[HEADLINES]
[TALENT=Kimberly]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
The work week begins with the announcement of a major bank merger--
First Union and Wachovia will form the largest financial holding company in the region.
Details, coming up.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
And Pulaski county authorities are investigating an apparent murder suicide.
(/////////////)
[TALENT=Jacey]
[SS=None]
Our weather is turning cold and windy but will today's sunshine stick around? The answer is coming up in the forecast.
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[SS=None]
Stay tuned for News 7 at noon.
[Noon-open]
[SUPER=#4054; News 7 Headline Banner]
[SUPER=@Kimberly1;]
[SUPER=@Jacey1; ]
[Video-Open]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Big changes for two big banks could have an even BIGGER impact for local customers.
(------------)
[First-Union]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=12]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=01-06 22:07]
[GRAPHIC=First Union]
First Union and Wachovia say one is better than two.
This morning the two banks announced they are merging.... the new company will be called Wachovia Corporation.
It will be the largest financial holding company in the Southeast and East Coast region.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Kim/Jen;]
News 7 Business Reporter Jennifer Miele is in our studio today with the story.
[LIVE=JEN/FULL on MB set]
[SUPER=@jennifer1]
Kim, given First Union's recent string of layoffs, the merger did come as quite a shock to the financial world.... mainly because First Union's troubled state came about from mergers and acquisitions just like this one.
Nonetheless, the new financial giant will be the fourth largest bank nationwide.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Our cultures are really]
[SUPER=04-File Tape;:15]
[RUNS=44]
[OUT Q=cut or when.]
((
[SOT]
[tc:20:03:27]
[IN Q=Our cultures are really]
((MR. BAKER/WACHOVIA CORP: OUR CULTURES ARE REALLY VERY CLOSE. OUR STRATEGIC PLANS ARE SIMILAR. IF YOU PUT THEM DOWN SIDE BY SIDE TODAY, YOU HAVE A SENSE THEY WERE WRITTEN FOR THE SAME COMPANY.))
[OUT Q=for the same company.]
[RUNS=13]
Baker went on to say the merger means Wachovia and First Union aren't just one "big company", but that the new company has all the pieces it needs to survive and thrive.
To keep those pieces together... the company will be head quartered in Charlotte, with regional head quarters for North and South Carolina banks in Winston Salem.
But the merger doesn't come without change.... Wachovia plans to shave nearly 900 million dollars off of its budget. It will do so by cutting about 7000 positions.
No word yet on who will be cut or when. ))
(---------------)
[REPORTER=Jen]
As for customers... a bigger bank means more accessibility... in fact, the new Wachovia will have more A-T-M's than any other bank in the region.
But there may be some merger transition troubles along the way.
We'll have reaction on that from both Wachovia and First Union tonight on News 7 at 5 and 6, Kim.
[LIVE=JEN /FULL;]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
( Jen, have you been able to get reaction from local First Union Employees about the status of their jobs?)
( Actually, Kim, we sent a crew over to First Union on Plantation road this morning, and not one employee we talke
d to knew anything about the merger..)
[Pulaski-Murder]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Suicide]
The Pulaski County Sheriff's department is investigating an apparent murder suicide.
Yesterday authorities responded to the home of Jackie and Karey (Carrie) Phibbs (Fibbs) on Robinson Tract Road at six p-m to find both had been shot and killed.
Officers say the evidence points to Jackie first killing his wife and then turning the weapon on himself.
The couple has no children and has reportedly been estranged.
[11Pulaski-Domestic]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=01-12 TC-34:44]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]
No one was injured, but a Pulaski man is in trouble with the law after he fired a gun during a domestic dispute in his home.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski;]
Police responded to the home of Michael and Theresa Ayers on 8th Sreet around 5 o'clock yesterday.
Theresa fled the residence to call 9-1-1, saying her husband fired a gun at least three times.
Authorities made several attempts to contact the 34-year-old man still believed to be in the house, but a short while later he showed up in his car.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT20:44:27]
[IN Q=THE SUBJECT]
((CHIEF GARY ROCHE/TOWN OF PULASKI; THE SUBJECT WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY HE'LL BE TAKEN BEFORE A MAGISTRATE AND DEPENDNG WHETHER HE MAKES BOND OR NOT OR THEY HOLD HIM HE'LL HAS HIS FIRST COURT APPEARANCE FOR ARRAIGNMENT SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE))
[SUPER=01-Gary Roche/Pulaski Police Chief;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=THE FUTURE]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Michael Ayers faces a felony charge of discharging a firearm.
(------------)
[Deanna-Beverly]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=01-19 17:10]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A woman will serve three years in jail for shooting a Roanoke man outside Valley View Mall.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/November 1999]
Deanna Beverly pleaded guilty today to charges of malicious wounding, and illegal use of a firearm.
She claims that she and her husband were being chased by drug dealers that day, and that she thought the victim, William Staley, Jr. was one of them.
She shot Staley in the stomach a confrontation with her husband in the parking lot.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Beverly's husband, Cass, is serving a 44-month sentence in West Virginia for hauling marijuana in his truck.
[Caribbean-Trial]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
An island paradise is the scene of an alleged murder--
The trial of four Americans charged with beating and drowning a Connecticut woman resumes this week in the Caribbean.
Susan Spencer has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[RUNS=2:09]
[OUT Q=Susan Spencer, CBS News, Tortola.]
((
TORTOLA'S SECLUDED BEACHES AND HOT NIGHTLIFE MAKE THIS PRISTINE
ISLAND A JET SET FAVORITE..THAT AND IT'S CRIME FREE REPUTATION...THIS
TRIAL HAS SENT SHOCK WAVES THRU THE ISLAND...
AND COULD SEND FOUR AMERICANS TO PRISON FOR LIFE: THEY ARE: WILLIAM
LABRADOR, AND ALEXANDER BENEDETTO, 37 WHO RAN A NEW YORK MODEL AGENCY
MICHAEL SPICER 39AT WHOSE VILLA THE MEN STAYED.AND HIS FRIEND EVAN
GEORGE 23ALL CHARGED WITH THE MURDER OF (see stills) 34 YEAR OLD LOIS
MCMILLAN.A SOMETIME ACTRESS AND ARTIST FROM A DISTINGUISHED CONNECTICUT
FAMILY
(JOSEPHINE MCMILLEN, VICTIM'S MOTHER)
"she adored it...she grew up there.
NARR: (see villa) LOIS' VILLA IS JUST DOWN THE HILL FROM WHERE THE MEN
WERE STAYING(nightspots). SHE HAD VISITED NIGHTSPOTS WITH THEM IN THE
DAYS BEFORE HER BODY WAS FOUND ALONG TORTOLLA'S ROCKY COAST
(Guys) WITHIN HOURS POLICE HAD ARRESTED THE FOURHAVING FOUND AT THEIR
VILLA WET-SANDY TENNIS SHOES, AND A SHIRT STAINED WITH WHAT LOOKED LIKE
BLOOD. AND POLICE SAY, THEY ALSO ACTED SUSPICIOUSLY
BARBARA LABRADOR IS OUTRAGED THAT SON WILLIAM AND THREE FRIENDS HAVE
SPENT THE LAST 15 MONTHS IN HER MAJESTY'S PRISON
(BARBARA LABRADOR, SUSPECT'S MOTHER)
(edit to 4/1220) You can go there on vacation as you have for yearsand
spend over a year of your life in prison when you are totally innocent
PROSECUTORS WON'T TALK UNTIL THE TRIAL ENDSBUT, IN COURT, SO FAR,
HAVE PRODUCED A CIRCUMSTANTIAL CASE..WITH NO SMOKING GUN YET LINKING
LOIS MCMILLIAN'D DEATH TO THE FOUR.
STILL TO COMETHE CROWN'S STAR WITNESS: AN INFORMANT WHO CLAIMS
LABRADOR CONFESSED TO HIM IN JAIL... DISMISSED BY DEFENSE LAWYERS AS A
CON ARTIST LOOKING FOR A DEAL
THE MEN'S STORY IS SIMPLE: THEY NEVER SAW LOIS MCMILLAN THAT NIGHT..AND
HAVE NO IDEA SHOW SHE DIED. SUSAN SPENCER, CBS NEWS -
TORTOLA.
))[Cincinnati-Curfew]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Cincinnati's mayor has lifted the city-wide curfew.
It's been in place since Thursday, to curb several days of rioting that followed the fatal police shooting of an un-armed black man.
The mayor says police will stay on alert for any more signs of violence.
He's also creating a special commission to explore race relations in the city.
[tease1]
[HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
American military planes will have more protection when they fly over China. The U-S is sending an aircraft carrier to the South China sea. We'll have that story next,
(--------------)
[VO-NAT ]
and the government and the oil industry disagree about the future of gas prices...one says some people could be paying three dollars a gallon by the end of the summer.
(---------------)
[Talent=Jacey]
[Wx-Tease]
[Weatherpro]
[Streaming Video]
[music up full]
[comm1]
[Roman-Wall]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A stretch of a Roman wall has stood since the third- century.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Rome;]
But late yesterday, the barrier that once surrounded the capital of the Roman empire collapsed.
Police say some 60- feet of the wall crumbled, temporarily closing a road that runs through an arched section of the landmark.
No one was injured.
The structure is a regular tourist stop, but police blocked off the area last night.
Authorities aren't sure what caused the stone wall to collapse, but they say stormy weather on Saturday may have led to its demise.
(------------)
[China-Plane]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The U-S may have extra protection the next time its reconnaisance planes fly over China.
The "Washington Post" says an American aircraft carrier may head to the South China Sea, where it could launch jet fighters to guard those flights when they resume.
That could be as early as Thursday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Whidbey Island, WA/Saturday;]
Meanwhile, U-S spy plane pilot Shane Osborn is receiving a hero's welcome home.
[SUPER=04-U. S. Navy;]
Osborn says the April first incident wasn't the first time Chinese fighter pilots had flown too close to a U-S surveillance plane.
He says the crew was well aware of the danger.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:10:09]
[IN Q=You could feel]
((LT. SHANE OSBORN/NAVY PILOT: YOU COULD FEEL THE VIBRATION RIGHT AWAY. IT SHOOK THE PLANE VIOLENTLY. MY NOSE POPPED OVER THE TOP OF MY AIRCRAFT AND IMMEDIATELY THE PLANE SNAPPED AND ROLLED, ALMOST INVERTED INTO A DIVE. ))
[SUPER=01-Lt. Shane Osborn/U. S. Navy Pilot;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=INTO A DIVE.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Chinese and Americans diplomats are scheduled to meet Wednesday in Beijing to discuss the mid-air collision.
(------------)
[Gas-Prices]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=5]
[WRITER=tbr]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=Gas Prices]
With the summer travel season just around the corner, many consumers are concerned about the cost of gasoline.
And as Stephen Clark tells us, they have a right to worry, because like the summer temperatures, prices are going up...quickly.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC; :00]
[SUPER=01-Mark Mahoney/Oil Price Information Service; :25]
[SUPER=01-Stephan Clark/Reporting; 1:18]
[RUNS=1:28]
[OUT Q=Stephen Clark, CBS News New York]
(((track/ vo-pump)
GASOLINE PRICES ARE ALREADY ON THE WAY UP IN WASHINGTON D-C...11 CENTS A
GALLON AT SOME STATIONS. AND D-C DRIVERS AREN'T ALONE.
(GFX over track)
ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY PRICES JUMPED LAST WEEK...SIX CENTS ON THE GULF
COAST...MORE THAN SEVEN CENTS ON AVERAGE IN THE EAST...AND MIDWEST.
(vo-refinery)
YOU CAN BLAME MOST OF THE PRICE PROBLEMS ON THE REFINERIES.
SOT: MARK MAHONEY/OIL PRICE INFORMATION SERVICE
(Mahoney sot explains refinery shortages caused by boutique gas)
(track over pumps and driving)
BUT DRIVERS CAN ALSO CLAIM SOME OF THE BLAME FOR HIGHER GASOLINE PRICES.
THE MORE GASOLINE WE USE, THE HIGHER THE PRICE... SEVERAL TIMES THIS
SPRING DRIVERS HAVE GOBBLED UP MORE THAN 8 MILLION BARRELS IN A DAY--A
SUMMERTIME PACE.
(GFX over track)
LAST WEEK THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALLY ESTIMATED GAS PRICES THIS
SUMMER WILL TOP OUT AT $1.49 A GALLON ON AVERAGE.
BUT THE OIL PRICE INFORMATION SERVICE DISAGREES, PREDICTING PRICES
AS HIGH AS THREE DOLLARS A GALLON ON THE WEST COAST.
(SOT Mahoney)
Standup close
HOWEVER BAD PRICES GET, YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE THE WORST OF IT BY JULY
FOURTH. THEN, BARRING SOME MAJOR DISRUPTION IN PRODUCTION OR
DISTRIBUTION, PRICES LIKE THESE WILL RETURN AFTER LABOR DAY. SC CBS
NEWS NEW YORK. ))
[Ramone-Obit]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]
He helped change the taste in 70s music from disco to punk rock--
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-Rhino Home Video;]
Ramones' lead singer Joey Ramone has died.
He died yesterday in New York after a battle with lymphoma.
The``do-it-yourself'' garage-rock band has influenced modern bands like Green Day and the Offspring.
Despite their influence and critical acclaim, the Ramones never cracked the Top 40.
The band broke up in 19-96.
Ramone had been working on a solo recording when he was hospitalized about a month ago.
Joey Ramone was 49.
(------------)
[Tease2]
[SOFT MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Still to come on the newscast, the clock is ticking for the millions of Americans who have not filed their taxes. We'll have that story next,
(-----------------)
[VO-NAT ]
And what could be a high water mark in its history, a town in Southwest Virginia is making a big move.
(-----------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[CLOSED CAPTIONING]
[COMM BREAK #2]
[11Tax-Return]
[ANCHOR=Teresa]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=01-15 - TC20:25]
[GRAPHIC=Taxes]
Procrastinators are lining up in post offices across the country as an estimated 26 million tax payers try to beat tonight's midnight deadline to file their returns..
Kate Weidaw has some tips for last minute filers.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I want to remind...]
[SUPER=01-Bayla Sussman/H&R Block;:00]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;:11]
[SUPER=@Kate1;1:14]
[RUNS=1:25]
[OUT Q=kw news7 Roanoke.]
(([SOT 1:07:29]
[INQ=]
((BAYLA SUSSMAN/H & R BLOCK: I WANT TO REMIND EVERYBODY IT'S APRIL 16TH IT'S TIME COME ON IN GET YOUR TAXES DONE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 8]
It's Bayla Sussman's favorite time of year.... tax season.
[NAT SOUND OF HER TALKING TO CLIENTS]
[RUNS= 4]
H and R Block kept its doors open Sunday for tax payers to get their taxes filed before heading back to work on Monday.
But Sussman says for those who want to push the deadline, make sure you bring in ALL of your forms.
[SOT 1:02:47]
[INQ=]
((BAYLA SUSSMAN: WE WANT THEM TO BRING IN ANY W2'S ANY BANK STATEMENTS, STATEMENTS OF MORTGAGE INTEREST IF THEY HAVE IT.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 7]
But what if you want extra time to fill out your tax forms... Sussman says you'll have to file for an extension and still pay the government what you owe them.
[SOT 1:04:20]
[INQ=]
((BAYLA SUSSMAN: WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO EXTEND IS BALL PARK YOUR RETURN THEN DO THE EXTENSION AND YOU'LL HAVE THE TIME TO FINE TUNE TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL THE DETAILS IN PLACE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]
If you're filing your taxes on your own don't forget the post office still has extra forms in case you forgot one... and will be extending its hours Monday.
[NAT HIT OF MAIL BOX DOOR CLOSING]
[RUNS= 2]
[STANDUP 1:27:09]
[INQ=]
((KATE WEIDAW/REPORTING: IF YOU PLAN ON MAILING YOUR TAX RETURN YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE IT'S POST MARKED BY MIDNIGHT ON MONDAY. H AND R BLOCK EVEN SUGGESTS SENDING IT BY CERTIFIED MAIL SO YOU KNOW IT GETS THERE. KATE WEIDAW NEWS 7 ROANOKE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 12]))
[11Grundy-Flooding]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=01-05 TC-1:56:19]
[GRAPHIC=Flood relief]
Residents of a far southwestern Virginia town are on the move.
The town of Grundy is moving across the river.
(------------)
[VO-NAT 597-56]
[SUPER=03-Grundy/1984;]
Downtown Grundy is regularly devastated by the Levisa (Luh-VYE-suh) Fork river.
Right now, the U-S Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing several proposals for the first phase of the town's flood control project.
Officials say a contractor could be on site and dirt could be moving by the end of May.
The project will relocate the town to the opposite side of the river to protect it from flooding and improve the local economy.
Officials say it would take 10- years for the project to be completed.
(------------)
[Stocks]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE# none]
[GRAPHIC=stocks]
On Wall Street at Noon, the DOW was DOWN nearly 22 points. The NASDAQ has dropped 27.
[super=460-y/22/y/27;]
(x=up y=down)[tease3]
[SPORTS MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Still to come on News 7 it took an extra holes and an extra day - but the WorldCom Classic finally has its champion,(
----------------)
[VO-NAT ]
and from Salem, the Avalanche slips out of its losing streak . - we'll have details after the break.
(---------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #3]
[S-Golf]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=jen]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Golf]
Darkness may have gotten the best of the WorldCom Classic last night - but Jose (koh-SER'-uhs) Coceres walked away the champion today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Hilton Head Island]
This is Coceres' first ever P-G-A win.
The golfer from Argentina parred the FIFTH hole of a sudden death playoff with Billy Mayfair for the win this morning.
Play was suspended by darkness last night after just two playoff holes.
(------------)
[S-MLB]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-88 (1:40:37)]
[GRAPHIC=Mets/Reds]
The Mets lost to Cincinnati on their own turf yesterday -
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY/FOX Sports; :]
New York fell behind in the first.
Then in the top of the third, Mike Piazza hits a grounder to short.
Aaron Boone makes the throwing error to first.
Todd Zeile crosses the plate to score, and the game was tied at 1 to 1.
[SUPER=35-Cincinnati/3/N. Y. Mets/1/;]
The Mets tied the game at one in the bottom of the third.
Then in the top of the fifth, Alex O'Choa hits a triple to right centerfield, scoring a run to make it 2 to 1.
Cincinnati wins the game 3 to 1.
(------------)
[S-Braves]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-84 (1:55:51)]
[GRAPHIC=Braves/Phillies]
Atlanta downed Philadelphia yesterday -
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Atlanta, GA/TBS; :]
The game was delayed by rain for about 25 minutes.
Then in the bottom of the second, Brian Jordan smacks this solo home run into the left field seats.
The Braves went on top by a score of 1 to nothing.
[SUPER=35-Atlanta/3/Philadelphia/0/;]
Andruw Jones would add to that lead in the bottom of the 8-th with this solo home run over the left field wall.
That makes it 2 to nothing and the Braves win it 3 to zip.
(------------)
[S-Express]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-92 (44:40)]
[GRAPHIC=Express/Storm]
One game will now decide who will go on to the second round of the E-C-H-L playoffs.
The Express must win on the road at Toledo tomorrow night.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="When it...]
[SUPER=01-Perry Florio/Express Head Coach; :]
[RUNS=:23]
[OUT Q=.....our chances."]
(-------------)
[S-NHL]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=rst]
[TAPE#=SP-90 (1:41:20)]
[GRAPHIC=NHL LOGO]
New Jersey outplayed Carolina yesterday 2 to zero to take a 2 - nothing lead in their playoff series.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Philadelphia, PA/NBC Sports; :]
Devils coach Larry Robinson watching the action.
New Jersey scored in the first period.
Alexander Mogilny with this shot in the slot scores the goal to make it 1 to nothing Devils.
[SUPER=34-New Jersey/2/Carolina/1/;]
Then in the second period Sean O'Donnell fires the puck from the Blue line and scores.
The Devils win it 2 to 1.
(------------)
by SS