WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 07/17/01

[1-News-Head]

[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

A man wanted in connection with a Roanoke murder turns up in Ohio - after getting shot.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
And an Interstate 81 construction zone turns deadly.
(------------)

[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Tonight on New 7 sports, Roanoke's NBDL roundball team has a nickname. Michael Vick has a busy schedule - some would say too busy.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And Perry Florio gets a contract extension and the title of General Manager added to his responsibilities.
(------------)

[WX-Head]
[ANCHOR=Robin]
[SS=None]

Keeping an eye on some showers and isolated thunderstorms which have popped up in the hot and humid air. We will check that out on the radar in a few moments.
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[ANCHOR=Keith 4-Shot]

News 7 at Six is next.
[Video-Open]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=Video Open]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

Police are on the lookout for those involved in a 100- thousand dollar heist in Amherst County over the weekend.
[ANCHOR=SHannon 2-Shot]

The loot wasn't jewels or diamonds, but their black market equivalent: baby formula.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Good evening, I'm Shannon Young.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

And I'm Keith Humphry.
[Formula-Theft]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=01-37 TC21:17]
[***ANCHOR TAG***]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

It was an ill-timed "pit stop" for one central Virginia truck driver.
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Police say while he went home Sunday to watch a NASCAR race on t-v, his unattended trailer was stolen in broad daylight.
Steve Smallshaw reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It was almost]
[SUPER=03-Amherst Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Sgt. Mark Cannaday/State Police; :14]
[SUPER=@ssm1; :42]
[RUNS=1:18]
[OUT Q=News7, Lynchburg.]
(( It was almost as easy as taking candy from a baby.
Police say a driver for F-W-C Trucking was on a scheduled run to New Jersey Sunday, when he dropped his trailer in a Madison Heights parking lot.
A few hours later, it was gone.
[SOT 1:20:15]
((SGT. MARK CANNADAY/VA STATE POLICE: WE DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHO TOOK IT OR DIRECTION OF TRAVEL. THE LOAD IS WORTH ABOUT 100- THOUSAND DOLLARS AND THE TRAILER IS WORTH ABOUT 30- THOUSAND DOLLARS.))
[RUNS= 10]
[OUT Q=30-thousand dollars.]

The trailer was filled with Similac baby formula made by Abbott Laboratories in Altavista.
In recent years, baby formula.. which sells on average for 15 dollars a can.. has made headlines across the country as it's become a popular target of thieves.
Police say Sunday's heist was probably no accident. [Standup 1:19:21] ((Authorities say it's possible whoever stole the trailer knew exactly what was inside. All a thief would need to do would be to come to Altavista, sit outside the plant gates and wait for a truck loaded with formula to pull out. Then it would just be a matter of following it down the road and wait for the driver to stop and leave it unattended.))
[RUNS= 17]
[OUT Q=leave it unattended.]
[SOT 1:20:43]
((SGT. CANNADAY: APPARENTLY THERE ARE MARKETS IN THE NEW YORK AREA, UP THAT WAY, THAT THIS COULD BE MADE A LOT OF PROFIT OFF OF.))
[RUNS= 09]
[OUT Q=profit off of.]

The trailer looked exactly like this, with the letters F-W-C on the rear doors and front corners.
Police up and down the East Coast are now on the lookout for it.
Steve Smallshaw, News7, Lynchburg.))
(XXXXXXXXX)
[WIPE TO FULL SCREEN PINNACLE]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]

Anyone with information on the missing trailer can call Central Virginia Crimestoppers at 1-888-798-5900.
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[Melrose-Murder]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=501-10 TC25:36]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Invest.]

A shooting in Akron, Ohio, led police to two suspects wanted in a Roanoke murder and robbery.
Akron police responded to a disorder call Sunday night and found 19-year-old Antoine Lamarr Thompson of Roanoke shot in the leg.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/July 11;]

He's been charged with robbing two young men at gunpoint at the Z-Mart on Melrose Avenue last week.
19-year-old Ben Chastang got away, but his friend, Ryan Fisher, was shot and killed as he tried to run.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

Police believe Thompson is the man who hitched a ride with the two young men before robbing them.
A 17-year-old boy who was with Thompson is also being detained.
Roanoke Police say they anticipate more charges in the investigation soon.
They're working on bringing Thompson back to Roanoke for prosecution.

[81-Accident]

[ANCHOR=Keith ]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=01-22 TC1:30:52]
[GRAPHIC=81 Deadly Accident]
Two construction employees headed to work on Interstate-81 were involved in a fatal car crash today. The pair was on the way to work on a project near Christiansburg. New River Valley Bureau Chief Rachel Cannon was there and has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Nats accident]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Sgt. Tom Foster/State Police; :21]
[SUPER=@Rachel2; 1:00]
[RUNS=1:12]
[OUT Q=RC, News 7, Montgomery County.]
(([Nats accident] ((8:31:41 (cover) THIS WAS A NEAR HEAD ON COLLISION)) State Police say a construction vehicle traveling North lost control. A sub-contractor hired for highway work by V-DOT, the truck went off the left side and crossed the median...hitting a Southbound tractor trailer.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 8:31:45]
[IN Q=it does appear]
((SGT TOM FOSTER/VA STATE POLICE; IT DOES APPEAR THAT THE TRACTOR TRAILER DID LAY DOWN SOME SIGNIFICANT SKID MARKS HE WAS BREAKING HEAVILY AT THE POINT OF IMPACT BUT STILL A VERY STRONG IMPACT.))
[OUT Q=very strong impact]
Strong enough to kill the construction vehicle's passenger, 40-year-old Woodbridge resident Todd Peterson. At last word, his driver, Theodore Rumph was in surgery for serious injuries at Roanoke Memorial Hospital. [Nats] State Police continue their investigation on why it happened. By this afternoon they had eliminated mechanical failure and surrounding construction.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 9:33:16]
[IN Q=I DON'T THINK]
((I DON'T THINK HIS UNFAMILIARITY WITH TRAFFIC PATTERN OR THE ROADWAY OR ANYTHING IS GOING TO BE A FACTOR. ))
[OUT Q=A FACTOR.]
Authorities say a possible factor...the driver's attention being diverted or him falling asleep at the wheel. The driver of the tractor trailer was treated and released from a local hospital. Rachel Cannon, News 7, Montgomery County.))
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[City-Schools]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=01-45 TC05:10]
[GRAPHIC=None]
The Roanoke school system's hiring practices are expected to be discussed later this evening. The school board and officials are expected to take up a draft audit report that shows the school system has hired employees with criminal records.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & TERESA/Microwave]
Teresa Hamilton will be attending tonight's meeting and has more.
[LIVE=Teresa Full/Microwave]
[ANCHOR=@Teresa1;]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke]
Shannon, The audit report is critical of the school system's Human Resources Department... having found that over the past two years, more than 30- employees with criminal backgrounds, have worked for the school system.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Sherman Lea/Roanoke School Board Chairman; :27]
[RUNS=:44]
[OUT Q=highest level.]
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[LIVE=Teresa Full/Microwave]
[SUPER=@Teresa1;]
[SUPER=05-Roanoke]
(adlib)
[DOUBLE BOXES=Shannon & Teresa/Microwave]

[Tease#1]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[SS=NONE]

It could cost college students thousands of dollars.
Still ahead on News 7, find out how poor grades can sink a student's financial aid.
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

And it's been years in the making... now a multi-million dollar renovation project is underway at a Southside high school.
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[Osborne-Motel]

[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=01-36 TC22:22]
A federal judge has awarded damages to a group of migrant workers for enduring deplorable conditions at a motel in Independence.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
19 workers sued the owners of the motel under the Fair Housing Act. They said they were discriminated against, that white people were rented much better rooms,
[SUPER=03-Independence/December 2000]
and that certain units- -the worst ones- -were reserved for the Mexican workers. Feliciano Alcala said his room was filthy, with no beds, just mattresses on the floor among the cockroaches. That's why he's one of the plaintiffs.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 18:28:10]
[IN Q=(NAT SOT in Spanish) In order to get]
((IN ORDER TO GET JUSTICE. AND COMPENSATION? YES. AND MONEY, PERHAPS? DINNERO, SI. YES.))
[SUPER=01-Feliciano Alcala Sanchez/Migrant Worker; :00 VERY QUICK]
[SUPER=01-Mary Bauer/Legal Aid Society; :06 VERY QUICK]
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=dinnero? Si. Yes.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Hoyt and Glenna Osborne never responded to the suit.
So they're in default. Today Judge James Turk said they'll have to return the rent the Mexican workers paid, plus 1-thousand dollars for each plaintiff for every week they lived at the Motel... a total of 155-thousand dollars. The workers spent about 10 weeks harvesting Christmas trees in Grayson county.
(------------)

[Hale-Sentencing]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=01-01 TC1:53:13]
[GRAPHIC=Moonshine Bust]

A member of the Hale family was sentenced today to serve about three and a half years in prison for running moonshine.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/March 23]

54-year old Willie Hale had admitted he hauled untaxed liquor across state lines. He had also pled guilty in March to money laundering and perjury.
Hale was fined 1-thousand dollars in addition to the 41-month prison sentence.
(------------)

[Stocks]

[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Some better-than-expected earnings reports have put investors in a buying mood. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-x/134.27/10606.39/x/38.20/2067.32;]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

The Dow rose 134 points and Nasdaq added 38.
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[VO]
[SUPER=271-i/0.36/47.51/i/0.11/20.81/h/2.32/63.70/h/1.37/26.57/h/0.31/9.00;]
[SUPER=272-i/0.26/61.49/i/0.02/34.48/h/0.42/47.95/i/0.11/46.11/h/1.18/45.00;]
[SUPER=273-h/0.69/24.49/h/0.32/22.18//Unchg/8.16/h/0.95/44.85//Unchg/17.20;]
[SUPER=274-h/1.45/68.48/h/1.01/68.26/h/0.57/56.47/i/0.42/69.36/i/0.13/53.35;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]
[Student-Aid]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=01-13 TC2:03:29]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

In Richmond, the policy makers are taking the tough love approach to college campuses.
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[GRAPHIC=Education]

The State Council of Higher Education in Virginia said today unless students keep a C average, and get a diploma within four and a half years they'll lose their financial aid.
Richmond Bureau Chief Ellen Qualls reports.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=That's not fair. That's really not.]
[SUPER=03-Richmond; :06]
[SUPER=01-Korin Herzog/VCU Student; :14 ]
[SUPER=01-Barry Simmons/Virginia Tech Financial Aid Dir.; :52]
[SUPER=01-Noah Allgood/VCU Student; 1:09]
[SUPER=01-Karen Marcus/State Council of Higher Ed.; 1:27]
[SUPER=@Ellen2; 1:40]
[RUNS=1:48]
[OUT Q=Qualls, News 7, Richmond.]
(([sot tape 15:18:05 ]
((NOAH ALLGOOD/VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIV.: THAT'S NOT FAIR. THAT'S REALLY NOT.))
[runs= 03 ]

Our very brief, very informal survey shows mixed opinion on Virginia's college campuses over performance requirements for financial aid.
[sot tape 15:15:53 ]
((KORIN HERZOG/VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIV.: AT COLLEGE, YOU KIND OF NEED TO KEEP A HIGH EXPECTATION OF YOURSELF. IT'S GOOD TO KIND OF HAVE... IN ORDER TO GET HELP FROM THE STATE.))
[runs= 13 ]

Danville's Korin Herzog is a student who makes sense -- at least to the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia.
The Council voted to end financial aid for any undergrad who can't graduate in four and a half years -- for whatever reason -- and juniors and seniors who can't keep a 2-point-0 average.
That's already the policy at most state colleges and universities... but a state mandate ties the hands of people like Virginia Tech's financial aid director.
[sot tape 10:46:40 ]
((BARRY SIMMONS/VIRGINIA TECH FINAN. AID DIR.: WHILE CERTAINLY YOU DO HAVE TO AT SOME POINT FISH OR CUT BAIT, THIS LEAVES US VERY LITTLE ROOM FOR NEGOTIATION WITH THE STUDENT, FOR THE STUDENT REALIZING HEY, I'VE GOT TO CHANGE AND MAKE DIFFERENCES. SO THERE'S NOT A LOT OF WIGGLE ROOM THERE.))
[runs= 17]

V-C-U sophomore Noah Allgood agrees.
[sot tape 15:19:25 ]
((NOAH ALLGOOD/VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIV.: THEY DEFINITELY KNOW THE STUDENTS INDIVIDUALLY BETTER THAN THE STATE DOES.
CAUSE THE STATE DOESN'T SEE THE FACES... SEE THE BUDGET AND MAKE THE DECISION, SO.))
[runs= 11 ]

But Council member Karen Marcus speaks with authority -- as the wife of the Governor's chief of staff -- and she knows budgets are important.
[sot tape 11:10:22 ]
((KAREN MARCUS/STATE COUNCIL OF HIGHER ED.: I DON'T THINK WE'RE SAYING WE KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR COLLEGES. I THINK THAT WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS THAT AS LONG AS THEY'RE TAKING STATE TAXPAYER'S DOLLARS, I DO BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD PUT SOME KIND OF RESTRAINTS ON THAT MONEY.))
[runs= 15 ]

The restraints were rejected by state lawmakers three years in a row.
The new policies take effect two summers from now.
Ellen Qualls, News 7, Richmond.))

[GW-Danville]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=01-43 TC03:44]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Danville's George Washington High school looks more like a construction zone than a school zone these days.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville]

The school is undergoing a 16 million dollar renovation project.
Workers are installing new windows, ceilings, and doors as well as new climate control system.
Construction is expected to last well into the next school year which could lead to problems.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 16:31:24]
[IN Q=They will be able]
((JOHN RANSON/PROJECT MANAGER: THEY WILL BE ABLE TO WORK OUTSIDE AND IN AREAS THAT THEY CAN WORK WITHOUT DISTURBING SCHOOL. THE SCHOOL WILL TURN FOUR CLASSROOMS AT A TIME OVER TO THEM SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE FREE REIGN IN THOSE FOUR CLASSROOMS.))
[SUPER=01-John Ranson/Project Manager]
[RUNS=14]
[OUT Q=those four classrooms]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Classes will be re-located to the auditorium and other parts of the school
Voters passed a 16 million dollar bond issue last November to pay for the project.
It's scheduled to be finished sometime in the fall of 2002.
(------------)

[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up tonight on the Big 7 - Perry Florio gets a new contract and new responsibilities. While Roanoke's NBDL team get a nickname.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And hear the inspiring story of a local woman who has overcome pain through pedaling.
(------------)

[S-Express]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-101 2052tc]
[GRAPHIC=EXPRESS]

When the new owners purchased the Roanoke Express coach Perry Florio hinted that he was looking for a new two year contract.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-Last Season; :00]
Today the popular coach got that and more as Florio inked a three year contract extension that will keep him in charge of the team through 2004. Terms of the deal were not released, but it is a huge relief for Florio, his family and the returning players he hopes to bring back into the fold. The new contract also give Florio some extra duties - he is also now the team's General Manager.
(------------)

[S-NBDL]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=SP-103 tc 13:56]
[GRAPHIC=NBDL]

The Roanoke Star has inspired NBA and NBDL marketing personnel who worked together to name the new National Basketball Development League team.
[ss=Dazzle]

Team President Donna Daniels unveiled the name for the Star City's new pro team this afternoon.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

Roanoke's nickname is the Dazzle. The official team colors are blue, yellow and black.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It was really]
[SUPER=01-Donna Daniels/Dazzle President;]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=recognize that]
(--------------)
[Anchor=Mike]
[SS=NBDL]

The Dazzle will play seven other league teams. In case your interested the other names include, The Greenville Groove, Columbus Riverdragons and the North Charleston Lowgators.

[S-Vick]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=VICK]
Michael Vick's scheduled appearance in Roanoke today as part of a promotion with the Boy's and Girl's Club and the communication's company NEXTEL fell through. Vick's agents say that this event's was simply scheduled to close to the start of the Falcons' training camp on Thursday.

[S-Erin]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=six]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=sp-105 tc 20:38]
[GRAPHIC=cycling]

Erin Garvin has gone to the extreme to find herself.
The Roanoke woman battled the elements in a journey of self discovery that took her over mountains, and through deserts, all on the seat of a bike.
Denise Allen has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Erin Garvin/First Woman to Cycle the Great Mt. Divide; :13]
[SUPER=@Denise2; 1:00]
[RUNS=2:13]
[OUT Q=News 7 Sports]

((Erin Garvin spends several days a week seeing the world from the seat of a bike, but it was back in 1998 she got a good look at herself while peddling a trial no other woman had ever traveled.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:16:18]
[IN Q=I needed]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=set of rules]

Erin was 25, working as the exercise supervisor for the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, when she decided to resign and ride the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.
It's the longest mountain bike trail in the world, 25-hundred miles long, from the Montana-Canada boarder to the New Mexico-Mexico line.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:17:26]
[IN Q=I was Mountain bike]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=on that trail]

Seven riders started the 60 day trip. Six finished. Erin and Sarah Thompson were the first women to complete the journey. At times the nearest town was five days away. They passed through two deserts and experienced 175-thousand feet of elevation change.
The cycling continued through 16 days of hale, ice and snow in Montana.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:22:09]
[IN Q=the feeling]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=a little hard]

Erin says the journey helped her learn to stand up for herself and get rid of what she calls "the passive southern woman complex."
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:24:13]
[IN Q=I tended to]
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=is saying]

Erin says the journey was a catalyst for development and she's written about those changes in a book called, "Conquering the Divide: a Woman's Journey to Self Discovery." It's available in all Roanoke book stores.
Denise Allen News 7 Sports.))

[S-Lance]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-97 2724TC]
[GRAPHIC=TOUR DE FRANCE]
The two time defending Tour De France champion is making a move.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-L'Alpe D'Huez, France/OLN; :00]
Lance Armstrong won today's 10th stage, the grueling climb into the French Alps. Armstrong jumped from 23rd overall to 4th in the standings thanks to today's victory. 10 stages remains the 3 week race.
(------------)

[Teacher-Award]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=bmo]
[TAPE#=01-23 TC1:06:15]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

A Roanoke teacher's life is enriched so-to-speak by his dedication to his students.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
[VO-NAT:19]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Wade Whitehead was honored by students, faculty, and friends today with a flag raising ceremony.
He was one of 155 teachers nationally who received the National Educator Award, which includes a 25-thousand dollar grant he was given in October.
But he says the greatest honor was the event students planned for him today.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT:01:41:59]
[IN Q=The events]
((WADE WHITEHEAD/ MILKEN EDUCATOR AWARD RECIPIENT; THE EVENTS I'VE ATTENDED IN RICHMOND AND LOS ANGELES OVER THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS HAVE BEEN ORGANIZED BY ADULTS AND COLLEAGUES, BUT FOR SOMETHING TO BE ORGANIZED BY KIDS IS JUST SO SPECIAL. AND THAT'S REALLY WHY I'M DOING THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE.))
[SUPER=01-Wade Whitehead/Milken Educator Award Recipient]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=first place.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Whitehead will start his fifth year at Crystal Spring Elementary this Fall. (------------)