WDBJ 7 news at Noon for 05/03/01

[HEADLINES]

[TALENT=Kimberly]

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[VO-NAT]

Motorists are apparently heeding the warnings about school bus safety--
Roanoke police have a progress report on their program to boost driver awareness.
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[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And Vinton Delegate Dick Cranwell offers a surprising endorsement for Attorney General.
We'll tell you which Democrat he picked.
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[TALENT=Leo]
[SS=None]

The sunny dry weather will continue....but a few changes will head our way over the weekend...I'll have the details....
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[SS=None]

News 7 at noon is straight ahead.

[Noon-open]
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[SUPER=@Kimberly1;]
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[Bus-Safety]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=01-19]
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Roanoke Police say a program designed to boost drivers' awareness of school buses appears to be working.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/March 1;]
In February school bus drivers started writing down the license plate numbers of cars that failed to stop when the buses' red lights went on. Police then send a warning letter to the car's owner. The program not only increases awareness but helps police pinpoint problem areas.
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[SOT 15:17:31-15:17:51]
[IN Q=I get these complaints in...]
[SUPER=01-Randy Scott/Roanoke City Police;]
((SGT. RANDY SCOTT/ROANOKE POLICE: I GET THESE COMPLAINT IN, I'M LOOKING FOR LOCATIONS AND TIMES AND WHEN I SEE A PATTERN DEVELOP, AND I'VE SEEN A COUPLE OF 'EM, I'LL HAVE PEOPLE GO OUT AND TRY TO BE IN THAT AREA AT THAT TIME SO THAT WE'VE GOT OFFICERS THERE IN UNIFORM SO THAT WHEN THE INCIDENT HAPPENS THEY'RE GONNA BE ISSUING SUMMONS RATHER THAN A LETTER COMING IN THE MAIL A WEEK OR SO LATER.))
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=in the mail a week or so later.]
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[VO-NAT]
So far, Sgt. Scott says he's sent out 45-warnings but has seen no repeat offenders.
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[Teacher-Shooting]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
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[GRAPHIC=Shooting]

Testimony is under way in the trial of a Florida teenager accused of fatally shooting his teacher last year.
Among the strongest evidence for the prosecution-- a surveillance videotape of the shooting.
Bobbi Harley has more from West Palm Beach.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-West Palm Beach, FL; :04]
[SUPER=01-Dinora Rosales/Classmate; :14]
[SUPER=01-Bob Udell/Brazill's Attorney; :40]
[SUPER=01-Kevin Hinds/Guidance Counselor; 1;01]
[SUPER=01-Bobbi Harley/Reporting; 1:27]
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[OUT Q=Bobbi Harley, CBS News, West Palm Beach, FL. ]

[Emergency-Landing]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
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[GRAPHIC=None]

An emergency landing today at Edwards Air Force Base in California--
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Edwards Air Force Base, CA;]

Skillful flying, along with the forgiving surface of Rogers Dry Lake, averted a potential disaster.
The plane managed to touch down without its front landing gear.
The massive cargo plane seems to have sustained little damage.
Eight crew members and nine passengers walked away from the plane un- harmed.
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[Traffic-Advisory]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=jmc]
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[GRAPHIC=None]

If you're driving through northwest Roanoke you might want to avoid Shaffer's Crossing.
City police say a tractor-trailer has gotten stuck in the northbound lane.
Officials say it will 2 to 3 hours to get the truck going again.

[Attorney-General]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=01-04 ]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2001]

General Assembly Minority Leader Dick Cranwell passed over two local state politicians today when he made an endorsement for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Vinton]
Cranwell bypassed Roanoke State Senator John Edwards and Danville Delegate Whitt Clement to give the nod to Henrico Delegate Don McEachin. Cranwell says his endorsement comes from his Courts of Justice committee experience with McEachin.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT - TC-1:52:56]
[IN Q=It was really that experience]
[SUPER=@Cranwell;]
((DICK CRANWELL/(D) GENERAL ASSEMBLY MINORITY LEADER; IT WAS REALLY THAT EXPERIENCE FOR ME THAT TIPPED THE SCALES. THAT'S NOT TO SAY JOHN EDWARDS WOULDN'T MAKE A GREAT ATTORNEY GENERAL, HE WILL. OR WHITT CLEMENT WOULDN'T MAKE A GREAT ATTORNEY GENERAL, HE WILL. AND IF EITHER OF THOSE GENTLEMEN WIN THE PRIMARY, THEY WILL HAVE MY UNDYING SUPPORT.))
[RUNS=15]
[OUT Q=my undying support.]
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[VO-NAT]
McEachin says he understands Cranwell's decision was not an easy one.
(//////SOT/////)
[SOT - TC-1:55:41]
[IN Q=It's awfully humbling...]
[SUPER=01-Don McEachin/(D) Candidate for Attorney General;]
((DON MCEACHIN/(D) CANDIDATE FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL; IT'S AWFULLY HUMBLING BECAUSE I DO UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE HE HAD TO WRESTLE WITH TO MAKE THIS DECISION IN ORDER TO MAKE AN ENDORSEMENT. THIS IS A FAMILY DISCUSSION. IT'S TOUGH TO MAKE DECISIONS BETWEEN FAMILY MEMBERS.))
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=between family members.]
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[VO-NAT]
Democratic leaders meet June 12th to select their candidates in the primary.
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[tease1] [HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

A Roanoke woman says pet owners need to be cautious after someone deliberately poisoned her dog. We'll have her story after this break,
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[VO-NAT ]
and we'll hear why National Public Radio decided to air the last minutes in the lives of Georgia death row inmates.
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[Talent=Leo]
[Wx-Tease] [Weatherpro]Map WX Story
[Streaming Video] [music up full] [comm1]

[Execution-Tapes]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tbr]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=None]

For the first time in American History, the sounds of men being put to death were broadcast on radio last night.
Gretchen Carlson reports on the tapes from Georgia's death row that were broadcast last night on public radio.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-David Isay/Sound Portraits Producer; :56]
[RUNS=1:25]
[OUT Q=CBS News]
((In monotone voices, corrections officials in Georgia are heard narrating 23 electrocutions carried out from 1983 to 1998. The sound of events taking place in the execution chamber will now reach beyond prison walls -- as National Public Radio prepares to broadcast the tapes across the nation.
Nat Pop: Execution Audio
The inmate's last words are also heard and although you can hear the click of buttons that start the flow of electricity ending their life, there is no screaming or other expressions of pain on any of the recordings.
Nat Pop: Execution Audio
While the news media has fought for more than a decade for more access to the death chamber, the courts have usually ruled in favor of prison officials who argue their deadly task requires privacy. The audio recordings of the death chamber were obtained by a documentary radio producer.

SOT:
David Isay, Producer, Sound Portraits "This is the first direct evidence that we have in 60 years of what happens in an execution chamber."
After hearing testimony from defense lawyers criticizing the electric chair, the Georgia Legislature adopted lethal injection for deatyh row inmates sentenced after May 1, 2000. With the execution of Oklahoma Bomber Timothy McVeigh scheduled for May 16th in Indiana, the voices of those who have preceded him in Georgia will now be heard.
GC, CBS NEWS))

[11Poisoned-Dog]

[ANCHOR=Jean]
[NEWSCAST=11]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=01-18 TC30:54]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A Roanoke woman wants to know who killed her puppy.
She says someone deliberately poisoned her dog and she wants to see him or her arrested.
Marya Jones has more.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=Two weeks ago]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=07-Kathleen Fowler; :17]
[SUPER=@Marya2; :36]
[RUNS=:58]
[OUT Q=MJ News 7, Roanoke.]
(( Two weeks ago, Kathleen Fowler came home and found her brand new puppy, Bernie, dead in the yard.
At first, she and animal control officers suspected the 6-month old lab/chow mix had choked.
But after Fowler had the dog autopsied at Virginia Tech's vet school, she discovered it had been poisoned with insecticide.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 5:14 - :29]
((KATHLEEN FOWLER: IT LEADS ME TO WONDER WHAT'S WRONG WITH PEOPLE? THIS IS THE ONLY WAY THEY THINK THEY CAN HANDLE IT? THEY'RE JUST PUPPIES. HE WAS JUST A BABY.)) [RUNS:15]
Fowler's two other dogs, who were also out in the yard, were unharmed.
Roanoke animal control officers say there have been no other cases of pet poisonings reported in the area, although last fall, several dogs died after ingesting antifreeze in a nearby Memorial neighborhood.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 5:01 - :04]
((KATHLEEN FOWLER: I WANT TO KNOW WHO DID IT. I WANT THEM PROSECUTED.)) [RUNS:03]
Fowler is offering a reward for information leading to an arrest.
In the meantime, she says, she'll keep her other dogs indoors.
Marya Jones, News-7, Roanoke.))

[5-Rescue-Squad]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=501-05 1:27:39]
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Hundreds of rescue personel have been training in the Valley this week.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]
Seven different tactical reponse teams from around the commonwealth trained on scenarios ranging from a water rescue, rock climbing accidents, and even an obstacle course. Participants say this training experience will be invaluable in the field.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=I've learned more...]
[SUPER=01-Kent Mcilhany/Roanoke City Fire Department;]
((KENT MCILHANY/ROANOKE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT;I'VE PROBABLY LEARNED MORE IN THE LAST 2 1/2 DAYS THAN IN 8 YEARS WITH THE DEPARTMENT))
[RUNS=6]
[OUT Q=with the department.]
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[VO-NAT]
In one exercise, teams had to load an 18-hundred pound piece of farm machinery onto a trailer, and go down... and then back up a very steep hill. Organizers say they tried to come up with physical and mental challenges that promoted teamwork.
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[Tease2] [SOFT MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Las Vegas odds favor Colby as the ultimate "Survivor"...
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[VO-NAT ]

but NO one will know for sure who wins until tonight's big finale.
More on the "Survivor" countdown when News 7 at Noon continues...
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[COMM BREAK #2]

[Writers-Strike]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=kmc]
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[GRAPHIC=]

After two marathon negotiating sessions, but the end of the story has yet to be written in Hollywood.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Los Angeles, CA;]

Writers are still on the job, for now.
Talks between the writers' union and the studios are scheduled to resume at 1 P-M, our time.
A spokesperson for the Writer's Guild says both sides are working very hard toward an agreement.
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[SOT 10:08:42]
[IN Q=Very intense negotiations.]
((CHERYL RHODEN/WRIERS GUILD ASSOCIATION: VERY INTENSE NEGOTIATIONS. A LOT OF HOURS. A LOT OF WORK BEING PUT IN. A GREAT DEAL OF MINDFULNESS AND CONCERN OF OUR COMMUNITY AND COLLEAGUES IN THE INDUSTRY. ))
[SUPER=01-Cheryl Rhoden/Writers' Guild Association;]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=colleagues in the industry.]
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[VO-NAT]

The possibility of a strike looms, but a walkout wouldn't happen anytime soon.
The Writers Guild members have yet to hold a strike authorization vote.
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[Survivor]

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

It promises to hold more suspense than any WRITER could create--
Tonight is the long-awaited season finale of "Survivor".
Teri Okita has a preview.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=04-"Survivor";]
[SUPER=01-Joe/"Survivor" Fan;]
[SUPER=01-Jason Winters/"Survivor" Fan;]
[SUPER=01-Brian Cleveland/"Survivor" Fan;]
[SUPER=01-Teri Okita/Reporting;]
[RUNS=1:39]
[OUT Q=Okita, CBS News, Los Angeles.]
(( TRACK: COLBY, TINA, AND KEITH HAVE BEEN BATTLING IT OUT FOR WEEKS NOW IN THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK. WE GOT A SNEAK PEEK OF THEIR LAST DAYS ON THE ISLAND ... AS THEY PREPARE FOR ANOTHER CHALLENGE.

(NATSD BREAK)

TRACK: VEGAS ODDS HAVE 27-YEAR-OLD TEXAN, COLBY, WINNING THE MILLION. HIS STREAK OF IMMUNITY AND REWARD CHALLENGE WINS HAVE SENT THE CUSTOM-AUTO DESIGNER TO THE FINAL THREE.

MOS SOT/Joe/Survivor Fan (would only give first name )
Colby's the man. He's been winning all the immunity challenges. I think he's going to win. (:06)
TRACK: DON'T COUNT OUT MOTHER OF TWO, TINA WESSON ... WHO COULD ALSO PULL OUT A WIN. THE 40-YEAR-OLD NURSE FROM KNOXVILLE HAS SHOWN SHE'S BOTH MENTALLY TOUGH AND MANIPULATIVE....AND ALL THE WHILE-- WITH A SMILE ON HER FACE. VEGAS ODDS PLACE HER AT TWO-TO-ONE.

(Super: Jason Winters/Survivor Fan)
SOT: It's going to be Tina. Everybody likes Tina. She has no votes
against her. She's never won an immunity, but still, she stayed clean. She's got friends, she's smart. (:08)
TRACK: BUT 41-YEAR-OLD CHEF, KEITH, COULD COOK UP A WIN TOO. VEGAS ODDS AREN'T GOOD, BUT THIS DIVORCED FATHER FROM MICHIGAN COULD STILL HAVE A STROKE OF LUCK. IF HE LANDS IN THE FINAL TWO, HIS BIGGEST OBSTACLE MAY BE GETTING PAST THE JURY ... OF SOME, WHO'VE DESCRIBED HIM AS AN ARROGANT, CAMERA HOG. FEW ON THE STREET THINK HE'LL WIN.

(Super: Brian Cleveland/Survivor Fan)
SOT: I see it as being down to Colby and Keith, and people generally
don't like Keith. (:05)

(Super: Teri Okita/Reporting)
STANDUP: (paraphrase) Live ... and revealed in the studio right next door. The votes cast during the final tribal council were sealed and kept secret until tonight ... even the castaways don't know who won yet. But the final three DO know they'll walk away with at least 85-thousand. Second runner-up wins 100-thousand, and once the tribe has spoken, the winner goes home a millionaire. Teri Okita, CBS News, Los Angeles. )) [Weather] [NOON WEATHER] [05/03/2001] [TWO SHOT]
[WXPRO/FULL] ROANOKE STATS LYNCHBURG STATS
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[CK/WXPRO]WEATHER MAPS FORECASTS EXTENDED FORECAST

[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE# none]
[GRAPHIC=stocks]

On Wall Street at noon, the stock market is getting hit by some selling today.
The Dow Jones industrial average is down 128 points. Decliners on the New York Stock Exchange hold a 19-to-nine lead over advancers.
The Nasdaq Composite Index has lost 58 points.
[super=460-y/128/y/58;]

(x=up y=down)[tease3]
[SPORTS MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
Still to come on News 7 at Noon - UVA's athletic department is getting slammed with changes - as the athletic director steps down -
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[VO-NAT ]
And several programs may get pitched to the ODAC.. We'll have details after the break.
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[COMM BREAK #3]

[NASCAR]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tbr]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Nascar]

The crew chief for Winston Cup driver Ricky Craven has been fined five thousand dollars.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville/Last Month;]

NASCAR also suspended Mike Beam for two races for failing to install dated seat belts in Craven's Tide Ford Taurus.

NASCAR requires the seat belts carry a date to ensure they are not too old or weakened due to use.
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[Wallace]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tbr]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Wallace]

Meanwhile Kenny Wallace has found a sponsor for this weekend's race in Richmond.
There has been speculation that the Eel River Racing team would have to close its doors. But insurance company Geico Direct has agreed to sponsor Wallace's Pontiac for the one race. He says Geico came out of the blue to save the team from having to skip this weekend's race.

[S-UVa]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-96 711TC]
[GRAPHIC=TECH/UVA]
Tuesday night's matchup between Virginia Tech and UVA could be the last -
[GRAPHIC=UVA]

Mike Stevens explains why Baseball and some other UVa sports could experience cut backs.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=FIRST AUDIO]
[SUPER=03-Salem/Tuesday Night; :00]
[SUPER=01-Dennis Womack/UVa Head Baseball Coach; :26]
[SUPER=@Mike1; 1:05]
[SUPER=01-Eric Christensen/UVa Sophomore Infielder; 1:31]
[SUPER=01-Shooter Starr/UVa Sophomore Pitcher; 1:41]
[SUPER=01-Chuck Hartman/Virginia Tech Head Coach; 2:00]
[RUNS=2:17]
[OUT Q=...NEWS 7 SPORTS."]
(--------------)
(( Imagine UVa playing baseball in the ODAC against W & L and Bridgewater. It sounds ridiculous, but it could happen.

A Virginia task force has recommended that UVa downgrade six athletic programs, including baseball. That means no scholarships. And for many it also means no chance to compete. ((DENNIS WOMACK:)) In fact, a lot is already being said. A grass roots booster club with the purpose of saving UVa baseball has been organized. Already the group is faxing, mailing and spreading the word. ((MIKE STEVENS: The group letter condemning the cuts lists 10 reasons why baseball should not lose scholarships. Some are typical fan responses like Thomas Jefferson would want it to continue. But others are valid like the most talented high school players will bypass UVa to get scholarships elsewhere. And cutting baseball make little sense when the teams Grade Point average is among the highest of any UVa sport.)) ((ERIC CHRISTENSEN/UVA:)) ((SHOOTER STARR/UVA:)) The other schools in the ACC and the Hokies are hoping the same thing. ((CHUCK HARTMAN:)) ((DENNIS WOMACK:)) The UVa board of visitors next meets in June. Mike Stevens News 7 sports.))

[S-Holland]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-90]
[GRAPHIC=Terry Holland]
UVA's athletic director is stepping down from his position at the beginning of next month -
In a statement released
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[VO-NAT]
yesterday Terry Holland said "It became apparent to me more than a year ago, when the stadium project was winding down, that overseeing a major fundraising project and managing the hands on needs of the athletic department were not compatible, at least in terms of my expectations and abilities."
[SUPER=03-Charlottesville/1995; :00]

It was six years ago that Holland walked through the doors at University Hall to become UVa's athletic Director.
In the last three years, the UVa athletics has had it's highest Sears Cup rankings.
And several teams have competed at the national championship level.
Holland will remain at UVa as a special assistant to president John Casteen.
His duties will include planning for a facility to replace University Hall, and marketing Uva sports.
Senior Associate A-D Craig Littlepage will serve as interim director, while UVa conducts a national search.
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