridge District.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]

Their next three games are against district foes. Everyone is gunning for Northside since the Vikings have had two straight undefeated seasons in the district.
Northside plays at Alleghany tomorrow evening. The Mountaineers are in a five way tie for second.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=they've got]
[SUPER=01-Ashley Smith/Senior Captain; :03]
[SUPER=01-Lynn Richmond/Northside Head Coach; :13]
[RUNS=18]
[OUT Q=real quick]
(--------------)

[S-Run]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=11pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-79 2:04:02]
[graphic=boston marathon]
The 105th Boston Marathon tore up the pavement today as a South Korean brings his homeland the victory for the first time in 51 years.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Boston, MA; :00]

For the first time in 10 years, the winner on the men's side was NOT from Kenya. South Korea's Lee Bong-Ju (Bawg-Zhoo) won the race. He covered the 26.2 mile course in a time of two hours, nine minutes and 43 seconds.
In women's, Catherine Ndereba (dah-REH-bah) captured first place with a time of two hours 23 minutes and 53 seconds.

(------------)

[S-Girl]

[ANCHOR=Steve]
[NEWSCAST=11P]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=sp-81 tc 1:31:55]
[GRAPHIC=NRV Speedway]

Brianne Cronrath finished ninth in Saturday's Late Model Truck Race at the New River Valley Speedway.
The 16 year old's goal is NASCAR.
Denise Allen has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=@Denise1; :11]
[SUPER=01-Brianne Cronrath/Late Model Truck Driver; :27]
[SUPER=03-Radford; :38]
[SUPER=01-Jon Wood/Wood Brothers Racing; :52]
[SUPER=01-Bret Cronrath/Brianne's Dad; 1:22]
[RUNS=1:38]
[OUT Q=News 7 Sports]
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[SOT 18:34:14]
[IN Q=she's 100 % girl]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=different things]

Those different things included climbing into a race car at the age of seven.
Brianne started in quarter midgets. The Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, native has spent the past couple season on the dirt track.
The Late Model Truck class at the New River Valley Speedway is her first experience at racing on asphalt.
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[SOT 18:44:06]
[IN Q=i'm used to]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=big differnce]

Jon Wood, former Rookie of the Year at New River, is helping Brianne get use to those differences.
Teaching her how to take the corners and when to ease up or put on the speed has been a learning experience for him as well.
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[SOT 18:52:09]
[IN Q=it's pretty cool]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=here's what I know]
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=]

Brianne caught the racing bug from her dad,Bret. He drove until Brianne wanted to take the wheel.
Bret says the danger surrounding the sport doesn't worry him. They've taken every precaution to keep Brianne safe.

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[SOT 18:34:49]
[IN Q=when we]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=past couple of months]

Dale Earnhardt was Brianne's favorite driver and she wants to follow in his footsteps.
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[SOT]
[IN Q= NASCAR]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=ultimate goal]

Denise Allen News 7 Sports. ))

[USS-Wisconsin]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=None]

57 years ago today, the U-S-S Wisconsin was commisioned into the navy.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Norfolk]

Today it began its latest mission as a floating musuem.
The World War two-era vessel sits in a berth next to the Nauticus National Maritime Center in Norfolk.
The Wisconsin is still owned by the Navy and the interior portion of the ship is not open to the public.
In the unlikely event that the ship were needed for combat, the Navy could take it back. (------------)