WDBJ 7 news at 6 for 10/25/01

[1-News-Head]

[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

Just how prevalent is anthrax?
We'll tell you.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
And, the curtains will go down on the Grandin Theater unless fans of the landmark can pull some strings.
(------------)

[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Tonight on the Big 7. Lynch is traded to the Hornets. The Tech women get their Big East props today. The Express hits the road.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
And we'll unveil the Friday Football Extra list of games for week number 9.
(------------)

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

Also coming up, an interesting Tech Gameday weather forecast along with the very dry 7 day planner.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon 4-Shot]

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

(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 13:07:55]
[IN Q=It can be rapidly]
((IT CAN BE RAPIDLY PROGRESSIVE, FATAL, EVEN WITH APPROPRIATE MEDICAL TREATMENT, AND IS THE WEAPON OF CHOICE FOR BIO-TERRORISTS.))
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=weapon of choice for bio-terrorists.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]
That's the bad news about anthrax from an expert on occupational medicine.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
The good news is: Anthrax is very hard to distribute, and it takes a lot of it to kill you.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

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

And I'm Shannon Young.
[Mailroom-safety]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=01-33 TC1:52:44]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

The first case of someone contracting anthrax in Virginia was reported today.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

A State Department spokesman says the mail handler works at the department's facility in Sterling.
[ANCHOR=Keith]
[SS=Anthrax]
Anthrax, in fact, is all around us... in small doses. It's as old as dirt- -literally found in the soil- -among farm animals. Just half a century ago it was considered the disease of goat handlers and wool sorters.
(------------)
[V/O-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
Now it's the feared disease of mail handlers and letter sorters. Doctor Hetzal Hartley tried to allay the fears of a group of commercial mail processors today. However, he is quick to say, "the threat is real." Carilion's director of Occupational Medicine is just as quick to say exposure to Anthrax does not equal death.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:08:55]
[IN Q=It takes a big]
((IT TAKES A BIG DOSE, A BIG WHIFF OF THESE VERY FINE PARTICLES, AND THEY HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY OUT TO THE DEEP RECESSES OF YOUR LUNGS FOR YOU TO GET THE DISEASE.))
[SUPER=01-Dr. Hetzal Hartley/Carilion Occupational Medicine Dir.]
[RUNS=09]
[OUT Q=you to get the disease.]
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[V/O-NAT] While these mail handlers for a private firm in Roanoke can't assume there's absolutely NO risk of contracting anthrax, Dr. Hartley says there's a natural decontamination process as anthrax disseminates into the air. The spores are microscopic. He says they're about the size of particles in cigarette smoke. It takes eight to 40-thousand spores of anthrax to produce a lethal dose.
(------------)

[Police-Anthrax]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=01-45 TC1:25:56]
[GRAPHIC=Anthrax Scare]

Lynchburg police hope a new policy will help them better handle the recent rash of anthrax scares.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Authorities say they've handled dozens of calls and had to call out their hazardous materials team several times in response to suspicious circumstances.
Now, one police officer on every shift will be designated the haz-mat officer who will evaluate the credibility of any anthrax threat that comes in.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 3:50:59]
[IN Q=Some of them]
((LT. TOM LAWTON/LYNCHBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT: SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN PRETTY SILLY. IT'S JUST THE OLD PERSON AND SOMETHING WAS STAMPED ON THERE 'RETURN IMMEDIATELY' OR SOMETHING, WHICH YOU GET ALL THE TIME, BUT THEY'RE PANICKING. PEOPLE KIND OF NEED TO USE SOME COMMON SENSE ABOUT THESE THINGS.))
[SUPER=01-Lt. Tom Lawton/Lynchburg Police Department]
[RUNS=11]
[OUT Q=about these things.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Authorities have taken samples from at least a dozen separate calls, but won't have them tested for ten days.
That will allow them to wait and see if anyone develops symptoms of anthrax exposure.
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[Tech-Reward]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=501-01 TC1:08:10]
[GRAPHIC=VA Tech]

Virginia Tech needs help finding whoever was responsible for the bomb hoax on campus.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/October 11]

Tech police are offering a five-thousand dollar reward for information leading to a suspect's arrest.
The University came to a standstill October 11-th when a suspicious package was found in Newman Library.
(------------)

[Brush-Fires]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Brush Fire]

High winds and low humidity have caused problems for firefighters today, as they have battled several blazes in western Virginia.
(XXXXXXXX)
[LIVE=Poor Mt. Camera Full]
[SUPER=05-Montgomery Co.]

Since two o'clock, at least eight brush and forest fires have broken out in our part of the state.
Yu're looking at a live picture of a 15 acre blaze near Ironto in Montgomery County...
There is still one uncontained blaze of undetermined size near Motley in Pittsylvania County.
The national weather service has issued a red flag warning... and state forestry officials say they expect the dry, windy weather to cause problems through the weekend.
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[L'burg-Fire]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=01-51 TC54:05]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]

What started out as a fire in a scrap pile kept Lynchburg firefighters busy for several hours today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Witnesses spotted smoke and flames coming from behind several riverfront buildings around 11 this morning.
Crews arrived to find a large pile of scrap lumber engulfed in flames.
They spent the next three hours extinguishing the blaze and protecting nearby structures from catching fire.
Authorities aren't sure what caused the fire.
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[Grandin]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=01-47 TC2:01:43]
[GRAPHIC=None]
It's lights out for the Valley's oldest theater. The Grandin announced today that it will close its doors November 12th.
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :18.5]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
But there's still hope for the theater. A group calling itself the Grandin Theater Foundation is trying to buy the building and re-open the theater as a non-profit business.
They say they need help from the community to raise the 1and-a-quarter million dollars to purchase the building and upgrade the equipment.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT - 40:24 / 31:32]
[IN Q=The grandin theater represents...]
((JULIE HUNSAKER/GRANDING THEATER OWNER; THE GRANDIN THEATER REPRESENTS WHAT IS BEST ABOUT... THIS IS MAIN STREET USA.)) ((ED WALKER/GRANDIN THEATER FOUNDATION; ROANOKERS RECOGNIZE WHAT IS IMPORTANT, AND THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT THE GRANDIN IS IMPORTANT. ROANOKERS ACT TO PRESERVE THE THINGS THAT MAKE LIFE IN THE VALLEY SO GOOD.))
[SUPER=01-Julie Hunsaker/Grandin Theater Owner; :00]
[SUPER=01-Ed Walker/Grandin Theater Foundation; :14]
[RUNS=24]
[OUT Q=life in the Valley so good.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :10+]
The group has until the end of May to buy the building. Then, they hope to upgrade the projectors and sound system and reopen the theater sometime next year.
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[NRA-Grade]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=01-46 TC1:44:22]
[GRAPHIC=None]

After weeks of silence, the National Rifle Association has spoken.
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[VO-NAT :33 ]

The group released a letter today giving Republican Mark Earley a grade of "A-minus."
The N-R-A says: "certainly Mark Earley has NOT always been everything gun owners would like in a candidate," having voted for the one- gun- a-month law.
But his A-minus reflects a record that is "on balance, pro-gun."
Democrat Mark Warner got a "C" from the gun- rights group.
It says Warner has "altered his public stance on issues of concern to gun owners several times" in past years, saying to the N-R-A this year "that was then, this is now."
(------------)
[Anchor=Keith]
[SS=Campaign 2001]

The N-R-A Political Victory Fund had already heartily endorsed the rest of the Republican ticket, Jay Katzen and Jerry Kilgore.

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

Martinsville and Henry County join forces for a better future.
We'll explain how when News 7 returns.
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[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

And a sixteen-million dollar business expansion promises good things for Central Virginia as well.
(----------------)

[M/A-COM]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=01-49 TC42:34]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

A 16-million dollar partnership promises to spell good things for Lynchburg and one of its high-tech firms.
[ANCHOR=SHannon 2-Shot]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Ground was broken this morning on a 150-thousand square foot research facility for M/A-COM (MAY-com) Wireless Systems.
M/A-COM builds two-way mobile radio systems, and recently won a share of a billion dollar federal contract.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:05:26]
[IN Q=We're excited to]
((CHUCK SHAUGHNESSY/M/A-COM GENERAL MANAGER: WE'RE EXCITED TO BE PART OF A COMPANY THAT FEELS INVESTMENT IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IS IMPORTANT, IT'S ONE OF TYCO'S PRIMARY GROWTH DRIVERS TO INVEST IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO BE A HIGH-TECH COMPANY AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO SEE THAT INVESTMENT IN HIGH TECHNOLOGY HERE IN LYNCHBURG.))
[SUPER=01-Chuck Shaughnessy/MA-COM General Manager]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=here in Lynchburg.]
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[VO-NAT]

The Lynchburg Industrial Development Authority will own the structure and lease it to M/A-COM over the next twenty years.
It will allow them to combine two existing facilities into one building.
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[Henry-Development]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6 PM]
[WRITER=jus]
[TAPE#=01-43 TC1:18:08]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Henry County and the City of Martinsville are joining forces.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.]

Today, officials announced Wayne Sterling will become the new CEO of the Henry County Office of Commerce.
He'll be responsible for all aspects of the county's economic development program.
Sterling will also work for the city of Martinsville to help attract new jobs to the area.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:54:15]
[IN Q=The first thing we have to]
((WAYNE STERLING/HENRY CO. OFFICE OF COMMERCE: THE FIRST THING WE HAVE TO DO IS NOTIFY THE WORLD THAT WE ARE REALLY IN BUSINESS AND READY TO BE AGGRESSIVE TO GENERATE PROJECT ACTIVITY HERE IN THE AREA. IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE TO FIND OUT WHAT PROJECTS ARE OUT IN THE MARKETPLACE LOOKING AND THEN WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO JUSTIFY THEM LOOKING WITH US.))
[SUPER=01-Wayne Sterling/CEO Henry Co. Office of Commerce]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=looking with us]
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[VO-NAT]

Sterling is the former director of the state economic development agency.
His first day is November 5th.
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[Optical-Cable]

[ANCHOR=Keith]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=01-31 TC2:02:04]
[GRAPHIC=Optical Cable]

A Roanoke County Judge has ordered an Internet user- -presumably an insider at Optical Cable- -to stay off the on-line message board.
That came out in court, even as a Texas firm expressed interest in acquiring the Roanoke County fiber optic company. [***NEWS 7 @ 6 MB GRAPHIC***]
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith and Jen /MB Set;]

Business Reporter Jennifer Miele has more on both developments.
Keith
[LIVE=Keith /FULL MB SET]
[SUPER=@jennifer1]
this supposed "insider" posted information on the yahoo world wide web site -- information that the company says is confidential.
A Roanoke County Judge today ordered his name be released AND that he stay off the message board.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=This yahoo message]
[SUPER=01-Ken Harber/Optical Cable Vice-President;:13]
[SUPER=01-Mike Urbanski/Optical Cable Attorney;:38]
[RUNS=45]
[OUT Q=here today.]
(( This yahoo message board is where interested Optical Cable parties come to gossip.
It's here that the man with the screen name "stockinup2001" posted part of the company's customer list.
[SOT]
((KEN HARBER/OPTICAL CABLE VP: I CAN SAY NOT A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE HAD ACCESS TO THAT INFORMATION. WE DON'T JUST GIVE OUT OUR CUSTOMER LIST.)) [RUNS07]
On that same message board today, "stockinup2001" apologized for the posting and said the list was given to him after being found in a company trash can. He also wrote he meant no harm.
But Optical Cable says the damage is done -- and that it's time yahoo hand his ID over.
[SOT]
((MIKE URBANSKI/OPTICAL CABLE ATTORNEY: TO GRANT US AN ORDER TO GO TO CALIFORNIA AND REQUEST THE IDENTITY OF THIS PERSON, THAT'S WHY WE ARE HERE TODAY.)) [RUNS07]))
(--------------)
[LIVE=Jen /FULL MB SET]

One other Optical Cable development today, the president of "Fiber Systems International" out of Richardson, Texas, told me he is aggressively pursuing a buyout of the Optical Cable's president.
Optical Cable makes cables, Fiber Systems makes connectors, so the two companies may be a good fit.
In fact, millions of dollars of the combined product are being shipped to the Taiwanese and Egyptian Armies.
Kopstein did not return our calls regarding the potential buyout.
[DOUBLE BOXES=Keith and Jen /MB Set;]

Keith.

[Stocks]

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

Technology and energy shares led a rally on Wall Street today. [TAKE DOW & NASDAQ PAGE]
[RUNS=:30]
[SUPER=x5000;]
[SUPER=440-x/115.83/9461.45/x/43.93/1775.47;]
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]

The DOW climbed 116 points.
NASDAQ gained 44.
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[VO]
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[SUPER=274-h/0.44/61.60/h/1.01/62.72/h/0.09/50.19/h/0.77/30.20/h/0.82/53.30;]
[SUPER=#555; Reset]
[Transporation]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=jmi]
[TAPE#=01-37 TC1:27:03]
[ANCHOR=Shannon 2-Shot]

A local transportation summit ended up as a local airport summit today.
[ANCHOR=Keith 2-Shot]
(------------)
[VO-NAT :21]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Transportation experts from around the country gathered at the Hotel Roanoke to brainstorm about improvements.
The focus immediately turned toward the Roanoke Regional Airport and the discussion of U-S Airway's decision to change its Jet Service there.
Aviation Systems Researcher Michael Boyd noted the importance of federal support to existing airlines.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Prior to 9/11]
((MICHAEL BOYD: PRIOR TO 9/11 I WOULD HAVE RECOMMENDED NEVER STARTING AN AIRLINE. IT'S A GOOD WAY TO LOSE MONEY. AFTER 9/11 IT'S A LEAD PIPE SYNCH YOU WILL LOSE MONEY. SO I DON'T THINK IT'S A VERY GOOD TIME TO START AN AIRLINE.))
[SUPER=01-Michael Boyd/Aviation Systems Researcher]
[RUNS=11]
[OUT Q=an airline.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Roanoke Mayor Ralph Smith disagrees, and says it's time to think "new".
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Prior to 9/11]
((RALPH SMITH: THERE WAS A WOOLCO. IT NO LONGER EXISTS. BUT IN ITS PLACE IS A WALMART. IF WE USE THAT FALLACY WE WOULD HAVE SUBSIDIZED WOOLCO AND WE WOULD NOT HAVE WALMART TODAY.))
[SUPER=01-Ralph Smith/Roanoke Mayor]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=WalMart today.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Mayor Smith says he plans to hold his own transportation summit to discuss airport improvements.
(------------)

[Montgomery-Fatal]

[ANCHOR=Shannon]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=Fatal Accident]

A traffic accident this morning in Montgomery County killed a Radford woman, and injured another.
State Police say 59- year- old Sylvia May Cox was driving west on route 664. She was killed when her car crossed into the eastbound lane, and struck a sport utility vehicle.
The driver of S-U-V, 44- year old Sally Kanode McGuire of Radford, was taken to the hospital with possible broken bones. Her two- year- old grandson was in a child safety seat and was not injured.

[Road-Rage]

[ANCHOR=Shannon ]
[NEWSCAST=6]
[WRITER=rca]
[TAPE#=01-39 TC1:15:52]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]

Three felonies against a Blacksburg woman involved in a road rage incident will go to a grand jury.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]
A judge today certified three felony malicious wounding charges against 31-year-old Victoria Shepherd. They stem from an alleged act of road rage on Route 460 on August 18th. Today witnesses said Shepherd was driving erratically when she swerved into another car. Shepherd's 6-week old infant was in the vehicle. No one was injured. The Blacksburg woman also faces hit and run charges. Shepherd's attorney argued the charges should be dropped, saying she reported the accident once she got home and that she wasn't intentionally trying to hurt others. The judge denied that and also found Shepherd guilty of misdemeanor reckless driving.
(------------)

[Sports Tease]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Coming up tonight on the Big 7, the Express hits the road for the weekend. We'll rundown the schedule of football games for tomorrow night on Friday Football Extra.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Plus, George Lynch is traded this afternoon to the Hornets for Derrick Coleman.
(------------)

[S-Lynch]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-106 1532TC]
[GRAPHIC=GEORGE LYNCH]
We begin tonight with trade news concerning Roanoke's own George Lynch. In a three-way deal involving the Sixers, the Hornets and the Golden State Warriors, Lynch was traded to Charlotte for Derrick Coleman. The Sixers say Coleman better suits their needs.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I THINK...]
[SUPER=01-Billy King/Sixers General Manager; :00]
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=...CAN REBOUND."]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Charlotte, NC/1999; :00]
George does all of those things and more. In fact if you watch this little piece of tape, you'll see Lynch taking Coleman to school. In his 8 years in the league, the former Patrick Henry great has averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds in 526 games. Hornets coach Paul Silas says he's exactly what the Hornets need.
(------------)

[S-Tech]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-100 14749TC]
[GRAPHIC=BIG EAST]

The Big East conference women's basketball media day was held today.
UConn and Notre Dame were picked to finish one and two. The Tech women in just their second season are picked to finish sixth.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=we're excited...]
[SUPER=01-Bonnie Henrickson/Va. Tech Head Coach; :00]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=...TO RECRUIT."]
(------------)
[TALENT=MIKE]
[GRAPHIC=BIG EAST]
West Virginia was picked to finish last.

[S-Express]

[ANCHOR=steve]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=sma]
[TAPE#=SP-105 1:39:38]
[GRAPHIC=Express]

The Express is on the road this weekend for games in Charlotte and Wheeling. Steve Mason brings us up to speed on the team.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=first audio]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-Perry Florio/Express Head Coach; :10]
[SUPER=@Steve1; :19]
[SUPER=01-Ashby Coleman/Express Majority Owner; :35]
[SUPER=01-Daniel Berthiaume/148 Saves This Season; 1:06]
[RUNS=1:24]
[OUT Q=....News 7 sports"]
(---------------)
((Players lined up for pictures for the November third home game at the Ice Station. For Roanoke, a 5-1 and OH record can be deceiving. ((PERRY FLORIO/EXPRESS HEAD COACH:)) ((STEVE MASON:)) ((ASHBY COLEMAN/EXPRESS MAJORITY OWNER:))
Work on fighting maybe but not scoring. Mike Omicioli leads the Daniel Berthiaume is the league's leading goalie in wins, minutes and saves. This January, he will be 36, he compensates for youth with wisdom. ((:))
In the third period, Roanoke has nine goals, just one short of the goals scored in the first two periods combined.

Steve Mason News 7 sports.))[S-FFE]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=SP-95 15835TC]
[GRAPHIC=FFE]

It's week number nine of the high school football season. The temperature are dropping along with the playoff hopes of many teams. Here's tomorrow night's Friday Football Extra schedule of games with the home teams on the bottom of each matchup.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=FIRST SCORE]
[RUNS=1:07]
[OUT Q=...LOGO COMES FULL.]
(------------)

[S-Vick]

[ANCHOR=Mike]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mst]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=VICK]

Finally, Michael Vick has moved his Mom out of the Newport News projects into a mansion in Suffolk. Her new $1 point 5 million dollar house covers 8000 square feet. It has a pool, a hot tub, and elevator and a theater with stadium seating inside it.