[Open]
[SUPER=17-Wednesday January 2, 2002]
[SUPER=@Kimberly1;]
[SUPER=@Leo1;]
[SUPER=@Spa1;]
[War-Update]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 Mornin']
Security is expected to be very tight when Zacarias Moussaoui has his arraignment today in U-S District Court in Alexandria.
A defense attorney says Moussaoui will plead innocent.
Moussaoui is the first person charged as an accomplice in the September 11th attacks.
He faces six conspiracy counts-- four of which could bring the death penalty if he's convicted.
[SS=Enduring Freedom]
Meanwhile, U-S officials say 25 suspected al-Qaida members captured in Pakistan have arrived at the detention center on the American base in Kandahar.
Aleen Sirgany joins us now from Washington with an update.
[LIVE=NEWSPATH/FULL]
[SUPER=01-Aleen Sirgany/Reporting;]
[SUPER=05-Washington, DC;]
((ROLLCUE:...))
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Near Kandahar, Afghanistan;]
[SUPER=01-Andrew Frick/26th Marine Expeditionary Unit;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=back to you.]
[LIVE=NEWSPATH/FULL]
[SUPER=05-Washington, DC;]
((
LAWYERS SAY ZACARIAS MOUSSAOUI WILL PLEAD NOT GUILTY, WHEN HE APPEARS IN
A VIRGINIA COURTROOM TODAY.
BUT THE F-B-I REPORTEDLY HAD REASON TO SUSPECT HIS INVOLVEMENT IN THE
TERROR ATTACKS, WEEKS BEFORE SEPTEMBER 11TH.
THE WASHINGTON POST REPORTS, A FLIGHT SCHOOL OFFICIAL WARNED THE F-B-I,
THAT MOUSSAOUI COULD BE A POTENTIAL HIJACKER.
(nats..marines)
IN AFGHANISTAN, THE HUNT FOR OTHER TERROR SUSPECTS CONTINUES.
2-HUNDRED MARINES LAUNCHED WHAT'S BELIEVED TO BE THE BIGGEST AMERICAN
GROUND OPERATION OF THE WAR.
BACKED BY HELICOPTER GUNSHIPS, SOLDIERS SEARCHED A FORMER AL-QAIDA
COMPOUND NEAR KANDAHAR.
(SOT COLONEL ANDREW FRICK/26TH MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT "Based on what
we found when we got there, we probably had five times more marines than
we needed, but we always go with enough force that if things don't go
the way we plan, we are prepared for the worst.")
THE U-S IS INTENSIFYING INTELLIGENCE MISSIONS, AS PART OF THEIR HUNT FOR
THIS MAN.
..TALIBAN SUPREME LEADER MULLAH OMAR.
HE'S A TOP TARGET FOR AMERICAN FORCES, SECOND ONLY TO OSAMA BIN LADEN.
BUT OMAR HAS HIS ALLIES.
SOME 15-HUNDRED TALIBAN FIGHTERS ARE REPORTEDLY READY TO DEFEND HIM...IN
THE MOUNTAINS NEAR BAGHRAN...NORTHWEST OF KANDAHAR.
))
[Fire-EMS]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=Wed-AM]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Local officials will be watching closely as a new partnership takes shape in the Roanoke Valley.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]
Starting at seven o'clock yesterday morning, Roanoke city firefighters joined county personnel at the Clearbrook Station.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:30:47]
[IN Q=We have three different]
((WE HAVE THREE DIFFERENT SHIFTS ON 24 HOURS A DAY. AND FOR ABOUT THE FIRST WEEK OR TWO WE'RE GETTING PEOPLE IN GETTING USED TO THE NEW TERRITORY, ORIENTING THE CITY CREWS TO THE COUNTY AND WE'RE ALSO ORIENTING TO THE CITY, GETTING THINGS STARTED.))
[SUPER=01-Mike Unroe/Roanoke Co. Fire & Rescue]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=getting things started.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
18 career paramedics and firefighters will man three shifts, and assist the Clearbrook volunteers.
Officials say the collaboration will provide 24 hour coverage and reduce response times in the 220 corridor.
(------------)
[11Danville-Fire]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]
Debris in a floor furnace started a fire in Danville, causing heavy damage to a home.
Firefighters say smoke was showing when they responded to Garland Street around eight yesterday morning.
The flames were contained to two rooms of the house, but the damage from fire, smoke and water was heavy.
One person was treated at the scene for burns by the Danville Lifesaving Crew, but no one was not taken to the hospital.
[11Carroll-Murder]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Invest.]
Carroll County deputies are investigating the county's first murder of 2002.
Sheriff Warren Manning says deputies responded to a 9-1-1 call in the Cana section of the county Monday night.
That's where 30- year- old Jody Bowman had been shot... Bowman later died at Northern Surry Hospital.
Authorities have charged 34- year- old Shannon Dawn Towe with Bowman's murder.
No other details have been released.
[11Yearender]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=02-05 TC01:12]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Picking a top story of 2001 wasn't a hard decision for most people.
But other events also commanded our attention here in western and central Virginia.
Assignment editor Joe McKean has our annual list of the year's top stories, as selected by the News-7 staff.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=At number seven]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/February 2, 2001; :00]
[SUPER=01-Don Caldwell/Roanoke Prosecutor; :21]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/May 10, 2001; :30]
[SUPER=03-Richmond/November 6, 2001; :47 Quick!]
[SUPER=01-Mark Warner/Governor-Elect; :50]
[SUPER=03-Daytona Beach, FL/February 18, 2001; 1:27]
[SUPER=03-Bedford/June 6, 2001; 1:34]
[SUPER=03-Arlington/September 11, 2001; 2:10]
[RUNS=2:30]
[OUT Q=McKean, News-7.]
(( At number seven on our list of the year's top stories, is the murder of a young woman from Goodview in Bedford County. A few days after Tina Foster disappeared last winter, the body of the Hooters waitress was found in her car in the parking lot of a motel.
A soldier from Fort Lee, Christopher Haynes, is charged with her murder and is awaiting trial.
[SOT Caldwell 01:27:00, tape 00-51]
((I JUST DON'T KNOW...BEAT HER TO DEATH))
Another high profile murder suspect continued to make news last year.
[SOT GAY, 00:52:56, tape 01-16]
((I WAS DRIVEN INSANE TO DO WHAT I HAD TO DO))
Ronald Gay pleaded guilty in the shootings at the Backstreet Cafe, an attack that was commemorated by Roanoke's gay community and its supporters a year later.
The change in the fortunes of the Democratic party was number five on our list.
[SOT Warner, 35:34, 01-60]
((WE LAID OUT A PLAN FOR VIRGINIA'S FUTURE, A PLAN THAT DIDN'T FOCUS ON SOUND BITE SOLUTIONS OR THREE WORD SLOGANS)).
Mark Warner was elected governor, and running mate Tim Kaine, lieutenant governor in November. Republican Jerry Kilgore will be the new attorney general.
They take office, preparing to deal with a huge budget shortfall that threatens the final year of the car tax cut, and forced cultural institutions to slash spending and services.
Coming in at an appropriate spot on our list, at number 3, was the death of the Intimidator. Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash in February in the final lap of NASCAR's signature event stunned racing fans, and left the sport facing questions about driver safety standards.
The dedication of the National D-Day Memorial in June brought hundreds of veterans, and the commander in chief, to the city that lost so many of its sons in so short a time sixty years ago.
[SOT Bush, tape 01-41]
((YOU HAVE RAISED A FITTING MEMORIAL TO D-DAY, AND HAVE PUT IT IN JUST THE RIGHT PLACE.))
By the end of the year, though, financial problems had brought on the resignation of most of the memorial's board members, and a state police review of its books.
And as our top story of 2001, the September 11th terrorist attacks on America.
Among the victims in the plane crash at the Pentagon, a sailor and William Fleming graduate from Roanoke, Donald Young.
Firefighters raised thousands of dollars in memory of their fallen colleagues...
new security procedures appeared at Roanoke's airport.
And those were some of the stories your hometown station brought you in the first year of the 21st century.
Joe McKean, News-7. ))
[6-Cove-Bikers]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=01-49 TC1:49:30]
[GRAPHIC=none]
For many of us, New Year's means spending the day watching football.
Somehow, venturing out into the sub-freezing temperatures never enters into the plan.
But for others it's a day to celebrate the great outdoors, regardless what the thermometer might say.
Steve Smallshaw tries to explain why.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=They started at]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co./Carvins Cove; :00]
[SUPER=01-Tad Finnell/Roanoke Valley Birdwatching Club; :21]
[SUPER=01-Brian Lang/Bike Ride Organizer; :50]
[SUPER=01-Maynard Keller/Bicyclist; 1:14]
[SUPER=@ssm2; 1:21]
[RUNS=1:24]
[OUT Q=News7, Botetourt County.]
(( They started at daybreak, wrapped in multiple layers of clothing and armed with binoculars and telescopes.
[natsot 2:38:39]
((OKAY, IF YOU LOOK STRAIGHT ABOVE THAT GULL...))
[RUNS= 03]
For the Roanoke Valley Birdwatching Club, New Year's Day is a traditional time to get together, scan the skies and enjoy a hobby that you might say is..
[natsot 2:39:30]
((KILLDEER!))
[RUNS= 01]
..for the birds.
[SOT 2:35:14]
((TAD FINNELL/ROANOKE VALLEY BIRDWATCHING CLUB: IT'S JUST A HOBBY THAT SOME PEOPLE PURSUE, OTHER PEOPLE KIND OF SIT BACK AND SAY 'WHAT'S GOING ON?'))
[RUNS= 07]
[OUT Q=going on?]
By noon, they had spotted nearly fifty different species of birds, including this flock enjoying the water at Carvins Cove.
Security remains tight at the cove.. you still need to register for a pass before casting your line or hitting the trails.
But it didn't stop this group of cyclists, who also have made it a habit to gather here every January 1st and ring in the New Year on two wheels.
[SOT 2:44:02]
((BRIAN LANG: IT'S SO MUCH FUN, IT'S A COMBINATION OF GETTING TO SEE ALL YOUR FRIENDS THAT YOU DON'T SEE THAT MUCH THIS TIME OF THE YEAR, GETTING TO RIDE YOUR BIKE THAT YOU DON'T RIDE MUCH AT THIS TIME. DOING SOMETHING HEALTHY ON NEW YEAR'S, GETTING GOOD EXERCISE, FRESH AIR, SUNSHINE..))
[RUNS= 12]
[OUT Q=fresh air, sunshine.]
Notice he forgot to mention the temperature.
In the teens at daybreak, it had barely hit 30 by mid-day.
[SOT 2:44:25]
((BRIAN LANG/BIKE RIDE ORGANIZER: IF YOU LAYER UP AND DRESS FOR IT AND MAKE UP YOUR MIND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE FUN, YOU WILL.))
[RUNS= 05]
[OUT Q=you will.]
[SOT 2:41:11]
((MAYNARD KELLER/BICYCLIST: MY WIFE'S A RUNNER, SHE RAN UP TO THE MILL MOUNTAIN STAR THIS MORNING, NOW IT'S MY TURN TO DO SOMETHING.))
[RUNS= 06]
[OUT Q=to do something.]
Even if others don't understand it.
Steve Smallshaw, News7, Botetourt County.))
(Kimberly tosses to bump)
[bump-chyron]
[comm #3]
[11Clearbrook-Station]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=01-62 TC28:39]
[GRAPHIC=None]
After months of planning, a new partnership between Roanoke City and Roanoke County is now in place.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.]
The new year brings a new arrangement at the county's Clearbrook Station, where city firefighters are now working alongside the county personnel.
Starting at seven o'clock yesterday morning, combined crews began running calls in the 220 corridor.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:31:21]
[IN Q=Roanoke county and Roanoke city]
((MIKE UNROE: ROANOKE COUNTY AND ROANOKE CITY ARE PRETTY SIMILAR IN THE WAY THEY RUN FIRE AND EMS. THERE ARE JUST A FEW MINOR VARIATIONS, BUT WE'RE ABLE TO WORK THAT OUT PRETTY GOOD. WE'VE MET WITH A LOT OF THE CITY PERSONNEL. THEY'VE COME OUT TO SEE US AND ALSO A LOT OF OUR COUNTY PERSONNEL, SO EVERYTHING SO FAR SEEMS TO BE GOING OKAY.))
[SUPER=01-Mike Unroe/Roanoke Co. Fire & Rescue]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=seems to be going okay.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Three shifts with six career paramedics and firefighters will man the station around the clock, and assist the Clearbrook volunteers.
Officials say the collaboration will provide 24 hour coverage and reduce response times in the 220 corridor.
(------------)
[State-Budget]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=VA Budget]
Citizens will get a chance to speak out about the state's budget tomorrow--
Members of the General Assembly's budget- writing committees are holding statewide public hearings.
They'll be hosted at George Mason University, Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, at the Virginia Beach Pavilion, and at Roanoke's Virginia Western Community College.
Lawmakers face a two- billion dollar shortage in the budget cycle that begins July 1st.
[11Freshmen-delegates]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=501-04 1:17:48]
[GRAPHIC=VA State Capitol]
Lawmakers have their work cut out for them when they return to Richmond next week, thanks to a billion dollar hole in the state budget.
As one veteran legislator said: "We aren't going to balance the budget by cutting out the use of 'Post It' notes at V-DOT."
The next General Assembly will also include more than 20 new Delegates.
(------------)
[V/O-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Martinsville]
Danny Marshall of Danville is one of the freshmen members. He's focusing on how to attract new business to Southside.
At a meeting of local business leaders last week, the delegate- elect cited a survey that asked C-E-O's what they look for when deciding to re-locate.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:17:30]
[IN Q=The number one]
((DANNY MARSHALL/(R) DANVILLE; THE NUMBER ONE REASON WAS THE AVAILABILITY OF SKILLED WORKERS. THE NUMBER TWO REASON WAS THE RATING OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AND NUMBER THREE DOWN THE LIST WAS THE AVAILABILITY TO A FOUR-LANE HIGHWAY.))
[SUPER=01-Danny Marshall/(R) Danville Delegate-Elect;]
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=availabilty to a four-lane highway.]
(------------)
[V/O-NAT]
Marshall urged improvement of Route 58 to I-77 and the construction of Interstate 73.
(------------)
[6-Dudley-Bills]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Allen Dudley]
Franklin County Delegate Allen Dudley says the state must offer more incentives to bring businesses into southside and southwest Virginia.
He's proposing legislation that would give tax breaks to companies that create at least 25 new jobs in an economically distressed area. Current law allows tax incentives for companies that create at least 50 jobs.
Dudley also wants to see motorsports license plates in Virginia. He plans to introduce a bill that would allow the Department of Motor Vehicles to sell license plates commemorating any driver, track or other aspect of motorsports.
[6-Patrick-Hospital]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=02-02 TC00:36]
[GRAPHIC=none]
The group that runs Patrick County's only hospital is considering a plan to sell it.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Stuart/February 2001]
R.J. Reynolds Memorial filed for protection from creditors in bankruptcy court two years ago.
The hospital's director says selling it to a private company might be one way to enhance service and restore some operations that have been cut.
A bankruptcy judge in Lynchburg would have to approve any sale.
Officials say everything is in the preliminary stages right now, and that they're doing this to keep their options open.
(------------)
[Back-Pain]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin' Health Check]
In this morning's Health Check, It is estimated that up to 80 percent of us will suffer a back injury at some point in our lives.
Next to the common cold, it's the number one reason Americans miss work.
Now researchers might know why some back injuries seem to linger for years.
Clark Powell shows us a high tech machine that may have finally uncovered an age old problem.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 4:27:03 CONUS]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Columbus, OH; :00]
[SUPER=01-John Scott/Back Pain Sufferer; :12]
[SUPER=01-William Marras/Ohio State University; :41]
[SUPER=01-Clark Powell/Reporting; 1:28]
[RUNS=1:38]
[OUT Q=Clark Powell reporting.]
((
FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS, JOHN SCOTT HAS BATTLED BACK PROBLEMS. HE'S
LEARNED TO CONTROL THE PAIN THROUGH EXERCISE BUT BEFORE HE STARTED HIS
WORKOUT OUT CONSISTENTLY, JOHN SAYS THE PAIN NEARLY CONTROLLED HIS
LIFE.
(SOT SCOTT - the pain was so bad even taking pain medication, as soon
as the pain medication wore off, the pain was back)
UNTIL NOW, DOCTORS WEREN'T SURE WHY SOME BACK INJURIES LINGERED SO
LONG. BUT THIS IS GIVING THEM SOME ANSWERS.
WILLIAM MARRAS IS A PROFESSOR OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AT THE OHIO STATE
UNIVERSITY WHO IS TAKING A MECHANICAL APPROACH TO SOLVING A MEDICAL
PROBLEM.
THIS HIGH TECH MACHINE TELLS HIM HOW PEOPLE WITH BACK INJURIES REACT
WHILE LIFTING EVEN A SMALL AMOUNT OF WEIGHT.
(SOT MARRAS - what we found is that people with back pain experienced
anywhere between 25-to-75-percent more force on the spine)
AND THE WORSE PART IS THEY DO THE DAMAGE THEMSELVES. MARRAS FOUND THAT
WHEN YOU INJURE A MUSCLE IN YOUR BACK, YOU HAVE A NATURAL TENDENCY TO
PROTECT IT SO YOU BEGIN TO USE OTHER MUSCLES TO MAKE UP FOR THE
INJURED ONE.
SOMEONE WITH A BACK INJURY MIGHT LIFT THIS WEIGHT FOR EXAMPLE, BY
OVERCOMPENSATING, USING STOMACH MUSCLES, SIDE MUSCLES, EVEN CHEST
MUSCLES...ALL OF WHICH PUTS A LOT MORE PRESSURE ON YOUR SPINE AND
MAKES THE INJURY WORSE.
MASSAS SAYS THE INJURED MUSCLE NEEDS TO BE RESTED AND SLOWLY REUSED
BUT THAT'S NOT THE APPROACH MANY MEDICAL EXPERTS HAVE BEEN USING.
(SOT MARRAS - hopefully, physical therapy techniques will move more
toward teaching people how to turn on the muscles correctly and in the
right sequence)
MARRAS SAYS BACK INJURIES DON'T HAVE TO BE LASTING PROBLEMS IF WE
LEARN TO REHABILITATE THEM CORRECTLY, THE FIRST TIME.
AT THE OHIO STATE MEDICAL CENTER, THIS IS CLARK POWELL REPORTING.))
[11Ovarian-Cancer]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Mornin Health Check]
A new study finds a hormone in birth control pills provides the highest level of protection
against ovarian cancer.
According to scientists at the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, the risk of ovarian cancer is cut by about 50 percent in women
taking birth control pills containing estrogen and progestin.
For women taking pills that had high levels of progestin, the risk was reduced even further.
The American Cancer Society says nearly 14-thousand American women died of ovarian cancer in 2001.
[11Bike-Ride]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=501-01 1:32:17]
[GRAPHIC=None]
When winter sets in, many people start daydreaming about sunny days, riding their bike and going fishing.
And then there are those people who go out and do all those things no matter what the weather.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co./Carvins Cove]
A group of Roanoke- area biking enthusiasts gathered yesterday morning for their annual ride around the Carvins Cove reservoir.
Even with temperatures frozen in the twenties, about fifty cyclists strapped on their helmets and pedaled off for a ride of anywhere from three to fifteen miles.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:44:02]
[IN Q=It's so much]
((BRIAN LANG/BIKE RIDE ORGANIZER: IT'S SO MUCH FUN, IT'S A COMBINATION OF GETTING TO SEE ALL YOUR FRIENDS THAT YOU DON'T SEE THAT MUCH THIS TIME OF THE YEAR, GETTING TO RIDE YOUR BIKE THAT YOU DON'T RIDE MUCH AT THIS TIME, DOING SOMETHING HEALTHY ON NEW YEAR'S DAY IS FUN, GETTING GOOD EXERCISE, FRESH AIR, SUNSHINE.))
[SUPER=01-Brian Lang/Bicyclist]
[RUNS=13]
[OUT Q=fresh air, sunshine.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The cove also played host yesterday to the annual outing of the Roanoke Valley Birdwatching Club.
(------------)
[Argentina]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Mornin]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]
Argentina has yet another new president, but the protests continue.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Buenos Aires, Argentina;]
Yesterday lawmakers appointed Eduardo (doo-WAHL-day)
Duhalde as President-- the country's FIFTH leader in two weeks..
His term is expected to last until 2003.
The new president promises to create a million jobs, and provide a social safety net for the unemployed.
But thousands of protestors still swarmed the streets, banging pots and pans, and demanding a POPULAR vote.
(------------)
[11Apartment-Fire]
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=501-14 1:19:01]
[GRAPHIC=Fire Investigation]
Investigators blame a New Year's Eve fire at a Rocky Mount apartment on a curling iron.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Rocky Mount]
Fire crews were called to the Candlewood Apartments on Court Street just before 9 Monday night.
Smoke and flames were coming from the basement apartment in building "F".
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 00:09:54]
[IN Q=Some of our]
((DON BROWN/ROCKY MOUNT POLICE DEPARTMENT: SOME OF OUR OFFICERS WERE THE FIRST ON THE SCENE, THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE BUILDING, IN THE HALLWAYS. How bad was it at that point? IT WAS PRETTY BAD AS FAR AS SMOKE, CAN'T REALLY TELL YOU HOW BAD THE FIRE WAS, BUT THERE WAS A LOT OF SMOKE AND THEY DID SAY THEY COULD SEE FLAMES COMING OUT OF THE BASEMENT APARTMENT.))
[SUPER=01-Don Brown/Rocky Mt. Police Department]
[RUNS=21]
[OUT Q=the basement apartment.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Authorities say the resident, Rita Thomas, was not home at the time.
Her apartment was a total loss.. other apartments suffered mostly minor smoke and water damage.
Volunteers from four area fire companies helped battle the blaze.
(------------)
by SS