[Headlines]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
Some say Buena Vista officials were over- zealous in their efforts to clean up a local cemetery.
Among the items removed from the graves--- American flags and crosses.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
And thousands of job cuts are likely after First Union announces it's merging with Wachovia.
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
(ad lib weather)
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(ad lib live tease)
[2-shot]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Get your started with us-- on News 7 Mornin.
[11BV-Cemetery]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=01-]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Green Hill cemetery in Buena Vista is getting some unwelcome attention.
The city maintains the cemetery and recently did some spring cleaning there.
Teresa Hamilton reports-- some say the city crossed the line when workers removed American flags and crosses.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It breaks my]
[SUPER=07-Stevan Abernathy; :05]
[SUPER=03-Buena Vista/Yesterday; :13]
[SUPER=07-Lucinda Abernathy; :44 QUICK]
[SUPER=07-Ginger Lanier; 1:03 QUICK]
[SUPER=@Teresa2; 1:10]
[RUNS=1:38]
[OUT Q=News 7, BV.]
(((///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.]
Buena Vista's mayor says the flags should not have been discarded in this manner but says the cemetery has a policy on what is allowed to be placed on and near graves and for how long.
Mayor Harold Kidd also 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 the cemetery could be mowed during the summer.
Teresa Hamilton, NEWS 7, Buena Vista.))[11L'burg-Firefighters]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[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.
(------------)
[6-Gilmore]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=01-05 TC1:57:15]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Building roads in the Commonwealth could take a lot less longer.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond]
Governor Jim Gilmore signed 11 bills into law yesterday that may help streamline operations at V-DOT.
And, he welcomed an entirely new nine member management team.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 14:32:46]
[IN Q=Simply because we are rechanging]
((GOV. JIM GILMORE: SIMPLY BECAUSE WE ARE RECHANGING SOME OF THE WAYS THAT WE DO THINGS, DON'T EVER LET ANYBODY TELL YOU WE'RE NOT HAPPY WITH OUR EMPLOYEES, BECAUSE WE ARE. AND WE KNOW WHAT A GOOD JOB YOU'RE DOING. NOW, THERE ARE STILL GONNA BE CRITICS. YOU'RE STILL GONNA HAVE CRITICS. ))
[SUPER=@Gilmore;]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=you're still gonna have critics. DOUBLE OUT!!!!]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
One of the bills would let localities take over their own road systems, and get the money V-DOT currently spends there.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 14;58:29]
[IN Q=In other words, if you are]
((CHIP NOTTINGHAM/VDOT COMMISSIONER: IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU ARE A COUNTY AND YOU'VE GOT YOUR OWN COUNTY STAFF AND SOME WHEREWITHAL AND SOME INTEREST, WHY NOT TAKE OVER THE SECONDARY ROAD SYSTEM OR A PORTION OF IT. OR MAYBE JUST TAKE OVER PUTTING UP NEW TRAFFIC SIGNALS OR NEW SIGNS.))
[SUPER=01-Chip Nottingham/VDOT Commissioner;]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=new traffic signals or new signs.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Another bill would let V-DOT engineers stop double and triple checking smaller projects, so they can focus on eliminating mistakes on larger construction projects.
(------------)
[11First-Union]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=01-16 TC25:36]
[GRAPHIC=Merger]
Big bank rivals First Union and Wachovia announced they're merging.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-First Union]
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.
(------------)
[China-Plane]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
In international news this morning--
The spy plane incident is far from over.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington, DC;]
The White House indicates it'll take a
hard line approach in the upcoming talks with China.
Plans are underway to send more surveillance flights over China as early as Thursday.
But President Bush must first decide whether to have protective escorts for reconnaissance flights.
White House officials also plan to demand the release of the U-S spy plane still on the tarmac in China.
Meanwhile, an eight-member American delegation has arrived in Beijing for talks that'll begin tomorrow.
(------------)
[11Meningitis]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=01-09 TC1:06:20]
[GRAPHIC=Meningitis]
A Virginia Tech student has contracted Meningitis.
It is a rare, bacterial infection that could be fatal if not treated early.
(------------)
[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.
(-------------)
[5-Inhalant-Abuse]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=500-9 1:59:58]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin' Health Check]
In this morning's Health Check, one out every five students has tried an inhalant by the time he or she reaches the 8th grade.
It's a cheap way to get high --and there is easy access for children since they can use many household chemicals.
But one local parent knows all too well --just how deadly sniffing can be.
Health Check Reporter Joy Sutton has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=While many parents]
[SUPER=04-File Tape; :00]
[SUPER=07-Katie Weddington; :15]
[SUPER=@Joy1; :33]
[SUPER=01-Virginia Hardin/Blue Ridge Behavioral Health;1:14]
[RUNS=1:49]
[OUT Q=news 7, Daleville]
((
While many parents educate their kids about the dangerous of drugs, like marijuana or crack -- many don't think to tell their kids about inhalants.
But for 16 year old Brian Mitchell Weddington it was a two year addiction to inhalants --that ultimately led to his death.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT8:50]
[IN Q=Some kid at school told him]
((SOME KID AT SCHOOL TOLD HIM HE COULD HIGH ON ANTIFREEZE AND WITH THE ADDICTION INVOLVED TO GET HIGH. WE HAD NO LIQUOR --SO HE RESORTED TO DRINKING ANTIFREEZE AND OF COURSE THAT KILLED HIM))
[RUNS17]
[OUT Q=that killed him]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT24:37]
[IN Q=Unlike drugs like cocaine or marijuana]
((UNLIKE DRUGS LIKE COCAINE WHERE KIDS WOULD HAVE TO BUY THEM OFF A DRUG DEALER. INHALANTS ARE EASILY ACCESSIBLE. IN FACT, THEY'RE THINGS YOU MIGHT FIND UNDERNEATH YOUR KITCHEN COUNTER LIKE FURNITURE POLISH OR DISINFECTANT))
[RUNS14]
[OUT Q=or disinfectant]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT8:02]
[IN Q=He did aersol cans, he did butane lighters]
((KATIE WEDDINGTON: HE DID AEROSOL CANS, HE DID BUTANE LIGHTER, HE WOULD GO OUT INTO THE GARAGE AND INHALE THE GAS FROM THE GAS CAN))
[RUNS10]
[OUT Q=from the gas]
But there are signs parents can look for -- such as hand tremors, a drunk, dazed or dizzy appearance, red or runny eyes or nose, unusual breath odor, spots or sores around the mouth --and chronic headaches.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT16:59]
[IN Q=Spray cans that are empy]
((VIRGINIA HARDIN/BLUE RIDGE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH: SPRAY CANS THAT ARE EMPTY. THE LITTLE TOPS LEFT AROUND. PAPER BAGS OR PLASTIC BAGS THAT SMELL KIND OF CHEMICALLY LEFT AROUND.))
[RUNS12]
[OUT Q=left around]
All things Katie says she wish she had known.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT11:00]
[IN Q=It's very difficult to note]
((IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO NOTE THAT A CHILD IS HIGH ON INHALANTS BECAUSE IT DOESN'T LAST LONG AND EVEN IF YOU DO DRUG TEST ON THE CHILDREN IT DOESN'T SHOW IN DRUG TEST))
[RUNS11]
[OUT Q=drug test]
And Brian died just one day before he was supposed to start treatment.
Joy Sutton, News 7, Daleville.))
(Kimberly tosses to bump)
[bump-chyron]
[Streaming-Video]
[comm #3]
[2-HEADLINES]
[2-shot=KMC/SYO]
[SUPER=#4049; Morning Headlines]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Here's a look at today's top stories.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
A bank merger promises better customer service, but MAJOR job losses.
First Union and Wachovia will form one bank-- at a cost of seven- THOUSAND employees.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
A pay raise could be in the the works for Roanoke City employees.
The city manager's budget calls for a three-and-half- percent pay increase AND higher cigarette and lodging taxes.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
And nearly 40 years after allegedly blowing up a black church in Birmingham, Alabama, a man is about to stand trial for the crime.
Jury selection is under way in the trial of the former K-K-K member.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
And that's what's making news on this Tuesday, April 17th .
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
News 7 Mornin' will be right back.
[AMFirst-Union]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=am]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Merger]
Thousands of bank employees and customers are wondering what a merger between First Union and Wachovia will mean for them.
News 7 Business reporter Jennifer Miele has details.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=But I make the point]
[SUPER=04-First Union; :22]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :43]
[SUPER=@jennifer1;:54]
[RUNS=1:05]
[OUT Q=News 7 Roanoke.]
(([SOT]
[TC:20:04:54]
((MR. BAKER: BUT I MAKE THE POINT TO YOU NOW, THAT TOGETHER AT THE NEW WACHOVIA WE ARE NOT JUST BIG. IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT PIECES, AND STRATEGICALLY, THEY WILL FIT TOGETHER WELL.))
[RUNS16]
L.M. Baker Junior will be chairman of the new bank, which will carry the Wachovia name but be based in First Union's hometown of Charlotte.
900 million dollars and 7000 employees will be shaved from the company's operating budget -- about half will be laid off all at one time.
Baker and his new partner, First Union Chairman Ken Thompson didn't say when or where the layoffs will happen -- but they did stress their commitment to better customer service.
They said the new "Wachovia Corporation" will have more A-T-M's than any other bank in the region, in order to keep and grow the bank's 19 million combined customers.
[STAND UP]
((JENNIFER MIELE/REPORTING: IF YOU'RE ONE OF THE MILLIONS OF FIRST UNION CUSTOMERS WONDERING WHAT YOU'LL DO WITH A FIRST UNION A-T-M CARD WHEN IT TURNS INTO WACHOVIA -- CUSTOMER SERVICE SAYS DON'T WORRY. YOU'LL BE GETTING SOMETHING IN THE MAIL WITHIN THE NEXT THREE YEARS. JENNIFER MIELE, NEWS 7, ROANOKE.))
[RUNS13] ))
[11City-Council]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=01-07 TC1:29:47]
[GRAPHIC=Roanoke Budget]
Roanoke City employees could get a pay raise.
City Manager Darlene Burcham outlined her latest budget yesterday afternoon, one that included a three and a half percent merit pay increase and the elimination 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=Shannon]
[ss=none]
A public hearing on the budget will be held next Monday.
[11Tech-Protest]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=01-12]
[GRAPHIC=VA Tech]
Virginia Tech students say their race relations meeting with officials was a success.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
They say some of their demands are being met, such as an apology and racial sensitivity courses.
The issue is being discussed because of a fight between faculty members in March.
[SUPER=04-March 29;]
Two professors, one black and one white, argued over a Pamplin Hall classroom-- the black professor was arrested.
Some think race was a factor and have called for change.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 14:28:54 TO 14:29:05]
[IN Q=WE HAD TO]
((NICHOLAS JORDAN/VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT; WE HAD TO COME HERE ON WEDNESDAY AND YELL AND SCREAM LIKE WE DID TO GET PROGRESS BECAUSE WE HAD MET WITH THE PEOPLE FOUR TIMES BEFORE AND NO PROGRESS UNTIL AFTER THE PROTEST.))
[SUPER=01-Nicholas Jordan/Virginia Tech Student;]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=AFTER THE PROTEST]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
A prepared statement from the two professors involved is expected this week.
(------------)
[Benin]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Making international headlines--
A suspected slave ship is docked in West Africa.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Cotonou, Benin;]
Officials boarded the ship suspected of trafficking child slaves from (beh-NEEN) Benin early today, but found no sign of unaccompanied children.
A government official says there has been a mix-up, and that ANOTHER unidentified vessel is actually the slave ship.
Meanwhile, U-N officials say a more thorough investigation is needed.
They're speculating whether the ship's captain -- a Nigerian with a criminal past -- could have thrown the minors overboard.
(------------)
[Shooting]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Colonial Avenue at 419 is closed in both directions this morning while authorities investigate a shooting.
Roanoke County authorities confirm that a suspect shot himself this morning following a chase.
We do have a crew on the scene and we will pass along more information as soon as it becomes available.
[Birmingham-Bombing]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Jury selection is underway in the trial of a former Ku Klux Klan member accused of bombing a black church in Birmingham, Alabama.
The blast killed four girls nearly four- decades ago.
Teri Okita has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Birmingham, AL; :00]
[SUPER=01-Carolyn McKinstry/Bombing Victim; :38]
[SUPER=01-Diane McWhorter/Author; :54]
[SUPER=01-John Robbins/Blanton Attorney; 1:08]
[SUPER=01-Josephine Marshall/Birmingham Resident; 1:23]
[SUPER=01-Teri Okita/Reporting; 1:28]
[RUNS=1:38]
[OUT Q=Okita, CBS News.]
(
(LOCATOR: BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA)
TRACK: AS 62-YEAR-OLD THOMAS BLANTON, JUNIOR, STANDS TRIAL FOR A CHURCH
EXPLOSION THAT KILLED FOUR BLACK GIRLS, IT MAY CLOSE A CHAPTER IN
AMERICAN HISTORY THAT S HAD NO ENDING FOR ALMOST 40-YEARS.
(NATSD FULL OF OLD FILM?)
TRACK: BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA IN 1963, WAS GROUND ZERO FOR THE RACIAL
TENSION IGNITING ACROSS THE SOUTH. IT WAS THEN, THE FBI ALLEDGES, THAT
BLANTON AND THREE OTHER KU KLUX KLANSMEN SET A BOMB INSIDE THE 16TH
STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. THE BLAST KILLED AN 11-YEAR-OLD AND THREE
14-YEAR-OLD BLACK GIRLS. Carolyn McKinstry was in the church and knew
the girls who died. 37-YEARS LATER, IT S HARD TO FORGIVE OR FORGET.
(Super: Carolyn McKinstry/Bombing Victim)
SOT: (12:19:58) This is very little, very late. But it s not too late to
do the right thing.
TRACK: THE FOUR MEN WERE LONG-CONSIDERED PRIME SUSPECTS, BUT BACK THEN,
FINDING WITNESSES TO TESTIFY WAS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE.
(Super: Diane McWhorter/Author)
SOT: 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 families.
TRACK: EVEN NOW, WITH NEW EVIDENCE, TIME MAY BE THE PROSECUTION S ENEMY
BECAUSE SEVERAL WITNESSES HAVE SINCE DIED. ALL ALONG, BLANTON HAS
DECLARED HIS INNOCENCE.
(Super:John Robbins/ Blanton Attorney)
SOT: (Reporter) Is he nervous? (Attorney) Yes. Is he scared? Yes, but I
think anybody in his position would be.
TRACK: FOR THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM STILL HAUNTED BY ITS RACIST PAST IT
S CLEAR TIME HASN T HEALED ALL WOUNDS.
(Super: Josephine Marshall/Birmingham resident
SOT: They not even going to purgatory. They going straight to the
devil.
NARR: The jury should be selected by Friday and testimony will begin
next week. If he s found guilty, 62-year-old Thomas Blanton could spend
the golden years of his life in prison. Teri Okita, CBS News.
))
[11Beverly]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=500-8]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
A shooting outside Valley View mall more than a year ago will put a Roanoke woman behind bars for three years.
(------------)
[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 yesterday.
[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.
(------------)
[11Pulaski-Murder]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=01-11 TC49:02]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Suicide]
Authorities are counting on autopsy results to provide information about an apparent murder suicide in Pulaski.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski;]
Jackie and Karey Phibbs were discovered by a relative Sunday in a barn near their home on Empire Street.
Police were called at around 6 Sunday night, and say evidence suggests 52-year old Jackie shot his 37-year-old wife and then himself.
The two were reportedly estranged.
(------------)
[Local-Recap]
[SUPER=#4059;Local Recap]
[2-Shot=Kmc/Syo]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Now here's another look at today's top local stories:
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Colonial Avenue at 419 is closed in both directions this morning while authorities investigate a shooting.
Roanoke County authorities confirm that a suspect shot himself this morning following a chase.
We do have a crew on the scene and we will pass along more information as soon as it becomes available.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
Big bank rivals First Union and Wachovia announced they're merging.
The new bank will be called "Wachovia Corporation."
The merger is expected to take at least three years to complete.
7 thousand employees will be let go in the process.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Officials say a 23-year-old Virginia Tech sophomore is being treated for bacterial meningitis at Montgomery Regional Hospital.
Meningitis is a rare, bacterial infection.
Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, vomiting and a skin rash.
Virginia has seen sixteen cases of meningitis this year.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
(Shannon mic hot)
(///////////////)
(Shannon ad lib weather)
(-------------)
[2-SHOT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Now here's Jean Jadhon with a preview of News 7 at Six.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Her son was]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=tonight on News 7 at 6.]
(-------------)
[Desk=Kimberly/Shannon and Steve]
(toss)
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(live ad lib, tease tomorrow)
(ad lib bye)
[Desk=Kimberly/Shannon and Steve]
by SS